July Column: Take A Break: Where do you want to go?
It's midsummer really; the
flowers, the trees, the gardens are pregnant with flowers. There is so much colour to be seen and the
bees are busy pollinating the flowers and fruit. You can see apples and pears starting to grow
from the spring blossom and my raspberries are coming along nicely. All in all
nature is resplendent and flourishing.
How are you? I don't know about
anyone else but I'm feeling that mid-year lull, when, like the children who are
about to break up for the long summer holidays, I too am ready for a summer
break. I wish I could take 6 weeks off
and disappear to a lovely villa in sunnier climes.... It seems an impossible
dream, but who knows...Anything is possible if you truly believe it will
happen.
Most of us aren't lucky enough to
have a bolt hole abroad. A week away in
the summer is probably more realistic, but some of us don't even have that to
look forward to. Yet everyone needs a
break, so I'm going to take you on a little 'holiday' which hopefully will help
you to feel refreshed and as if you have visited your own special haven of
sunshine and peace, and you will come out of July feeling relaxed, refreshed and
rejuvenated!
It's not just our physical body
that we need to rest, it's our psychological one as well. It's no good going to bed early to get those
precious 8 hours sleep if your brain is whirling around, tormenting you, and
your stomach is in knots over issues you need to deal with. Truly resting is finding some way of relaxing
our mind, body and spirit, so that we are then ready to deal with the next
challenge that life throws at us.
Practical Magic
Here's what I want you to do this
month. Choose a candle that you like, it
might be a 99p one from a local supermarket or a posh scented one, it doesn't
matter as long as you like the colour and smell. (If you want to feel more 'alive' pick a
brightly coloured one, if you want more calming relaxation choose a muted
pastel colour). I want you to choose how
often you can have your 'holiday' time.
It might be every day, or it
might only be once a week,. You just
need about 10 minutes to put aside, just for you, no disturbances, no guilt,
this is what you've earned. So each time
you are able to 'journey ' on to your mini 'holiday' destination I would like
you to light the candle and if it's evening time dim the lights. (please
remember never leave a candle/flame unattended!!!). Now get yourself comfortable, sitting/or
lying down and choose where you want to go. It might be Malaysia, France, Spain, the
Seychelles, the Caribbean, LA; anywhere you want! You might want to be lying on a beach with
the soft warm breeze gently blowing your hair and the heat of the sun beating
down on your bikini clad body; you might choose to be in a busy Moroccan market
sampling spices, bread, olives, touching brightly coloured silks and scarves
and bartering loudly with exotic looking stall holders. I want you to really picture yourself at this
destination and ask yourself questions: what's the weather like? How do you feel? what can you see/smell/touch/hear. Allow every one of your senses to be
stimulated. Take time to listen to your surroundings, touch what you can see in
front of you, taste the air/the food/ the salt on your lips, note what you can
smell and soak up visually the delights your brain is conjuring up for
you. How do you feel in this place? Do you feel
calm/excited/relaxed/tired/happy/emotional? Make a brief note of your feelings
then bat them away gently, it doesn't matter, nothing matters except that you
have chosen this journey to go on. You might visit this place tomorrow and feel
different. For now, just allow your body and your mind to
soak up the atmosphere and just 'be' in he moment that you have chosen. You have no cares and no worries in this
special place, no deadlines, no one to answer to except yourself. You can spend as much time or as little time
here as you want, there are no limits. You can drink and eat what you want with
no repercussions or expanding waistlines!
You don't need SPF as you won't burn here, and you don't need to be able
to swim to enjoy the feeling of floating in the sea. Your mind is a wonderful tool and you can do
and create whatever you want in this special place as it belongs to you and no
one else. You can even conjure up Harrison
Ford or Tom Cruise to accompany you if you want! When you are ready to leave this place I want
you to focus on every single part of your body from the top of your head right
down to the tips of your toes, and individually I want you to tense and then
relax them. So start from your head and
go to your eyebrows, your eyelids, your nose, your cheeks, your ears, your chin,
neck, shoulders, arms lower arms, wrists, hands fingers, chest, back, lower back, stomach, hips, pelvis
and pelvic floors thighs, knees, lower legs/calves, heels, feet, toes. Each
muscles in those areas need to be tensed and then relaxed. By now your body should be extremely heavy
and relaxed. Gently open your eyes when
you feel ready and gaze at your candle.
Just focus on the flame, the flicker, the colour, the warmth, the shape,
as other thoughts pop into your head gently swat them away and go back to the
flame of the candle. Breathe deeply and evenly as you do so. If the candle flame becomes too difficult to
focus on and your mind keeps wandering go back to your breath and think about
that, in and out, in and out. You will
probably only be able to do this for a few minutes as meditation (which is what
this is) is very difficult and takes time to build up to. It's so important to try to empty our minds
of all thoughts from time to time as it's the only way our brain really ever
gets a 'lie down', as even in sleep our brain is sifting through everything we
have done in the day and processing the information. Meditation allows your mind to go on holiday,
just in the same way we have taken our imagination on a break and our bodies on
one with the tensing and relaxing of the muscles. Try this at home as often as you feel you
need to and I'm hoping you will feel as though you have given your mind body
and spirit a chance to recoup, relax and revive itself.
Crystal of the Month - Moonstone
I've chosen this stone because it's
my birthstone (July/Cancer) and I feel a great affinity to this crystal. The iridescent colours seen in it are simply
breathtaking and it seems to have a certain mystery around it, like the moon
itself.... Moonstones are great stones
for women as they can balance hormones and help regulate menstruation. They are also said to promote long life,
happiness and loyalty to the wearer. The
best time to use a moonstone is
obviously at the time of a full moon, when it is at its most
powerful. Moonstones are said to reflect
the true nature of the wearer, they show you to be as you truly are, so they
are a perfect stone to use when meditating. (try holding one during your
practical relaxation exercises).
Angel Card of the Month - Explore Your Options
This card has come up to remind
you that although you have worked your hardest on a situation, maybe it is time
now to look elsewhere and make plans.
There is no need to compromise anymore, you should move ahead with
exploring alternative options that allow you to be your true authentic
self. Perhaps it's time to look for
another job? Is it the right moment to leave
an unhealthy relationship/find new ways to heal a situation/change your Dr? Allow yourself to daydream about your possibilities!
Moody Moon
This month the full moon is on
July 9th at 5.06am in the earthy sign of Capricorn, so although things come to
a head on full moons, expect results to be not as forthcoming as you had
hoped. There may be some tough
conditions or restraints associated with what you are doing/hearing about on
this day. Capricorn will just be
ensuring that you do really really want this, and that you are prepared to work
for it and that you can be responsible.
The new moon is on the 23rd at
10.45 in the sign of Leo. Leo is loud
and proud and wants to be noticed, so this is a great day for job interviews or
getting your opinions heard and more importantly listened to! Any new beginnings will be thrust at you
today with the power and roar that the lion beholds. Here I am! Take me and the opportunities I
bring!
According to my moon calendar
look out for these planets appearing next to the moon on these dates in the
night's sky: 1 July - Jupiter, 7 July - Saturn, 20 July - Venus and 28 July -
Jupiter. If you are looking for your family to expand or more opportunities
/money to come your way choose Jupiter to gaze at and offer a prayer to him,
choose Saturn if you need rules in place or need someone to take responsibility
for something and choose Venus if you are looking for love.
On July 29th there is what's
called a Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
which produces up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. Meteors will radiate from the constellation
Aquarius but can appear anywhere in the sky.
Eat:
apricots, beetroot, lamb, mackerel, sea bass, tomato, raspberries, peas,
watercress
Play: Go
get some holiday brochures, cut out the places and picture of where you'd like
to go or where inspires you and stick them up somewhere in your kitchen, like a
makeshift mood board. Gaze at them every
day and before you know if you'll be making it happen.......
Love: To
Travel, whether it's in your mind, on a local bus route or flying to a holiday
destination..... embrace the different sensations and sights to your senses.
