Putting Cod before God

by Vanessa Hawthorne, London, UK

I recently had the privilege of working in the kitchen to support the English retreat for Universal  Medicine. It was a lot of fun, and a wonderful learning experience. I remember reading Victoria Lister’s experience being very similar to mine in the same kitchen at the last year’s retreat, where around 250 participants were catered for 3 meals a day.

Many a time has a practitioner said to me that they put their connection to themselves first, always. I kind of got this ‘idea’ but I couldn’t explain what that meant as it wasn’t something I had lived. Continue reading “Putting Cod before God” →

The Mole on My Nose & Pinocchio… Lying or Truth?

by Shannon Everest, Ocean Shores Australia

A few years ago, I started to grow a mole on the tip of my nose. It began very, very small and slowly started to grow bigger. After about 8 months of observing it grow a little bit bigger over time, I decided it was time to stop and have a really good look at this.

I did have an issue with the way that it looked on my nose, but bigger than that was the fact that I could feel something was being expressed to me through this suddenly appearing on my nose. It felt like this mole had something to say and that it was there for a reason. I had a pretty good feeling that the mole growing on my nose had a lot to do with me lying to myself, in the same tradition as Pinocchio lying and his nose growing bigger. I could feel that I too had been lying to myself and therefore to others, and my body had found its own way of letting me know… which was ‘smack-bang’ right in front of my face – literally. Continue reading “The Mole on My Nose & Pinocchio… Lying or Truth?” →

From Emotional Rollercoaster to Steadiness & Love

by Judith Andras, Germany

Up until I turned 32 my life was a constant emotional drama. I had been through six relationships, and in between flings and one night stands always looking for my fairy prince, for Mr. Right, the man who was supposed to be my soul mate and who would complete me.

All these men were ‘good’ men, they tried hard to make me happy, but they couldn’t fill the emptiness inside – they could not give me what I was yearning and looking for. And so there was always something not ‘right’, something to complain about, to argue about…. the grass seemed so much greener on the other side of the fence. Continue reading “From Emotional Rollercoaster to Steadiness & Love” →

Choosing the Best Medicine for Me: Bringing Self-Care into Health-Care

by Jenny James, McLeans Ridges, NSW

Is life really just about the luck of the draw? When I was very young I remember being told that a friend of the family had become extremely ill. It was as if they had been struck out of the blue. Without any forewarning this disease had descended upon them. To me this seemed quite mysterious – as if there were a sort of random hit that could descend at any moment – and you escaped merely by the luck of the draw. There seemed to be no concept of health, self-care, nurturing or wellbeing – only shock and sadness at the disaster that had fallen.

I realised that over time this had developed into a way of thinking, a way of living where I could be more reckless with my health as it didn’t matter anyway – it will happen if it is destined to. There was also a feeling of fear and a sense of foreboding around this as I felt I had no say in what might happen to me. But why was I accepting this as the way it was? Didn’t I have any say in the matter? With this way of thinking, self-responsibility in any real terms was pretty much out the window.

Continue reading “Choosing the Best Medicine for Me: Bringing Self-Care into Health-Care” →

Stress & Work: Learning to Trust Myself As a Woman

by Victoria Lister, Brisbane, Australia

Lately, as I’ve been reflecting on my motives for choosing the roles I’ve had throughout my working life, I’ve realised these had little to do with the real me, and everything to do with mind-created ideals and beliefs. I’ve also examined my propensity to choose industries and jobs that have been challenging to the point of debilitation, with no consideration for myself… again the result of the ideals and beliefs I held.

But the revelations haven’t stopped there: in the course of my explorations, I’ve come to see there is a third, equally important element to consider in the work equation: how I’ve gone about the business of work itself. Continue reading “Stress & Work: Learning to Trust Myself As a Woman” →

The Joy of Simply Swimming

by Josephine Bell, Personal Assistant, Pottsville

I’ve been staying in a hotel for about a week. Above us is an elegant rooftop swimming pool with spa and sauna facilities. Early yesterday morning I found myself feeling that a swim would be nice. It’s something I very seldom do, but this time I had even packed a pair of goggles as well as my bathers, so I was well prepared and had everything I needed for an enjoyable experience. Continue reading “The Joy of Simply Swimming” →