I wasn’t disappointed. The journey from Oxfordshire to Hay on Wye took little over two hours. We wandered around the bookshops, had some lunch and soaked up a town that appears to be completely self-sustaining. No supermarket in sight and a hefty campaign on the go in order to prevent one.

Another 20 minutes in the car through the National Park, in itself a stunning and inspiring drive, would see us arrive at Castle Farm. Greeted by Bertie the cat and the very lovely Sarah against the tumbling mountains of the valley and not another building in sight and we felt at peace.

The food, all freshly prepared using local produce, was outstanding. The bedrooms were comfortable beyond belief. The Mountain walk in the morning after a hearty breakfast was enough to remind your lungs that they existed but didn’t have us feeling like we’d done something painful!

There are probably 100 reasons why spending time here is an incredibly good idea but I’ll stick with the promised 3….

• The mountains, the scenery, the sheer spectacle that is handed to you to gaze at, in a moment fills you with calm and peace.
• Sarah’s cooking and general nurturing is warmth and care that reminds us that we all need looking after from time to time. Her local knowledge is second to none and she runs her business consciously working with local businesses and producers.
• Recharging our batteries does not have to mean a week away using an aeroplane – I genuinely felt an inner shift in just an overnight stay. If I don’t ensure that I replenish myself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, then I shall be of little use to the people who depend on me and the clients who come and see me as part of their well-being plan.

How do you recharge?

Here’s the thing, you can’t have it all, have your cake and eat it and have a balance; it’s not possible nor should it be desirable.

Balancing is about juggling, giving a little part of yourself to many different things but never doing one thing with conviction. The vision of standing on one leg, eating cake while writing a project, breastfeeding, tweeting on your blackberry while asking your teenager  not to use the F word at the table come to mind. It’s a nonsense.

Put the cake down (and the other leg for the matter). Stand on two feet and make some decisions about where your focus is going to be for a while.

I have just written a book and I learnt so many things about this through the process of focusing on one thing:

• I have learnt that I couldn’t really give very much time at all to my business. Its ok, it’s only been for four months. Nobody died.
• Writing a book has meant that my angst ridden teens have been told “you’ll have to wait“. This is ok. This is a good life lesson. We have to wait for things sometimes. Children who don’t learn this become adults who think the world revolves around them. I have always tried to teach my children that we are all important, we all have times when we are available and times when we are not. They value their own space now and we have a mutual respect for each other’s spaces.
• They have also learnt (I hope) that to achieve something outside of your comfort zone needs conviction, passion, consistency and dedication. It’s not handed out on a plate. It needs your full attention and sometimes, this will be to the detriment of other things.
• Reflection time is a necessity not a luxury. Sitting and ‘doing nothing’ is now an integral part of my day (I’m only talking about 15 minutes because ’doing nothing’ does not come easily to me) but I’ve come to appreciate and value it in a different way than before.
• The chaos of life is always there whether we choose to run round the hamster wheel with everyone else or not, so being the best mother, the best worker, with the cleanest house, the whitest smile and the most hectic social life is not even achievable (or desirable in my humble opinion).
• The rhetoric that shouts “you are your only limitation” is punishing talk dressed up in ribbon. Limitations are real in life and this idea that we don’t have them only serves to feed the privileged notion that we should have it all. The key is to understand what it is that you can do something about and what you cannot.

As someone who has always worked, has spent most of the time raising my family single handed (financially and literally) without having any family of my own to support that in any way, I have never had the luxury of guilt around what I can and cannot give to those around me. I appear to have raised two happy healthy and ‘balanced’ human beings. So give yourself a break.

You can’t be all things, in your best dress (so to speak) to all people, all of the time. Let it go.

Through my work with people who are on a journey of discovery and exploration, it has been shown to me that more often than not, they are given an opportunity to make a move- whether it is to move house, a new job or a travel experience. So this got me thinking what is that all about?

When someone is working hard at creating and maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle and is looking hard within to find strength and empowerment to do manifest what they want, there is often large elements of change required- be it eating patterns, sleeping routines, thoughts, or behaviours. This can be difficult to adjust to at first but eventually your mind and body feel the benefit and will make the necessary adjustment. This will be your new reality.  Unfortunately in this case, we do not live in isolation- we are generally social creatures and the make- up of our modern living is that we have multitudes of interactions every day. So why is this unfortunate in the context of making change?

When we change, it does not occur in isolation with effect only on ourselves.

If you think of yourself as standing in a pool of water- routine or inactivity keeps the water still. The minute you move, step out of your routine and make a change, ripples appear. Those ripples will radiate outwards into your world and will make contact with those who inhabit it with you.

You will know when your change and life shifts are becoming reality because you will begin to hear things like:

‘Why would you want to do that? You’ve never done that before?’

‘I don’t recognise you anymore- what is going on?’

‘What has got into you?’

‘Don’t do that, you wouldn’t be you if you wore that colour/lived in that city/ did that job’

This is evidence of the Ripple Effect of Change. Your shift to a different reality and new way of being has rippled out and touched those in your life. You will hear a lot of these comments and quite possibly much more aggressively worse as people in your life are suddenly hit with something they don’t recognise. What they will respond back with is normally a reaction to the unknown based in fear and anxiety. They don’t know how to be around you anymore. They don’t know what your change will mean for them.

Take these reactions as reassurance- you are changing. Your efforts are paying off. However, be aware that the Ripple Effect of Change has happened and you are going to have to manage those around you who are fearful and anxious that something in their lives is new. It can be quite frightening for them to have a comfortable and predictable friend become different and react differently. It will be their automatic reaction to pull you back to the old reality- to what they know and are comfortable with. That is when you will start hearing those phrases above. They are trying to hang on to your old habits and way of being as it is what they know. And you will be tempted to too.

Again that is very reassuring- that you have made change enough that it feels uncomfortable- you are shifting your reality and your mind is uncertain, but persevere, you are nearly there in making this change your new reality and something that you will soon be comfortable with.

So how do you manage the Ripple Effect of Change?

It is worthwhile remembering that you have been thinking about this change and living it for quite awhile so you have accepted it and embraced it; people around you haven’t had the time you’ve had so allow them that at the least.

Explain to them the benefits you are feeling and how those benefits will impact on them in a positive way- people are always open to hearing about good things coming their way!

Try to put yourself in their shoes to understand what exactly the fear and anxiety is about: that you won’t be their friend anymore? That it will be the end of your relationship? If that fear and anxiety is unfounded, reassure them and explain how things will be different, but again, for the better. You are living a more authentic life. You are happier. You are healthier.

If their fears are true, and your change is bringing about the end of relationships or friendships, they will either accept it or not. Support you or not.  It is up to you to stand in strength and with empowerment knowing that you are the orchestrator of your life. You know what it is you need and want and it is your responsibility to strive to attain that for yourself.

And that is where the Universe seems to step in with an opportunity presented to move away in some aspect or your life. It is an opportunity that allows you to start fresh where the ‘old you’ is unknown; where there aren’t old habits/ friends/ family/ colleagues to entice you back through fear and anxiety to your old default setting. You are not running away, as we all know our problems follow us where ever we go- you are facing yours and doing something about it.  You are offered an opportunity to begin somewhere as the ‘new you’ with a new starting point from which to make new relationships, friendships, or working environments.

It is almost the Universe saying ‘well done you- now go out there and start living the life you are meant to be living!’

Kirsten Sheat

www.aspiringchange.com

Thank you Kirsten….

The Hun is your access point to what we call the universal consciousness, or universal Shen. It is the part of your spirit to leave the body after death, those mysterious “21 grams” that disappear, and so it most closely related to what is commonly known as your SOUL.

The Hun is the only aspect of your spirit that is said to leave the body, and it does this when you go to sleep.

As you go to sleep, your Hun leaves your Liver and goes to gather the information you need to make important decisions Have you ever heard the expression “why don’t you sleep on it?” Well, this is the reason why.

The Liver and Gallbladders’ predominant time lie between the hours of 11pm and 3am, and a sign that your Hun might be affected is waking up between those hours, especially if your mind is on hyper-drive.

As with the mental aspect of your Liver, the Hun is related to planning and organisation, imagination, and bringing into fruition. Quite often, those “mental blocks” in life (of which I have just suffered one trying to write this blog!), are due to some kind of disharmony in your Hun.

So, what can cause a problem with the spiritual aspect of your Liver?

Generally, when we start to talk about the spirit, people are divided into believers and non-believers, but what we are really talking about are feelings that are sometimes indescribable, but can be felt deep within a person.

That general feeling of discord, where things in your life aren’t necessarily going the way they should be.

For the Hun to leave the body at night, gather the information it needs, and return to the body and provide you with the necessary answers, it needs a well-rested, cool and Blood enriched Liver to return back to.

But, modern day life provides all manner of things to heat up the Liver, create stagnation and deplete its Blood.

Alcohol abuse or the long-term use of recreational drugs can cause the Hun to become restless and leave the body more and more.

The Hun opens out into the eyes, and have you ever seen someone who seems to be unattached from the world? They’ve lost their sparkle in the eyes? That is their Hun that has gone wandering.

Long-term stress is another cause of Hun disturbance. The amount of time I see people who will wake at 3am, with their mind on over-drive, because they are in a job they can’t stand, they are living with a partner they no longer have feelings for, or they feel they are forced into living a life “for the sake of someone else”, is unreal.

Emotions such as guilt, shame, jealousy and anger are all forcing us to lead lives that aren’t in accordance with out true path in life.

So, how do you change these things? How do you get you Hun feeling harmonious once again?

Well, as discussed in the previous blogs, using exercise and nutrition is important, but by this stage, some kind of THERAPY is important.

The kind of therapy at this stage would be some kind of energetic therapy, such as ACUPUNCTURE, REIKI, SPIRITUAL HEALING, or a talking therapy such as COUNSELLING, LIFE-COACHING, or PSYCHOTHERAPY. It’s actually largely unimportant, but what is important, vital even, is the CONNECTION you have between yourself and your therapist.

There are specific points in ACUPUNCTURE that help treat the SPIRIT, but whilst some practitioners will tend to treat at the physical level, others will be able to reach the spiritual level. This is the sign of not just a good practitioner, but a great practitioner.

All energetic therapists work in different ways, but to try and ultimately bring about the same response, to make you feel better.

The most important thing is to find the one that works for you.

I hope you have found some useful information over the last 3 blogs to do with your Liver. If you believe you may have a physical, mental or spiritual problem with your Liver, now is the time to get it rectified! The springtime! Any questions or advice you may need, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Wishing you all the best in health and happiness.

Phil Haxby-Thompson
Philip Haxby-Thompson Dip Ac MBAcC

International Acupuncturist

Web: www.philiphaxbythompson.com

Twitter: @PhilipHaxbyT

Blog: www.blogspot.philiphaxbythompson.com

Mobile: +44(0)7884 334704

I’ve been reflecting upon what we seek out of our experience of being alive. Personal fulfilment, a feeling of connection, a perception of belonging, happiness and a sense of self-worth all seem vital components to living a happy life (securing a definition of ‘happy’ would take another article so please just see it to mean what it means for you).

I have learnt that there are many simple things that you can do so as to have these in your life, but here are a few to get you started.

• Pay it forward. I am continuously amazed at how the more I give, the more I receive. I seem to live on fresh air at times, yet me and my children have enough to meet our needs and a little more. I’m not sure how it works other than seeing it as an energy that flows around people who engage in this way of operating.
• Get involved in a project in your Community. Find something locally and become a part of a bigger picture to make a difference. In Oxfordshire, there is a new project just launching called The OTCN Oxhop Challenge. There are always things happening in your community and if you can’t find something, create it!
• When you stop to talk to someone, a friend, a colleague, an acquaintance, comment on how well they look, or how the colour they are wearing suits them, or pass on something good to them that you heard someone else say. It’s not hard to say something nice to someone but it can make the biggest difference to the receiver of the compliment and they’ll be left with a lovely feeling. The quote “People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel” springs to mind.
• Being who you are is actually all you’re meant to be….self-love is the cornerstone to everything! Remember that….

While distracting myself from my work, I found an extract from a speech by Bill Gates given a few years ago at a High School about things they did not and will not learn in school. He expressed concern at a generation with no concept of reality and a lack of the necessary skills with which to function in the world. I think this is a great reminder of our role as parents.  Even though I am often faced with a horrified expression from my off spring when I try and impose certain values, beliefs, rules and life lessons, with their biggest moan being about why I can’t be a ‘normal’ mother (whatever one of those might look like)!

Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, ‘learn from them’..

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

Feel free to print off, colour in and use blutak to stick on their doors!

I have given 2012 an incredible amount of thought. I have a clarity about the year ahead and what I want to achieve that can only be described as daring. But, if we are to  fully understand that the future is made up by what we do in the present moments that we have right now, then we absolutely have to set ourselves challenges beyond our wildest dreams.

Glossy magazines and newspaper articles are currently spouting the monotonous resolutions dialogue that involves all that we should undoubtedly be striving for anyway…losing weight, getting fit and reducing death-enhancing substance use! These are the kind of goals that we set in order to feel like we ‘fit in’ with what we think people want from us. These are essentially setting resolutions for others’ approval. I’m suggesting that we set different goals altogether.

Make your future different, make it really different. Make resolutions that come from your inner desires born of your authentic self which stem from your very core. Set goals that frighten you as they seem out of your reach, like dreams. I realise that this is contrary to much of what you will read which will include ‘keeping to realistic goals’. But I absolutely wholeheartedly know, that if you reach for the stars, even if you get to the trees, you will have achieved something amazing.

I have set a goal for myself that is terrifying. I know I can do it. I believe it is there for me to do. I know I can make it happen. But the voice of doubt that sits on my shoulder from time to time is saying “You can’t do that”, “Why do you think you can do that?” and “Who do you think you are?”. Well, I am going to do it and I know that when I sit down next year and pause and reflect and look at what I have achieved and created, I will be able to know that I made it happen. I made it happen and I ignored the doubting voice and the constraints of limited thinking. So tell me, what will your resolutions look like? Are you looking at the same picture that you looked at a year ago or are you going to change your future into a future you want for yourself… because I know you can!

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Are you ordinarily exceptional?

Or are you exceptionally ordinary?

Have you overcome difficulties that may well have rendered you unable to operate in society but they didn’t?

Do you seek to make a difference? To inspire?

Have you made sense of your experiences and moved on from the pain?

Did you survive and now thrive?

If any of this makes sense, please contact me, Lisa Cherry on bookings@holistic-health.me.uk

This is for an upcoming project and I would love to hear from you….I know you are out there!

xx

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.”
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”
4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6. “There” is no better a place than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”
7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.