Aladdin’s Lamp – Cleaning a Teapot

I have a lovely silver teapot. My husband, who owns an antique shop, brought it home from work one day as he thought I would like it – and I did.

When he first brought the teapot home, it looked dull and tarnished. I thought the silver had all been worn off, leaving only the underlying nickel. But the teapot had a lovely shape and feel and so I used it to make tea. It was beautifully designed so that when you poured the tea all the leaves stayed in the pot – no strainer needed – and the tea tasted great.

So I used the teapot every day and as I drink quite a lot of tea, it was handled frequently. One day, after all this handling, I noticed the handle had become shiny and silver.

And I wondered if, underneath it all, the whole teapot was still lovely and silver.

I bought some silver polish and started to rub the teapot gently. As I did, the teapot started to shine. I was now inspired to reveal what I knew lay beneath, and willing to do whatever it took to bring it to light. My husband walked past, and was amazed to see what was being revealed. He said: “I have a product at the shop which will help – why don’t you come and try it?”

So I went to the shop and gently rubbed the teapot, and as it became cleaner and shinier and more and more reflective, a beautiful genie appeared!

Now this was not a great big blue fast-talking genie, but one who was equally capable of everyday miracles. One who could transform a dull teapot into a shining vessel of beauty and grace, that reflected this to all the world.

And what the genie realised as she cleaned the teapot more and more, was that the teapot was a metaphor for her own body.

The years, and life, had left the teapot (and her body) slightly tarnished, on the surface, with a few little dings here and there where life choices had not been so kind to it. But with a little tender loving care, and some dedication and commitment, the tarnish easily came off, leaving the underlying beauty there for all to feel and see.

I brought the teapot home and showed it to everyone with the innocence of a child, and my family were amazed to see how beautiful it was.

I noticed after a day of using the teapot that it had fingerprints on it, and was starting to dull again. With this I realised that it will need to be cared for and cleaned and then rested every day if it is not to tarnish again.

Keeping my teapot clean will be a daily reflection and reminder of love now –and it will reflect to me the care I have been taking with it – and with myself – every time I stop to have a cup of tea.

In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.

I am forever inspired by the life and work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.

by Anne Malatt, woman, wife, mother, grandmother, Australia

Further reading:
How True Service First Begins With Caring for Self

 

359 thoughts on “Aladdin’s Lamp – Cleaning a Teapot

  1. Beautiful reminder and reflection Anne, ‘Keeping my teapot clean will be a daily reflection and reminder of love now –and it will reflect to me the care I have been taking with it – and with myself – every time I stop to have a cup of tea.’

  2. I love your metaphor, ‘But with a little tender loving care, and some dedication and commitment, the tarnish easily came off, leaving the underlying beauty there for all to feel and see.’ It is amazing what tender loving care reveals.

  3. What a wonderful reminder to have each time you have a cup of tea Anne. I think I need a teapot!

  4. A beautiful tea pot analogy Anne. And so beautiful that – ‘ In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.’

  5. Anne this is a gorgeous reminder of the pure essence we all have within that is often hidden away under layers of protection that have weighed us down and through our simple loving choices we can restore and resurrect ourselves to be our beautiful shiny selves once again.

  6. Lovely to read again Anne and a great metaphor for the untarnished essence we keep hidden away under our loveless daily choices and accumulated hurts.

  7. I love this analogy Anne. It doesn’t take much to uncover the shine under the layer of tarnish and wear. And once the beauty is revealed it is for us to cherish and care for it everyday.

  8. There is something very beautiful about cleaning silver, bringing it back to life, lovely to read your blog how cleaning the teapot reminded you of the daily reflection of your own life and how taking care of yourself is equally as important.

  9. A beautiful reminder that it is through embracing more love and self-care in our living that we bring the shine and beauty we all have equally within ourselves.

  10. Thank you Anne, a beautiful reminder that every choice makes a difference, and that it’s never too late to start deeply caring, no matter how worn down the body might feel: there is always a level of tenderness to return to, underneath everything else we may have added to it.

  11. Dear Anne, I love your little stories of daily life, there is so much to enjoy and appreciate.

  12. A lovely reminder that our body is worth taking care of whatever the state it might be in and it’s the little loving care and attention we give it every day that brings back and reveals the shine and beauty it is naturally imbued with.

  13. I love it when the simplest in things in life can reflect to us a learning that supports us to move forward in life. So many of us live like the tarnished teapot and yet each one of us deserves the dedication, commitment and tender loving care we can offer ourselves to let our true beauty be seen.

  14. We all have layers of tarnish from our past that can hide our true potential but a steady commitment to caring for ourselves and to clearing those layers can be very supportive in initiating our original shine again.

  15. I can feel how so many things that I do in love, as you have shared about your tea pot Anne, then this flows to other areas of my life so that I also love doing so many other tasks.

  16. “and it will reflect to me the care I have been taking with it – and with myself – every time I stop to have a cup of tea.” Creating stop-moments in our day to reflect on how we are going and if we still feel as amazing as the moment before is very supportive. A great thing to remember as I had forgotten about it a bit but as your story shows the beauty is always there underneath.

  17. To find this article again today and to feel the tenderness and understanding applied to your teapot (understanding the metaphor about our bodies) is absolute gold. With christmas at the end of this week and the push to abandon our bodies in the intensity of the expectations at this time of year, this is like a quiet steady ticket of permission to listen in more deeply to what my body is saying and to take care of the teapot whatever is going on around me!

  18. This is a great blog for me to start deeply looking at the pattern I have noticed that I am living in – how I oscillate between leaving my body to get tarnished and every now and then spiked to ‘renew’ my commitment to care and take care of it to restore its shine. I have been like a yo-yo. I have had enough experience to know for myself that it is in my everyday choices that defines the way my body feels and is, and how amazing I would feel as a result of it – yet I don’t keep it consistent. It’s like I am knowingly making choices to not keep shining.

  19. Self-care … it sounds so simple and yet it is so elusive for so many … and yet it is the foundation of our re-connection to ourselves, and all that is.

  20. Anne, this is such a cool story and a beautiful metaphor. How good does it feel to shine! And it makes sense that in order for us to really shine, we must look after ourselves first. Love it!

  21. Thank you Anne, I love reading your blog again. ‘In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.’ Beautiful! This reminds me that life is full of these amazing opportunities and when we appreciate it in this way everything we experience is actually a blessing, no matter how small of big. It also reminds me to deeply appreciate these opportunities and feel the joy in every moment as we continually learn and expand.

  22. Thank you Anne. This article is genieous and a gentle reminder to bring the shine into my life.

  23. How beautiful Anne to have something so lovely as a silver teapot to reflect to you, your gorgeousness every day and a reminder to look after yourself tenderly and lovingly too.

  24. I like what you allude to, in terms of consistently caring for ones self… not just after a serious issue or once you are hampered with ‘tarnishes’ but to treat your body like the temple which it is

  25. A beautiful message to show how treating ourselves with the utmost care and gentleness is a winning combo for life.Thank you Anne.

  26. It goes to show Anne that underneath all the layers of tarnish we see and focus on the outside can be true beauty…. And maybe we can apply this same principle of clearing away the layers of hurt and emotions that we human beings carry to appreciate the true beauty inside of us also.

  27. So beautiful to to read Anne opening me up to my beauty within and the need to care tenderly with it. I too love theses words” In every ,moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.”

  28. ‘In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.’ So true Anne, and deeply appreciated.

  29. This is so gorgeous Anne. It’s such a powerful image and metaphor that I can relate to it on a very deep level. Thank You.

  30. within every human being there is a shining light, a divine flying, a place of radiance that is unique and invaluable for all of humanity… What Universal Medicine does is helps every and each individual to find that place within them, to be who they truly are, and to shine the own individual and unique light into the world.

  31. This story is a beautiful example of the reflections we are offered in every moment and in every everyday if we are open to seeing them. Often we consider our daily routines to consist of mundane action and don’t appreciate and learn from reflections within them.

  32. Great reflection Anne, Self love and care goes a long way, universally. With honoring and appreciation, allowing grace and beauty to transpire.

  33. Simply exquisite and a lovely example of how life puts things our way to reflect the truth that we are living in our bodies, when we choose to see the parallel.

  34. “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” Absolutely gorgeous Anne, I feel this is so true! Every moment has something reflected to us, there is a choice to learn or to carry on as we have been, but sooner or later the truth reveals itself. Truth – if not carrying a form of equality and an energy which raises all, is not the truth.

  35. This is a truly beautiful blog Anne, it reminds me of the grand opportunities to learn we get presented every day. The teapot clearly reflects the tender care we all need to keep shining, and only that care is needed, no other effort… As the light is always on.

  36. Just like this teapot our essence is amazing and perfect. For others to feel and see this we need to take time to come back to the divine beginning where we started from. Being tarnished comes from our choices. Thank you, Anne for this very simple but divine reflection.

  37. A beautiful reflection Anne, I so enjoy returning and pondering on your very wise message. Today I particularly resonated with;
    “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life”.

  38. Yes its the simple daily routines that we can bring such care and quality too, which then reflect the greater responsibility we hold for life.

  39. “We’re always propagating something.” And the question is what is it we are choosing to propagate – self-care and self-love or self-disregard and self-abuse?

  40. Revisiting this blog is like visiting an old friend, thank you Anne. I just had the exterior of my house cleaned yesterday and it feels lovely and sparkly and fresh, which got me to noticing how the windows on the inside could now do with some loving attention and that led me to notice other areas within my home that would also benefit from the same. Such is the way of things, an ongoing noticing, attending to what is needed as it arises and appreciating also the beauty that is always there, even more so when dedication and consistency of loving attention is applied.

  41. Thank you Anne, this is a beautiful metaphor for life. Everything in life offers a reflection, and it is up to us as to whether we claim it or not.

  42. Yes Felicity, I agree, consistency is the way to keep the shine going! Underneath the tarnish there is a sparkle in everyone, and letting go of what’s in the way and allowing ourselves to shine brings a little sparkle into everyone’s day.

  43. in every moment we do have the opportunity to learn to be to feel who we are to know ourselves, to feel the magic of God and to know and love in every breath. Wow… the joy of having a human body ☺

  44. That’s awesome Annelies, “And this all happens because I am becoming aware of my own beauty, the beauty of my connection with God”… and this connection has been inside of us all along, we are already complete! I have had glimpses of the beauty of nature too, sounds become clearer and colours brighter. We dull down our senses and this dulls down nature, and the magic of God is not seen or felt, so we think it doesn’t exist, but the magic of God is there just waiting for us to align to this connection, within ourselves first and then there will be no doubt that the Magic of God exists and then we truly begin to experience it through the reflection of nature and others.

  45. What I realised today in reading this blog is that as well as using the analogy of cleaning the teapot to reveal its true essence underneath and relating this to ourselves as human beings, that as equally important as cleaning and caring for this pot is the quality in which we do this. Just as cleaning (& resting) the teapot required being gentle so as to preserve its quality, so too do our bodies require this same tender gentle care…. Being tender and gentle with ourselves and the way we move and go about our daily activities and then resting and being still when we are tired…

    1. Angela, what an important addition you have made here! The quality in how we move and carry our bodies determines a lot! It makes literally a world of difference to our confidence and vitality.

  46. What is offered in this blog is truly amazing – a very real way to feel the relationship we have with daily self-care and the amazing qualities it supports. Thank you Anne.

  47. ‘In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.’ Great reminder Anne, thank you.

  48. Tender Anne what a beautiful metaphor – I really can feel what you shared in your amazing blog until my bones. This is such a reminder for me keeping the vessel (our bodies) cared for on a daily basis otherwise it will get less shiny again and that is something I will not allow myself to do again. It is lovelier to shine than looking dull and tarnished.

  49. I can relate to being deterred from caring for myself as dents appear. If I lose that feeling and activity of care, I can throw it all in and in that moment it doesn’t seem to matter how I treat myself. This is when I need to stop and know I am not myself, that I would never do this to myself normally. This is a great thing to develop and appreciate it every time I do.

    1. That’s so true Fiona – I can really relate to that. So often self-care goes out of the window at the time when I need it the most – when the dents or tarnishing is appearing. Throwing it all in is a good way to describe it. It’s an absolute abandonment of myself in that moment and with that the self-abuse takes over.

  50. Well said Brendan. We all have the spark within us to shine and to inspire others to shine as bright as the love they have for themselves and others will allow.

  51. Anne what a beautiful analogy and one for me to reflect and know that we all have that spark within us – the shine that becomes very apparent when we take the time to care for ourselves and make healthy lifestyle choices in each moment. Thank you for sharing.

  52. I love coming back to this blog. The teapot metaphor is a strong one and is a great reminder of my own sparkle that lies underneath. All it takes to shine in full is a claiming of it and lots of self love and care!

  53. Its great Anne how your blog about a teapot and the reflections you felt and discovered have initiated such a vast and varied amount of comments. Your reflections have been the impetus for further reflection within many others who comment. It’s lovely how a teapot and your experience can have such an effect.

  54. Anne what a gorgeous metaphor for life and love, and how great that each day it shows you how you’ve been with it, a mirror to reflect care and love. And reading it today reminded me that every little thing matters, in how we are with us, in how we move, how we speak, like your silver teapot, we smudge ourselves or not in how we are in every single thing. So it’s a reminder to keep checking in and seeing how I’ve been with me, how I’ve been with the world, and to take loving care of us both in all the finer details. Thank you – I will see your gorgeous teapot as a reminder.

    1. It is a lovely metaphor for life and love, I like what you have added in this comment Monica, ‘ every little thing matters, in how we are with us, in how we move, how we speak’, and the importance of checking what energy I am allowing to run my body and so how I am being with everything.

  55. When we allow every moment as a possibility to learn and understand something deeper about ourselves, we are letting life show us everything we need to learn. Instead of seeing a situation as happening to me, I ask ‘what can I learn from this’… one of the first things I learned was how much I resist what is being presented to learn, but also when I allow that space, just how much more I become aware of when I accept and feel honestly what is there to understand.

  56. Indeed Elodie and Anne.
    Not only that we are worth caring for, but this can be in our daily rhythm like getting up in the morning: allowing ourselves to have a look at were there is tarnish limiting our shining and clearing it with love and dedication.

  57. What a beautiful reminder you have of your own inner beauty that needs tender loving care to shine.

  58. “I brought the teapot home and showed it to everyone with the innocence of a child, and my family were amazed to see how beautiful it was.” I particularly love this line, Anne. This reminds me that when we honour the preciousness and beauty that we are, that this is a blessing for others equally so.

  59. An absolutely gorgeous blog thank-you Anne, and a great analogy. All we need is a little tender, loving care each day to remain shiny and lovely. It is that simple.

  60. Great little blog to come back to for a re-read Anne, it has really started me off thinking about things that need constant love and that can reflect back to me how I am living.My work van springs to mind. How well I keep things in order and how clean and tidy I keep it is a direct reflection of how I am with myself at work. When it is messy things can get complicated and I can never find anything, especially if I accumulate too much clutter or how smoothly things can go when the van is spick and span.

  61. Beautiful analogy, I love it, Anne! This is obviously not only a teapot, but a reflection of how it needs tender, loving care to shine, just like we need to tenderly love and nurture ourselves to live our lives to the fullest every day.

  62. A beautiful ‘real life’ analogy. I love it Anne. There is so much wisdom offered here but what stands out most for me is how there is an opportunity to evolve, confirm and deepen our connection to Soul, to God in all that we do no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. That there is a sense (or senses) in all that we do. And how beautiful it is that we are able to heal all the unloving and harmful choices we have made in separation of this connection simply by being honest and choosing love, re-connecting to the love that we truly are from.

  63. I love your point too Kathiefreedom – there is nothing gained in hiding away in fact becoming tarnished from neglect is harder to clean than fingerprints – withdrawing from life is not an option.

  64. “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life”. So true Anne, yet how many opportunities are lost when we are not open to recognising the opportunities as such when they come our way? Your blog is a reminder of the importance of seeing what is offered to us in every moment. The Magic of God is everywhere if we only allow ourselves to see it and appreciate the moment when we take up the opportunity which allows for even more opportunities to flow our way.

  65. Polishing the teaport with love, just relfects the real you in life. A shining example for all to see.

  66. This is the most beautiful tale I have ever read. With a gorgeous simplicity, a wisdom, a grace and power that seems from a time forgotten. It holds such a deep fountain of love and truth and support presented in a way that makes us realise we truly are the masters of our own destiny. And that all we need to do to live the wondrous beauty of our sacredness and divinity – is simply choose too.

    Thanks Anne.

    1. Gorgeous Sarahraynebaldwin, simple stories with message about life. That would be so great to have again.

  67. Gorgeously simple metaphor for the choices we make and the responsibilities we have for our own bodies. We’re each genie to our very own teapot – and with more than 3 wishes!

  68. That consistent attention to detail in shining the pot is exactly what we need to do with bring out all the light that we are. Awesome experience for you to have this reflection (pun intended) shine back at you. Great sharing.

  69. My friend shared that she accepted the little everyday chores when her kids were little as she realised they had to be done with love or else she would hate her life! I love how you have explained it here Simone, accepting things need to be repeated and committed to and bring all the love we are to that is a great opportunity!

  70. So true. With the metaphore of the teapot it is like polishing ourselves every day. Great reminder to take into my days. Polish myself to shine brightly in my every day.

  71. We so often tend to see the fingerprints but not the beautiful teapot underneath. Valuing what is there and polishing the fingerprints off – it can be that simple.

  72. This sharing Anne is an antidote for the song we sang as children – “I’m a little teapot, short and stout….tip me over and pour me out”. We need to appreciate our selves; our ‘teapots’! Just beautiful, thank you.

    1. There are many more children’s stories and nursery rhymes that could do with some loving polish I suspect Anne. There revealed will be the kernel of truth.. Humpty Dumpty comes to mind – after his ‘great fall’, no amount of charity from ‘all the King’s horses and all the King’s men’ could put him back together again – perhaps he could be supported to take responsibility for himself though!

  73. A simple metaphor with such a powerfully profound message for us all. I just loved reading this – thank you Anne, for the beautiful reminder that we can all shine if we take the time to bring some care and attention to ourselves.

  74. To unravel behaviors which are harmig and to let go of them is so freeing. It feels like the shining silver of the teapot.

  75. Such is the way in life: there’s always a reminder if we’re prepared to read it.

  76. They often are Margaret, and this analogy that Anne has written is sweet and true.

  77. I love how you celebrate the reflection of your self-honoring with your teapot. I receive real stand out messages from items in my use that call me to a deeper level of regard and awareness of how I use them. What I feel is that how I leave them for the next time is also very important. All reflecting how I feel within myself.

  78. I love this blog Anne. It contains beautiful imagery. A wonderful metaphor for caring for ourselves on a daily basis.

  79. “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” I loved reading the tea pot story and even more the second time around.

  80. That is so beautiful, so simple and so true. I am still polishing the tarnish of my teapot, I am reminded of how I am inconsistent in its polishing, but knowing that overall the pot is still way more shiny then when I began. Thanks Anne.

    1. Very true Mark and Mary. I have also noticed at times only when I have already cleaned the surface of something I start to spot the deeper and more ingrained marks that need attention. Just as in life.

  81. This is very inspiring for me delorme2013 as I still have some resistance to the repetition of the things you mention in your comment. It is great to look at it in a different light and see it as an opportunity to do it with more love and attention, thank you.

  82. Great simple beautiful article Anne. I to have really started to feel how wonderful the simple things are in life and to my surprise in the beginning how full they make me feel. Life is great when kept simple.

  83. How absolutely beautiful. I love this example of the silver teapot, as it reminds me of human life. It is the same. We also have a very pure inside with a lot of light & shine, yet of how we have been taking care of ourselves sometimes causes layers that cover up our shine. But still that shine lays underneath. Beautiful reflection of how we can make sure that shine is felt and brought back to life, just by peeling away the dust that has come with our not so loving choices. When this is peeled off, our hearts can fully shine again, just like that shining light teapot.

    1. Well said Danna. As as we let the dust come off, we can see more and more that we are not that ‘dust’ but in-truth we are shining brightly within… its just that sometimes we don’t always see that.

  84. I love what you have written here Bina “a strong and steady pot and does its job well. The outside is taken care of with daily rituals that are consistent and the inside is well looked after so what comes out of it has a quality and that quality is real and can be felt.”
    What a difference it makes when we take responsibility for what the quality of what comes out it completely changes what we want to put in in the first place.

  85. I appreciate this beautiful analogy about how tender and consistent care is what it takes to be able to shine and share the true light that we are; a great reminder and confirmation.

  86. It is an interesting point Alison. I also know that the belief that ‘self care is selfish’, at least in my experience, has stemmed from the Catholic Church where I was taught we have to put others 1st.

  87. I love the whole description you offer of you as if you were a tea pot Bina Pattel. So simply stated in your final sentence.
    “nothing fancy – just simple and quite ordinary but emanating a light that is bright and again holds a quality that is refreshing for this world”.

  88. What a gorgeous and inspiring blog Anne. A beautiful reminder that underneath all the accumulated tarnish there is the pure gold (or silver in this story!) of our ever-present essence, which continues to shine brighter and brighter as the old way of being is discarded.

  89. This story is so so beautiful. On today’s reading I loved in particular how it took love (Anne’s love of her tea pot, and love in how she used it), and service (the tea pot’s in holding Anne’s brewing tea), to reveal the beauty of the silver below.

  90. When we choose daily to look after and care for ourselves so we are ‘shining’ that means we can brew the best tea ever and we have the created a pot that will be able to in-house such a brew.

  91. Taking care is as natural as taking a walk with presence. Each step, if we choose, can be confirming to who we are of not. If not we just allow something else to walk us rather than ourselves, this is what tarnishes. When we focus on the quality of our movement, our each and every step, this fortifies the connection and the quality and brings much joy and love to others.

  92. This is a very beautiful reminder to not get irritated by the tarnish on the surface and lovingly care for myself to free all the shining that is underneath.

  93. Thank you for this beautiful inspiration I love it and it is never to late to add some more care and love into our lives and how we live and really does make such a difference . I love the tea pot analogy so much and can see it shining like we can and are too.

  94. Whilst we my looked tired, worn and tarnished underneath with shine with beauty, a beauty that if cared for will shine out for all to see and appreciate as a reflection of who they are.

  95. We all know that when we’re looking a bit haggard and tired, if we take more care of ourselves and get an early night our natural shine is able to shine on through.

  96. Beautiful Anne. I love this metaphor of your teapot, what a gorgeous reflection of love and care for one’s self. The magic in life is always around us if only we look, everything is a reflection.

  97. Such a brilliant metaphor for life Anne. I love that you have reminded us that there are reflections of how we are treating ourselves everywhere we look. If we are open to these reflections we learn so very much.

  98. I witnessed and felt that beauty shine through at my father’s death bed, it mattered not how he had lived, for in his last hours he was fully with his soul and it was exquisite to experience and feel that he was the same love he was born with.

  99. Lovely blog Anna, amazing how things reflect back to us how we have been or how we are. So often we allow ourselves to get stuck, without realising that it is just a matter of choice, choosing to be more loving and tender with ourselves.

  100. This blog makes me smile, just had to read it again Anne. I love that in every moment, in every action we are offered another opportunity to learn from life. It truly is magic.

  101. Just goes to show that deep beneath all the layers we build in protection is something untainted and amazing. Over time with consistency we peel off the layers- just as you did with your teapot 🙂

  102. I love the playfulness of this. Everytime I take deep care of myself and make sure I live life as if I am polishing a very cherished teapot, the genie – the true me, will pop out of the tea pot. So how awesome will it be if I never stop, and consistently take the care.

    1. Lovely Golnaz, yes the playfulness of this is inspiring, I am wanting to come out and play.

  103. So sweet, so simple and so super timely for me. I still apply a tough hand to myself and have over recent days come to realise, more deeply so, that any time I do this I am ‘tarnishing’ myself, which is not OK on any level for me or those I am in life with. Inspired by the teachings of Universal Medicine and stories such as yours, Anne, I am applying the basics and making sure that I afford myself the grace and space to be tender with and respectful of me. Thank you.

  104. What a gorgeous story Anne. I much prefer this one to reading about a big blue genie. We are the genies capable of magic and powerful changes – usually, much greater than we realise or give ourselves credit for.

  105. “But with a little tender loving care, and some dedication and commitment, the tarnish easily came off, leaving the underlying beauty there for all to feel and see”. Such a beautiful reminder Anne of the importance of ‘a little tender loving care’ and what it can bring if applied daily with consistency. Such a gentle yet powerful metaphor for life.

  106. Oh that is so divine, I love the analogy and the image of the teapot being able to shine again. I love the reminder that this needs dedicated care and is not just a one off job or even once and a while. Your blog made me smile from the inside out 🙂 Thank you

  107. Gorgeous Genie thank you for sharing your story. So true it is that life offers us endless opportunities to reflect upon and to have revealed its endless array of insights, your teapot a delightful example.

  108. So gorgeous and so profound like you Anne. What a beautiful blog to wake up to. It brought tears to my eyes.

  109. Such a lovely reflection of our pure essence that remains unaffected within, only ever superficially covered by our lack of care and appreciation. Beautiful blog Anne, I love inspiring stories.

  110. A beautiful sharing about the simplicity (and beauty) of life. Aside from the amazing metaphor of the genie, tea making and sharing tea with people is such a beautiful ritual. The conversations and deepening of love that can happen over a simple cup of tea.

  111. Dear Anne, I loved reading this, your teapot and your choice to scrub of the tarnish to reveal the true beauty beneath and then the awareness that it will need daily care, and how this also applies to how we care for ourselves is a magical gift to us all. You have given us all the key to bringing out our own shinning bright light that we all have deep in side. Scrub of the old layers and celebrate each day by cherishing this light so it can continue to shine.

  112. Wow Anne what a beautiful blog. It felt like it was written as a children’s story, so light and playful, yet educational for both the child and the adult.

  113. Thank you, genie, for lovely reminder.

    I like your article, Anne, and this phrase especially: “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” So true!

  114. You have forever changed the story about the genie and the lamp for me, Anne. This version is gorgeous and such a beautiful reflection on a deeper level. Underneath all the layers we have built in life, there is still that precious shining beauty, waiting to be cared and nurtured for.

  115. Your blog, Anne, reminded me of my own experience of cleaning brass and silver and making them shine with my Auntie Alice. She was a special person for me, and her love was always totally unconditional. The way she did the cleaning of the brass and silver every week was slow and gentle, as was everything she did, and so she inspired me to do things gently also, without needing to teach me.

  116. I love this Anne and it makes so much sense. A few of us have just finished helping a friend clean her home and I was amazed at how when we clean (or do anything in fact) with great care, love and joy, whatever we touch can sparkle and leave a lasting impression. Walking round the house afterwards was amazing as there was an aliveness radiating from everything we’d cleaned.

    1. Gorgeous, Shevon, to feel that – that life and time have a way of leaving a thin coat of tarnish on us, that can be lovingly cleaned away, allowing the aliveness to radiate out. And it is even more joyful when we do it together!

  117. Such a gorgeous blog Anne. So beautiful to feel the wonder and great learning from simple everyday activities. Viewing life like this brings so much magic to life. Thank you

    1. Yes, Annemarie, when we start to see life in this way, we don’t have to wait for special occasions – every moment can be special, even magical, for the magic of God is always there.

  118. What a gorgeous recipe Anne: “add tender loving care, and some dedication and commitment” and watch us shine!

  119. Absolutely Alexis – no amount of paint, cement, glue or rust can hide the true nature of the teapot. All it takes is a little elbow grease to dust off the surface and the beauty shines through!!

  120. Gorgeous Anne, your tea pot is a lovely metaphor. We are all equally capable of being a shiny and beautiful if we make the time and commitment.

  121. Yes Bernadette, I too love the little rituals that make up my day. One of my grandchildren loves to come to have tea with me, and we always make a ceremony of it with lovely tea cups, a beautiful little teapot, and a special plate which, at his request, is filled with walnuts and sliced apple. We then sit, sip and share what is going on in our lives. A most welcome and enjoyable stop in my day.

  122. It’s amazing how we can learn from what we call the ‘every day things in life’ which end up have a deeper more profound meaning than we realise.

    1. I agree susanG. Anne has a great maker – her tea pot. Everyday her teapot will reflect to her how shiny she has been living.

    2. So true Susan – often the apparently small things in life present the most profound reflections.

  123. I loved reading this, and i never, ever looked at myself as a genie, but genie’s we are, we can have our own miracles happen daily by the choices we make to bring our inner shine and beauty for all to be seen…often so hidden by our own tarnishing choices…but you so clearly have shown, it is not so difficult to shine…tea anyone!

    1. I agree, genies we certainly are, and the more we don’t react to people ‘rubbing us up the wrong way’, or to our own tarnished or battered bits, the more we can shine.

      And yes I’ll share a cuppa with you anytime Karoline.

  124. To find something so precious, and then to make the leap that we are that precious as well, is a profound and beautiful experience that opens the doors to that ageless connection with the Divine, which is reflected all though and around us, and is always there to be felt.

  125. Yes, Lorettarapp. It is never too late and no matter how we have treated ourselves in the past, if we start to treat ourselves with love and care today, we will be amazed at how quickly our bodies respond, and how brightly we will shine, from within.

  126. Yes, Bjpiper1958. Sometimes we find it easier to care for our ‘things’ – car, house, clothes, shoes, teapots – than our selves, and it feels great to bring that love and care to everything and everyone – including us!

  127. Anne, I love that your husband saw the potential and offered another product to get the last of the remnants of the tarnish off.

  128. A gorgeous blog Anne – the lovely honouring of your own natural and shining beauty is deeply felt.

  129. This is a beautiful blog and a super reminder of how ‘polishing ourselves’ so we shine out and show the world our innate beauty is the way to live our lives each day.

    1. Yes Judith and it also shows that the tending to ourself needs to be done consistently – as we are on and ongoing basis faced with issues equivalent to the teapot’s smeared finger prints.

  130. I remember too when I was first introduced to the gentle breath mediation. I could recognise the feel of it in my body but it took me a little while to appreciate how deeply significant it was. Over time it started to change the bar for what “normal” meant in my body. Gradually it has supported me in deepening my day to day quality so that intense nervous tension is not my usual experience. I find I am living closer and much more consistently with the “ultimate beauty” that had always been there, but in the knowing that that there are ever deeper levels to go to.

  131. “I noticed after a day of using the teapot that it had fingerprints on it, and was starting to dull again. With this I realised that it will need to be cared for and cleaned and then rested every day if it is not to tarnish again.” For me Anne, this reminds me of the daily tending required to our innermost lest we lose our shine.

    1. Yes, Deborah, all this outer polishing is lovely, and may keep us looking good, but it is the “daily tending…to our innermost” that really matters, as our true shine comes from within.

  132. This is so gorgeous Anne, and very true. It is constant care that leaves me feeling well and vital and loved.

    1. Yes, Kate, it is the consistency of care that is so important. If we care for ourselves one moment, then give ourselves a hard time the next, we go round in circles, going nowhere. But if we make a commitment to “constant care” as you say, then that quality builds in us and we have a foundation to stand on and live from.

  133. I can agree with what you say Simon, if something we normally do is bypassed for whatever reason it does take the edge off us and we don’t have all cylinders firing.

    1. Yes, and exercise is a great example of something that is often the first to drop off when we get busy, when in fact it is key to our wellbeing to get the body moving, polishing it up, our own shiny lamp.

  134. I love the focus and conscious presence you brought to cleaning and shining up the teapot Anne. “Keeping my teapot clean will be a daily reflection….it will reflect to me the care I have been taking with it “. I know that when I tend to myself carefully from being present, and feeling what is needed, that I am able to feel shiny and beautiful myself.

  135. But did it even disappear? Could it have actually been there the whole time… But we just chose to numb ourselves to the beauty and layered over it with emotion and self-doubt..

  136. This one brings a smile to my face as the more we self-care, self-love and self-honour our inner gold and polish it daily the pure beauty gets to be seen for all. Yes I’m a huge tea pot with endless flow of the finest tea in the universe.

  137. The responsibility of keeping ‘our teapots’ shining becomes the joy it is when you read it this way Anne.

    1. Kathleen this does put a different and true spin on responsibility, one where we allow out our real shine and offer a true reflection. Something we all have been missing since young – a joyful time for sure.

  138. To realize my everyday miracles seems to me like open up to my connection to God. This connection is always there and if I care for this relationship … of course my life will reflect divinity.

  139. If the tea we serve is the quality of life we lead, it makes every choice we make so much more important, as it will go towards the ‘flavour’. What I’m learning is that when we truly choose love to be our resource for life in every moment, the tea pot never gets empty. It’s there to serve me and others equally.

  140. So true ruthketnor, it is only ever a thin layer of tarnish. I have never known a ‘teapot’ to not be restored to its former glory when handled with love and tender care.

  141. Move over all teapots who are ‘short and stout’, our true teapot is enormous and pours perfectly when handled correctly.

    1. When I read this blog, that children’s nursery rhyme/song came to me too. I love what you have expressed Liane… when handled correctly our gigantic tea pot does pour beautifully.. I agree!

  142. “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” Wise words genie Anne and a perfect reminder to nurture our inner glow. Thankyou.

    1. I agree Liane, wise words from genie Anne and I loved your words; ‘nurture our inner glow’.

    2. I love this line too Liane and I had an experience today where I felt how the smallest of things can make a difference as to how much I am honouring not just myself but others to.

    3. Yes I love the wisdom too. This line reminds to bring loving attention to each moment because I am precious and tender.

  143. You are a genie(us) Anne – love how you have been so playful with this and shared it with us all. I could not agree more with your story – we all have our shine and glory that gets covered up through life with certain choices, but always it remains there underneath and hence it is another of our choices to bring it out again for all to see!

    1. Yes, Henrietta, our past choices have caused our surfaces to tarnish, and now we can simply make different choices, that lovingly clear it away, revealing us in all our shining glory!

    2. Yes, Henrietta, we can chang(e) our choices and let go of what has covered up our shine and glory. (I had to join in with the play-fullness with words.)

  144. Beautifully expressed johanna08smith. I am learning to do the same too. By me choosing this way of living, I am experiencing some amazing changes in my life. This blog is a great reminder that commitment and consistency is required to continuously shine. The gentle loving cleaning and polishing is constant and applying this to our life, the beauty that the world gets to see is a blessing.

  145. What a great metaphor Anne. No mater how long and how battered the tea pot has gotten in its life, a little loving care and attention with bring it back to beautiful thing it has always been.

  146. Anne this a beautiful analogy as it reflects the fact that underneath all our hurts, ideals and beliefs lays a beautiful foundation of love. It has been there since the day of our birth and if we begin to love and nurture ourselves our true beauty shines for all to see.

  147. Anne, I enjoyed reading your blog, the way you gently and lovingly brought back the true beauty of your teapot and for reflecting that we can bring love to every small thing that we do.

    1. I felt a similar thing Kehinde, and with bringing that care, love and attention to the small things we start to truly shine and its our choice to then nurture and take care of that each day.

  148. No three wishes needed here, Anne, since you are making yourself shine by the self-loving choices of seeing something as simple as cleaning a teapot for what it teaches you about your own life, and what an awesome analogy it is. This makes a powerful difference in our lives, when we can appreciate everything that happens to us as an opportunity to look inward and learn from it. I can visualise how brightly that silver teapot (and you) shine!

  149. This is truly beautiful Anne, and the grace with which you care for yourself today is felt in every word.
    I have a few teapots… The one I’m using most days at the moment requires me to both fill it, and pour the tea at a certain pace, that the liquid doesn’t overflow or start to escape through the lid. And so each time I fill the teapot and pour the tea, I am cognisant of this being a ‘stop moment’ for me – it takes but the slightest hint of ‘rush’ or lack of care for things to overflow.. You know, it’s taken a little while to consistently pour the tea at a pace where there is no dripping or mess, but now it’s the most beautiful thing… for I allow the time and space required and enjoy the rhythm of the tea pouring into my cup. And what a loving cup of tea it feels to be, that I have honoured this pace and do not let myself be impatient or rushed whatsoever. In this ritual with my tea, I can also feel my body surrender tensions that may have accumulated – pretty cool, and always a special moment to truly ‘check in’ with me.
    Would love to share a pot of tea with you sometime Anne. Tea, and the way we prepare it, has always been a special part of my life too.
    Thank-you for your gorgeous blog of truth.

      1. I agree entirely Nicholas. There is a ceremonial quality to it, something that feels very familiar and old to me… and I love how you describe this as a ‘celebration’. That’s it, absolutely! And I will remember to celebrate the moment of ceremony tomorrow, and the next day…

  150. As I read this blog I could feel the old pattern of wanting to do the work of cleaning up the teapot and for it to stay shiny from then on. However like our bodies they need daily attending to with tender loving care for that shine to remain.

  151. Such a gorgeous blog Anne and so very true. With tender love and care anything and everything can be given the opportunity to be restored to full beauty.

    1. Hello nikkimckee and let’s keep appreciating the ‘teapot’ and all it brings. It’s not that it won’t get tarnished again but with the appreciation the tarnish won’t stop you from clearly seeing what is underneath. In truth the ever deepening of appreciation will allow you to see only the teapot and the tarnish will be always secondary and insignificant.

  152. Beautiful metaphor for life and the care you are taking for yourself. Revealing the shininess within ☺️

  153. Love the analogy Anne, what a beautiful reflection that shows us how our bodies also need that consistent loving care so that we can maintain our beauty and shine.

  154. Hello Anne, what a beautiful husband you have that he brought this home to you and I appreciate that after you received such a gift you chose to make it cleaner and make it shine, as you do, and have. Thank you, you appear to be an amazing couple and a great family.

  155. A beautiful reminder Anne of the beauty that lies beneath the sometimes tarnished surface.

  156. Anne I love your analogy. It is the commitment to the everyday little things that brings out the shine. I feel inspired to shine some attention on myself. Thankyou.

  157. A really sweet blog Anne. I often push and try to tick the boxes, but doing things with the tender loving care, dedication and commitment you speak of is a much better way that honours me and the quality of the relationships I have with others too.

    1. Very true, Annie. I have similar experiences what a difference there is in my life when I choose to do things with loving care and consistantly choose to do so.

    1. Indeed Golnaz, and what is lovely is how I can picture Anne seeing her reflection in the tea pot once she chose to clean it up and lovingly take care and appreciate herself.

  158. Loved this analogy Anne. The consistency required in keeping the shine and also the fact that beneath all the tarnish we are always beautiful and waiting until we pay attention to ourselves to shine.

  159. I love this metaphor of your shiny teapot and you Anne, not a fast talking blue genie but a shiny gold genie of beauty and grace. We are being shown so often in many different ways a reflection of how we can shine.

  160. Thank you genie for sharing your magic. I love the qualities of beauty, grace, love, womanliness, caring, tenderness, joy, simplicity, homeliness and godliness that shine through this true fairy story.

  161. As you have mentioned Anne, there is also such joy in honouring that daily ritual of
    ” it will need to be cared for and cleaned and then rested every day if it is not to tarnish again.”

  162. I love the analogy Anne, thank you. It’s true, we can all apply some self-loving polish to ourselves and be totally amazed by what shines through, for it does not take much for our bodies to respond to love and nurturing. I love the way you recognised that your teapot requires on-going care and rest. It’s a great reminder that we too require the same level of loving attention and that every little finger print leaves a mark. With huge appreciation to Universal Medicine, I now realise that all my little finger prints can either leave loving imprints or not and it supports me everyday to bring more love into my life in simple ways.

  163. Awesome analogy! Tender love and care do get rid of the old mold and and bring the shine back from within that is always there. Timely Reminder! Thank you.

  164. I really felt the beauty and exquisiteness in what you wrote and how you live, reading this Anne, what a gorgeous and inspiring beginning to my day. Now, what do I have here that needs a little polishing?

  165. Aladdin’s Lamp – how wonderful Anne, symbolic of how easy it is to re-alight the majesty of past into the present when there is understanding of the ‘tarnishes’, and so the choice to love deeply once again. Your teapot is a beautiful reminder of this.

  166. True care and love is in the detail of everyday life, from there we truly shine. Thank you Anne for sharing this sweet story.

  167. It’s amazing that the tea pot was already wonderful when tarnished, and accepted and appreciated as this being the norm, only to later realise, with a little TLC, there was even more beneath the surface which was actually tarnished. This is a great reflection of how amazing we all truly are and that we may only be functioning at half shine which is still amazing but really not quite it and we are even more grander than we may have imagined.

    1. Yes, gorgeous Danielle. This is exactly what happens as we age… we accept the tarnishing as normal, however with deeper care for ourselves and our bodies, we can see that this is in fact not normal at all; and our innate beauty can shine in ways we never imagined.

    2. This is so true Danielle, ‘This is a great reflection of how amazing we all truly are and that we may only be functioning at half shine which is still amazing but really not quite it and we are even more grander than we may have imagined.’ This is what I am discovering daily about myself – that there is so much more to me than I have been showing and through self care and self love I am revealing daily the amazingness that it is underneath.

    3. haha… Good to know the shine is always there and never leaves. Keep it coming!

  168. A gorgeous story Anne, about how we treat our bodies, and ourselves. I loved when you said:
    “But with a little tender loving care, and some dedication and commitment, the tarnish easily came off, leaving the underlying beauty there for all to feel and see.”
    I agree, it is the small everyday self-loving acts that make all the difference.

  169. Thank you Anne for such a powerful blog. “But with a little tender loving care, and some dedication and commitment, the tarnish easily came off, leaving the underlying beauty there for all to feel and see.” The fact that love never leaves you, and realising that it is a daily commitment to make sure life does not tarnish you is really powerful. As well as the fact that it’s never too late to deal with the tarnish, and reveal who you truly are, once again.

  170. Well we did learn the ditty “I’m a little teapot…” as children – and so it is!

  171. Such a great reminder, Anne, that we all have beauty inside that just becomes tarnished with everyday living unless we constantly live in harmony. As we are not perfect we do need to ‘clean our teapot’ by returning to ourselves when we get caught up in the busyness of the world or go off on a tangent into the future.

  172. I love the tender and gentle way you cared for your teapot Anne, accepted it the way it was and allowed for the silver to shine through. A beautiful metaphor of self-love and self-care.

  173. I love your analogy, Anne – we are all beautiful and shiny underneath our ‘wear and tear’.

  174. I love the simplicity of your blog Anne, yet the message it brings is profound. I am learning to care for myself and your blog has inspired me to continue developing this as the magic that is inside of me will come out more and more to shine for all.

  175. love this Anne on every level, especially the part where continued care is required everyday, consistent, gently tender loving care.

  176. Thank you Anne, my feeling is we all tend to leave our mystical genie (love) in the cupboard locked away for a rainy day. Thanks to the genius genie Serge Benhayon, we have all been shown that love should not be stored away but needs to be expressed.

  177. Thank you Anne, I love this story, a perfect story for a story book, the simplicity and wisdom about life.

  178. A truly beautiful and lovely metaphoristical story Anne. It’s amazing how little everyday moments can reflect so much wisdom and remind us of deeper truths under all there is and we do. Thank you for sharing this.

  179. Thank you for reminding me Anne, that everything can be a reflection for us if we are open to it and stay aware of all that is happening around us, and if we respect and are gentle with everything we touch it seems to come alive. The magic truly does happen!

  180. There are so many opportunities every day offering us to grow. What I love about this blog is, in a simple activity of cleaning and taking care of a tea pot so much is revealed and then later to be reminded every time when having a cup of tea. Reading this beautiful article has really made me stop and see the grandness in everything I do.

  181. What a beautiful reminder Anne of the power of self-love and self-care and the dedication and consistency that is required to truly be all the Love that we are.

  182. There is a great humility in accepting that we are meant to be out there working and we will get tarnished and dirty but we are meant to be shiny and we have everything we need to become shiny again if we put our attention to it.

  183. I once had the realization that we all wear a golden crown on our head – you may not see it, but everyone can feel it. And to let this crown shine is a joyful responsibility because it reflects our connection to God. So everyone can find out what his or her crown ask for to shine that day – if it is accepting, beholding, appreciation, caring, celebration, awareness or …polishing.

  184. what a gorgeous and sweet blog Anne and so inspiring. The love and the care for the teapot and yourself is obvious and i can feel the shine coming through your words. It has put a smile on my face, thank you.

  185. What a gorgeous sharing Anne. I absolutely love this part,
    ‘ In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life. ‘

  186. I love the tender feel of this blog Anne. The delicateness and tenderness you write with is deeply felt.

  187. So gorgeous. So true. So lovely. The beauty is always there – we just learn to cover it up. How amazing for you to learn to uncover it and realise the daily commitment it takes to keep it shiny. Enjoy the cuppas!

  188. Anne Malatt what a joy to read. I love that there was not a big blue fast talking genie – hilarious, imagine if there was…..this would be a very different blog.

  189. A beautiful metaphor about life, about going deeper, discovering the amazing light we are and the powerful reflection for others. Thank you Anne.

  190. I love the simplicity of your sharing Anne, and the recognition of the care and love required to maintain the shine of your teapot and of yourself.

  191. I shall be looking at my tea pots in a whole new way from now on Anne. I shall be on the look out for a genie too.

  192. And remarkable genie….thank you for the magic of you sharing. The appreciation is superb and inspiring, playful and innocent. Reminding all that every moment can be one of renewing.

  193. Anne, your reflection on a teapot proves that even the most mundane tasks can be magical.

  194. Nailed it Anne. Love this metaphor…now to go and find some ‘brasso’ for my body to give it a polish.

  195. A great reflection indeed, and what I love from this is the fact that just because you did it the once you can not sit back now and think the work is over….every day there is something to look at and work with. Beautiful.

  196. Your blog definately brings a smile to my face, so much can be learnt from the simple things.

  197. Anne, it was lovely to read your beautiful story. Throughout I could feel the love you have for yourself and the world around you – very inspiring!

  198. Three of us, as women, were talking about this very subject this morning and playfully sharing similar metaphors. I love this story and the way that you tell it, letting it gently unfold – as we can do with ourselves. Just gorgeous, thank you Anne.

    1. Tears filled my eyes too, Leonne. On pondering why this was, I understood that it was the simplicity of the teapot and genie analogy, and the recognition by Anne that she herself was the genie – “one who was equally capable of everyday miracles”. This is beauty-full learning for me as it completely banishes self-doubt.

  199. What I love Anne is that first you accepted and enjoyed the tea pot for its ‘tea potness’, and only later found underneath the tarnished exterior shining silver.

    How true that when I accept others (and me) for who they are, not what they look like, then the silver can shine through.

  200. How truly beautiful is life when we let ourselves learn from every situation. Everything is there to support us to evolve if we choose.

  201. Anne what you have shared is so simple but is revealing and gorgeous. All of our imperfections are opportunities to feel what is happening in our body thus giving us an opportunity to clear them- how gorgeous is that!

    1. It’s a great reminder that our imperfections are not a permanent tarnish. They can be polished with self love. And perfection is not the desire, it’s the love and care that will restore our beauty.

  202. What a beautiful metaphor for self-love Anne. I will forever more refer to moisturising my body as ‘polishing my teapot’!

  203. I love this tale Anne, your analogy of the teapot and how the simple task of cleaning it allowed you to claim an ongoing deeper care for yourself – and how every time you stop to have a cup of tea you are reminded of this. There are so many everyday movements that we can incorporate into our day as little reminders of ourselves.

  204. Anne what a gorgeous story. Your line: ‘In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life’. is incredibly powerful and so very obvious that I wonder how it was that I was not able to know the truth of this for most of my life. Like you, I too have been inspired by Serge Benhayon to now truly and deeply care for myself and reveal the true beauty that I am.

    1. Beautifully said Penny, and Anne this is absolute truth.
      The truth of our innate beauty is always there, awaiting the care and attentiveness to be given the opportunity to shine in the light of day, every day… What a perfect metaphor the teapot is – one I can completely relate to also, as just this morning I knew my body needed deep rest, and I’ve allowed myself this space, with no apology but only the deepest honouring of who I truly am, and what is needed – today – to love and care for myself so deeply.

  205. With daily care we can keep that shine, without it we can dull to the point where we may not even recognise what we are made of in the first place and/or even believe we are made of something we are not. I know this to be true as if I make choices that make me feel dull (Eating heavy foods, walking around with issues/judgements/songs in my head etc) then ‘shine’ and show that dullness to everyone around me as if that is who I am. However if I choose to not make those choices I feel lighter in myself and feel more relaxed and focused and that is what is shown to others. Thank you for this Anne for sharing that shining does require a constant commitment but that ‘constant commitment’ need not be a chore, because when what is underneath is appreciated how can it be?

    1. I love what you have written here leighmatson: ‘With daily care we can keep that shine, without it we can dull to the point where we may not even recognise what we are made of in the first place and/or even believe we are made of something we are not.’ It is so true – the more we self-care and self-love the more we shine.

    2. Such a timely reminder for me leighmatson. I am overseas and have been faced with food choices that I would not usually choose to eat and my body is feeling rather dull. My shine can be restored!!

  206. Anne what a truly gorgeous analogy.
    I love how now you need to take loving care of your pot everyday and how that is a lovely reminder to take care of you.

  207. Lovely metaphor. these small moments in between the obvious ‘big’ stuff in life, are the moments that I have really began to appreciate. This moments when you are on your own cleaning the house, driving, getting dressed for example, are ones that I have realised are wonderful opportunities just like any other to support and care for myself and they are just as significant.

  208. A great analogy, Anne, that it is never too late to re-ignite the glory and splendour we have inside, and the magical formula is the consistent love and care for ourselves and our bodies.

  209. Such a beautiful metaphor for taking loving care of ourselves so that we can shine out into the world. Thank you for sharing Anne and inspiring me to treat myself super gently today when I have woken up feeling achey and tender.

  210. A gorgeous analogy Anne – that once we start to slowly see the beauty within us and others (a shiny handle) we can be inspired to look at every aspect of our lives, and appreciate the beauty that has been quietly resting there – waiting to ignite.

  211. What a magical story you have woven with your teapot Anne! I once thought that what life had dealt me meant I was probably tarnished and damaged beyond repair. Since working with the Sacred Esoteric Healing modalities, and attending Universal Medicine workshops I’ve been delighted to find that this is not true. What I’ve carried and identified with is the tarnish you speak of Anne, but underneath, and as it all peels away, my sparkling self is still there in all its glory shining brightly.

  212. Such a beautiful story. I can feel the amazingness of that tea pot/you and it’s preciousness, and how with a little daily love and care it will always be shiny and a pleasure to be around.

  213. Beautiful Anne, thank you for sharing. I love the line: “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” Seeing life this way takes away the frustration I have lived with for most of my life, the frustration of wanting everything to be perfect instead of seeing everything as an opportunity to learn from.

  214. I love your blog Anne! So simple and beautiful in its analogy… we all have that inner shine and sparkle, that with a bit of care and love can come bursting through!

  215. Anne I really love blogs which give me a visual reminder to take into my day. A truly beautiful start to my morning, thank you.

  216. Having been tarnished and dinged a bit myself over time. I cant truly relate to what a little bit of daily love and attention can expose what has been hidden for years.

  217. “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.”
    Yes Anne I agree with you, the metaphor is pure magic, I love those moments.
    Thank you for your inspiration.

  218. That’s such a lovely story Anne and a beautiful reflection of what happens to us and how we can take more loving care of ourselves, and our true beauty is always there to be uncovered under all the impositions and the stuff we have taken on that’s not really us.

  219. I love this Anne a simple and yet profound sharing and a huge, great reminder of how committing to taking loving care of ourselves is such a huge support and enables us to shine for all to see our true beauty. Thank you Anne for sharing.

  220. Such a beautiful analogy for how we can love and care for ourselves, however tarnished we may feel. With such nurturing the true essence is revealed.

  221. I can feel the level of care in your cup of tea for yourself, Anne. After having brought the teapot to shine this level of care gets the appreciation it deserves. Great confirmation.

  222. What this blog reminded me of is that no matter what happens on the outside, who we truly are and our true beauty is always there regardless.. In fact our inner hearts are always just waiting to shine, even though sometimes we need to remove or work on any coverings on the outside that may be masking our brightness and our light!

  223. Thats such a lovely story Anne. It was warm and felt lovely. I also love making tea in a teapot.

  224. To keep a silver teapot polished, shining and cared for takes great care and consistency, what a beautiful analogy and reminder that the dings are not the important part it is the self care that makes us shine.

  225. A beautiful parable. And if you just put the teapot on a shelf and don’t use it then it will lose its shine. The tea poured from the inside of this shining pot quenches the thirst of all who drink from it.

  226. What a great example of how life offers us an endless array of lessons and opportunities to deepen our commitment and love.

  227. I feel your tenderness and loving care while reading your simple and beautiful message of how everything in our lives gives us an opportunity to return to our innate beauty. A great reminder at the start of my day, thank you Anne.

  228. Anne this blog is GOLD or should I say silver. Love it! I am accepting the grace of each moment more and more and being open to the learnings on offer.

  229. Superb Anne, my lamp has definitely had a few bumps and scrapes over the years some will eventually shine up and some are a permanent reminder of the times I should have taken more care of it and cherished it for the special gift it is.

  230. When we stay connected to our inner essence of wisdom, innocence and beauty, life is indeed full of gorgeous opportunities to learn from life. Thank you for sharing Anne.

  231. And all these magical moments are such a support once we truly open up to them. They are like looking into a mirror that will reflect a truth in you that before you were not able to see.

  232. In every moment we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life…..I am very much looking forward to what life is going to offer me today. There is so much to learn, and there is so much to love. Thank you Anne.

  233. “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” I Love this Anne and your story of your tea pot. What a beautiful way of looking at life – to see the reasons in all that is presented to us. Thanks for sharing it has prompted me to look more deeper into the messages I receive in my day.

  234. Yes Anne, I too have experienced that when we are deeply present, everyday, ordinary tasks can reveal so much about ourselves, and about life.

  235. Anne reading your blog has brought a big smile to my face, as a kid I loved the TV series ‘I Dream of Genie’ and have always found it quite mystical the idea of a genie coming out of a bottle (or teapot)! I can relate to the metaphor of our bodies being like your teapot, the more care and love we bring, the more our own inner light can shine outwards for all to see. But as you mention Anne, this takes a daily commitment to keep rubbing away at the tarnish (healing our hurts) so that we can feel more of who we truly are (love).

  236. What a beautiful reflection of life you show to me Anne Malatt. It is so true, everything in life is geared for us to show us the way back to where we are coming from. We only have to allow ourselves to be aware of this fact and these magical endeavours will be revealed to us and become part of our everyday lives.

  237. This is so lovely. The power of being innocent and having no doubt is just beautiful. It’s so simple that it takes away the heaviness and the stickiness of the word ‘commitment’ that I have often associated with.

  238. Anne , I love the analogy you use here with the tea pot & your body. As you share with care, you were got the shine out & back on the tea pot which was always there hiding under the tarnish. Just like how we all are just shiny & beautiful from inside but have lost that connection to that beauty that is ALWAYS there for us to connect to. Thank you for this beautiful reminder in such playful everyday manner of keeping your tea pot shiny.

  239. This is a lovely a reminder Anne to treat ourselves with tender loving care and to know that whatever we’ve done in life, at our core our essence is unchanged.

    1. That’s right Deborah, it’s no wonder the tea tasted so good from the ‘unpolished’ days.

  240. Such a beautiful, simple yet oh so powerful blog Anne.
    Thank you for your gorgeous expression and wisdom.
    I particularly loved how you have summed it all up;
    “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life”.

  241. The tale of the tea pot ~ where wisdom comes in a cup of tea. Thank you Anne 🙂

  242. Love the analogy Anne. Is there any chance of getting some of that cleaner? I’ll need a lot (for my wife) to rub over my body each day.

  243. Great analogy Anne.
    Like the body when it isn’t properly cared for it becomes dull, slow and tarnished. However with a bit of loving care the body can be in its full light once again. Instead of silver polish the body loves walks, loving relationships, connection, supportive exercise to name but a few.

  244. Anne what a beautiful reflection for all. From such a simple task so much magic comes forth. Thank you.

  245. Anne, this story of you polishing yourself and your teapot is adorable. It is a great reflection for us all. And yes, we may be tarnished and have a few dings from the careless way in which we have lived, but we can change that if we feel to. Thank you.

    1. Well said Rosie, I totally agree. We can always change and polish out the dings from our careless way of living, when we are ready to do so.

    2. More than a few dings Rosie, but the shine is always there underneath just waiting for the opportunity.. and the more it shines, the clearer the reflection.

  246. Beautiful Anne, this is pure magic gracefully shared, discovering the daily reflection and reminder of love as you shared that “In every moment, and in every action, no matter how seemingly small and insignificant, we are offered another gorgeous opportunity to learn from life.” especially every cup of tea !

  247. I absolutely love metaphor and this is a beauty Anne. Thank you for your inspiration!

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