When the bleedin obvious isn’t actually obvious after all, what do you do? Answer – listen to your body!

It has been a rather tumultuous time for us lately (great British understatement!) Hence the lack of a post last month.

Last June, a brush with Covid highlighted pre-burn out and how I really had to set boundaries and curtail my activities, even though it was the very last thing I wanted to do.

Since then, things took a nosedive, til, at the end of January, things came to a head. I have for many years, felt that I had discovered the very bottom of the barrel, however, each time, something new would come along to make me realise that no, actually, life could get worse. I’ve been pushed to the absolute limit in terms of what I could take physically, mentally and emotionally.

On my birthday (as it happened), I finally reached the end of what had been a very long rope! Less than 24 hours later, the pressure lifted and with it the circumstances that had been causing so much trauma. Yay! – except I was pretty much on the floor energetically speaking. Thinking was done through a fog. Trying to cope with simple tasks could throw me into tailspin – and as for doing two things at once…! This, despite the fact that I am, and have been, an excellent plate spinner – occasionally while doing the tango at the same time! 😉

So – when, quite by chance I came across an opportunity to attend a short course of webinars to learn a new healing modality, the obvious answer to that would be – forget it! Or would it? Because, you see, I wasn’t (given that I’m not quite that stupid) looking for that at the moment. The healing modality had been on my radar for a while, but I hadn’t felt drawn to explore it. Until now, that is.

Given the bonkers timing it seemed logical to draw up a list of questions to ask myself. Like:

Have I gone mad? (good opener!)
What makes me think I’ll be able to have the brain power and focus to take it in?
Am I just looking to ‘collect’ another healing modality; learning for the sake of learning?
Can I afford the time and money?
Shouldn’t I wait and see if the opportunity comes up again at a more convenient time?

By the next morning, however, I was suddenly very clear that this course was drawing me like a magnet. Forget the dos and don’ts, the shoulds and should nots. My instinct was telling me in no uncertain terms that this was something I needed to do. Now. Not at an unspecified future time.

I’ve had a lot of experience of listening to my intuition so I know when it’s yelling at me. Hence, I signed up.

So, what happened? Did I fall over? Could I possibility fit anything more into my overcrowded head? Well, yes, as it turns out. The course was exactly what I needed – needed to know and needed to do. Perfect! But at the maddest time imaginable for me, personally. Which brings me to my point.

Logic and common sense are great. Thinking before you act can be important, but there are times when you have to do the wild thing (no – not THAT wild thing!) 😉 even though it might seem ridiculous.

Our brains are very clever and they’re used to being in charge but they don’t know everything. So, at the end of the day, don’t assume that what looks good on paper will be good in real life, or, that just because something was true once it will be true again.

Circumstances change, people change, energies fluctuate. Even what your body needs, or can tolerate, in regard to food and drink can change daily. So, it’s always wise to check in with the part of you that might know things your brain doesn’t. And if that intuitive knowing seems ridiculous, then question it by all means, but let it have its say, because sometimes the thing you least expect is exactly what you need.

Cosmic Cats and the Zodiac

Daniel has recently been working on a series of illustrations exploring the western zodiac.

The zodiac itself is made up of twelve signs, each with a unique energy or feeling. Every sign has one of four elements and a ruling planet/planets. These affect the signs in various ways.

When you observe the zodiac as a whole it reveals a complete narrative, initiated by the fiery spark of Aries and completing with the transcendental power of Pisces. As the narrative progresses there are moments of light and darkness, expression and introspection… All are necessary aspects to drive the narrative forwards.

After Pisces, we jump back to the beginning with Aries. However, this is always with a greater level of experience and awareness!

Autumn is part of another cycle. A cycle of seasons. As we move into autumn, consider taking some time for yourself to self-reflect. The zodiac is just one of many cycles that can affect our daily lives. Cycles like the zodiac allow for growth and expansion by their design (if you allow them).

Unfortunately, some cycles can be destructive. It is up to us individually to use discernment to identify these cycles and to disempower them. This, as always, begins with awareness…

What cycles are you currently participating in? Are they serving you? Take some time to sit with those questions and see what answers come to you.

If you are interested in exploring astrology further or booking a reading, we can highly recommend Soul Sloth Astrology with Colbe Barrett.

Daniel spent time meditating with all of the signs individually before bringing their energies onto paper. You can visit Instagram to see the completed set of illustrations.

“I’ve been working on a series of channeled drawings exploring the different energies and aspects of the zodiac. (Featuring our cat, Moo!) I had a lot of fun working on these and experimenting with various compositions and colours. I also used a mix of traditional and digital media with a technique I hope to explore in future artworks.”

– Daniel Saunders

Prints available on Redbubble, as well as T-shirts, and other merch.

You can also support Daniel’s work by visiting Ko-Fi and
“buying him a coffee”!

Are you moving forward in your life or are you stuck in the same place no matter what you do? There might be a reason for that!

What does going forward in your life mean to you? No, what does it really mean to you? Humans are many layered and you have to dig deep if you want to find your real motivation — but it’s worth doing, as once you’ve uncovered it you can find out why you’re not succeeding. Once you have all the facts then you’re in a position to make a decision.

Maybe you want to sell more products, or attract more clients. If you suddenly get hoards of people knocking at your door (or your website!) asking for appointments what might that change mean for you? What will it require from you? Will you have to make a decision? How will your life have to change in order to get what you want?

Your subconscious fear of having to make changes, take accountability, meet demand, be responsible for people etc are all things that might hold you back energetically from getting what you want.

You have to decide what is best for you, what you can handle and then do it —or not do it. You don’t have to worry as all the control is in your hands, but in order to take control you need to know what the parameters are. You need to know what the likely consequences of change are and whether you can handle it — both consciously AND subconsciously.

So, ask yourself the questions. Do I really want this change? And see what the little voice within says. If you get a no when you expected a yes, then it’s time to ask another question. Why is that? What will it mean for me/my life/my family? You might be surprised by the response.

This is where you find out whether you and your subconscious are on the same page. It’s not just about the ‘little voice’ though – it’s noticing how it feels when you think about it. You might find those feelings contradict how you think you feel about going forward, in which case — congratulations! You’ve just discovered what was getting in the way of your success – and all because you were not aware that part of you was feeling that way.

Human beings are complex and many layered so if there is part of you that is saying no, it makes the energy of your focused intent less powerful which attracts less people/less money/less success — whatever it is you were working on.

So, what do you do now you have that useful nugget of information? Well, you ask more questions. For example, if you feel fear or panic when you think about getting what you want, then you need to ask yourself (your inner self) why that is.

Listen for the little voice that tells you you’re frightened of more responsibility or having to rely on your own judgement, or the possibility of overwhelm. Whatever it is, it’s information. Talk to yourself like you would another person. Give yourself advice, and see where that takes you. Hopefully to a place of better clarity and from there you can decide whether going forward is something that you really want, or something that you actually can’t cope with.

Just remember, it’s up to you. Nobody else really knows what you should do or what is right. So cut out the noise from society, family, friends, social media — even your partner or mentor. Because they don’t know what is right for you exactly at this moment. Only you can decide that, once you have consulted with all the layers of yourself. It’s time to step up to the plate, affirm sovereignty over your life, and get to it. Or don’t! It’s your choice.

Have you reached the place of zero tolerance? Try it. It can be more magical than you might think…

Some people might have heard of the zero point field. A place of pure potentiality where everything (and nothing — it’s very zen!) is present. Taking into account that the zero point field exists and therefore so does everything we might desire for ourselves, maybe that inspired me to get to the place of ‘zero tolerance’!

Or maybe I just got to the point where I’d been stuck for too long, going round and round in the same old hamster wheel. Maybe I was just tired of the place of ‘zero progress’! 😉

But a lot of us won’t reach that place. We’re very good at putting up with things you see. Not because we believe we don’t have any power to change them, but just because they ARE.

Are there things that annoy you every day but you never do anything about and just put up with as one of those inevitable irritating everyday things?

Well, here is an idea. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you just jolt yourself out of the hypnotic mindset that tells your brain “it’s just part of your daily life”, and start looking for a solution you’ll find that – gasp! – you can make changes.

Small, maybe, because these things are often small and irritating and that is why we overlook them. Whether it’s mending the plug in the bathroom sink, reorganising the cupboard under the stairs so you can actually find stuff, or finding a new place for your shoes that you WON’T trip over them, you can get a real boost . It’s often so simple to fix that you wonder why you never did it before.

The answer is because you just accepted it as part of life and something that had to be put up with. After all it’s easier to just keep trudging on, accepting and tolerating stuff than it is to shake yourself out of it and create change. And the sooner you realise that, the easier you can wake up and take control.

And you’ll find it gives you such a sense of empowerment that you realise you don’t have to accept the bigger irritations in your life either. And before you say it, yes we all have certain factors in our life that we can’t change like family members or situations, but if you ignore the immoveable (or currently immoveable) pieces on the chessboard of life, what else can you actually move?

We spend too long in our lives, stuck in situations, either because we’ve never questioned them or we’re afraid to make decisions that might create change. That’s where you need to keep asking yourself questions (and then you need to answer them!) Do I need this? Can I change this? What will happen if I do? Is that acceptable to me? If not, is there another way, to make it acceptable to me. What other options are there? If I wasn’t prepared to accept that situation, what else might be possible? You’ll be amazed what you can achieve once you start asking questions from a no limitations point of view.

Yes, of course there are limitations in life – but in what ways can you work round them? In what ways can you alter them or alter the effect they have on you? Just keep asking questions from a different perspective and you might find that you have more ‘wiggle room’ than you first thought.

Wiggle room is good! We all need more of that. So question what you think are your limitations and just see what you can create!

To detox, or not to detox? You might be surprised…

I’m a member of a group for healers and people that want to clear their crap so they can fulfil their potential. Part of this month’s effort is a very comprehensive detox plan.

I won’t bore you with the finer details, but suffice it to say, for me, de-tox doesn’t sound like the most appealing idea. Because hey, when you’re going through a hard time, the last thing you really want to do is ramp up the challenge level by forcing yourself to down a bunch of vile-tasting tinctures, remove the flavour from your food, and cut out sugar and gluten.

Don’t get me wrong though. I am quite sure that the plan is sound, and I know the effects would be helpful for my body. Some might argue that BECAUSE I’m going through a hard time, this is the exact right point to lessen the load by clearing out those toxins.

If that’s you and you’re going for it – great! Don’t let me stop you. But if, like me, you’re exhausted – only keeping going by sheer willpower and bloody mindedness – then the thought of a de-tox might tip you over the edge. So, before you tip – stop – rewind – and read on!

What if there was another way? I’m not saying DON’T detox ever. They can be great. In fact, I have done various cleanses in my time that involved taking large amounts of apple juice and olive oil, or stinking green powder that doesn’t really want to dissolve in water – because, you know, it’s algae! I’ve even had the proverbial tube up the bum, otherwise known as colonics. And I’m sure that none of them were as thorough and well-thought out as this one.

The trouble for some of us is – we know it won’t wash. It all comes down to ‘know thyself’. I do – and I know that I won’t take the tinctures (after the first evil mouthful!) 😉 I won’t stick to the diet plan and I’ll probably topple over while trying to do it, however slowly and carefully the measures are introduced. But what about the fact that I’ve been under all of the stress for an unacceptable period of time and my body really needs me to do something to help it?

Well, like I said, this detox plan is thorough. It starts with de-cluttering your physical environment, and particularly the part of it that is social media. I reckoned I could do that! Cutting down on the number of facebook groups I’m part of, pages I follow etc. And the same goes for other types of social media.

Things could be a whole lot more clear and condensed, so that, if you’re going to waste time on facebook or twitter, you can waste it more effectively!😉 Same with email – and what about the photos and files on your phone or computer? Yikes! Are they organised so you can find them easily? You’d be surprised the relief you can get by sorting things like that so that you don’t spend hours looking for something you want.

Then you can look around you at the toxins in your physical environment. Actually, if you’re really stressed out, don’t research this too hard please! No need to take up carpets and stop breathing when you’re in a polluted area. It’s all about small steps.

I’ve been changing up the household products I use for a while so they have less harsh chemicals and are more natural (the buzz word is ‘clean’) and plant-based.

One word of warning by the way – a lot of places are jumping on the ‘no plastic’ bandwagon which is great, we need that. But don’t be seduced by ‘no plastic waste’ and exchange it for more chemicals. That is to say, it’s up to you if you want to do that. Just make sure you’re aware so you can make the decision for yourself, rather than have it made for you.

Yes, it will take a bit of research if you’re going to do it properly, but you could stick to the products that have the most physical effect on you. Say laundry liquid (goes on your clothes which you wear next to your skin) and dish tabs (affects the stuff you eat off). Or look at your face and body creams. It’s all making an effort towards letting less toxins in – and you haven’t even said no to that doughnut yet!

Another aspect I like to think about is (as I call it): “Feng Shoo”! Feng Shoo is about clearing the space around you so it’s easier to manage – and again it’s a relatively easy win. If you have some time to tidy and organise the things that annoy you, then do it. You’ll be surprised at the hit you get from it.

At the end of the day though, if you want to detox then you can’t really completely ignore diet. I don’t mean go on a diet, but try and listen more to what your body really wants.

Yesterday, for example, I was craving something sweet after lunch. I thought maybe I’d eat some chocolate, but I knew I didn’t really want it and that it wouldn’t give me what I needed.

I happened to have some brazil nuts and apricots in the fridge and my body was much happier with those. I found I didn’t want the chocolate at all after that. So find the things you like that are better for you and not crammed full of #%#t!

Does this mean that I’ll be giving up all processed sugars and gluten this month? Not on your nelly! But what I have found is that making simple swaps, whenever I can manage it, is helping me feel better.

What happened is that by following the detox pathway (without following the detox pathway!) I sent out my intention to the universe to tell it I want to help my physical body. And in so doing, certain things have come to my attention. Really big things. Like – why am I spending the better part of every morning figuratively banging my head against the wall, which leaves me demoralised, depressed and with no energy for the rest of the day. Great question! Time to change things up.

So that’s how committing energetically to something, gives the universe the go-ahead signal to send you the solutions and ideas you need to reach your goals.

Yes – maybe further down the line there will be some more focus on diet and nutrition, more clever swaps and even the odd foul-tasting tincture. But for now I’m going with what the universe is showing me is possible. And that’s actually something quite big. I’m going to leave the head-banging til the evening, when I’m tired and likely to get less done anyway. Bingo! Massive detox win!

This should give me more energy to focus on myself. Which means I can put a bit more into clearing up my environment, paring back my social media habit and maybe – just maybe – eating one less doughnut! 😉