PEARLS SLIPPING OFF A STRING …

Just following on the full moon eclipse there are more words of encouragement for us all from my friend. This time around, completing the ‘pearl trilogy’ is a piece about attitude.

So important in life to always have a good and right attitude to things. Events that cross your path, which in turn help you to make the proper decisions and not be misled by what others are doing, saying or thinking. Being your own person and listening to and following your own heart.

So this is what they have to say …

‘Our attitude towards life determines life’s attitude towards us.

If you cannot change your fate, change your attitude.

The only disability in life is a bad sentiment.

With a new attitude everything can change, make it how you want it to be, staying mad, why do that?

Give yourself a break, laugh about it and you’ll see that life is what you make it. You know it comes down to this…

We cannot change our circumstances, but we can control our attitude, we can’t control others, but we can control ourselves!

Your living is determined not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.

My attitude is that is you push me towards something you think is a weakness then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength. Your attitude is an expression of your values, beliefs and expectations!!

Develop the attitude that there are more reasons why you should succeed than reasons why you should fail.

You create beauty with your attitude, your behaviors and your actions. It is all up to you. The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his or her future by merely changing his or her attitude.

Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step towards achieving something bigger and better than your current situation!

The best thing you can do is to let go of what you can’t control and invest your energy into the things you can, like your attitude to be!!

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude towards it, for that determines our successes or failure.

The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it.

You are overcome by the fact because you think you are!

All things are subjective, a person’s circumstances have nothing to do with current or past events, but rather their perception of those events and the attitude and manner in which they chose to approach it.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his or her attitudes!!!!’

I am sure you will all agree with me that there is great wisdom in these words, because it is just so true.

N.R. Hart is one of the most inspiring people who writes quotes, I use them a lot in my books and of course acknowledging the copyright and the name ‘Pearls Slipping off a String.’

Images: Google.

STRINGS OF PEARLS …

After the absolutely mind-blowing response to the words in the blog Pearls of Wisdom, there just had to be another part. My friend wrote some more, it’s really appealing to everyone… just like it should, so giving them the platform once more to talk about success and failure. We all know about that don’t we?

‘Success is not final; failure is not final: it is the courage to continue that counts. Through perseverance, many people win success out of what seemed destined to be a certain failure. There is no failure except: no longer trying. Try and fail but don’t fail to try! Do you really want to be great? Then have the courage to fail big and stick around. Make them wonder why you are still smiling. A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn. In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fears of failure …

They who never fail will never understand how great the adventure of life is. There are two kinds of failures: those who thought and never did and those who did and never thought.

The most crippling failure disease is … excuses. Sometimes our greatest insight comes from our failure, not from our achievements. The most important thing is never to be afraid to take a chance. Always remember the greatest failure is not having the will to try. Don’t quit before the miracle…

Men are like cars you get a good one it’ll never fail you, get a bad one and it’ll fail you every time.

Just because you fail once doesn’t mean you are going to fail everything. Keep trying, hold on and always always believe in yourself, because if you don’t who will?

Any dude that waits until Valentine’s Day to treat his woman like a queen is failing 364 days a year. Sometimes we must get hurt in order to grow, we must fail in order to know. Sometimes only our vision clears after our eyes are washed away with tears!

I choose a long time ago to believe in who I am. I will not walk in someone else’s shadow. Whether I fail or succeed I will know that I lived my life! Life is beautiful indeed. It’s times when we sink into our hectic and stressful lifestyles when we get blinded and fail to see what we have. In life, the best moments are those that your camera always fails to capture. 

Don’t laugh at those who don’t try. Sometimes we become so focused on the finish line, that we fail to find joy in the journey. It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that might as well not have lived at all. In which case you have failed by default.

If you want to succeed in your life, remember this phrase: The past does not equal the future. Because you failed yesterday, or all day today, or a moment ago. All that matters is: what are you going to do, right now’?

THAT IS A BRILLIANT QUESTION TO PONDER ON TODAY SUNDAY 5TH JULY 2020.

TODAY IS A FULL MOON ECLIPSE IN CAPRICORN. YES, ITS ECLIPSE SEASON ONCE MORE AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

It is the final act of a drama that began in 2017. This is all about letting go of the past. The whole eclipse is almost screaming ‘move on’. We are all ready to move on irrespective of our failures and successes, just as my friend says above. Ready to move on does not mean though: moving on is really easy. Processing experiences properly gives the opening to take the step to move on.

This particular Lunar Eclipse (in star sign Cancer) with Capricorn in the South Node highlights this theme: Cancer is what we create and nurture. Capricorn is rules, systems and top down hierarchies.

Isn’t that exactly what is happening on a world wide scale?

Images: Google

PEARLS OF WISDOM

In my latest blog which I published yesterday (The Curved Ball) ,a friend of mine wrote some lovely words at the end and there is more! The reaction to the blog has been almost viral, so many people writing back to say how they loved it. More than 2K emails with comments.  So, here is some more of their work: 

I am sure you will agree with me, this is some seriously interesting talent, which should be developed more and more, and I am honored again to give it a platform on my website.

‘Just because the past didn’t turn out as you expected it to, doesn’t mean your future cannot be better than you ever imagined. The past should be the past. It can destroy the future. Live life for what tomorrow has to offer, not for what yesterday has taken away. Instead of judging people by their past, stand by them and help repair their future. Once you’ve made the decision to move on, don’t look back. You will never find your future in the rearview mirror. The future is waiting but it will never fight with the past to get your awareness.

The more you take responsibility for your past and present the more you are able to create the future you pursue. You are not what happened to you in the past. No matter how chaotic the past has been, the future is a clean, fresh wide-open slate.

Getting old is when you become a person with a long past and a short future. The past is where you learned your lesson. The future is where you apply the lesson. You can never be happy if you’re trapped in the past and fearful of the future. Living in the present is the only way to be happy. Don’t leave so much room in your future for someone who left you in their past…

If you don’t see them in your future, it’s time to put them in your past. Don’t use the past as an excuse to miss out on your future. The point here, it’s better to grieve tomorrow because of choices I make today than to regret tomorrow because of the choices someone made for me. I am to suffer the loss of my choices tomorrow, let it be, I will learn to be wiser in the future.

There is going to come a point where you have to give up your whole life for one thing … or give up that one thing for a whole other life. People vanish, people die, people laugh, and people cry. Some give up, some will try. Some say ‘hi’, while some say ‘bye’. It’s hard to give up something you have always wanted. Never give up on something you truly believe in.

I know you have a million reasons to give up, but don’t you want to be able to say you that you never did give up, years down the road? Anyone can give up, it’s the easiest thing to do, but to hold it together when everyone expects you to fall apart, that is the true strength.

Judge your successes by what you had to give up in order to achieve it. Sometimes you have to give up on people. Everyone that is in your life, but not everyone is meant to stay there. The saddest part about trying to help someone out is the realization they cannot be helped. Not everyone can be helped. Even if a person does not give up on someone … they don’t want the help, then you have to let them fall.

If you want to fly, you have to give up the stuff that weighs you down. Sometimes you just have to give up on people in order to respect yourself, rather than keep accepting things and words that don’t really merit.

Hey you, yeah you… the one reading this. Want to know something? You are beautiful. Don’t ever give up. Having a rough morning? Place your hand over your heart. Feel that? That is called purpose. You are alive for a reason. Don’t give up. Before you give up think of the reason why you held on so long.

People go through really rough times in life. But the ones who stay strong and don’t give up and stick through it are the ones who will get the best out of everything. One half is knowing what you want is knowing that you must give up before you get it.’

The big question is do you know what you must give up before you get what you want? Let your passion answer that ….

Have a great weekend everyone!

IMAGES: GOOGLE

THE CURVED BALL

I have been quiet for a couple of days, mainly because someone in my immediate family received some very bad news last week. I am not going to go into details for privacy reasons and respect for the person concerned, but more about the idea in general. What you can do, think about and take action on, when someone (something) throws you a curved ball.

It is a bit of a vague expression, which basically means you are confronted with something you did not expect. And usually at the moment when you do not expect it either.

So, these are my thoughts. Whatever the content of the ‘news’ the most important thing is to try and remain calm. Try to write down your thoughts and questions, because when you receive bad news your mind tends to suddenly go blank and block off any more information. It is good to have someone with you, who then, takes over the conversation. Who can ask and listen, all the things you personally may not hear because of the pure shock.

Then the next full days will be a real roller coaster ride. Disbelief, shock, incredible sadness, anger, unfairness, the why me? And the list goes on. Firstly, let me say that tears of sadness are good because they release tension. So never be ashamed of that side. It is just as natural an emotion as laughing, in fact the other side and how many of you reading this have literally laughed until you cried! For some or other inexplicable reason, people seem ashamed to cry. Why? It gives an incredible release to feelings of sadness for starters. Look at how a child reacts if suddenly they fall over, they cry immediately and go looking for empathy and sympathy. A cuddle or reassurance that everything is perfectly fine. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this world who have problems showing emotions. 

We all feel that we have to keep on a mask of indifference. But for goodness sake take it off and show your emotions. Bottling them up will only lead to even more tension, stress, anxiety and feeling depressed and down. We are human after all and emotions are perfectly ok. It is normal to be scared, worried, wondering what happens next, how do I cope? How do we all cope?

The answers may not seem crystal clear immediately. There may not be any answers right away but the main thing when you catch this curved ball is to remember two words: Breathe (and focus on your breath) and Hope.  I often look up the true meanings of words: 

Breathing is one of our main bodily functions, we literally have to ‘breathe to stay alive’.

‘Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.’

To my mind HOPE is an interesting word. We must never stop having hope. Hope is a lifeline in times like this, that you always have a positive feeling that in some or other way, there is the chance of something happening. Preferably positive too.

Always try and find the positive as opposed to the negative.

Negative is a spiral going downwards. And once you start going down, the climb back up is very hard indeed.

I keep telling my own family that what has happened in the past is over. No one can change it. We live in the ‘here and now moment’ and don’t even know what tomorrow will even bring. But the most important thing is hope and trying to keep positive. Always.

And live each day with a renewed vigor of making the best of each and every day. We as humans love to all have a moan, about the weather, about our jobs, about everything really and that too is negativity. Even small little moans about totally insignificant things.

If I was asked what one positive thing that came because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then I would have to say, the fact that I started to appreciate the little things in life much more. I became more aware of the birds singing in the morning, actually seeing Spring with new eyes (mainly because I had so much more time). Enjoyed the peace and tranquility of my own home. Taking a rest from the rat race we all are normally part of each and every day. It also made me think how lucky I am. Material possessions are not really that important. I really did not miss the shops at all. I was just happy to be quiet and peaceful in myself. I read a huge number of books, worked hard on my own projects, continued to write on in my new book (publishing in the autumn) and sometimes do absolutely nothing but sit in the garden just enjoying the brighter blue skies (no planes or pollution). Watching our cat stretching lazily in the sun. Just little tiny things like that. A lot of other stuff became distant and actually totally unimportant. It has been a sad time for the entire world, and I realize and acknowledge that fact too.

Life is really about making the best of each and every moment. No matter how big the curved ball is that gets thrown at you. It is showing empathy as opposed to sympathy. Just being there for one another, through difficult times. That is what counts.

Finally, something else: July 2020 is what we call an 11 month. (you know 7+2+2=11) and this is a master number. It is the turning point of the year too. It could be a month when you receive more for yourself and your future than ever before.

Master numbers have a higher energy vibration. July seems to be holding some very powerful astrological energy as well. Spiritual expansion and rapid growth. This month is about ‘pulling up our pants’ and growing up. New era, new time, new chances, new choices. Experiences are going to be intensified for sure, but the 11-master number portal invites you to step on through the gate into a new moment. Sounds pretty good to me!

Taking each step at a time, never giving up on yourself or others, and always staying as positive as possible. Some things we thought were so important will be totally irrelevant now. Even if you may not think so, believe me you will when you reflect back. See the imprint you made.

That is how we are taking each day as a family. United, supporting, positive, being honest about our emotions and at all times never loosing HOPE.

I had put this blog to one side, to check again and fine tune and then someone sent me this message which I just have to include because it is so beautifully written and such inspiration to anyone who has been thrown a curved ball.

‘I truly respect people who stay strong during hard times. Even when they have every reason to break down. Never let the rough and tough times stop you from getting what you want in life and chasing your dreams. It is crazy how at times, the darkest moments are the truly beautiful ones. Some storms last longer than other storms but at the end of every storm, there is light. I think the assurance between a man and a woman in their relationship is the time they suffered together. It gets harder before it gets easier. You just need to make it through the hard stuff first and know that one day it will get better for good. It may be storming right now in your life but remember it cannot rain forever. I promise. I will never give up as long as I am breathing. As long as I am still standing, I will never give up! Go ahead and be the best imperfect person you can be and get started on those things you want to accomplish before you die. If you fear nothing, then there is nothing that can stop you from getting to the top. Fear is the enemy. Do not allow it to make you feel that you do not deserve the success you want. Because you do. What happened yesterday, no longer matters. Get back on the right track and move closer to your dreams. Yes, you can do it. People can do more than they ever believe they can do. Physically, mentally, academically. You have to be pushed, it hurts, but it is worth it and it’s a great element.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined… You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. My only relationship goal is someone who motivates me to become a better person and shows me the potential I don’t see in myself. Don’t let life put you down to the point that you can’t get up and proceed further. The life you are living now, all the hardships and trials; is just a testimony raising up to be told……’

Wow that is so beautiful !!! Special thanks to the author of these words!!!! Don’t you agree with me that they maybe missed their vocation, so it is a great honor for me to give these words a platform. Dear special person!!!

Images: Google

MESSAGES FROM ABOVE

We are fast approaching the sort of middle point of the year, in both the northern and southern hemisphere, the Summer/Winter Solstice.

The actual moment of the solstice is where the earth’s tilt towards the sun is at its maximum. The Sun then appears at the highest elevation at midday. The solstice is when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer, which is 23,5º latitude north. This is the longest day (hours of daylight) and shortest night in the year. The winter solstice is the opposite, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn at 23,5º south of the equator, therefore the shortest day and longest night. Just the opposite in fact.  

An equinox which occurs in Spring and Autumn is when the hours of daylight and nightlight are exactly the same. That is the difference.

This year at the point of the Solstice, we have a solar eclipse on June 21st, and it’s a north node one. This depicts a time for bold new beginnings.

Summer Solstice Stonehenge, England

So, unless you have been hiding under a rock over the past few months (a friend of mine wrote) or haven’t read the news, you probably know by now that the world is in turmoil.

Over the years a lot of astrologers warned about the so-called Capricorn Stellium. This was in March 2020. When 4 slow moving plants (Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter and South Node) create the so called Stellium. It might surprise you that they have not been in the same sign since the Renaissance/Reformation (yes around the time of the ‘Black Death’).

A corona, or ring of light

When pandemics hit the world, it more or less means a huge shift in both the balance of power and wealth. Well, you only have to pick up a newspaper today, June 18th, and see that this is exactly what is happening right now!

At this moment too, we have three planets in retrograde (Venus, Mercury and Mars). Retrograde means going backwards. Often planets do this, in fact every year, but this combination is rather special. Mercury in fact only goes retrograde for 3 weeks, and the other two, only once in every two years).

Those who study astrology, not only look at the big picture, but also towards probabilities and frequencies. An example is that certain planets, like Saturn, Uranus, Neptune or Pluto will not herald big changes. But in 2020 all planets are going to go retrograde. Do you begin to see the message from above?

And even more: June and July 2020 is the eclipse season. This is when big things happen. New Moon, Full Moon (well that cycle is every 28 days) but its only twice a year when the Sun, Moon and Earth align, thus creating the eclipse. A total eclipse of course, often shows the magnificent Corona ring of light around the sun.

That is what the word ‘corona’ actually means, and we have labelled this pandemic with the same name. Corona is actually a very positive word… food for thought isn’t it?

One of the meanings attached to eclipses is that they are a re-calibration of fate and free will.

Now isn’t that exactly what is going on at the moment. Free will is being seriously challenged. To such an extent that there is public outcry about the atrocity of taking away another person’s free will (like the brutal killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor to name but two).

Also, a North Node eclipse is pointing us to move forward, what do we need to learn (a lot!) and are we actually moving towards our purpose. Opportunities and new beginnings. And I think you will agree with me that it is time to draw a thick black line under all this world unrest and do just that and get on with it!

South Node eclipses represent the past and deep-rooted patterns of behavior. Outcomes, release of energy and achievements. It is ‘pay-back’ time when it’s a south node eclipse.

So, to summarize: this Summer Solstice is about taking BOLD NEW BEGINNINGS.

The second half of June and first half of July are going to be just as intense as the beginning of this year. Take note: the virus is already rearing its head again in the place where it started in the first place.

History has always taught us that new eras and always proceeded with massive change. Whatever is happening it is part of a process; we have no influence on. A new world is just around the corner.

But at the same time, we as humans are asked to make the massive changes too. It’s no good thinking all this will happen automatically. It will not. A lot of effort and continued effort, is asked of all of us. Just look at how complacent people have become about social distancing? Why? 

Effort is something which everyone needs to make. It is hopeless if you just expect to sit back and let everyone else do it. This is a personal effort for absolutely everyone.

Just as a little example: think how the weather has been over the past couple of days and I will keep this comment related to the country where I live. Long dry sunny weather, everyone complaining about the need for rain and of course just before a sort of turning point at the Solstice: we get extreme weather. Huge storms which came out of nowhere apart from the cold icy air from the north pole clashing with the warmer air from the southern hemisphere. Huge cloud formations, in skies that had been brilliant blue for weeks on end, then thunder, lightning, hail stones the size of pieces of popcorn, sudden flooding and a wind tornado rushing across the country. Now, The Netherlands is a small flat country, we normally don’t have tornados here. This is something we associate more with those that race across the plains of mid and southern North America. But wind tornados literally ripping big trees out of the ground. I mean serious flooding, when kids can canoe down the streets!

Messages from above! I think so don’t you? This is the big wake-up call. Either you sit up and take notice or not. It’s a simple choice. But as long as we keep going around in circles, doing the same things wrong, or going on about this and that, things that happened in the past, it’s hopeless. Believe me no matter how hard you try, you cannot influence the past, even yesterday. The only moment is the here and now. No one knows either what tomorrow may bring.

It is time everyone, if you want this world to get better, and believe me it’s pretty sick at the moment, each and every one of us has to be a part of bringing about change. Maybe it’s time to stop arguing about futilities and concentrate on what really is important.

This world needs more love, more tolerance, more empathy and it is up to you, me and everyone to be a part of making this possible.

Images: National Geographic and Google. Acknowledging copyright

HAVEN’T WE LEARNT ANYTHING?

I asked myself this morning, have we learnt one single thing from the ‘Corona drama’? The answer has to be a resounding no. 

I cannot believe what is actually happening in the world right now and there seems to be even more intolerance than before. Why is this? Does anyone have an answer?

To my mind the fact that there was a deadly virus which affected many people who were either hospitalized or in fact died (the numbers are just dreadful on a worldwide scale). We were quarantined into our homes, living by strict rules and regulations and just when you actually begin to think that everyone has had the time to re-evaluate what is actually important in life, then everything goes into complete and utter chaos.

Is this because we are all fed up of the restraints in our lives? I suspect that a lot are, but this is about defining a very important priority which is: how important is your health to you, because believe me, no amount of money will mean that you can buy good health. 

Some people are born with all the lucky genes and live a normal life, with very little health problems whilst others are born with them and it continues on during their entire life. Older age brings on a lot of problems, dementia, problems with joints, obesities and so on, and in the main there are solutions. Always, but at what price?

I was not going to get on the bandwagon talking about the terrible racist acts going on in the USA, but it has been a major news item and I really do not understand at all in anno 2020 that these things still happen. Haven’t we gone on so much further from hatred based on color and creed. Apparently not!

The fact that someone who is in a position of authority and as such is expected to behave on behalf on every single citizen, I find it awful to believe that a policeman literally killed a fellow human being. What the hell is the matter with him? Ask yourself like me and put yourself in a similar situation. Could you have done that? I know I certainly could not have and never would. Literally choking a person to death with your knee on their windpipe. 

Of course, there was a public outcry, hugely supported by many influencers (including the three O’s) and this then led to demonstrations all across the globe. The right to demonstrate about things you do not agree with is a fundamental right of democracy. But hang on a moment: what if the demonstrations get totally out of hand? We are still living in a semi kind of lockdown and there are very hard and fast rules about social distancing, what is open and not, all festivals and large gatherings cancelled this year at least until 1st September and to everyone’s horror a demonstration on the Dam Square in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 5000 people far too close together and everything totally out of control. The local mayor, who is totally hopeless, blamed everyone else except herself. It is her responsibility after all. I want to add. It makes it even worse and much more offensive to those who have kept to the rules, to realize that there are other people who do not give a damn about any rules and do just what they like!

Similar demonstrations in other cities, were controlled and people could vent their opinion without taking any unnecessary risks to their own health or the health of others.

All in all, I could not believe that this was happening all over the world. Yes, it is an outrage that it happened and that a man was killed without any reason whatsoever. The fact too that his skin color was different can never ever be an excuse for such deeds. Never!  Hadn’t we all agreed and promised that, the Klu Klux Klan was a thing we all wanted to put in the past, leave in the past and not think about it again. But we have not moved on at all. I remember the film based on a book (Roots by Alex Haley) about the life in slavery of Kunta Kinte (you too?) and how shocked we all were at this basically true story about slavery many years ago. The way skin color meant that humans were treated differently.

Just by chance I watched a new series on the BBC First called ‘Noughts and Crosses’ which is all about a world the other way around, when the then minorities are now the majorities and in charge! It is rather strange to see.

What on earth is the matter with everyone? We can never make a change in the world and make it a better more tolerant place when things like this keep happening over and over again. I wondered to be honest how the family felt of the policeman who murdered George Floyd. How his mother and father felt? How siblings and other family members felt? It also turned out that they actually knew one another. Is this the way to treat a fellow man? Of course, it is not. There will be punishment and such like, but what is actually the price to pay on another man’s life? How much value does one person have compared to that of another?

It is a very sad situation we all find ourselves in right now in 2020. This was supposed to be a year of big change. It is, but is it in the right way? I despair.

Does mankind not want a change, or does it want to continually be stuck in the old world of competition and duality. Apparently so!

Well I do not for sure. I want to move towards a much more tolerant world, where we treat one another and love one another as equals. I don’t care anymore about possessions, status, how much another person earns, how big their house is, how flash their car is, if they have a perfectly proportioned body, lots of fans and followers on social media or even the exotic places they go on holidays.

There is no point anymore.  

Status and material possessions are a thing of the past. We should have learnt that by now from this current crisis.

Isn’t the only way forward to love our fellowman, irrespective of color or creed. Why is there still so much judgment.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion but just because they may not be the same, does it then give us the right, to either push that person onto the ground, bash them over the head with a wooden truncheon, arrest them, judge them, or even at worst take their life away from them? No, it damned well does not!

And until we all understand that and actually make it a part of our daily life, this world will continue to be a complete and utter mess.

Every single life matters! Every single one. Every living thing.

I saw these words on social media which I thought were very good indeed so will share them with you to finish off this blog:

Isn’t it SAD that always something cruel has to happen first so people start to think of changes …

Can a HASHTAG really describe a whole problem and are dark squares ENOUGH to solve it?

Isn’t it that ALL lives matter?

What is the MEANING of 2020? Didn’t we all learn our lessons in 2019?

The PANDEMIC showed us all of a sudden that we are in the same boat anytime.

I mean ANYTIME – not just now and a single swipe away everything is forgotten.

I wish humankind would learn to work together not AGAINST each other. To be KIND literally.

                                                                                                          ML

THANK YOU !

Just pausing this Sunday morning, to say, THANK YOU to everyone who sends comments on my blogs. I get on average more than a thousand every day and this means it is not always possible to reply to each and every one, or approve each and every one. I try and read as many as I can. So please can I ask you, if you have a specific question, then send me an email (wordsofpassion13@gmail.com). This is a separate email account from WordPress notifications. Then I can reply to anything you want to ask me.

I am filled with gratitude that so many people have registered to my RSS feed and read my blogs regularly. Please feel free to pass them around too in your own social circles. As they say: ‘the more the merrier’.

Have a perfect Sunday everyone.

SOCIAL MEDIA LOCKDOWN

Yesterday I saw a post from a vague acquaintance on Instagram which said:

‘If everybody likes you, you have a serious problem my friend!

No matter what you do, people will always judge

So why stop being you?’

And went on to ask everyone if they were interested to hear about the experiences on Instagram.

Are we all actually interested? I asked myself. I found it a strange post to be honest, because isn’t that what we all want, to be liked by lots of people. It’s good for our self-esteem isn’t it? We used to think that was so important … but is it really?

It made me think that in these difficult times, when social media has actually become so popular because we want to share our lives with literally everyone, then aren’t we making ourselves so much more vulnerable and opening the doors for even more judgment?

I think so, because that is human nature. Welcome to Planet Earth anno 2020. This is what life was all about. I say ‘was’ because I can see that everyone is changing so much because of the worldwide lockdown. I have written in previous blogs about being judged on our success and status as opposed to the person we truly are.

I think the thing that struck me the most about the comment above, was, ‘so why stop being you?’ Yes, why indeed and why should you? I think a lot of people are coming to the conclusion that you ‘take me as you see me’. People do not want to be judged anymore by anyone on their so-called social status. All that rubbish is becoming less and less important each and every day. If there is one thing we have learned from this crisis, it is re-evaluating ourselves big time. Acting out our own little play in life, doesn’t seem to count anymore. Everyone was suddenly confronted by their own drama and even more so, by their vulnerability.

Where it used to be important to be ‘liked’ and have some kind of social status, the bigger the better, now we are all on the same spot. We are vulnerable and in the same position. It has been hard, even if not nearly impossible for some people to get off their little rosy cloud and come back to earth. The feeling of being better than someone else. No, that is all over now. Because we came to the very hard realization that there was only one thing that was important and that was our health!

Sometimes I actually wonder what life would be like with a social media lockdown. Why do we all have the feeling that we have to share so much. I know personally even I do, but more as a promotion for my work as opposed to a daily gallery of what I am eating, where I am going and who is with me. I really dislike all these ‘posed photos’ which appear in the thousands every day. Then get liked by literally thousands and even worse, thousands feel obliged to comment. Why? Is their life so totally boring they have nothing else to do? It’s a full-time job for some people sifting through their social media. When one post multiplies to thousands of likes and comments.

But does it make you any better a person, by the number of social media likes? I don’t think so. 

When I was a small child, keeping in touch with your relatives and friends was by letter. Yes, there was a postal service, we had sort of moved on from the ‘pigeon post’. But practically no one had even a phone at home. There were telephone boxes here and there and you could call up people from there. 

We had never heard of anything like the Internet, WiFi or smartphones. And the next generation up from me have grown up with this from childhood. Now small children have their own Ipad pre-school and you are not part of the in-crowd without a smartphone at primary school. 

Don’t misunderstand me I am all for progress and such like, but sometimes I think, isn’t it all a bit too much sometimes? Why post something like the comment at the beginning on social media and then spend your day, making meaningless replies, and being literally inundated with total crap comments from people who come across as being totally brain dead!

Oh dear, such judgement from my side, but I am trying to make the point here.

Where are our true values? They should be our family, our loved ones, our friends, colleagues and neighbors, in other words ‘our fellow man’ and actually caring for each other. This is the way forward as I see it, working together, changing what was happening in the world and coming back to what is actually important in life. Creating much more respect for one another for starters.

Each and every time I read or hear on the news about the latest internet hack or scam, I really think we do this ourselves. We share far too much in far too big circles. Now don’t get me wrong, it is good to share, but make sure you share the right things. The important things.

The post I mentioned above got 16.772 likes and 469 comments within one single hour!

Sort of puts things into perspective doesn’t it. I wonder if the person who posted thinks the same? Probably not because then you have to ask the question: why did I post it in the first place. Because it boosts the ego. And living from the ego is over. There is no place for ego anymore. Of course we will always have an ego, but there are so many positive ways to feed it, in a proper way. Self-esteem and self-love are important when put in the right perspective.

So that is my question to you all today? Could you cope with a social media lockdown?

Could you actually put your smartphone, Ipad, tablet, laptop or whatever to one side for a whole day? The answer is probably not, because we have this fear of missing out on something. I know I try and discipline myself when I am working to not constantly either pick up my phone or even answer it, but it is not an easy thing to do. But we should. We should spend more time doing things together, it is so much more rewarding and important than some stupid post on the social media circuit.

I remember back in about the year 2000 having lunch with a friend and a representative of a local bank about investments and he sat and said that the future lay in mobile phones. At the time, there was only the famous Nokia mobile phone. Smartphones had not arrived on the scene just yet. I remember listening to him and thinking, yes sure… and he described that we would be able to do with a smartphone soon. But guess what we can, he was right, you can virtually ‘organize’ your entire life with such a gadget.

To my mind this takes away a lot of personal contact. I find myself often typing short messages into WhatsApp as opposed to picking up the phone and having a proper conversation with someone. Do you?

Maybe that is one of the things we can literally move from the word CHANGE TO CHANCE (see my last blog).

The big question we all need to ask ourselves is am I worth it? If you can answer that with a resounding YES maybe it is time to re-evaluate?

So there is not a need to stop being you, but a need to makes a new and better version of yourself ?

Images: Google

CHANGE

It’s Monday morning (again) and as usual wanting to start my week (and I have a list of things to do) in an organized way. From being at home for weeks and weeks, literally hardly ever leaving the house, this week I have two things to do away from my home.

I could not get started this morning with the other things I have to to do, as I knew I would not be able to, until I had sat down and written this blog, as my head is full of thoughts …..

So, pushing everything to the side for a while, I want to write about: Change.

Literally everything seems to have changed since the outbreak of this virus a couple of months ago. First of all, we have all been confronted about our vulnerability when it comes to something the majority of us take for granted: health. The one thing in life you cannot buy.

Suddenly there was a worldwide panic, we all had to stay in the confines of our own homes, avoiding people and places to stop the spreading of said virus. Schools were closed. Children were at home, no day care and a lot of us were working at home. No more coffee breaks or lunches with our colleagues or even more, the after-work drinks sessions. No, we were all at home and it was not easy for many.

Personally, for me, it was no different to be honest that the last 2 years of my life have been, when for other reasons, I was confined to being at home. I actually like to be at home. I was never a person who craved for busy shops, restaurants or such like. I like peace and quiet. My head is constantly full of ideas for my passion: writing. That is what I love to do and each and every time I hope that whatever the subject is that I choose, that someone somewhere will read it and be inspired to maybe have a think about things.

But CHANGE IS THE KEY WORD HERE.  Because we all have whether we realize it or not. Change has happened in all of us. We were not asked if we wanted to change, it was more or less forced on all of us. But it is good to look at this in a positive way.

Because as the picture shows above, just change one simple letter and Change becomes Chance.

Of course. many people have been ill with this virus and a lot have lost their lives, people have lost loved ones, so I don’t want to rush on without mentioning this too, briefly. Because that is change as well. And I feel intensely sad for all those people.

What I want to talk about is this: The fact that the past few weeks have made us all stop and think. Think about ourselves and suddenly a lot have come to the realization that things that seemed so important before have become insignificant now. By this I refer in the main to the sort of role we were all playing in life. How successful we were. How important our status was in society? How we portrayed ourselves to the outside world. How many material possessions we have, or had? How we more or less competed with one another, always striving to be better. Higher up the what is often referred to as the ‘greasy pole’. This is just an English phrase, not about a literal greasy pole, but more about how high up you placed yourself on the steps of success, as opposed to how you got there. Because competition and duality are the key words as to how we all were living. Whether you agree with me or not, this is really how it was and maybe you should think about this.

Suddenly we all find ourselves in a world where we are being challenged to be different. We have to. Change is happening all around each and every one of us. Many influencers are saying that the world needed change, and I agree with that. We could not go on as we were. We were lost along the path of life, constantly over-stretching our boundaries to keep up with all of those moving in the fast lane of life. But what about those, who did not want to be in the fast lane in the first place. What about the people who already realized that status and a position in life, wasn’t really that important?

Many people all over the world, already looked to the more spiritual side of life. They understood what was actually happening. They knew that it was inevitable. Others of course, as many people cannot connect with spirituality at all, are the ones we often refer to as the critical masses. The ones who really need to wake up and change. Because they were like many just following the herd of success (and status too). They really did not have time for form an opinion at all.

So, what are we actually being asked to look at? And how can we change? Well I could probably go on and write a whole book on this subject but as this is a blog and meant to be kept short, the one big question you have to ask yourself for starters is: Are you living the life you dreamed of? Are you really doing what you want to do? And even more so, who are you really? That is enough to be thinking about for the time being.

But one thing is for sure, this current worldwide situation is literally asking everyone to change. Do you honestly believe that the world would have survived the way we were living? Polluting and plundering this planet and then all moaning on and on about all the things we could not have.

I will give you a simple example: We never had enough. We always wanted more.

And now we are severely confined in what we can and cannot do and the end result of that is that we all spend time on reflection. Either we all go into the negative spiral of what we cannot do, or we go the other way around and think about all the positive things we can do. I mean, how many people in your own circles complained about having ‘lack of time’. Were always too busy? The majority, I guess.

Now we have to look inwards, into ourselves and really ask the important questions. How can I change my way of thinking to be ready for what people are calling (and I agree on this) the biggest evolutionary leap mankind is actually making right now? You may be thinking what is she talking about? But think of all the things you suddenly could not do, like for example air travel. Not being able to go on holidays because of worldwide rules and regulations. Did you really miss it, or did you actually enjoy a few days at home in the peace and quiet? Maybe if you have one, just sitting reading a book in your own garden, enjoying the Spring? Yes, it’s a question isn’t it? Just being in your own little unit (family for instance).

But change is what we all will have to do. That is if we want to move on in this said evolution. A lot of things that have been ‘swept under the carpet’ for years are coming to light, and we are all being challenged in that respect. Some of the things that are surfacing are shocking, really. I don’t want to go into details.

For years we have lived in a society of the ‘have’s’ and the ‘have not’s’ and then comes the realization that the one and only thing you cannot buy, even if you have millions on your bank account, is health.  Confronting isn’t it?

So, this is what I mean about us having to change. We have to go back to the basics and decide for ourselves what is actually important. What are your priorities. Slowly and surely the rules are being lifted and we are being given back a little bit of our freedom. What is the first thing the majority do then, rush off in huge numbers to the shops, to have something to do I often wonder. Personally, I never liked shopping at all, much preferred the online version, when it gets literally delivered to the door. Much more convenient and in the time I have I can do something else. Something that enriches my life in a better way. It can be anything too. It does not have to be re-inventing the wheel. It is all about re-inventing myself. To be someone who maybe changes her thought patterns completely. Want to have the breakthrough we all dream of having. Actually, living the life, we all desire. Without all the obligatory trimmings …

Really thinking hard about what is actually important and what is not. The first word that comes to mind is Love. We should have more of that in this world and less of the judgment. Remembering that we all soul beings who came here for a reason. Not everyone knows the reason, or maybe even thinks about it.

But one thing we are all being asked to do is: Change. Change our way of acting, being, doing, thinking, breathing, living, interacting with one another, our mannerisms and so the list goes on.

Ask yourself one simple question: Do you want to change? And if so what?

Then just do it.

A wave of change which in the end will literally change everything.

Images: Google

HUMANS ARE STRANGE CREATURES …. WHY?

Humans are strange creatures…. Sometimes and especially when there is a major issue about fear in the world. The big question is why?

I have noticed during this ‘crisis’ how quickly people tend to judge. Literally everything. Jealousy about what another has. What they themselves are lacking. Desiring. Wanting. Wishing for.

The thing is that at the moment we all live in a 3D world, where literally everything is governed by duality and competition. Everything is based on the idea what you have (material possessions) status, your job, your house, your car and if you are successful you are well up the social ladder. Everything you do is based on the two criteria mentioned above: duality and competition. 

And is it fun? Are you leading the life you truly desire? Or are you, like virtually everyone struggling at this moment. Because you have more time to think about things and then things that seemed so important don’t anymore. Things that totally stressed you out before, like deadlines at work, have faded away into the background. Why? Because you are concerned about other matters. Coping under rules and regulations. For our own safely I would add.

Well, it’s because at the moment mankind is making an evolutional leap into something new. We are all on a journey which is leading to the 5D. Sound all a bit too far-fetched for you? Read on …

We cannot go on as we were. If one thing, this crisis has taught us, or is teaching us, it’s that.

Being away from people and stuck at home, working or coping under difficult circumstances, has shown us all, that the things we made such a fuss about before are so unimportant. Only one thing counts and that is our health… Something that all the money in the world cannot buy or any competition and duality. We are all vulnerable. Simple as that. 

And then comes the big question, are you going to keep repeating patterns, going up the same ladder of 3D or are you going to come on a journey into 5D? Yes or no? 

I know what I am going to choose, 5D for sure, because I feel the world, we live in right now, needs a lot of change. It is, as many say, a crazy world and totally controlled too, by two things, the oil industry and the pharmaceutical industry. I don’t want to go into this right now, this is all old news, what I want to talk about is the NEW. And of course, MONEY. The more you have the more you can control others.

So, if I ask you what you choose, what it is? Love of fear? Pretty simple.

And more important if we are moving into a new 5th Dimension, how do we cope? That is a whole new ball game, but first of all the words are releasing and committing. How far will you go to commit to a new and better life. 

One thing is certain, this ‘crisis’ has taught us all, that things reached such a peak, that change was inevitable.

The time is over where we constantly judge others, we only have to look at ourselves in a gentle way and think about: who am I really? What do I want more than anything else? What do I want to change? How do I do it? What are my dreams and desires? 

And then forget everything you knew until this actual moment. 5D is not going to be  anything like what we knew in 3D. This is all going to be new. 

About a new way of living… Being more aware of synchronicity (that is the signs and symbols we thought were coincidences) and working together instead of creating our own little islands, like we did before. Cooperating with one another, even with those you may think you have nothing in common with at all. Love is the key. Love for all. No more rubbish about color, creed or belief. That is over now.

We have been shown in this ‘crisis’ that no one has a special dispensation, we are all vulnerable and then suddenly in this situation, people start to think and think properly. Joining forces, working together, respecting one another. We don’t have to take the leading role anymore to be considered worthwhile. We are all worthwhile.

It would be wonderful if literally every single human in the world would think about this too. And the only way is for people to write about it in the hope that it gets read for starters and people start telling others. Word of mouth is the best way of getting a message across. You remember the old ‘tam-tam’ works excellently.

So have a think about things. What is your personal opinion? Start by asking yourself a very simple question: Who am I? Do you know the answer? Really? 

It’s about making a choice, whether you want to carry on along the same old journey, the same old pattern, the same old boring things, or are you willing to stand up and make a choice for change?

I recently read something which I think is really prolific at the moment (from Deepak Chopra) 

They asked: ‘what is freedom’?

She answered:

‘Freedom is mental clarity, combined with inner peace. Freedom is when you can see without projecting and when you can live without causing yourself unnecessary mental tension or stress. It happens the moment you are not craving anymore. Happiness and freedom are one’.

Could not have said it better myself! So, who wants to come on the journey to 5D. You? Me? Or Everyone? The collective joining together to make this world a better place. I know what I choose. Do You?

Simple the choice is between LOVE or FEAR !!

IMAGES: GOOGLE

Quote from Deepak Chopra