"Snow" Time Like the Present to Indulge the Inner Child :-)

Hi everybody,

Do you ever make time to contact with and indulge your "Inner Child"?

In my Happy New Year post, I talked of indulging my Inner Child with the craftwork, and of setting the intention of finding joy in each day. In my next post, in the latter part of the Tap-along I stated "And I might still get the chance to make a snowman."

Interestingly enough, on Wednesday evening I had an EFT Telephone Consultation and one of the issues raised was needing to nurture a neglected Inner Child. As it happened, earlier that day I had been really spoiling my own Inner Child.

Apparently, when I was very young, it must have been before I was four years old and we went to live in Australia for a few years, I would go out into the snow, in my little coat and wellies, play around for a while and then come in whinging with the cold, warm up again and be off for more of the same. Well, 4 decades down the road, I was reliving that young child's play-time, but only got cold at the very end this time.

On Tuesday evening the snow finally reached us here in the Midlands and we awoke on Wednesday to find a fair amount of the white stuff had settled. Although very pretty, watching some of the vehicles sliding in the road, I made the decision that not being the most confident of drivers in icy conditions, in fact having no experience of these particularly nasty conditions, the safest thing would be to stay put. Ringing in to the site I go to so as to let them know I'd not be coming, I only got the answer-phone, so the office staff were obviously having difficulty getting in as well.

Knowing that I would have to go out the next day, unless it was really dire, because the car was due in for the MOT, due up that very day, it seemed a good idea to clear some of the snow off the drive. Fortunately the OH's train trip to London had been cancelled in favour of a teleconference but that meant he was tied up on the phone most of the day. That left me to do the snow work. OK, how can I make this chore fun? Why, use the cleared snow to make a snowman, of course.

The snow shovel became defunct last year, and was never replaced - too much hard work for me to use. I tried to first of all roll the snow to make a ball to roll up and down the drive and then on to where the grass usually is. Alas, the snow wouldn't "play ball", it was just too light and fluffy. Tried the spade - bother, it'd take me forever! So I got the dustpan from the shed, and the large bucket once used to house the real Christmas tree we had back in 1999, hunkered down and scooped the snow into the bucket to be deposited on the chosen spot. Bingo! The snow was between 2 and 4 inches thick, and it took about an hour and a half to clear the area in front of my car and beside the OH's. Decent exercise, and kept me quite toasty.

Although I've seen footage and photos of others making great snowmen, mine still wouldn't quite let me do what I wanted to do, so in the end, rather than a snowman, I've got more of a "snow lump", with eyes. :-) But it kept me happy and occupied for the afternoon. Taking the dustpan and bucket back to the shed, I contemplated the virgin snow on the back lawn. It was too much to resist - ever since I've seen it done, I've wanted to make a snow angel - now was the opportunity. Note to self - next time you do that, replace your gloves first! Golly gosh, does the snow burn on bare hands when you do that!

It's still bitterly cold, and it seems more snow is forecast in the next few days, with no end to the freeze for quite a while more. It looks like I may have a shortfall in work if neither I or my clients can get to the day centre but I've decided that if that's the way it's going to be, then it's something I have no control over, so I'm not going to worry about it. The time can be spent quite usefully getting some projects, both business and personal, under way and polished off and I can enjoy the beautiful sunsets and bright blue days these high pressure days bring. It's also fascinating to watch the birds flocking around the bird feeders - how do the little bundles of fluff manage to survive in this bone-bitingly sharp frost?

Thinking about it, isn't that the way a young child acts, in each moment, never thinking of the future but rather revelling in the joys each day brings. So here's to living each day, one day at a time, ever seeking the joy to be found.

Bright Blessings,

Karen

Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.

Tapping in a Positive and Happy New Year with EFT

Hello everybody,

I hope you are all fully recovered after the festivities of the last week or two. Now we face a brand new year and it is the traditional time for many to make resolutions, or as I prefer to do, to set intentions, for the weeks and months ahead.

Of course, the question is, assuming you have made some resolutions, do you keep them? The biggest problem with resolutions is that we usually have the best of intentions; we want to be able to lead healthier, happier, more abundant lives, but once the initial enthusiasm wanes we soon get caught up in other things and those resolutions / intentions go to the wall. "I know I said I'd do this, this year but ...."

Say, for example, you tell yourself you want to lose weight, a very common New Year Resolution. You have logical, good reasons, and yet you still eat inappropriate food, forego exercise, etc. This may be because many people end up self-sabotaging themselves, or have doubts, or negative thoughts or disagreement, usually at a deep, subconscious level, that they can really succeed in their resolutions.

In energy meridian terms, the term for this is Psychological Reversal, or PR as it is often known. Everyone experiences Psychological Reversal, the principle cause of which is negative thinking or beliefs, generally acting from the subconscious depths.

As the section in my EFT manual states: "PR blocks progress. PR is nearly always present in people who have long-term chronic ailments, depression, anxiety or cravings and addictive behaviour, which is why it can prove so very difficult to stop smoking the cigarettes, eating the sugary foods, relinquish the caffeine, etc. Logically and consciously you know it makes sense, but deep down in the psyche something lurks that prevents you from following through. That something is usually emotional."

Using EFT can help us to overcome these negative, self-sabotaging thoughts and doubts, enabling us to clear the decks and allow the positives into our life. Sometimes a few minutes of tapping can have a huge effect. More frequently, it is likely that you need to set aside a few minutes each day to go through a simple tapping routine to keep you clear and focussed.

The use of the phrase "Even though I ......", while tapping on the KC (Karate Chop Point) or rubbing the Sore Spot has the effect of knocking out or correcting the PR. Some people ask why we should focus on the negative feelings, emotions, thoughts as surely that can reinforce them. By focussing your attention upon that negative aspect, you are tuning in to the emotional "dzzzt" in the body's energy system (Gary Craig's EFT Discovery Statement - "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system.") and the ensuing tapping on the acupuncture meridian points is then able to have an effect upon that disruption. You need to clear away that negative first, otherwise it is always going to be lurking there, ready to surface, often when you least expect it. If you haven't cleared that first, then anything you do to try and input positives may, later on, founder.

You don't always need to use the "Even though I ....." to tune in. There are times when you are deeply enmeshed in the emotion, thought, feeling. Think of times when you are extremely angry, worried, fearful, anxious, etc., about something or someone. You are already tuned in. This is when you can tap around all the points and just give vent to all those emotions, continuing tapping until you feel a change, or better. This is sometimes called the "Tap and Rant" method, and from personal experience it is very effective and generally quite swift in bringing you back into harmony.

Ready to tap-along?

As last year was not the best and has left a few things floating that might impinge upon how well I can do in this new year, I decided it would be good to tap out all the negatives that I could think off and replace them with some brighter, more positive aspirations. This is probably best described as a more gentle version of the "Tap and Rant" method, although I do start off with some "Even thoughs ....".

Perhaps some of what I mention may resonate with you; perhaps not, but if you tap-along and say the words you could find that you "Borrow Benefits" all the same. Or perhaps it can act as a bit of a template for you to produce your own tapping statements. Give it a go; you have little to lose. Some of the things I write are a little general, when I actually tapped on more specific things, but obviously in some cases issues are a little more personal and private. :-)

If you are unfamiliar with the Tapping Points you can find photos of the positions here. For this kind of thing I use the Short Cut Version, missing out the 9 Gamut. The whole thing takes me about 6 minutes to go through. (By the time I get to the positive statements, if I were still feel somewhat negative I would carry on releasing those negative thoughst or beliefs before starting on the positives.)

I start by having a glass of water, and taking a few deep, slow breaths. Then off we go, tapping on the Karate Chop Point, or the rubbing the Sore Spot.

Even though last year was a horribly scrappy year, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.

Even though it was so worrying and stressful with Selene and her health issues, I honour myself for coping no matter how challenging this has been.

Even though 2009 had many instances that made me feel worried, frightened and stressed, I deeply and completely love and accept myself, and all those feelings as well.

Even though I had health problems in 2009 that made me feel helpless and frustrated, and out of control, I deeply and completely honour and respect myself anyway.

Even though work has been so quiet, so there's been less income coming in, I love, accept and appreciate myself anyway.

Even though I haven't been able to do all the things I wanted to do last year, for whatever reason, and it is so frustrating, I deeply and completely accept that I am doing the best I can.

Even though I get so fed up and frustrated at times with my work online, I've decided to relax and feel at peace with it all.

Even though I fear I may lack motivation to move forward in 2010, I deeply and completely love and accept myself, and have decided to take it one day at a time.

Eye Brow: Horrible, scrappy year
Side of Eye: Glad 2009 is over!
Under Eye: Certainly had better years!
Under Nose: Selene diagnosed with lymphoma;
Chin: then she goes and has an accident.
Collar Bone: The OH at risk of redundancy;
Under Arm: worrying about the stress toll on his health.
Top of Head: Both of us having that flu-like illness in the summer

EB: Summer! There's a laugh!
SE: Very little chance to sit in the sun;
UE: not able to top up my vitamin D levels;
UN: horrible weather for a horrible year!
CH: Why did it take me so long to throw off that flu?
CB: Why couldn't I just brush it off as usual?
UA: Why do I still feel so tired all the time?
TH: Why can't I help myself like I can help others?

EB: Come to think of it,
SE: 2009 started as it meant to go on.
UE: Weather was bad for getting to work.
UN: No work - no pay.
CH: I had a chest infection in January,
CB: felt like bronchitis;
UA: left me a bit chesty this year?
TH: Poxy year!

EB: Worrying about the effects of the dratted recession.
SE: Work gone so quiet.
UE: Much less money coming in.
UN: People have less to spend on non-essentials.
CH: Guess my work counts as non-essential.
CB: Makes me feel useless,
UA: not contributing enough to the family pot,
TH: not having enough money to spend on fun things.

EB: Can't get away to my beloved Yorkshire Dales
SE: and re-charge my batteries in my spiritual home.
UE: Have to think carefully before I treat myself to any craft things.
UN: Can't treat others when I want to.
CH: Then there is IT - why do I bother?
CB: Fed up with trying to get my head around computer speak.
UA: HTML - why can't it be simple?
TH: Then the programme has gremlins.

EB: Takes us hours to sort out.
SE: Wasting time, when it should be so easy.
UE: Making me late, getting things out.
UN: All I wanted to do was put an image in my New Year newsletter.
CH: Why couldn't it be a simple as a usual email?
CB: Bah humbug and all that!
UA: What if this year is a continuation of last year?
TH: What if I'm stuck in this situation,

EB: unable to see a way forward.
SE: Why should I bother to make an effort,
UE: when very little seemed to work last year.
UN: Feel like I've no control at times.
CH: No matter what I do to make things different,
CB: little seems to work.
UA: So frustrated at times.
TH: Wish I had more control.

EB: But hey!
SE: 2009 is over and done with.
UE: It's in the past.
UN: Done is done!
CH: This is a brand new year;
CB: a brand new start!
UA: Clean slate.
TH: Yes, Selene was diagnosed with cancer,

EB: but she has responded exceptionally well to treatment;
SE: she's still with us,
UE: looking good;
UN: eating well.
CH: The OH still has a job;
CB: indeed he has extra tasks
UA: and might be in line for a bit of a promotion.
TH: Who knows?

EB: Now all that is settled,
SE: he can start looking after his health better.
UE: I can't control everything for him;
UN: I acknowledge I have to let him take personal responsibility for himself.
CH: I can only be responsible for my own state of health and well-being.
CB: But I can be there as a support for him,
UA: and point him in the right direction,
TH: but I accept that ultimately it's down to him.

EB: I'm starting this year feeling pretty good.
SE: Yes, I've had respiratory problems last year,
UE: but remember that cold that tried to take hold
UN: just two weeks before the holidays;
CH: the one you nuked with vitamin D?
CB: I know I'm doing things to support my health.
UA: I know the EFT helps with the symptoms.
TH: OK, I can't make things disappear overnight.

EB: But they don't last as long as they used to,
SE: in the past,
UE: when a cold would take nearly a month to go.
UN: I have strengths I can use
CH: for this coming year.
CB: EFT and Reiki,
UA: caring for myself,
TH: building me up,

EB: so I'm are in a fit state
SE: to help others.
UE: So, it's been quiet lately, workwise.
UN: What if I choose to see that as a blessing?
CH: When I've not been well,
CB: I'm hardly in a fit state to help others.
UA: What if I choose to see that the quiet time
TH: has given me more time

EB: to do other things?
SE: I've certainly been able
UE: to do more reading this year;
UN: especially for pleasure.
CH: I've always had enough funds
CB: to enable me to do really important things.
UA: I've been able to do my EFT Level 3 training.
TH: I've been able to attend the EFT mentoring days.

EB: I've had more time to go into EFT
SE: to see how it works for me.
UE: The holidays have gone well
UN: and I realize that you don't need to spend money
CH: to treat family and friends.
CB: I can choose to be more positive about the coming year.
UA: So the IT stuff is a foreign language?
TH: I can choose to see it as a challenge

EB: to learn how to decipher
SE: and use this strange language.
UE: I can allow myself to see the benefits that the Internet can bring,
UN: how it allows me to contact others
CH: and perhaps be of help.
CB: I can choose to feel confident about this coming year.
UA: I can choose to take things one day at a time.
TH: I can allow myself to find joy

EB: in everything I do.
SE: I can choose to be motivated
UE: and move forward with confidence.
UN: I know I am capable
CH: and able to take control when I need to,
CB: and yet allow flow
UA: when it's necessary.
TH: I don't really want to be a control-freak;

EB: I choose to allow space for spontaneity and fun.
SE: I am open to the possibility
UE: that 2010 can be a fantastic year.
UN: I am grateful for the lessons
CH: I learned from last year.
CB: I choose to release myself from pain and struggle,
UA: letting go of the past
TH: and reaching for the future;

EB: a bright, positive future
SE: and I look forward to many wonderful surprises
UE: along the way.
UN: We may even get a decent summer this year!
CH: And I might still get the chance to make a snowman.
CB: I choose to let go of any limiting beliefs
UA: that may be holding me back,
TH: acknowledging with love and forgiveness

EB: any part of me that is trying to keep me safe,
SE: perhaps thinking "Better the devil you know..."
UE: I choose to believe that it is safe for me to move forward
UN: to build upon what I already have.
CH: I choose to be relaxed and peaceful about the forthcoming weeks and months.
CB: I choose to know that I can be successful in anything I do.
UA: And I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
TH: I deeply and completely honour and respect myself.

Finish with a nice deep breath and perhaps a glass of water.

If you decide to give this a go, I'd be interested to hear how you get on. Please do drop by and let me know, especially if you have successfully adapted it to your own situation.

If you want to get ideas for affirmative tapping phrases to use in your statements you can find quite a few on Betty-Moore-Hafter's site and Karen Nauman's.

Bright Blessings,

Karen


Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.

2010 Happy New Year Everybody!

Wishing Everybody a Joyful, Peaceful, Happy and Prosperous New Year

Well, that's the Festive Season done and dusted for another year, and here we are in 2010 already. Still not really sure where 2009 went!

The card above was completed 30 minutes into the new year, with me putting the finishing touches to my 2010 New Year card early this morning. l had to have a play with some of my Yule gifts - Promarker colouring pens, and found the "Party Pippin" image designed by Louby Loo, to colour in on the Digital Delights website. Stamp up a fireworks background, and mat the coloured-in image onto the card base, and there we have it.

It was great fun to get in touch with the Inner Child and colouring is so therapeutic. This was only my second attempt with the alcohol-based Promarker pens, and I don't have the full set - yet (:-D) so shading was a bit more difficult, but I'm really rather chuffed with the results.

I don't know how it has been for you, but 2009 seems to have been a scrappy year for us, with Selene's dices with death, and even worse for some. A family member has been told the cancer he's been fighting has now spread, and is terminal, with only a few months to go; another family member has been in hospital for quite a while now, possibly with Parkinson's disease, but not sure; one of my sister's cats died on the Wednesday before Christmas; he'd been in renal failure for two years but managing OK, but more recently was diagnosed with lymphoma - just like our Selene. Alas, being nearly twice her age, about 15 years old, and having the underlying kidney problem, he wasn't able to respond as Selene did and lost his fight. At least he died at home and didn't have to undergo the stress of a final visit to the vet.

The recession hasn't left us untouched either. Private work has been extremely quiet for me, although thankfully the aromatherapy work at my two sites is still there. The OH was at risk of redundancy in the first part of December, but fortunately a far higher number of people in his group were after voluntary redundancy than there were places so he's safe for now, and actually doing additional work for his manager, so seriously considering asking for an upgrade of his job title/status.

Along with the cards this year came the annual catch-up of news, and unlike in previous years, illness, death and not-so-pleasant experiences seemed to predominate, so it appears to me that 2009 is definitely a year to consign quite easily to the scrap heap.

I'd noticed earlier that December was a Blue Moon month, with two full moons occurring. We've all heard the saying "Once in a Blue Moon" suggesting that this is something that doesn't often happen. Looking out the window last night I was watching the full moon (blue moon), amazed in fact that it wasn't hidden behind clouds, although a slight bit of the lower right side did seem to be a bit hidden. It looked as if there was a bit of an eclipse, but I didn't think to check at the time. This morning I learned that there had indeed been an eclipse visible (an even rarer event - an eclipse of a blue moon), and I'd happened to look out at just the right time.

Normally, in our experience, celestial events are nearly always hidden behind cloud cover here in the UK, so I felt very pleased that I'd seen it, and in a funny way, it has set me up in a very cheerful, positive state of mind, which I think is a fantastic way to start the New Year.

I don't generally make resolutions at this time of year, partly because the usual ones don't apply; I don't smoke; my weight is stable and I'm happy with it; my way of eating is easy to follow; we go for regular walks (weather permitting) so I get some exercise; I don't have issues with alcohol, etc.

However, I do like to set some intentions and this year I certainly shall. The main intention is to seek and find joy in everything I do this year, even when things seem tough - perhaps another way of looking at it is to see the silver lining in every cloud. I'm quite interested in the Abraham-Hicks Law of Attraction stuff, and it seems an eminently good idea to focus on the positive, and attract more of that energy, rather than letting the more negative energies bring me down. The daily quotes can give food for thought, as well.

I also intend to have a far more balanced approach this year between work, rest and play. Creative play took a very back seat pretty much throughout last year, but this year is going to be different.

There are so many different things in my craft room to play with, and so many varying techniques to try and I want to make sure I have more time to have a mess about. I didn't get around to starting my festive cards until nearly November, and I completed the final one at 1.00am on Christmas Eve, thankfully only to be cyber-posted to the Stampscapes internet group. I'm hoping to make a few festive cards each month, along with the usual celebratory ones for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Interestingly enough, although December seemed to come upon me like an avalanche, and almost totally unprepared (most unusual for me - the List Queen!) I didn't feel very much stress or tension at all. That is great, as it suggests to me that all the energy work, the EFT and the Reiki, I've been doing on myself throughout the year has reaped dividends.

I'll be putting out another post in a day or so about how I use EFT to help set me up for a positive start to the year. Although personal to my circumstances, it might be of service to you as well, with a few changes and tweaks here and there.

Or you can just tap-along with it as it is, and "borrow the benefits". (Not sure what that means? If you haven't already done so, take the opportunity to download Gary Craig's EFT manual before the website disappears on his retirement - although I understand Gary is keeping the site up into March now; and/or download my manual "Balance Your Life With EFT" and look for the Borrowing Benefits section. I'd also suggest that you download and save Gary's pdf "The Palace of Possibilities - Using EFT to Achieve One's Potential" as it is exceedingly interesting and motivating.)

Must go and tidy out my craft room now - it's positively dangerous in there at the moment with piles of stuff everywhere, just waiting to fall on you as you squeeze by. Unfortunately I am not the tidiest of crafters, or cooks, come to that. The house got tidied before Christmas and in between Christmas and New Year; my work desk is neat and tidy and all paperwork accounted for and filed away, so there's just that job left.

I'll be back soon with that tap-along, but if you are feeling "stuck "at the moment, and not quite sure what you want 2010 to bring, then you might like to visit EFT Master Jaqui Crooks at Beacon Training and give her tap-along a whirl.


Bright Blessings,

Karen


Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.

Selene's Solstice Gift to Us ...

Hi, everyone,

We've had another wonderful Solstice gift today!

If you have read the earlier posts here and here, you will know that the second of out three cats, Selene Mama Cat was diagnosed with lymphoma of the bowel wall, a type of cancer of the lymphatic system and white blood cells.

Today we had to take her for her third follow-up visit to the vet and he was able to give us the news that Selene's lymphoma seems to be in remission; it's the same as last time, i.e. barely noticeable.

We know there is a possibility that she may not make the oldest of bones - note the use of the term possibility rather than probability - as someone who is interested in the Law of Attraction my preference is to focus on seeing Selene as healthy as possible and still with us in years to come. She is still on the receiving end of lots of healing, both Reiki and EFT. She could have gone last September, and now she's filled out again, and even managing to go off mousing :-( ; not that it stops her mugging Hecate for hers!

Her appetite is generally still quite good and we've even found her doing the same thing she did the first night we had her - helping herself to the milk in our mugs.:-)





So we are really pleased to have this news. I still ask myself is the EFT and Reiki responsible? Who knows, but as that well-known advert here in the UK states: "Every little helps!".

Bright Blessings,

Karen


Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.

Solstice Greetings to One and All!

Hi everyone,

Winter Solstice. This is probably one of my most favourite times of the year - the day of the longest night, when the Wheel of the Year turns towards the brighter, longer days to come. Not being a follower of the Christian path, albeit respecting all those who do, and those who follow the many other paths of the Light, this is one of the highlights of my year.

Selena Fox writes here about the celebration of the Solstice and I like a lot of what she has to say. I celebrate the Solstice and the rest of the family celebrate Christmas, so I actually do get an extended festive season, which is great for a big child like me. In our house, as well as traditional Christmas day gifts, we always exchange a present on the Solstice day, and today were able to do that exactly at 17.47 GMT, the moment of the Solstice.

My dear OH bought me an impulse present, as he called it, and watched with some trepidation as I unwrapped it (previously impulse buys have included a microscope - useful if only I had the space to put and use it, and a telescope (!), because "you like to look at the moon." Well, they do say it's the thought that counts. :-D ). This time, he'd got it spot-on. A beautiful symbol of the Light - a gel fireplace. I love watching flames, and as we don't have a real fireplace in our house, I've had to make do with candle flames (I wonder sometimes if I was an arsonist in a previous life; I've also always been enchanted by photos of volcanoes erupting - despite being a watery Pisces, with an earthy Taurus rising.)

We had to try it out, of course. Beautiful!



The first picture was with the flash; the second is more atmospheric and shows how it looked for real. Watching the flames dance was quite mesmerizing; Alasdair was dozing off; Pyewacket was on his lap, eyes on the flames, and I was entranced.

We've had the lights, the tree and the decorations up nearly two weeks now - this year is another of the child-like ones for me and there is great pleasure in looking at the lights and tree, and all. Today I gathered in some ivy from the garden and some holly from the hedgerows, and we brought in the mistletoe, kept in the cold garage this year so it looks much fresher this time.







I've finally found a way to keep the "Littl'Un", Hecate, from playing with the baubles on the tree. Last year I soaked some cotton wool with a Festive Season essential oil mix I made up (Red Mandarin, Pine, Frankincense, Cinnamon and Clove Bud) and placed it under the tree. It kept her away all right. This year I used Orange as my base instead of Mandarin and added some Myrrh, and some Coriander essential oil, just to ring the changes. It still works, and when she turned her attention to the ribbons on the door holding the cards, a drop on the ends stopped that as well. So peace reigns... and she decided it was best to keep her Mama Selene, company and warm.



At this time of deepest, darkest winter, at least here in the northern hemisphere, I think of the tiny seeds lying dormant in the cold, dark soil, awaiting the warming, life-giving light of the sun as it strengthens into spring-time. Waiting to burst into life and become beautiful plants, and perhaps some not quite so beautiful weeds (:-D). And life is like that, following the cycle of the seasons.

For many people I know, 2009 has been a really grotty year. Despite all that, I would like to wish Light, Love, Peace and Joy to all, no matter what path you may follow, as it's my belief we are all headed the same way. I'd like to think of this card I made as being a symbol of the Light and Love moving throughout the world at this time.









Bright Blessings,

Karen


Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.

Gary Craig, Founding Father of EFT, Announces his Retirement

Hi everyone,

Well, I got quite a shock reading my email this morning as I learned that Gary Craig, founding father of EFT, has announced his retirement from 15th January, 2010.

In some ways, perhaps, it doesn't come as the greatest of surprises as Gary has devoted so much time, energy, effort and resources to getting EFT out there in the world. To learn that you have suffered a silent heart attack must come as a bit of a shock to say the least, and a reminder that an individual can only commit so much of themselves to a cause.

It will be a shame if all the information on the emofree website disappears as I know it has been a great inspiration for many people - for many of whom standard modern medicine has failed or left wanting. Perhaps something might be worked out there, who knows. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to go along to the site and search out any particular topics of interest to you, and download the EFT Manual if you haven't already done so, before it goes.

I was hoping to get my EFT Cert 1 during next year, but it looks like that is now not to be. However, I do have the complete set of DVDs to peruse again and again, and I will make sure to download the Study Notes for EFT Cert 2 so that I can watch those particular DVDs with my eye on the more important aspects to note. There is always something new to learn from seeing the master at work and to further my knowledge to help myself, and others.

The DVD sets will be available subject to availability up until Gary's retirement date and although they may seem a bit of a financial outlay, the information you can find within the many hours is priceless. So here is possibly your last chance to get hold of these, although Gary does state in his blog posting that there is a possibility that something may be arranged to carry on with them, but no guarantees as yet.

Some interesting news to look forward to however, is the news of the release of a full length movie showing the use of EFT to help war veterans deal with PTSD, which we will hopefully see early next year. I am sure that is going to be extremely mind boggling to some out there, but if it helps people who otherwise seem doomed to have terrible memories impinge upon the rest of their lives, then bring it on!

So a HUGE THANK YOU, Gary, for all your time and commitment and for the benefits that EFT has brought for myself, my loved ones and clients. We wish you all a very happy, healthy, long retirement and the brightest of blessings for a peaceful, joyful and loving Festive Season.


Bright Blessings,

Karen


Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.

Oh, the Joys of the Internet Newsletter!

Hi everyone,

The Internet certainly has its benefits, and it's nice to receive newsletters on all sorts of topics. But I.T. and me don't always gel well together, and I (more accurately, the dear OH, my resident Tech. Support) have spent the last 3 days trying to sort out why the latest edition of my newsletter has been attacked by the IT gremlins, and wouldn't save.

It's a pain really as this is the first newsletter that I've done that has time sensitive information in it. Typical, I suppose. We did a test, and it all worked fine - apart from the fact that only a few of the hyperlinks were working. Scratch the old head; tried again - decided it was best to put the url in alongside the link so that if needs be, recipients can cut and paste. But now it wouldn't save.

OH had a good old go at trying to sort it; then we decided to get hold of the Tech. Support for the software. It appears that it could be the use of the apostrophe that causes the problem., in both the name of the newsletter and the subject line. Most odd - I've managed to produce 4 previous newsletters all fine.

So we've had to change things a bit, and not use apostrophes, which feels really strange as both me, and OH, can be rather pedantic about correct use of the good old apostophe, and it just isn't grammatically correct now - but needs must, I suppose. :-)

I see my copy has just popped into my Inbox, and it looks as if it's all present and correct, minus the dratted apostrophe.

A really good, fun-to-read book on the use of punctuation is Lynne Truss's Eats Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. I do occasionally stray, I am sure, but I prefer properly punctuated reading to text speak and the like that you get so much of now. Showing my age, I suppose.

Golly gosh, a short post today; probably my first. I might get short enough to Twitter, yet. :-)


Bright Blessings,

Karen


Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or requests.

To start learning about EFT you can download my "Balance Your Life With EFT" free manual, and I would also strongly recommend you get Gary Craig's here. You can obtain Gary's comprehensive training DVD sets here.

Please Note: Anything on the EFT side of this blog is provided as a public courtesy to help expand the use of EFT in the world. While Gary Craig and EFT encourage such efforts, they cannot evaluate or endorse the multitudes of them that exist. Thus any EFT content of this blog represents the unique ideas and usage of EFT by me, as its author, but not necessarily those of Gary Craig or EFT.