August 2010
The
!onesty
Edition
Diana Cooper: Under The Spotlight
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august 2010
With so much stimulation jostling for space in our awareness and oft conflicting messages being broadcast from every medium, it can be challenging to tell fact from fiction. Under such times of tension, with a demand for instant decisions, communications and responses, it is even more important to stay connected to our individual truth. Only through our strong internal knowingness will we be guided to live in alignment with our highest purpose and the greater good. For some, it is straightforward to live honestly within and without. For the majority of us, it relies upon a series of continual choices to speak, behave and live truthfully, no matter what painful resistance we may encounter. As the world evolves, each of us is being challenged to address those parts of our lives that are inauthentic. They vibrate at a lower frequency and as Lightworkers we are being called upon to dissolve areas and realign them with the higher vibration of honesty. It is not always easy, yet it is wholly necessary. Continue to walk your path with your head held high, believing in your inherent worth and the truth of your unique experience, for that is all that matters and is required of you at this time. This month’s features, new regular ‐ Stars and Planets ‐ and audio interview with Diana Cooper intend to equip you with tools, guidance and support on your Honesty Journey. Bon Voyage! Love and light
Rachel Willis Editor Rachel@LightworkerMag.com august 2010
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Contents:Features page 9 Cheryl Cole’s Not So Lustrous Locks page 10 Laughter Holds Open The Door For Self‐Acceptance page 13 The Personal Evolution Trilogy Part III ‐ Feeling Pulled In Opposing Directions? page 16 Are You Ready To Trip Up In Romance? page 17 Under The Spotlight
Know
Regulars
page 23 Glow with Health & Wellbeing
page 37 Once Upon a Time...
page 25 Lightworker in Training
page 39 Words of Wisdom
page 27 Lightworker Challenge
page 40 Lightworker Loves...
page 29 The Businessman
page 41 Stars and Planets
page 31 Studying at the University of Life
page 44 Paulo Coelho
page 33 The Authenticity Diary
page 47 The List page 49 Featured Lightworker: Lady Gaga
page 19 Seeing The Wood For The Trees
READER RESPONSES We love hearing from you! TWITTER
“Good to glow together x” !barb%
Most popular post of the month:
“I like the format, very nicely done and v comprehensively covers different subjects. I am passing this on…” Louisa Chan
“I thoroughly enjoyed the whole edition! X” !MyGirlFridaySW Most RT’d Daily Wisdom of the month: Life’s building blocks.
Lightworkers, when you feel the world is overwhelming and you want to ease the load, remember to ask your guides:the angels:unicorns:ascended masters to assist - they are here to help, yet it’s often when we’re most stressed that we lose sight of this and forget to ask. A special thank you to Barbara Barclay for her support
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Top notch. Paulo, and everybody else’s words are a great read and contain many refreshing elements. Robert Bridge “You have done it again, making that magic happen” Natasha Caton
august 2010
Contributors
Kim Willis
Sam Joseph
Sorrell Robbins
No relation to editor Rachel, Kim’s perfect day involves gathering family and friends together for a competitive game of rounders in a park, interspersed with ginger beer and sunshine. She spends her time forgetting to water her plants, buying cookery books she doesn’t use and complaining about the next generation’s inability to spell properly. And give her a coral reef, a snorkel and a medley of brightly coloured fish and you may not see her again until dinner.
Sam sometimes plays a piano; channelling multi‐dimensional, high‐energy sounds from the Arcturian star system. He believes that these sounds bring healing and awakening energies to the planet and firmly intends his music to encourage Earth Ascension. In his spare time he is prone to pottering, telling anecdotes and is an occasional Hypnotherapist.
Sorrell’s role as a healer is her life’s mission, but you may not recognise her on a day off. Playfulness is a passion; last year she conquered her childhood phobia of zombies by dressing up and taking part in the biggest zombie movie ever. Sorrell has an established herb garden from which she concocts medicines. She has been known to mix her herbal delights into delicious cocktails, which never fail to get the party started.
We hope you are enjoying the re-branded magazine and website, they herald the next phase for Lightworker as we expand and help even more of you in your dedication to the art of positive living. Tune into Radio Lightworker from 8th August for your daily dose of inspiration, challenge and education, and explore our Lightworker team’s e-books, MP3s and MP4s at the same time... august 2010
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Focus the Light
“In life’s wilderness, Choked by the weeds of error - Bloom of beauty: truth.” What is truth, and what is authenticity? Truth can be seen as the degree to which the conscious self is true to one’s own spirit, despite the pressures and influences of external forces of the material world and others around you. So, when you are being true to yourself, you are being authentic. In being authentic, one must be mindful of stating the objective truth (e.g. your opinion on something). Authenticity and Truth are essentially the same thing, but authenticity seems to relate more to the Earthly concerns of self ‐ is something authentic, am I being authentic, for example. Truth, however, we relate more to that which Is, the true nature of the Universe and our reality. Can we ever ultimately know the truth of it all, or do we just see what we want to see? Truth has close relations with the concepts of reality, honesty, and integrity. Truth can have a variety of meanings, on many different levels. There must be an absolute truth of all there Is, but in terms of what is true to you, this is based on upbringing, education, and one’s own experience. So depending on the context, truth can be subjective, relative, objective, or absolute.
“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true.” Aristotle What hinders truth, and what perpetuates it? A closed mind and arrogance hinder the assimilation of potential truths. Political, spiritual, social or moralistic agendas enforced by a body of people with motives not resonating with the highest good of humanity. Ultimately, these are products of fear and control and keep us from ultimate truth.
Love perpetuates truth. Ego hinders truth and keeps us anchored in the mind, whilst surrender and trust in the Universe perpetuates truth ‐ personally and globally ‐ and propels us into conscious awareness that is closer in nature to truth.
How important is truth and authenticity now? Vital! The truth vibration is becoming stronger and is a major part in the coming of the New Age. The truth about how our World really works (in terms of government, corporations etc.) and the nature of reality is key in our evolution as a race. Truth will perpetuate our progress. It’s difficult to hide the truth due to our connectivity via technology like the internet, digital cameras, email, and also the Freedom of Information Act. Now that we are at a genuine social turning point in our human history, the next major step of our social and spiritual evolution, truth and authenticity are crucial and will naturally become more prominent in our lives.
“You never find yourself until you face the truth.” Pearl Bailey
Next month’s topic: Grace
Focus the Light Leader Mel Diamond | Berkshire, UK | mel@indigohealing.co.uk
Sylvie Roy | Toronto, Canada | sylvieroy@ymail.com Shane Stuart McKay | Knysna, South Africa | shanemckay@live.com Andrew Morrissey | Chiany Mai, Thailand | andrew@iam‐andrew.com Hannah Fellows | Falkirk, UK | hannahperks@hotmail.com Simon Welch | London, UK | simonrwelch@gmail.com
Email Mel if you would like to host your own local Focus the Light group
features
Cheryl Cole’s Not So Lustrous Locks Kim Willis
Laughter Holds Open The Door For Self-Acceptance Sam Joseph
The Personal Evolution Trilogy Part III - Feeling Pulled In Opposing Directions? Paul Vaughan Wilby
Are You Ready To Trip Up In Romance? Vena Ramphal
Under The Spotlight Diana Cooper
Seeing The Wood For The Trees Sorrell Robbins
Kim Willis
Cheryl Cole’s Not So Lustrous Locks I wish we lived in a world where the need to consume and compare ourselves to celebrities did not exist. Thanks to consumerism and our society’s insatiable thirst for more, advertising has reached new heights. It’s no longer enough to be honest. DThis product works, try itF, has been replaced by a myriad of scientific jargon, statistics and a pretty recognisable face to dazzle us into thinking we aren’t complete until that product is in our hands. Take hair products. TV shows aimed at women are often broken up by adverts for the latest shampoo that promises to take your rubbish, lank hair and turn it into Cheryl Cole’s. Yes, they would have you believe that just by shampooing with this product, you’ll suddenly be as glossy‐maned as Cheryl.
BIOG The bright lights and golden paths of London didn’t hold much allure for Kim, who, as soon as she qualified as a journalist, upped sticks and settled in the West Country. In 2008 she established Phoenix Features. Kim will be a guest columnist at the Bristol Evening Post this August.
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complaints. The shampoo people went one step too far this time – the woman didn’t have her own hair on her head!
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Balls. Cheryl’s wearing hair extensions and spent three hours getting her hair blow dried, doused in products and styled. She did not just use the shampoo she is claiming will make our hair look like her hair. It’s not being dishonest; it’s downright lying. Somehow, we’ve come to accept that the hair of hair care adverts is not achievable and yet it’s okay to pretend that the product being sold will give you that look. To continue the earlier example, there was a big furore recently when Cheryl Cole signed up to advertise a new shampoo. Trading Standards received dozens of
Would an honest world be a happy world?
I was proud of Britain – we weren’t going to take it any more. So, tail between their legs, the shampoo people edited every billboard in the country, adding, Dstyled with some natural hair extensionsF, albeit in tiny, tiny letters at the very bottom, where no one will look.
radical diets so we can all realise that it’s okay for us to have a little muffin top, because that’s what happens when you lead a normal life; one where you have a job, enjoy a drink with friends and don’t get to the gym as often as you’d like. But would an honest world be a happy world? What’s wrong with some white lies between friends? You wake up in the morning, your boyfriend tells you you were prettier last night. You arrive at work. “That dress doesn’t suit you”, says a colleague. “I’ve never liked you”, you say to your boss. You tell the girl you sit next to just how much it annoys you when she chews too loudly, and you tell the fat man on the bus on the way home that he’s taking up too much room. Is that a happy world? Honesty might be wonderful and something we all instil in our children, but crikey, if I had too much of it I’d be a crumbling mess. Shades of grey Call me cynical. I am. But I think a little bit of dishonesty in day‐to‐day life is a good thing. Peoples’ feelings are at stake here. But from corporate companies, desperate for our money like vultures circling around a dead zebra, it’s got to stop. Stop pretending Cheryl’s hair looks like that as a result of your shampoo. You’re paying her half a millions pounds to pretend she uses your shampoo, so that I will be fooled into buying your shampoo. I have to pay more for my shampoo because you have to pay Cheryl £500,000. So I’m paying you to pay Cheryl to pretend she uses your shampoo. We live in a crazy world, and all we can do is be honest with ourselves by remaining vigilant and careful that we don’t get sucked in by the torrent of advertising being billowed into every corner of our lives. That’s true honesty.
An honest society I want to live in an honest world, but it’s too late. I want to live in a world where Cheryl admits it takes hours to sort her CONTACT hair out and that there’s no way she kim-willis.blogspot.com could afford it if she wasn’t a million- Website: www.phoenixfeatures.co.uk aire. I want celebrities to admit to their Twitter: @phoenixfeatures august 2010 Lightworkermag.com
Laughter Holds Open The Door For Self-Acceptance Talented women and men often spend days, perhaps weeks pouring their souls into writing song lyrics. As a composer of piano works, it is something I never need to spend time thinking about. But great occasion goes in to all that writing, so for the music lover those heartfelt words are sometimes worthy of further thought, as opposed to just a cursory sing‐along.
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It is easy to admire the honesty required of a songwriter. For starters, the symbolism usually has to be so much more obvious than the more intricate imagery usually found in, poetry, for instance. To an extent, it takes an uncommon bravery for songwriters to broadcast their music whilst singing the words they wrote from their heart. The poet, Simon Armitage, wrote an article (for the Yorkshire Post newspaper) some years ago in which he analysed the lyrics of the band, Radiohead. Concluding, he found that the lyrics of popular music could be considered as the Dpoetry of the present ageF. And of course it is, here to uplift and inspire us! As a Lightworker, I find it fascinating to
BIOG Sam Joseph is a self-taught composer of uplifting and inspiring, high-energy piano works, which he intends for those wishing to unwind, or those who just choose to take a voyage of self-discovery. He believes his music encourages increased imagery perception, which is thought to encourage a deeper level of meditation and cleanse the emotions; consequently revealing the sunnier sides of peoples’ personalities.
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discover the energy of Light in the music and lyrics of music present and also generations past. If you start to look for them yourself, I am sure you will find that there are more references than you would ever imagine. There are heartfelt snippets of wonderful wisdom, which at times the music carefully conceals as you sing along to their tunes.
ple. Convention, by its nature, helps and allows us to lie to each other regularly, but for apparently good cause: that of avoiding upset. So how can you purvey truth –and thus avoid being fake ‐ when it might cause upset? For most men, here’s a nightmare question: DDoes my bum look big in this?F And here are some rather honest responses: DNot really.F DYou’ve never asked that before.F DAsk me after dinner.F
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Sam Joseph
DYou know you shouldn’t ask questions to which you don’t want answers.F DCompared to what?F DYes it does.F
Providing any protagonist lived through delivering one of the above lines ‐ I nearly didn’t ‐ I’m sure that many Lightworkers will be able to relate to a grand If we look at an example from the Scot- desire to never lie. To remain always in tish band, Aztec Camera, who had an a state of truthfulness. But even so, a album track called ‘Reason For Living’, white‐lie delivered in this case would it includes a variety of interesting ref- seem much kinder and lovelier, such erences, but one particular line stands as: out in the context of understanding self‐acceptance. Its author, Roddy DOf course notF Frame, declares something about himself I find quite poignant, not only in his DIf anything, quite the opposite.F level of self‐understanding, but also his measure of perspective: So does this mean we must or should try to lie, even when it amounts to a DRather lead and be mistaken than fol- moral capitulation? I have concluded, lowing and fakin’, for the sake of seem- not at all; you just need to be inventive! ing true.F For anyone reading who would ordinarily wish to run for the hills when asked Social convention that horrible question, you are welcome to use these guilt‐free responses: As Roddy’s words suggest, you can take the lead in many areas of your life. But DI don’t know what you mean.F truth and honesty are often surrounded by caution and conformity, especially if DI think I’ve already said.F we take social convention as an exampage ten Lightworkermag.com
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Always allow yourself the time to look within. You really deserve it.
We’ve all done embarrassing things or those that we are not proud of. I’m sure you can remember such a moment in your life. Maybe you’re still embarrassed or feel awkward if the memory comes to mind? If so, you can do one of two things here. You could choose to carry those feelings around with you, or you can decide right now to face yourself. And providing you choose to face yourself, you can go back in time Be yourself to visit that situation and picture it with new eyes, as though you are just Back to Roddy’s song, and above all, I watching a movie. And as you do so, enjoy the reference to not following the breathe in deeply. And then watch that flock but instead just being one’s self. scene unfold. ‘Know Thyself’ springs to mind. It is a very old concept, recorded as early as As you reach that painful situation, ancient Greece, but it is no less impor- that moment, you can now begin to tant today. You could say that you can see it for what it was. It was just someonly be yourself when you are wholly thing that happened, and it’s of no real honest with yourself. And that comes importance to you now. So you can when you begin to accept yourself. begin to forgive yourself. Breathe out! People tend to like lines out of songs You watched it all happen and now because they can relate them in some you simply choose to let it go. You let it way to themselves. But away from mu- go, and as you do so (and if it fits) you sic and apart from outside stimuli, do can begin to smile about it, as though we so readily relate to ourselves? Like you were telling someone else what Roddy, are we honest with ourselves? you saw. And if that smile turns into a laugh, then you can laugh about it. And Forgive yourself as you laugh, smile or just breathe nice and peacefully, you free yourself now Through my work as a therapist ‐ and from that moment. You freed yourself as a human being who makes plenty of from the burden of that moment, with honest mistakes ‐ I found that a great the power of your own abundant love. path towards self‐acceptance is not And that’s the truth. only through courage but also self‐forgiveness, being true to ones’ self, and Face yourself laughter. A lot of laughter! I believe that laughter holds open the door in your Always allow yourself the time to look soul to allow in self‐acceptance. And if within. You really deserve it. And reCONTACT you will allow me to indulge you briefly, member, if you do, always face yourself www.soundsofme.co.uk you can explore this with yourself for a with warm, loving laughter. Twitter: @SamJosephMusic moment right now: Facebook fan page page eleven
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Levity aside, the challenge is that the above ‘non‐lies’ are quite evasive, not only of an answer, but perhaps even the truth. To those who avidly tune themselves to ‘Radio Truth FM’, those responses might still hold an air of dishonesty about them. So if anything, social convection aids the view that honesty ‐ real honesty ‐ demands great personal courage!
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The Butterfly Song from Sam Joseph’s ‘humanity healing’ album ‘For All I Care’. Did you ever make ‘butterfly prints’ as a child; those pictures where you paint one half of a piece of paper and then fold it over, so that the wet paint prints onto the other side? If you recall them, the paper is then opened to reveal the image, which resembles a butterfly. I remember them fondly and much later came to see those butterfly images as a metaphor. One side is a mirror of the other. Which is like how the universe faces itself. The Yin and Yang. In a sense, it is similar to how people often see externally what is actually within them. And so they say the Universe is a mirror. Appropriately, the album’s title is also a reflection, ‘For All I Care’. Said one way (For all I Care!), it sounds like a nonchalant statement of apathy, but on the other hand, said differently, it is an all-embracing statement of love – For all I care. I guess it depends on what is within you as to how you perceive its message. I intended the music in that album to evoke emotions. So that my listeners could face those emotions – face themselves – and thereby allow themselves an opportunity to release old energy and embrace a more positive future. Or you could say, emerging from the cocoon, a butterfly! The last track on the album – The Butterfly Song - pays tribute to that act of august 2010
emerging from a moment or stage in your life, a lesson maybe, an embarrassing moment, a time when you judged someone, or just complained a lot. It pays tribute to, consciously or unconsciously, transforming and evolving those events into feelings of care; those of love. Love but also acceptance...
F R E E D O W N L O A D
As human beings, a popular adage is, “nobody’s perfect,” and I’m sure that resonates with everyone. But we can honour our past and our mistakes, looking back with new, wiser eyes as we emerge in to a higher place of enlightenment, wherever that may be in this present moment. As a spiritually aware person, I’m sure you can relate to a state I experienced where I thought I knew all I needed to know. It was a happy place, but it was a place where I was sure there was no more room to grow. I was complacent. And then I experienced a series of events in my life (becoming a father, having to forgive some big things, becoming aware of those complaints I was making, that type of thing) when I finally realised I was still growing, still evolving and indeed that there was room in every situation I encountered to be more lovely. So the pathway was still very much there to enjoy as I emerged from the cocoon. I wonder, can you count the number of times in the piece where you think the butterfly has hatched from its cocoon?
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Paul Vaughan Wilby BSc (Hons), SI, FDN
The Personal Evolution Trilogy Part III - Feeling Pulled In Opposing Directions? DePnition: The quality or state of being honestQ probityQ fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, speech, etc.Q integrityQ sincerityQ truthfulnessQ freedom from fraud or guile. In the context of this article, the following definition is probably more appropriate; Intellectual honesty: The willingness to have our certainties about the world constrained by good evidence and good argument. Is honesty, truth? Well you would think so wouldn’t you? However, truth is often attached to a belief; DI believe I am telling the truth.F Are beliefs honest? And here’s where it starts to get messy. Beliefs are things that people hold very tightly, and the more emotionally involved they are with that particular belief, the tighter they grip it. So, you can only be honest about what you believe. Are beliefs, truth? Sometimes, but not as often as you might think. I believe that green item is an apple. Truth! (As
BIOG Paul knows you can CHANGE; your posture, your mental/emotional patterns, your body shape, your ailments - your life. His experience ov Hons), a Structural Integration (Rolfing®) Practitioner and practises Functional Diagnostic Nutrition®, Metabolic Typing™, endocrine (hormone) balancing, emotional release, and applied biophysics (or scientific energy work).
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long as it is an apple.) I believe my god revised their beliefs to meet with obviwishes me to attack you. Hhhmmmm. ous facts: that the aliens had, through Not so true. their concern for the cult, saved the world instead. The escape car ‐ cognitive dissonance This also sounds a lot like certain reliPeople are prone to problems in hones- gious beliefs regarding the apocalypse, ty because they assume truth, honesty end of the world, rapture, and so on. It and belief are interchangeable. But, seems religion and our spiritual teachas we have just demonstrated, that is ings are rife with contradictions, and I definitely not the case. suspect uncomfortable dissonance too. (Although that may be an article in its So how do we find ourselves in such a own right.) pickle? Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding Cognitive dissonance in action two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance pro- This kind of contradiction in our everyposes that people have a motivational day beliefs doesn’t just relate to religion drive to reduce dissonance by changing or spirituality, but does, in fact, affect their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours, our perceptions about our health, wellor by justifying or rationalizing them. being and self‐image. A client of mine was a veteran of naturopathic healthThis was discovered by Festinger, who care and was adamant that the body first developed this theory in the 1950s was completely capable of healing to explain how members of a cult were itself. He believed it. However, he lived persuaded by their leader that the earth with back and neck pain for ten years or was going to be destroyed on 21st De- more. In our first session, he proceeded cember and that they alone were go- to introduce himself by listing the ing to be rescued by aliens. However, methods and treatments he’d tried that the members actually increased their failed to rid him of this encumbrance. commitment to the cult when this did He told me he was extremely doubtful not happen. Festinger himself had in- that my methods would do anything filtrated the cult, and would have been for him either. very surprised to meet little green men. The dissonance of the thought of being I asked him whether these feelings of so stupid was so great that instead they doubt contradicted his first belief (in august 2010 Lightworkermag.com
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Dissonance is often strong when we believe something about ourselves and then do something against that belief
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the power of the body to self‐heal). With a look of dissonance he began to rationalise his beliefs in order to hold on to both of them. He gave me every escape car possible; all the reasons why his particular problem did not fit with his belief about the healing capacity of the body, until the dissonant feeling obviously subsided.
money on a new car might decide that the new vehicle is much less likely to break down than his or her old car. This belief may or may not be true, but it would reduce dissonance and make the person feel better. Dissonance can also lead to confirmation bias, the denial of disconfirming evidence, and other ego‐ based defence mechanisms.
use. With so much of this ever‐present in our culture, it is unsurprising to find that as individuals we are capable of holding enormous contradictions within ourselves and then demonstrating behaviour to match.
Was he being honest? He believed he was. Ah, I hear you say, he was not telling the truth. But he believed he was. Not only that, but he was emotionally attached to both beliefs. The first one was a heartfelt belief that he instinctively knew and had heard evidence to support. The second was the fear‐ driven belief gained by experience that his problem was unfixable... flavoured and spiced with the despair of his ten years of often excruciating pain and false hopes of recovery.
Advertisers have been using this knowledge to sell us things for decades. Sometimes these things are useful, but mostly not. All the executive has to do is provide a range of ‘escape car’ rationalisations when we feel anxious about purchasing the right product (or purchasing anything at all), and the escape car’s engine is already revving. This rationalisation then becomes part of the belief structure, and we develop an emotional attachment to that as well. Ironically, we often defend this new rationalisation even more vigorously than the original belief!
Remember, dissonance increases with:
Origins of cognitive dissonance A powerful cause of dissonance is an idea in conflict with a fundamental element of the self‐concept, such as DI am a good personF or DI made the right decision.F The anxiety that comes with the possibility of having made a bad decision can lead to rationalization and the tendency to create additional reasons or justifications to support one’s choices. A person who just spent too much august 2010
Cognitive dissonance within each of us
• The importance of the subject to us. • How strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict. • Our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict.
Dissonance is often strong when we believe something about ourselves and then do something against that belief. If I believe I am good but do something bad, then the discomfort I feel as a result is cognitive dissonance. Dissonance is most powerful when it is about our self‐image. Feelings of foolishness, imPhew, I’m starting to feel dizzy… morality and so on (including internal projections during decision‐making) It’s not just advertising, our political are dissonance in action. world and laws are full of these dissonant contradictions. Murder is illegal, If an action has been completed and but killing the enemy at war is accept- cannot be undone, then the after‐the‐ able. Civilians killed in war are collateral fact dissonance compels us to change damage and also acceptable. We want our beliefs. If beliefs are moved, then the vast tax sums from alcohol and the dissonance appears during decitobacco but we legislate against their sion‐making, forcing us to take actions page fourteen Lightworkermag.com
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Cognitive dissonance is central to many forms of persuasion for changing beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours.
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we would not have taken before.
stop and see if you can find the inner conflict. Then notice how that came Cognitive dissonance appears in virtu- about. If it was somebody else who ally all evaluations and decisions and is put that conflict there, you can decide the central mechanism by which we ex- not to play any more with them, or buy perience new differences in the world. what it is they are selling. When we see other people behave differently to our images of them, when Alternatively, you can release both the we hold any conflicting thoughts, we beliefs in turn (imagine holding the beexperience dissonance. lief in a clenched fist; ask yourself if you can let it go, and if so, let the fist uncurl) Dissonance increases with the im- and keep going until one disappears. portance and impact of the decision, Once you have released the belief you along with the difficulty of reversing it. are left with truth. And once you have Discomfort about making the wrong truth you can take appropriate action. choice of car is bigger than when choos- ing a lamp. As a final thought for those among us who are physically orientated and may So what? find this article a bit intellectual and airy, consider that belief is basically a Using it perception or a filter on life, a pair of goggles through which the world and Cognitive dissonance is central to many people in it appear as you want them forms of persuasion for changing be- to. liefs, values, attitudes and behaviours. The tension can be injected suddenly, Honesty, on the other hand, is removor allowed to build up over time. People ing the perception filters and seeing can be moved in many small jumps or the world and ourselves the way we one large one, and this is a crucial tool actually are. When reading this article in education, as any teacher will tell you may experience dissonance of your you. own choosing to believe that Dthoughts and feelings are not that importantF, but Defending you could be wrong. Be careful what you choose to believe. When you start feeling uncomfortable, page fifteen
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Research is now confirming that your beliefs directly affect the genes that make up who you are: what you look like, how healthy you are, how long you live, how slim you are. In fact, it is not hard to argue that beliefs are the most influential of the operators of your genes. Now, genes ‐ as you may or not know ‐ are code for the body’s production of proteins. We are made entirely of proteins (with fats) and we have genes for lots more than we actually use. Oh, and they rewrite themselves in response to your beliefs. Oh dear. Based on this logic, doesn’t it make sense to become more honest in our beliefs, and ensure our beliefs are inherently true?
CONTACT +44 7970 818896 paul@i-evolve.co.uk www.i-evolve.co.uk
august 2010
Vena Ramphal
Are You Ready To Trip Up In Romance? I tripped up in love this weekend. I didn’t tell the truth. I didn’t lie, but I kept my mouth shut. What is the risk in telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable? And what is the risk in not telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable? I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to seem demanding. I made a request; he said he would rather not. I felt like asking again, but didn’t. Of course, the words didn’t go away, they stayed inside me. Then they came out a few days later. He asked me why I didn’t say at the time how important this was to me. When I explained my discomfort, he said that it wasn’t about being angry or demanding, it was about expressing what I wanted. The risks of romance But it didn’t feel like that at the time. It felt like I was risking an argument. I had already asked and he’d already said no. The risk in telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable is this: you don’t know how the other person will respond. He might have thought I was being demanding. The risk in telling the truth when it’s uncomfortable is conflict. And the risk in not telling the truth when its uncomfortable is also conflict. Only worse. The longer something remains waiting‐to‐be‐said, the weightier it
BIOG Dr. Vena Ramphal is a passion coach. Her work enables people to create fulfilling romance and relationship. Vena’s background is in the embodied practices of dance and yoga. She has a PhD. (SOAS 2005) in Philosophy and Dance and a deep belief that life ought to be delicious.
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feels. Of course, we all know this. So why can it be so difficult to speak in the moment? My sense is this: on one level it’s true that words become heavier the longer they are waiting‐to‐be‐said. But that’s not the whole truth. If it was, it would feel comparatively risk free and light to voice things in the moment.
in‐the‐moment. Whether you speak the uncomfortable words now or in a week’s time, it’s the same risk.
But that’s the point. It’s the same risk. And there is no way around that. The constant risk in romance is the risk of being made conscious of our separateness. (And the risk that maybe he will I think there is something else – another think you are being demanding.) very weighty risk – that is constantly present in romance. I also think that There is no sugar coating for this. We all the presence of this risk is the energetic know the true and wise clichés – honreason that we avoid conflict. It is the esty is the best policy; the longer you risk of rupturing that glorious sense wait the more difficult it is to say; better of unity that we seek in relationships. out than in. Yes, yes, yes. We know. But Conflict would bring a sense of sepa- to be honest with you, the bittersweet ration from the beloved, and – on the truth is that in romance, we inevitably deep, non‐logical level of our heartbeat weave between the experience of union – this is precisely what we are seeking and separateness. The sweetness of to move away from by being romanti- one cant be separated from the bittercally involved with someone. We have ness of the other. The point isn’t when, plenty of separation in other relation- or even whether, we choose to speak ships. But in the relationship with our the uncomfortable truth. The point is nearest and dearest, we seek the bliss that the delight of being in synch with of wholesome oneness. Just to be clear, a lover is always shot through with the I’m not speaking on the level of person- possibility of being out of synch. On this ality, where individuality is healthy, I’m level, honesty doesn’t necessarily offer speaking of that deeper heartfelt sense a reward, nor is it even its own reward. of sweet dissolution that we experience There’s just the risk. We either take it, in a lover’s arms; that feeling of being or we don’t. effortlessly in synch. Both roads converge
CONTACT
From this perspective, the passing of Facebook: venaramphal time is irrelevant. There is no low risk Twitter: @venaramphal www.venaramphal.com
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Diana Cooper
Under the Spotlight Diana received an angel visitation during a time of personal crisis, which changed her life. Author of 19 books in over 20 languages, she inspires thousands of people to fulfil their spiritual potential. Our Editor, Rachel Willis, spoke with Diana and put her under the spotlight about her vision for the future, the importance of living honestly and how Lightworkers can optimise their energies in conjunction with the Archangels.
their own angels, guides, Masters and unicorns. Diana is the Principal of The Diana Cooper School, a not‐for‐profit organisation that offers certificated spiritual teaching courses throughout the world.
Click here to listen to the interview
CONTACT www.dianacooper.com
Well known for her work with angels, ascension, Atlantis, Orbs and 2012, Diana’s new book is The Keys to the Universe. This awesome book gives you tools to become an enlightened Ascended Master. Through her guides Diana’s latest book is being launched mid‐September to coincide with Angel and angels she enables people to ac- Awareness Day. If you order directly cess their spiritual gifts and psychic from www.dianacooper.com then all potential, and also connects them to books are signed.
Advertisement And you can see Diana later this year at… Mind Body Spirit Manchester Festival 19th – 21st November at Manchester Central , M2 3GX, UK www.mindbodyspirit.co.uk or 0207 371 9191 for entrance and workshop tickets and information.
Saturday 20th November 2010 10.30am – 2.30pm The Keys to the Universe This seminar is based on Diana Cooper’s new book, The Keys to the Universe. Only now for the first time can we access the awesome information and knowledge of the universe held by the 48 keys and the 2 golden cosmic keys. Sharing specific sounds, exercises and visualisations Diana will help you open the doors that reveal the wisdom of the ancients. You will discover the secrets of the animal, bird and nature kingdoms as well as cosmic mysteries and explore the 2 golden keys held in Sirius and Hollow Earth. When you understand and can access the wisdom of one of the 48 keys you expand your consciousness. When you hold all the Keys to the Universe you are an enlightened Ascended Master able to access the true blueprint of Earth and help to bring it back. page seventeen
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Sorrell Robbins
Seeing The Wood For The Trees My first thoughts… does it matter if we are honest, should we always be honest? What do we mean by honesty, does this word have clear boundaries? I wanted a glimpse at other peoples’ ideas about honesty, and what I found was discussion about truth and lies. This might suggest that honesty is simply a truthful interaction between people. But I was feeling a different connection to this word, something deeper vibrating in my soul trying to give itself a voice. On reflection, I heard this voice was more concerned with what honesty means to us as individuals, in self‐awareness. How can we become honest with ourselves and thereby understand what our truth is. How can we discover who we truly are and thereby reveal the authentic version of our selves to the world, as a truly honest person? Meditating further, I found myself drawn instinctively to the ancient Chinese 5 element theory developed over 4,000 years ago. And as often happens with reflection on ancient wisdom, it all began to make sense again. The 5 element theory can be described as a poetic observation of the universe, nature and the human condition. As humans we grow through all 5 elements as phases of our lives: water, wood, fire, earth and metal, then back again to water as we continue on the never‐ ending circle – that is if you believe in
BIOG Sorrell has practiced complementary medicine since 1996, as a Medical Herbalist with a BSc Honors degree, diplomas in Advanced Hypnotherapy & Hypnohealing, Clinical Aromatherapy & Therapeutic Massage, Advanced Reiki and Shamanic Healing. She teaches and practices in venues across London and runs her own multidisciplinary centre ‘The Chamomile Clinic’.
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reincarnation.
develop in response to the world around us reflecting our upbringing and The 5 element evolution our environment. Like a tree growing with strong roots in the earth, we grow We begin life in the water phase, as a upwards and outwards, flexing in the twinkle in our parents’ eyes, a thought changing winds and growing towards or an impetus to create life. The womb the light we see ahead of us. is our watery home before we are born, here we are merged with our moth- The spirit of the wood phase is aspiraers, not yet individuals with separate tion, our ability to imagine a future breath, digestion and excretion. The world with enthusiasm and hope. This water phase then turns to wood. We hope is the light that we grow towards. separate, become individuals, and like This sense of aspiration calls our best a plant in spring we grow and differen- selves forward, striving for the perfect tiate, becoming our unique selves. world we wish for. When this phase is out of balance, when our hopes and This wood phase of our lives is the time dreams for a better future are fruswhere we develop our capacity for hon- trated, depression may arise; our spiriesty. It relates mainly to our time as tual and emotional growth becomes children growing into adolescents, but stunted. It is important not to let our aspects of it last a lifetime. During this dreams of a better world be shattered phase of our lives we begin to separate by frustration, but to keep dreaming to ourselves from our parents and society; stay in balance and not allow ourselves we become individuals, defined by our to grow towards the darker side. own sense of self. Our personalities august 2010 Lightworkermag.com
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This wood phase of our lives is the time where we develop our capacity for honesty
The wood phase
Honesty in our being
During this phase, we become more conscious of ourselves as individuals, based on our own individual truths – rather than the external standards we are exposed to. We peel away the layers of what is not true to us – those untruths developed within us by the expectations of our parents or society. We are no longer so satisfied simply to please others, and much more inclined to please ourselves. This can feel like a hard painful process.
As Thomas Jefferson once said: “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” One day I hope to be a wise old lady, so I am working daily on creating an honest soul, and being this in the world for the benefit of all my relationships.
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During this phase we are also learning what our needs are and where our boundaries lie as individuals. We test our strength, often seen as a struggle of power as we search for definition – most obviously represented by a teenager rebelling against their parents’ wishes. At this stage we may mistakenly look at external causes for our feelings, perhaps blaming others for not allowing us express ourselves when we would benefit more by looking within for the source of dissatisfaction. This phase of soul development also manifests as a search for attention, power and independence. The best way to deal with this is to pay attention to yourself, listen for your inner truth and peel away that which does not belong to you. In this way, we more easily flow into becoming our true selves. We learn who we are, what gifts we have to share, and what we need in return. This growth and development, if healthy, encouraged and unsuppressed can lead us to gain a true understanding of who we are as individuals. We become honest people, giving us inner power and intuition, and allowing us to bring a more complete self to our relationships. august 2010
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This search for the truth in our soul development is to some extent a lifetime process, but certainly more concentrated during our childhood to young adult years. To a large extent, we engage with this process subconsciously. But as conscious beings, how can we connect with our truth, especially when we feel stuck, frustrated or depressed? How can we free our souls by learning who we truly are? An old shaman taught one simple and effective exercise I want to share with you. She taught me to feel the truth in my body, and it is really easy once you know how. If you pick a simple truth and lie – for example, your favourite colour. My favourite colour is red, so if I say to myself “my favourite colour is red” I feel a warm glow inside my abdomen; an expansion, a softening. If I say my favourite colour is brown, I feel a tightening; a stiffening of my shoulders and arms. Try this method for yourself. Note where you feel the sensations, do they have a colour, a vibration, or a sound? In this way, we can feel the truth without consciously analyzing. We can know our truth, and it makes life much simpler.
CONTACT www.chamomileclinic.co.uk sorrell@chamomileclinic.co.uk page twenty
know
health Glow with Health and Wellbeing
education Lightworker in Training
relationships Lightworker Challenge
business The Businessman
adventure Studying at the University of Life
living The Authenticity Diary
know:health Glow with Health and Wellbeing
Honesty Is Always The Best Policy Stu Gatherum is a passionate and focused Strength and Conditioning specialist who is committed to delivering outstanding results in fitness, nutrition and total health and wellness. Hi All. As you’re reading this it is evident you didn’t take the ‘Goodbye’ edition to heart. May I be the first to say welcome to the ‘Honesty’ edition. I truly mean that... Ok, that was a poor attempt at humour! In the ‘Goodbye’ article I urged you to embrace the seasonal change with regards to your meal planning ‐ including some BBQ‐ing tips (and warnings) ‐ and also in your summer wardrobe choices. I hope you took these on board, enjoyed your food (sans salmonella!) and are keeping the flip‐flop industry alive. H, as I alluded to earlier, is the Honesty edition here at Lightworker. As such, I am again going to appeal to your dietary inclinations. See, I have a saying I live by as my 0ne‐to‐one clients will attest, and it is this; “You can’t out‐work a poor diet”. When asked to explain, I answer with a couple of questions: 1. How often do you exercise? 2. How often do you eat?
‐ Are truly clueless; ‐ Have no willpower; ‐ Need to be made accountable; or ‐ Are struggling for motivation.
Do you fall into any of these categories? If so, it might be time to take some advice and get yourself a copy of my e‐book. You’ll find lots of hints and tips as well as plenty of recipes to keep you and your hunger satisfied. This will be available from Lightworker websites from 9th August.
My approach with clients is to provide them with a diet plan log‐sheet. They diligently complete this for a typical week and then give it back to me. From this. I can gain some perspective about their habits, pitfalls, cravings and knowledge of food in general. The next step is to give them a new sheet to follow with some general guidelines, as well as specific meals to make.
Most people tell me they exercise 3 times per week and eat between 3 and 6 times per day (for the record, those on the upper end of this scale tend to be on the lower end of the bathroom scale). This means the average person has 3 workouts to put right the potential deficiencies of between 21 and 42 different meals. Think about that for a moment...
One thing I find is that people are seldom honest with me about their diet. The reasons for this vary from embarrassment to true lack of knowledge about what they are putting into their bodies. I talk with clients who swear they don’t eat carbohydrates after midday (another fad dietary issue I don’t believe in, whilst we’re on the subject) only for them to complete a week’s plan and see ‘white rice’ listed as a part of a meal at 9pm! Diet is WAY more than half the battle. This particular client knew a fair bit about nutrition too so could only have been hiding this for my benefit. With that in mind, it’s time to talk about being honest. However, this doesn’t benefit me in the slightest. Nor I am asked to design bespoke diet plans for my clients does it negatively affect me. The only person being when they: negatively affected was my client, not only because he page twenty three
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was chewing on white rice but because I had no idea what he was eating. My only 2 rules with diet plans are very simple: 1. Include everything 2. BE HONEST
Visit
www.artofpositiveliving.com Available from 9th August!
So, let me ask you: How often do you exercise? How often do you eat? And on that basis, are your meals giving you the best possible chance to achieve the health and wellness you desire? C’mon... Be Honest!
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Connect with Stu www.stugatherum.com Twitter: @stugatherum +44 7816 240137
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know:education Lightworker in Training
Honesty Hetta Rogers’ background is in Art History and Literature. She spent the past 7 years training and working as a lawyer before quitting her job to find greater fulfilment, and now her days are filled with riding horses and trying not to get thrown off... We live in a world where “spin” and half‐truths seem part of our staple diet; where the “truth” with which we are confronted on a day‐ to‐day basis (such as in the media) is often dumbed down or heavily embellished to make it palatable. It makes me wonder when honesty and integrity – and what is real – became so unfashionable.
not deceive ourselves or perpetuate self‐denial – then we will find it far easier to be honest with others.
Despite the pretences that surround us, it is fair to say that most of us understand and believe that honesty really is the best policy when dealing with others. But we often neglect to understand or appreciate the importance of being honest with ourselves, and the positive effect it can have on our wellbeing and our future.
If what I have said so far resonates with you, then consider this.
All this ties in neatly with the notion that honesty is a fundamental characteristic all Lightworkers have in common. Honesty illuminates us; it makes us open and trustworthy and keeps us right‐minded. If we are honest with ourselves – if we recognise our weaknesses, do
The process of removing this “mask” of pretence is not as daunting as it might seem at first.
Furthermore, self‐knowledge is both an admirable and an attractive quality. We are drawn to people who know themselves and who strive to be as open and unguarded as they can. Find your true self
When we are dishonest about who we are or what we believe, we perpetuate the idea that we are not deserving, not good enough, and therefore need to be dishonest or false to get by. What’s more, by hiding behind This month, I would like to focus on two things in prin- falsehoods and not confronting difficult issues about cipal: why being honest with ourselves is essential, and ourselves, our circumstances or the issues we face now how it can put in motion a series of positive changes in or in our past, we are inviting those negative percepour lives. tions to persist and prevent ourselves from truly moving forward or achieving our potential. Illumination This imagery of hiding behind falsehoods brings to mind Historically, truth and light are hugely intertwined and, a wonderfully pertinent line from the novel ‘Play to the symbolically, very powerful. Many religions and belief End’ (published in 2004) by the writer, Robert Goddard. systems use the metaphorical potency of light as a His protagonist says: “It’s easier to keep a mask in place symbol of truth; we see it in art and literature and, to for fear of what peeling it off would reveal.” some extent, we see it reflected in the language we use (for example, we talk about the truth being “brought However, I would say that this need not be so. to light” and we call ourselves “enlightened” when we learn new things). Where to begin
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It is true that being honest with oneself requires a great deal of determination and self‐discipline. It is easy to
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rely on those little white lies we all call upon to make life that bit more straightforward and smooth over the cracks. But you will be able to use all that energy previously taken up with maintaining those pretences and channel it into something far more worthwhile: a better version of yourself.
Honesty is a fundamental characteristic all Lightworkers have in common
If we conduct ourselves with honesty, we invariably feel empowered; keen to pursue our greatest potential. It was Roman orator and politician Cicero who said: DWhere is there dignity unless there is honesty?F Being dishonest keeps us in shadow and pushes us towards way; against myself and against others. But we must failure. So, take all that negative energy and transform remember that being honest with ourselves is not a licence to be cruel or unkind. Truth comes from a place it into positive. of love and forgiveness. Truth is not a weapon Forgive your wrongdoings; confront what it is that I am certain that we have all witnessed the truth be- holds you back or that you cling to for comfort, and vow ing used in so‐called “wrong” ways; used as a weapon to change it. For the truth fears no examination and to hurt and distress. I know I have wielded it in this really can set you free.
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know:relationships Lightworker Challenge
The Need To Simply Be Rachel Willis is a conduit for the Ascended Masters and guided to help others fine‐tune their life path by fully stepping into their power and shining their light. She challenges anything that is out of alignment with your highest good and shares messages from The Masters about your Earthly purpose. She is also an inspirational writer and Editor of Lightworker Magazine. How many of us were allowed to be, as children? Very few of us were lucky enough to have parents that listened to what we said, were curious about who we were, and didn’t try to impose their views of life, how their child ‘should’ be or their residual regrets. The effect being that the vast majority of us grew up feeling we were simply not right inside, that we could not be our natural selves, because this was somehow wrong. We could not trust our inner voices, instincts and yearnings, because these were not acceptable. If we were to be ourselves, we would be unlovable, rejected and alone. Hugely terrifying concepts for a child to face. The childhood legacy
be happy. And the fact that we’re not is something we try to bury deep inside, since we figure that this makes us bad people, or confirms the very wrongness that we were trying to avoid in the first place. The answer lies in 3 steps: 1. Recognising the need to be loved, accepted and connected with others 2. Discovering our inner realities; our own unique, needs, wants and dreams 3. Allowing ourselves to simply be with this, and extending the same gift to others It is only by recognising the vulnerable parts within us that drive our basic human need for survival that we can ensure they don’t unconsciously drive our behaviours. Since time began we felt a need to be loved, accepted and connected. It is this that shaped our behaviour as children, our parents’ behaviour, and theirs before that. We are wired that way, and the sooner we embrace and accept that the sooner we can make choices that align ourselves with both getting these needs met and allowing ourselves to simply be.
Being raised to live based on outside cues, beliefs and rules leaves us with the legacy of an underdeveloped inner world and learned‐behaviour of turning to others – lovers, family, friends, society etc – to shape our behaviour. Yet it is this very act of trying to be safe, trying to live in the ‘right’ way to avoid rejection from those we love, and trying to find answers that ensure we will continue to be accepted and love, which causes us the Looking within problems. Discovering our inner realities is the step to learning Because we are ‘performing’, we become frustrated who we are when we allow ourselves to simply be. This, and disillusioned with our lives and feel a gnawing sense in my experience, is the most challenging step, since of dissatisfaction. We wonder why we feel such empti- we are bombarded by so many external stimuli in the ness or a sense of being incomplete. We reason with modern world that all claim we need, want and dream ourselves that surely we have everything we want – the of having this and being that. Therefore, the only way money, car, relationship, career etc – and so we ‘should’ to access our true nature and our own unique needs, page twenty seven
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wants and dreams is to spend some time away from coat this ‐ it is true that some people will reject your these messages. true self, since they themselves have not yet learned to embrace their true nature and are still living by the For some people, sitting in silent meditation helps them outdated modes of performing not being. They haven’t connect with their inner selves, for others, it’s writing, learned to be in themselves, because if they had, they painting, dancing, walking in nature or any other activ- would learn to accept you as you simply are. ity where they ‘lose themselves’ in the moment. These times needn’t be lengthy, it is more that you experience So extend them compassion – from a distance if necesthat moment of perfect clarity when your whole body, sary – and continue being with yourself and extending mind and soul feel alive, aligned and complete. With the gift to others. You will soon notice that life becomes enough of these experiences, you will come to know calmer, more satisfying and profoundly content. How your true nature and what it means to simply be. It may can it not be when you are living in alignment with your feel strange at first, or a blessed relief, but either way, honest essence? Far Eastern cultures mastered this continue with the practice and soon enough you will many years ago and it is evident from the energy of their no longer need to look to your external world for the countries; they’re not trying to be something they’re answers that you seek. not, they are instead enjoying the precious present moment of their lives, simply being who they are. Being your authentic self The third step is the one where we extend our true nature and being into the world. Some people feel vulnerable with this, fearing that revealing their true selves sets them up to be rejected or unloved. I won’t sugar-
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Connect with Rachel www.Rachel‐Willis.co.uk Rachel@Rachel‐Willis.co.uk Twitter: *RachelWillisUK Mobile: +44 (0) 7515 388688
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know:business The Businessman
Honesty Is The Best Policy Ryan Pinnick is a passionate, inspirational and wise speaker and writer in the fields of personal development and wealth creation. Born in Cape Town, Ryan is now based in London and a leading light in the social media scene. I was always told honesty is the my awareness for quite some time. And quite honestly, best policy. So why don’t people there have been times where I caught myself being do it?! dishonest, or wanting to be dishonest, and then had to correct myself while speaking. We are all human and Well let’s look at what honesty we make mistakes. Emotions get involved in what we is for a moment. In order to fully are doing and when you throw some passion, energy appreciate what honesty is, we and excitement into the mix it is very difficult to pull the need to consider it’s opposite. reins on the ego self of our human nature which craves Dishonesty. People seemingly significance, approval, greed and huge rounds of apcannot be completely honest or completely dishonest. plause. More to the point, it is simply impossible to be absolutely honest. This means that everyone is honest and I found that when I changed my focus from being selfdishonest to some degree. So really, the sway between ish to being selfless and thinking of others, I became honesty and dishonesty is like an analogue dial used as more honest. There is no way that if was genuinely the volume on a stereo system. Every person will sway being considerate of others I would want to be dishonbetween honesty and dishonesty to some degree, in est. I personally don’t know anyone who has totally every moment. rid themselves of their ego. I heard some gurus claim they have. But for us mere mortals, we will be living Some people are more honest than dishonest. Are you? with our egos at some level for the rest of our lives, and I am sure you would say that you are more honest than during that time, our egos will be selfishly leading us dishonest. But be honest with yourself. If you’re not to dishonesty. So don’t give yourself a hard time if you find yourself being dishonest. To clear your conscience, make amends if you have harmed someone. And be honest when you do so!
It is simply impossible to be absolutely honest
honest with yourself, the only person you are kidding is yourself, because people pick up on dishonesty consciously or subconsciously. They may say something like, “I just got a bad feeling”, but they know if a person is being dishonest by embellishing, giving totally the wrong information, misrepresenting or by omission. Professional honesty As a professional speaker, honesty has been high on page twenty nine
This week, a reporter wrote an article about one of my recent presentations making all sorts of comments that quite simply weren’t true. For starters, she wrote that I am 27 years old, but I am 31. She clearly has very little knowledge on the subject matter because she quoted me describing two investment strategies as if they were the same thing, but they are not. She then went on to say that I recommended these strategies, which is incorrect, because there is no way I would recommend both strategies as one doesn’t work and is illegal. And when these strategies are described out of context, it can be viewed as risky and irresponsible to be teaching these methods to novice investors. And then to top it
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all off, she wrote that this sort of thing is what led to the recent recession. The wealth creation strategies I teach not only helped thousands of people create financial stability (and often significant wealth) but is one of the only remaining ways that the economy is going to properly recover. The point simply is that we live in world driven by egos and selfish people. For example, reporters who write articles without considering what damage they are doing, for no other reason than the fact that they get paid to write articles. Oh, and by the way, you and I both fall under the selfish people category, so don’t think this doesn’t relate to you.
I found that when I changed my focus from being selfish to being selfless and thinking of others, I became more honest
The only question I have for you now is, are you willing to practise being honest and make amends when you are dishonest? Because if you practise being honest and making amends when you are dishonest, I can tell you from experience that you will live happily and reap magical rewards. Honestly...
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Connect with Ryan www.ryanpinnick.com Facebook: ryanpinnick Linkedin: ryanpinnick Twitter:*ryanpinnick
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know:adventure Studying at the University of Life
There Is No Such Thing As An Honest Pirate Sylvie Roy is a free‐spirit who gave up her job to follow her intuition and discover her life’s true purpose. She resides in Toronto, Canada where she nurtures her budding career as an intuitive reader and healer and writes a blog to share the trials, triumphs and laughs along the way. Being up‐front about things is all part of being honest, right? Well, I might as well get this column off on the right foot by telling you that I’ve been having a heck of a hard time getting around to writing this article. Why? Because each time I hear the word “honesty”, I’m reminded of the song of the same name by Billy Joel. And not only does the song play over and over in my head, I also keep laughing at an inside joke we have about it at our place; you see, when Billy sings the word “honesty” it sounds like he’s swearing in French. Sorry – was that an inappropriate way to start my article? Once upon a time, I would have said yes. And I would have scolded myself for being such a goof. The right way to start would be with something that makes me sound professional, polished and knowledgeable. Not with crazy babble about Billy Joel unknowingly swearing in a foreign language, and how I believe I am one of the only two people on earth to discover this immensely funny tidbit. I mean, what if someone found this little story offensive? Or just plain stupid? I don’t think I’m alone when I worry that I might be judged for the way I feel, think and act. And I don’t think I’m the only one that has ever censored myself to avoid it either. The honesty scale For as long as I can remember, my Mom and Dad raised me to be an honest little girl. Since then, I may have gotten taller, but there’s a part of me that’s still as innocent as I was at 5 years old, who wants to be nice to others and never tell lies. Sure, I routinely ‘lose’ a few page thirty one
dollars every now and then when I point out mistakes that would have worked out in my favour at the cash register, but overall, this whole honesty thing has been working out pretty well for me. But does being an honest person run deeper than not cheating on your taxes or stealing a co‐worker’s snack from the company fridge? Could it be true that complete honesty really is about being 100% you? If so, I’m not sure how honest a person I really am, because I find that sometimes, showing the world the real me can be hard to do. Especially when I start to wonder if anyone out there is going to ever appreciate what I’m all about. And aren’t we supposed to be good people who try to make others happy? Being me isn’t going to make everyone happy, in fact, it might even make some people downright uncomfortable. Do I want to do that to other people? Where did I go? Sure, I find the words to explain it here, but when I’m in an actual situation where I’m thinking I’m a little weirder than what my current entourage had bargained for, my feelings are a great big jumble. Suddenly, I don’t feel like me at all. I just feel awkward. Quiet. And I’m not cracking jokes about Billy Joel. I try to blend in and go with the flow, because swimming against the current is hard work. I’ve wondered about this phenomenon for years. In certain company, I’m my regular whacky self, but with some others, I’m known as the quiet girl, the complete opposite of what I’m like when I’m at ease. At first, I would tell myself that it was just a form of protection – if others around me couldn’t handle what I was all
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Does being an honest person run deeper than not cheating on your taxes or stealing a co-worker’s snack from the company fridge? about, wasn’t I better off just hiding the parts of myself that wouldn’t jive with them and not subjecting myself to harsh judgements and rejection? Wouldn’t I rather show my true nature to those who actually understood and appreciated it?
of the time? Why is it so hard? I can come up with so many reasons, but really, none of them are valid excuses. We know that deep down inside, we’re all different from one another, and that’s what makes each and every one of us so special, yet it’s those very differences that we constantly guard and hide. We become pirates Being ourselves to the world by denying access to the very treasure we were brought here to share. And to be frank, I’m feelYes indeed! That marketing department in my brain ing, as Billy Joel would say, “honesty+” that so many of worked overtime coming up with the “only be you when us live this way. That I live this way. it’s safe” campaign, and it had a good go for a while. But + how honest a way of life is that? If I truly love who I am, Ok, I’ll let you in on the joke. When Billy sings the word “honesty”, then why am I not sharing that with the world? And just it sounds just like a vulgar French expression that means “to be where does hiding one’s true self from others fare on really mad”. the scale of truthfulness? Sure, it’s not down there with malicious lies, but it certainly isn’t up there with pure So here I am. Being 100% me. Telling my cheesy honesty either. I truly believe that each of us is a gift in jokes because I think they’re funny. Sharing my sincere our true nature, and that we’ve got something wonder- thoughts because I think they’re worth considering. ful to offer. But if we walk around and only show the Pouring out my deepest fears because they could use treasure to a chosen few, well, it doesn’t feel anywhere purging. But best of all, loving these precious moments close to pure honesty to me. In fact, I’m even starting to spent just honestly being. feeling as though it might be a bit selfish. Even greedy. And very, very fearful. Connect with Sylvie Neither the little girl nor the woman inside of me likes any of those words. Both of us know that we’ve made progress, and that the real us shines through more and more all the time. But why can’t we be 100% us, 100%
august 2010
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www.cheeriolala.com sylvie@cheeriolala.com Twitter: @sylvie_r Facebook: Cheeriolala
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know:living
know:living The Authenticity Diary:
Dude, Where’s My Sanity? Mel Diamond is a passionate advocator of the Indigo cause. She wants to speak out to help and inspire other Indigo adults to become aware of who they are. Mel is a Reiki healer and teacher, sound healer, writer, singer, neo‐pagan and a student of the shamanic arts. Dear reader, you find me at the tail end of a minor existential crisis. You will know from last month’s Diary that I moved to a new town and a new home. There was a change of location and an acceptance that change is part of the natural flow of life, the grand plan of the Universe and the natural course of things. Change means being outside of your comfort zone, and at the edge of your comfort zone lie all the things that are there to challenge you and stimulate your personal growth. Change churns up the ground beneath your feet and makes it a little more turbulent than before. You must tread mindfully with more awareness than previously. Since moving, life has been unsettled and I felt rootless and to be honest... a bit lost. It takes time to find your feet and settle down in a new environment and new routine. This I know and accept, and I’ve made every effort to watch where I step. But I tripped and fell on my metaphorical face! I didn’t anticipate just how much this life chapter was going to throw me out of tune with myself. If I were a musical chord, I’d have been a random collection of notes that made no sense whatsoever. At the moment I’m one of those weird jazzy ones that sounds like it shouldn’t make sense but somehow it does. Now, I’m almost back to my normal self, as ‘normal’ as you ever are when you’re an Indigo!
Change churns up the ground beneath your feet and makes it a little more turbulent than before to it all, I ploughed on without realising that my wellbeing was being compromised. My energy was all over the place, in a complete tailspin, and this was manifesting in some detrimental physical and emotional ways. The most frustrating thing was that I was striving to achieve lots, and not actually achieving very much at all, which in turn was making me feel bad about myself, which was making my energy even worse... AARGH!! A vicious circle was in motion. Time therefore to step back from it all and look at things from as objective a standpoint as possible. But not before I’d sunk pretty low into the depths of despair and self‐doubt.
The pivotal moment came when out for a long walk in the woods near my new home. Wherever I am, I always seek out the nearest woodland area for my spiritual solace, and these woods had already become a friend to me. I took my troubles for a walk, and had a serious word with myself (my Higher Self, that is). I shone a light of brutal honesty into my troubled mind and soul. I realised just how ungrounded, fragmented and in turmoil I’d become because I was scattered; giving myself way Too Many Cooks too hard a time and taking on too much responsibility. I In an effort to fill my time since moving, I’d taken on was out of alignment with my truth. There were extertoo much in my efforts to make a contribution; typical nal factors too, that were all a big drain on my energy. Indigo‐on‐a‐mission style. This, along with the new energies that surround me in my new home (human and Never the Victim, Always Responsible environmental), proved to be too much. When I could have been taking life at a slower pace and acclimatising However, my energy is only ever my own responsibility page thirty three
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and I’d allowed it to drift away or be taken. No wonder I was exhausted and distraught. Enough! Time for some serious energy reclamation and management. The tribal Shamans of the past and present believe that when we go through a trauma of any kind, the part of our soul that cannot cope with what is happening in this reality fragments away and escapes to another one. They call this Soul Loss, and in order to heal the person, these soul‐parts must return. The Shaman’s role is to journey
Remember to be honest with yourself in times of strife, and truth will light the way
to my full self, but the process had begun. N.B. You’ll notice above that I used my own name when taking control of my situation. If you’ve never spoken your own name in this way, I urge that you try it. There is power in your name, especially when it comes to energy maintenance, it can be a moving experience just to look yourself in the eye in a mirror and say it aloud in a loving way. The Lessons Learnt
There is an important reminder for us here; managing our own energy is essential, especially as time ticks by and Earth and Cosmic energies shift more and more, churning up the ground beneath our feet. When we experience an energetic tailspin, we risk fragmenting in to other realities, locate them and bring them back. Af- the chaos and that’s when challenging and less‐desirter this moment of clarity in the woods, I called myself able situations manifests. It happens to all of us, but back, quite literally. Quite alone in the woods, I simply as always the responsibility lies with each of us; we are asked aloud for a my soul‐parts to return to me: not victims but willing participants in the game of life, wherever that journey takes us. Remember to be honDI ask for all parts of myself to return to me, return to this est with yourself in times of strife, and truth will light now, and to the present moment.F the way. Stage One of getting all of me back was complete. I Recommended reading ‐ Sandra Ingerman ‘Soul Retrieval’. An excellent and informative book on soul‐loss and recovery. then affirmed: DMy energy is mine and I lovingly protect it. I am Melanie!F I repeated this a few times and immediately felt more awake and alert, more present, more positive and more focused. In an instant I felt reconnected with the Cosmos and back in the Now. Most importantly, I felt more Whole and more like the Real Me. And up from rock bottom I bounced. Phew! It took a few days to get back august 2010
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Connect with Mel www.indigohealing.co.uk www.TheIndigoNetwork.ning.com www.lightworker.posterous.com Twitter ‐ @Indigo_Healing Facebook
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regulars Once Upon a Time... Words of Wisdom Lightworker Loves... Stars and Planets Paulo Coelho The List Featured Lightworker
august 2010
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Once Upon a Time.... What’s Your Vitameatavegamin?
By Stacey Morris
Photo credit: Joan K.Lentini www.forwardvisionphotography.com
Stacey Morris is a journalist based in Lake George, New York (midway between Manhattan and Montreal). She has written everything from hundreds of obituaries while working at a daily newspaper to food sagas and travel adventures during her freelance years. But always, she’s been a seeker. Her blog chronicles the ongoing journey of how Stacey dropped 156 pounds while retaining her sanity.
staceymorris-hungryforthetruth. blogspot.com
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Every now and then, I find myself missing Lucille Ball, and since “I Love Lucy” reruns aren’t on TV often enough, I get my needs met on YouTube, where I found one of my favorite scenes from her lexicon of physical comedy: The Vitameatavegamin episode. In it, Lucy realizes her longtime dream of being on TV and schemes behind Ricky’s back to be the spokes‐model for a vitamin elixir. Problems arise when she has to ingest heaping spoonfuls of it on the air… and make a convincing case for being in love with the way it tastes. Yesterday, as I watched Lucy swallow, wince, and lie right through the twinkling smile she manufactured for the camera, I was struck with revelation: I played a similar game for years, and it’s a big part of why I ate my way to 345 pounds. Swallowing something I detest and pretending to like it is what I did so many times that it became knee‐jerk. It became so automatic; I didn’t realize how blithely I tolerated backstabbing bosses and co‐workers at a toxic job or an insulting remark from a ‘well‐meaning’ friend. The cover‐up But nowhere was this coping mechanism more pronounced than at the molten core of my personal life. Anyone who’s familiar with my writing career knows about the opinion essays for magazines, newspapers, and public radio. Many of them dug deep into personal topics that were sometimes painful to reveal publicly: my weight, love‐hate affair with food, my father’s Lightworkermag.com
decline into Alzheimer’s, size bigotry. But the one topic I steered clear of was my relationship of nearly 20 years. That’s right, I said 20. “You know,” a close friend pointed out one day after reading one of my revelation‐filled essays. “You treat your relationship as if it doesn’t exist.” An awakening thud to the gut seven years ago. And still, I did nothing about it. Why kick up the mud that I willed so hard to settle at the bottom of my psyche? I thought I’d devised a brilliant way to keep the waters muck‐free: ignore the things that my gut (always golden in its accuracy) was telling me. It’s not that I didn’t hear my gut when it sent distress signals to my brain. I always hear… but do I pay attention? For 20 years I convinced myself that sexual compatibility, intellectual chemistry, and standing on common moral ground were insignificant over the long haul. Can you imagine the energy this took? It may sound small potatoes, but it turned out to be a lot of burden to live with. Deliberations This was my Vitameatavegamin: spending nearly half my life with a man I was never in love with. Trite as it sounds, the reasons why I stayed so long were, ahem, complicated. It wasn’t a horrible relationship. If he’d been abusive it would have been a no‐brainer. There were the Christmas Eves we watched “The Little Drummer Boy” by the light of the tree, both of us crying at the end when the drummer boy’s lamb is august 2010
healed at the manger. The strawberry birthday cakes I baked for him every June. And the ‘Very Important Person’ certificate he surprised me with in 1992 when I was unemployed and felt like a complete loser. To this day, he remains one of the sweetest people to ever come into my life and I’ll never stop being grateful for the way he was able to love me. During our two decades together, he saw me gain an alarming amount of weight. He knew my history of emotional abuse and never once said an unkind word to me about my size. No one, and I mean no one (except my dogs) has given me that kind of unconditional love.
The truth will out I became pretty good at lying to myself. But there’s some sort of gravitational law about truth. It can be sequestered, reconfigured, and smothered, but it has a way of winning in the end. It would pop up in front of my face when I least expected it, scaring me like a jack‐in‐ the‐box: looking at photos of us doing our best to look the part of a happy couple, my escalating binge‐eating, his attraction to gambling which had long ago spiraled out of control. Like a lot of couples in crisis, there was the phase where I took refuge in declaring him as the source of all my misery. But he wasn’t the problem. It was me and my choice to live a lie.
nential. He didn’t want our relationship to end and I know there’s a part of him that’s hurting because of it. Sometimes that weighs on me… And there’s not much I can do about that other than live with it. Closure
I’m at peace now with releasing that burden I carried for so long. Not surprisingly, taking the big risk was followed by a torrent of weight melting off of me. And while it’s a major part of the puzzle, it’s only one. That’s what I’m learning through all of this: health and balance are multi‐faceted. I can’t just focus on one area: food, feelings, exercise, relationships, desires, pasAnd about that triple‐digit weight‐ sion, calories, it’s all part of the picture. gain: part of it I’m sure was me trying Then, a year ago, I did what I thought Knowing which area needs my immedito prove that I was unlovable. If I got I’d never have the courage to do: I told ate attention is a learning process. fat enough, even he would throw in him. It was hard, even a little painful. the towel. I don’t think he ever would But not nearly as brutal as I thought Who knows, maybe I could have let it have. But that was only part of the eat- it was going to be. He might not be a slide for another 20 years, but I don’t ing equation. My other reasons were to white‐collar brainiac, but he happens think so. January 2009 brought to my smother the feelings of emptiness that to be a highly intuitive soul who knew doorstep some profoundly life‐changcame with being in a romantically love- I was telling a simple truth: I wasn’t ing moments and this was one of them. less relationship. I thought a lot about happy. He also knew that I didn’t hate Something in me had reached the limit. the validity of simply going through life him and there was no other man stand- I couldn’t do it anymore and the time with a companion. It’s a gift that some ing by in the wings, waiting to pull me had come to make a choice: live for me never get, so why should I complain? onto his stallion and whisk me away to or live for someone else. Passion is intoxicating, but it fades, a magically new life under the protecit’s childish, it’s an unnecessary prop. tive cover of his cape. Experiencing this new physical and Besides, I wasn’t that unhappy. I simply emotional freedom is gratifying beliked food more than the average per- And because I was able to finally admit yond words. But the best part is hearson. So l lived on Italian bread soaked in the truth, it left me able to appreci- ing what people tell me over and over melted butter. No one’s perfect. It had ate him without the entanglement of about my eyes: they have life in them to count for something that we cared pretence. He and I are friends now. again. Hallelujah. It’s about time. about each other. It did count. But it Something I wasn’t sure would be poswasn’t enough. sible. It’s not always easy. I was born with a uterus, which means sometimes my sense of duty and guilt can be expoaugust 2010
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Words of Wisdom “Truth is such a rare thing, it is delightful to tell it.” Emily Dickinson “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” Mark Twain “Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow colour‐blind.” Austin O’Malley “The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold.” Aristotle “We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don’t know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger.” Tad Williams
Lightworker Loves...
Steve Jobs at Stanford
Peace One Day
Seth Godin
If ever there was a person well qualified to speak on living an inspired life of challenge and education, it’s Steve Jobs. He followed his inspired dreams to create one of the world’s most successful businesses – Apple ‐ was challenged by overcoming cancer a few years ago and educates the students of Stanford with three stories in this wonderful video clip.
I was lucky enough to hear Jeremy Gilley speak last year, and not only did the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but the ovation he received was so long that the organisers had to ask everyone to sit down. Celebrities such as Jude Law support Peace One Day, and you can do your bit by honouring 21st September as Peace Day.
Seth is a true Indigo soul who challenges convention in the corporate world; perhaps the hardest of nuts to crack. He is fair with all that he says, writes and broadcasts in his books, blog and podcasts. Plus, he champions the ‘ordinary’ person and firmly believes that everyone has the right to shine brightly. For any‐ one running his or her own busi‐ ness, it may be wise to let Seth become your new best friend!
august 2010
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Stars And Planets
By Zoe Hind The secret to life is good timing.
By tuning into the energy of the planets we can all live more harmonious lives. August Energy In this edition dedicated to Honesty, there are a number of planetary alignments that are calling for authenticity, fresh perspective and social justice. Saturn recently moved into Libra after a 2.5 years stay in Virgo. Saturn is the Karmic teacher and Libra wields the sword and scales of Justice.
Zoe works with your own unique birth chart and compares it with the positions of the planets today, revealing and explaining the windows of opportunity that are opening up around you and how to make the most of your time. Her insights help to give you a better understanding of yourself, your purpose, your loved ones, your talents and the best timing for effortless success in all areas of your life. Zoe also provides full chart interpretation services as well as running classes and workshops.
This pairing will herald big changes, not only for our own values and sense of inner knowing, but also in our legal and governmental systems; redressing any imbalance or abuse of power wherever it is found. A feisty New Moon in Leo on 10th August may bruise a few egos in the UK as it falls in our second house of self‐esteem. The combination of the Sun and Moon together in this fiery sign may tempt us to impulsive action and heated words. Mars romances Venus in Libra during the last 2 weeks of August and into September. This cosmic couple does not meet very often and by 21st August they will awaken our passion for beauty and the arts. With Mercury retrograde the next day, we may be well advised to seek expression through creativity rather than words. The Pisces Full Moon on 24th August would normally be a gentle and reflective time, but with Uranus opposition Saturn there are a few tensions to bear. Trust your intuition throughout this phase as with Neptune near the Moon our rational perception stands to be a little faulty. Sun trine Pluto will begin to show us a few solutions to the ground‐shaking breakdown and devastation that we are witnessing on a global scale. This is good news for the environment. The truth is out there. August energy for Rising Signs and Sun Signs: The following monthly energetics are designed to be read for your Rising Sign. If you are not sure of your time of birth, you can also read them for your traditional Sun Sign. To Pnd your Rising Sign you will need to know your date, time and place of birth and then create a chart. Try www.alabe.com or www.astro.com.
+44 7984 825928 www.astrozo.com
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august 2010
b LEO
f SAGITTARIUS
^ ARIES
Many Happy Solar returns! The Sun at home in Leo is bringing you strength and focus. Express yourself with grace as Mars and Libra glide through your 3rd house of communication.
Jupiter heads back towards Pisces and may find you in a retrospective mood. With Mercury lighting a few fireworks in your career sector, August is a month to proceed slowly but surely towards a distant goal. Each step is a step closer.
Activity in the house of Partnerships. Mars and Venus have come to improve your connections with others and, as always, this is where we learn much about ourselves. Keeping good company will be the key to August. It’s OK to screen calls every now and then.
c VIRGO
g CAPRICORN
_ TAURUS
Mercury retrograde in Virgo may act like a truth drug, so adopting the mantra “think first, speak later.” It may help to keep you out of trouble. August gave you an opportunity to rethink how you feel about yourself at a core level and this, if explored, could lead to significant breakthroughs.
Rather a deep month for you around the Full Moon which falls in your 8th house of uncovering the mysteries. Capricorn is an intrepid explorer, so pack your bag and engage your curiosity. Who knows what you will find…
Double or quits? You may have a few reckless moments over the coming weeks and this is from the sign that is known for its stability. If the risk isn’t too great and the impulse takes you, there is something to be said for shaking things up a bit.
d LIBRA
h AQUARIUS
` GEMINI
Mars and Venus in your sign bring a divine blending of masculine and feminine energy helping you to work with your polarities to improve inner harmony. Saturn’s recent entry into Libra will make sure you do a thorough job. The benefits will be great.
With Uranus and Mercury both retrograde, your exceptional and unconventional way of thinking is enhanced. We need a little bit of bonkers in the world and you are just the person to supply it. Not everyone will understand, but when has that ever stopped you?
They say that actions speak louder than words, and words will not be the trusted friend you can usually rely on this month. Your thoughts may change from minute‐to‐minute making decisions difficult to reach. Stop, look and listen. We have 2 ears and 1 mouth – this is a ratio worth remembering.
e SCORPIO
i PISCES
a CANCER
The Full Moon in Pisces brings a burst of creativity into your world. Dreams carry inspiration from your source. Flow with late nights and waking to revelations; sleep can happen tomorrow.
august 2010
Rebuilding the foundations after the recent July eclipses, you may realize that your goals have changed without you noticing. Take stock, as you have a superb opportunity to head off in a completely new direction. You are the creator of your Universe.
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Summer eclipses in Cancer may have you dreaming of flying away and starting again. This is no bad thing. At least let yourself dream for a while. The Full Moon in the 9th house of new horizons is calling to you.
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Reader Question What is a rising sign? Your Rising Sign or Ascendant is the sign that was on the Eastern horizon (rising) at the time of your birth. This starts your astrological clock ticking and is responsible for placing all the planets in the different ‘houses’ or life sections of your chart. The Rising Sign is the sign that colours how you see the world as well as how the world sees you. Your Astrology is so unique that you have many signs and attributes. The 3 main ones are: Rising Sign ‐ Appearance; how you see the world, the face/best foot that you put forwards, how others see you. Sun Sign ‐ Your core active battery power; where your energy is strongest. Moon Sign ‐ You inner, more emotional self. Many of us express the personality of our Rising sign resonating with it as much as we do our Sun sign. It can determine our tastes, clothes, colours, body shape, approach to life and even the way we walk! The Elements of the signs ‐ Earth, Air, Fire and Water ‐ are also worth exploring as a Fiery Leo may well have a Watery Ascendant which tempers the heat. Your Rising Sign is the sign that appears at the 9 o’clock position on the wheel (if it were a clock) and the houses go from 1‐12 anti‐clockwise from this point. Click here for a description of the house meanings.
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The Warrior Of The Light
By Paulo Coelho success, making mistakes which ended up destroying years of work, yielding to heavy drinking, becoming aggressive, tough, bitter. These people are distant from themselves, and distant from others.”
Conversations with the master ‐ The strategy “Bernard Shaw was right”, said J. “He wrote that people take morbid pleasure in complaining all day long about the conditions in which they live. I agree with him: true men and women are those who seek out ideal conditions, and ‐ if they are unable to find them ‐ end up creating them.”
“Tell me about the Chinaman.” “He wrote a book about war, but the five “Finally, the fifth item: the law of cre‐ points he mentions in it apply to any ativity. There is only one way of undertask carried out by mankind.” standing things ‐ when we try to change them. We do not always succeed, but “Item one: the law of the will. We just we do learn, for we seek a path no one talked about this: one should only do has been down ‐ and the world is full of that which truly fills our hearts with such paths. The problem is, everyone is enthusiasm. If we brush this aside, if afraid of virgin forests, uncharted seas. we put off the moment to live that As one enters the unknown, one fears which we dream of, we lose the energy that one may lose oneself. necessary for any important transformation in our lives. Someone once put “But no one gets lost ‐ the hand of the this most succinctly: “I don’t know the merciful God always lies on the heads secret of success ‐ but the secret of of courageous men and women, those failure is to always try to follow the will who dare to be different because they of others.” believe in their dreams.” “Item two: the law of the seasons. Just Warrior of the Light, a www.paulocoelho.com. as a war fought in winter demands dif- br publication ferent behavior and equipment from a war in the summer, human beings must learn to respect their own seasons, and not try to act when it is time to wait, not try to wait at a time of action. However, in order to make progress in anything, we must make the first move ‐ from then on, our personal rhythm and intuition will show us how to conserve his energy.
“How does one create the conditions needed? A Chinese man wrote about this, thousands of years ago: by respecting the five fundamental points. However, before speaking of the five points, it must be said that the starting point is respect for oneself. One can achieve anything, but not everything; so one must know what it is one de- “Item three: the law of geography. A sires. battle in a ravine is different from one fought in a field: in the same way, one How can we know what we desire? can only achieve favorable conditions When we feel well after carrying out a by paying attention to what is going on certain task. Consequently, everything around, to the space one is occupying, which causes us to lose our enthusiasm what must be done to increase it, where and self respect, is harmful; even if it there may be an ambush waiting, how means power, money or success. I have to escape if a momentary retreat is seen so many people suffocated by necessary. august 2010
“Item four: the law of the allies. No one can fight alone; friends are necessary to give us strength when we need it, people who can advise us without being afraid of what we will think. As a poet once said: “no bird can fly high, if it only uses its own wings.”
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www.warriorofthelight.com/eng Twitter: @paulocoelho
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Next month’s edition Inspiration Do you follow your heart and live an inspired life? Listen to your inner whispers and all your dreams can become reality.
Including: ‐ James Twyman Under the Spotlight ‐ Hypnotist Ursula James helps you to be amazing ‐ Cat Bennett inspires you to your creative potential Available from 6th September at lightworkermag.com!
The List
Top 20 Most Authentic Australian Brands 1 Microsoft 2 Google 3 Australia Post 4 Bunnings 5 Bonds 6 Cadbury 7 Nokia 8 Vegemite 9 Sony 10 McDonald’s 11 Colgate 12 Coca‐Cola 13 Target 14 Qantas 15 Holden 16 =IKEA 16 =The Body Shop 18 Kellogg’s 19 Nestlé 20 Toyota page forty seven
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august 2010
Featured Lightworker
Lady Gaga Inspire
THE REMIX is available on itunes now.
Lady Gaga has such a sense of fun about her. She lives, speaks and owns her truth, believing DYou have to be unique, and diWerent, and shine in your own way.F No matter what anyone else says, she remains true to her instincts, morals and beliefs ‐ honestly following her own path in life, and in the process, giving others the permission to do the same. DSometimes in life you don’t always feel like a winner, but that doesn’t mean you’re not a winner, you want to be like yourself. I want my fans to know it’s okay.F Challenge By being true to herself – in a way that sometimes shocks people – Lady Gaga challenges conventional ways of thinking, relating and being. It is evident she experienced judgement around this topic, and resolved, DWell, that’s your opinion, isn’t it? And I’m not about to waste my time trying to change it.F Underneath all the glitz, glamour and fame, Lady Gaga holds firm in her reasons for choosing to walk her path in life – Dmy passion still means more than anythingF and urges others to do the same. Educate In her own unique style, Lady Gaga expresses unconditional love of both herself and others, summed up with the song lyric D... I want the deepest, darkest, sickest parts of you that you are afraid to share with anyone because I love you that much.F She is also an intelligent, wise soul who learned from her own experiences and happily shares these lessons with her fans, DPeace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no trouble, noise, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.F
www.ladygaga.com august 2010
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