Een Spiritueel leven leiden

De afgelopen weken heb ik op een ander kanaal stukjes geschreven over het leiden van een Spiritueel leven. 

De eerlijkheid gebiedt mij te zeggen, dat de informatie behoorlijk autobiografisch is en hoe kan het ook anders. Schrijven zoals ik dat het liefste doe, is iets wat van binnenuit komt, vanuit het hart en dat geldt, denk ik, voor velen. Het is best wel prettig voor aanvullende informatie of bij onduidelijkheden rond te snuffelen in de boekenkast, op internet en ik heb de gewoonte ontwikkeld eerst een onderwerp te bedenken en aantekeningen te maken, het materiaal te laten liggen, uren, dagen, maanden soms, voor ik ermee verder ga. Dat levert regelmatig ook irritaties op, blokkades en het regelmatige gebruik van de Delete knop.

Het is een leuke exercitie te schrijven over het leiden van een Spiritueel leven. Het lijkt erop dat door de tijd heen veel mensen daarnaar op zoek gaan, handvaten zoeken om een "zinvol" leven te leiden. Wel, daar is het weer .. Spiritueel of zinvol, Spiritueel/zinvol. Is er eigenlijk wel verschil. in mijn boekenkast heb ik al jaren lang een boek waarin vanuit Boeddhistisch standpunt geschreven wordt over Waarlijk leven.

Uiteindelijk komt het er bij mijzelf op neer, dat ik de tijd neem om gewoon zo bezig te zijn. Vingers vliegen over het toetsenbord en ik stop af en toe even om terug te lezen wat het is geworden, welke tekst tevoorschijn is gekomen. 

Mijn stukje (op het andere kanaal) ging vandaag over Creativiteit. De eigen creativiteit wordt zo vaak door onszelf onderschat, wordt zo vaak gezien als precies datgene wat jezelf graag zou willen creëren en niet bij machte bent voor elkaar te krijgen, het hoort bij iemand anders. 

Hier volgt een uitnodiging: als je interesse hebt in het ontdekken, het onthullen van jouw specifieke creatieve vermogens, jouw talenten .. neem dan even de tijd om stil te worden. Gewoon stil! Een rustige plek, een rustig muziekje kan helpen! In je hart heb je de vraag "wie ben ik, wat kan ik, wat zal ik gaan ontdekken", en doe dat met regelmaat. Ontdek hoe bijzonder je bent en hoe je kan gaan stralen en word één met al wat is, vind de harmonie en je antwoord.

Met liefs,

Juliet Joan

Gisteren en morgen is NU!

Mooie titel toch? 

Deze titel heb ik letterlijk overgenomen van een boek geschreven door Dick West over het leven van Joop van Limbeek, schaapherder en paragnost. Het is zo treffend voor ons eigen leven en is in mijn beleving van toepassing op ons allemaal. 

Waarom zou je teveel blijven hangen in het verleden, waarom zou je je te-veel zorgen maken over de toekomst, terwijl het NU bedoeld is om te genieten van de goede dingen die je op je pad tegenkomt en tegelijkertijd lijntjes uitzetten naar waar je op hoopt voor morgen...

Met een open oog en een positieve instelling kan zelfs de glimlach van een toevallige passant je een blij gevoel geven, waar je even op kan teren.

Joop kunnen wij beschouwen als een van de pioniers van het Nederlandse Spiritualisme. Het is best wel interessant op te merken, dat de Nederlandse pioniers in Nederland verhoudingsgewijs veel minder aandacht krijgen dan bijvoorbeeld de Engelse.

In de nabije toekomst ga ik me een beetje verdiepen in deze geschiedenis en hoop wat meer licht te laten schijnen op dit "manco" in onze geschiedenis.

Sinds oktober 2022 werk ik als vrijwilliger in de bibliotheek van het Spiritueel Huis aan de Voorstraat in Delft, een bijzonder inspirerende omgeving kan ik wel zeggen, met veel studiemateriaal, onder andere hoop ik veel informatie over de Nederlandse en wie weet, ook Surinaamse pioniers te zullen ontdekken.

Jullie tips zijn van harte welkom. 

Liefs,

Juliet Joan 

 

IT'S A NEW DAY

A card for you today from the Magical Unicorn deck.

This card indicates, that you are in the position to say goodbye to old habits and situations, that have been a burden to you far too long. The temptation to (be held) hold back is present and strong, not in the least because it feels hard to let go and tread new pathways. Know, there is no one pushing you, just feel in your heart and soul the timing is right and your future is winking.

In the process of change, of growth, we need to take up our roots so to say and go out there, looking for more fulfillment.

Keywords: love yourself, follow your heart, hold your head up high.

Writing is something I love to do and fail to do on a regular basis. Although I am not a shy person I tend to withhold from sharing my ideas and thoughts, but every now and I feel I have to give in to that need, for a need it is.

Picking a card from one of my lovely "decks" and tune in to the Spirit world for guidance to interpret it, seems like a good idea to do today. I hope you like it and can take something of its meaning for yourself.

With love,

Juliet Joan

Keuzes maken (herziene tekst)

Keuzes maken 
In het leven
Is een kunst

De levendige geest voelt zich aan banden gelegd
Er wordt zo vaak over gezegd 
Het moet goed voelen .. vrij
Geen frustraties, geen begrenzing
Maar hoe? Hoe vaak? Hoe lang?
Leef het leven! Wordt ook vaak gezegd
Leven is van alles! Goed en fijn!
Alles mag er zijn .. tenzij vermoeidheid/verdriet/frustraties zich laten zien
Dat is niet de bedoeling
Het komt dus neer op EIGEN keuzes maken in het leven
Altijd weer .. altijd maar weer
Beweging .. levendigheid .. gebruis

Adempauzes .. momenten van inkeer 
Zo gaat het!
Zo is het!

(Het is heel bijzonder een reading te krijgen van een collega medium, tijdens een cursus. Voor een buitenstaander kan de "boodschap" vreemd of onbegrijpelijk overkomen. Als het goed is, zoals in dit geval - zie de afbeelding - kwam het helemaal bij mij binnen. dat leidt vaak ook tot inspiratie)

Liefs
Juliet Joan

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Chakras - Finding the way - 2

Working with chakras

Some of you already know of my love of colour and my deep interest in the chakra system.
Yes I call it a system and a couple of years ago I taught about chakras and about the way they influence you mentally, physically and emotionally, whether you are aware of it or not. In the process and with practice my students could enhance their state of being.

As happens in life we tend to forget about the way we have been affected by new knowledge, but if we have had deep and intense experiences in the past they most certainly have become part of who we are.

Implementing chakras in your life

Today I need to talk about the "forgetting" part.
While in hospital almost four months ago one of my former chakra students mailed to make an appointment and of course I was not in the position to comply with it at the time but ... for me it was a formidable trigger.
She urgently needed an appointment and referred to the chakra course of about 7 years ago. She felt stuck and didn't know how to proceed with her life anymore. She needed help. She was in despair.
What to do now?
As always I ask myself "why this? why now? what can I learn from it?"
I managed to send her an email with some "first aid chakra tips". 
At the same time I realized that those tips could and should be used by myself.
So I did!!

Two weeks after being released from the hospital I started with daily chakra meditations (Chakras for Healing and Chakras for Power).
Feeling the ignition of the chakras and noticing how my physical and mental system started to become stronger felt like bliss.
That, PLUS the strong and direct connection with the world of Spirit have helped me to give focus to my life again.

The philosophy behind this story

Never ever give up. Let go of control and let be. Think of love and love your beautiful Self. You may be surprised how Help presents itself.


With love,
Juliet Joan

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Finding the way - 1

Good intentions

Over the years there have been so many, too many moments, that I did not fulfill my dream to make writing and drawing the highlight of my days.

There is always something else that creeps in .. studying, the phone, emails, a cup of coffee with a great conversation-to-go .. you name it.

In fact I am not the only one with this problem and the biggest hurdle to do what I want to do is perfectionism.

Today I told myself that this frustration should end. I do not have to write or draw every day! One or two times a week is so much better than not at all.

Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way is lying next to me and she indicates two pivotal tools in creative recovery: the morning pages and the artist date.

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Studying the book and bringing forward the results will be my focal point in the next future.

Turning point

At the beginning of May I was in hospital, diagnosed with a pneumonia.

I was seriously ill and totally apathatic, not interested in whatever anymore. It took two days of tubes with fluid, oxygen and antibiotics to get me into the awareness, that I was surviving something very invasive that could have killed me.

Today I feel so much better. The lungs are totally clear and powerful!!

I have the feeling, that it is high time to listen to that inner voice that gently pushes me towards developing that side of my inner being more.

With love,

Juliet Joan

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Getting "lost" in possibilities - part 2

So much has happened after the post of April 26, with the same title.
https://foetoejepi.blogspot.nl/2017/04/getting-lost-in-possibilities.html

In fact it was about the balance in life, my life.
Finding balance is always a personal thing. We can become absorbed with the things that make our life worthwhile, that give our life meaning, that make us feel happy and acknowledged, only to find out at a certain point, that something is missing or that we need replenishment of our energy because we have lost sight of the "big whole".

Did I already mention the influence of our two brain halves on ourSelf?

To illustrate this subject a bit better than I could possibly do I have copied an article for you with thanks to" Livescience". It looks a bit difficult to read, but it makes clear that scientists are not (yet) convinced there is a difference between left and right. 

During all the years that I have studied different forms of therapy, it was a starting point, though, a starting point that I have embraced fully.

Now that I am in my "golden years" I feel the need to explore the left side, the more logical side of the brain a bit more.
Playing bridge is supporting me in this. It is so different from Spiritualism .. it activates my logical side and gives the words "clarity", "clear mindedness", "openness" and "being in balance" another meaning.

"Are you right-brained or left-brained?

It's a popular question, hovering at the edges of sound neuroscience. The left brain is supposed to be more creative and artistic, the right brain more organized and logical. Indeed, Google "right-brain dominance" or "left-brain dominance," and you'll find endless blog posts on the subject. You'll also find quizzes that purport to tell readers which sort of person they are." (For the rest of the article click on the link below).

https://www.livescience.com/32935-whats-the-difference-between-the-right-brain-and-left-brain.html

Enjoy your life and remember there are two sides to a coin, there is light and dark, black and white and that there is always a middle.
With regards to the brain .. try to mix your practicality with your emotions and vice versa. See the beautiful and complete person that you are.


Any questions/remarks feel free to drop me a line.


With love,
Juliet Joan

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Matters of the heart - 6 - Compassion

The heart chakra is about love. Love of self and love of others. The colours that resonate with it best are pink and green. The element is air. Think of earth and all her abundance. Feel the beating of your heart in tune with your breath .. Feel the expansion of your lungs .. You may BREATHE.

Challenge

It is quite a task I have given myself. Writing about heart matters is not easy. 
Oh well, I like challenges.

I have discovered, that it is really all about accepting yourself, with all the strengths and vulnarabilities, and also that the major trick to survive and not to drown in a pool of misery when you are hurt is to keep focussing on your own inner strength.
If you think about it, the only one you can trust to be totally honest is your Self, that part of you that is connected to your soul, to the God you believe in. Of course it also that same part of you that needs exploring, and THAT is a lifelong journey.

Compassion

It helps me to remember that I am not the only one in distress every now and then. 

A big item related to compassion is Love. Do not go out there and cry along with someone else and mistake that for compassion. In my opinion it is best to strengthen your back, find your own inner strength and face whatever needs to be faced, with your own set of values on board and the love that carries you along. I find compassion in a loving face, a caress, a listening ear, a field of flowers like in the picture of my secret garden in this post. 

Do not think that I don't care

If I don't cry visibly along with you

Do realize my tears do not ease your burden

It is my strength that can carry you along.

With love,

Juliet Joan


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Matters of the Heart - 5 - Balance (revised)

The heart chakra is about love. Love of self and love of others. The colours that resonate with it best are pink and green. The element is air. Think of earth and all her abundance. Feel the beating of your heart in tune with your breath .. Feel the expansion of your lungs .. You may BREATHE.

Balance

It has taken some time to continue with posts about the heart chakra. Opening up to the heart is opening up to the soul and that leads to contemplation, awareness, getting some issues out of the way, meeting the Self in all its beauty but also some characteristics that need to be dealt with. 
Moreover life has been very busy and writing this kind of post is not a one minute thing.
Opening up the heart is opening up to love but also to vulnerability. To discover how THAT can be acknowledged as an enormous power and not as a weakness is truly an eye opener. 

How do I use balance?

The word balance has several meanings. 
In this post it is about "to be or become equal or even" in a psychological and personal way.

For me one of the most important things in life is to find the right balance between body and soul. 

During the past 14 months I started changing my eating habits. They are now low on carbohydrates and sugar and that suits me fine. I have discovered, though, that it is difficult for me not to take pastries when offered. But .. I do not keep anything in stock, which helps a lot. Although it was not my goal to lose weight I did. Without any effort I lost 6 kilograms and that is an extra bonus, because not only do I feel better healthwise, that natural loss of weight has given me an extra glow (or I like to think that it does). I have much more energy and feel more vital which benefits my outlook on life. This diet thing just happened. One day I simply decided that all that bread and all that rice I consumed were "out". That was the beginning of the change. I have added much more vegetables and fruit and nuts to my meals and that was that!!
Oh .. I also bought an activity tracker and I use it.

Working towards balance and the value we place on it

We can work towards balance within our own heart chakra. There are loads of practices to be found to try and get there. (Don't forget, that in your busy life you can choose for walking meditations as well!!)

I have selected some tips to meditate to help you on your way. 

• Time (don’t stretch yourself timewise. Start with a daily routine, for instance 5 minutes a day, preferably at the same time and see how it goes).
• Take a couple of moments to wind down and clear your mind.
• Shower before going to bed and visualize letting go of everything “heavy” that happened during the day 
• Create a designated space to meditate.
• Start with a few deep breaths to calm the body.
• Start a diary (it can be so helpful helping to reflect in the future on what you have already achieved by meditating) 

The heart chakra is the fourth of the seven main chakras and plays a central role in passing through life's energy to all the others. (In fact all chakras do that, a blockage in one of them results in unbalance throughout). The heart as seen as the core of who we truly are, the resting place of our soul, has my full attention right now. Learning to listen to your heart can be achieved in silence, through meditation, by becoming aware what makes you "tick" and to go for it. Nobody can dictate that to you.

We can acknowledge there is no perfection. The value we place on a balanced heart chakra is ours to determine. It is hard work if we intend to do soul searching and it is an ongoing process throughout life. 

It is not easy to write about balance and searching around I found this interesting quote which covers a lot of my thoughts and ideas.

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” – Robert Fulghum


The next keyword is Compassion


With love,
Juliet Joan

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What to do when life/love takes over?

Yesterday morning after doing some shopping, intending to work on my to do list, something interesting happened.
Top priority was to work with my writing and creativity and I had it all worked out!

Remember my previous post? "What to do when you are stuck in possibilities?"  It said writing and working with my creativity would come first.

Well .. I walked to my office, put on my computer, looked at the program on the website of the Spiritualist National Union International, an organization that I am a member of and decided to join one of the on line classes running at that time. It was a class on the Philosophy of Spiritualism. Gone were my intentions of writing and being creative as planned at that time!

Just some short background information

I have studied the Religion and Philosophy of Spiritualism for about 9 years now and at one point decided to become a Spiritualist.
Not an easy decision for a non-religious person but on the other hand it felt as a natural step. The feeling of coming home, of understanding life .. my life, a bit better, getting things into perspective was quite .. how can I put it, warm, .. that is what did it. 

I lost it a little bit I guess, these last couple of months, probably due to an overdose of study taken on board (so much for planning and overestimating myself!!) and decided to turn my focal point to things more plain to become more balanced, because that is what I felt I needed. 

Under the wings of Spirit again

The feelings of love and warmth, when entering the class yesterday were a bit overwhelming.
There it was!! All the love and light was still there and even more. How welcomed can a person feel.That sensation of being in the right place, at the right moment in time, the shift of energy when you realize that everything, really everything, even doubts need their place in the universe of one's existence, only to realize you are on the right track!

The sensation

Have you ever realized that the word sensation enfolds your physical senses: seeing, smelling, feeling, hearing and tasting and that there is the sixth one as well? Let us call it perception for now, a sensation very difficult to describe in one word. That is what happened to me yesterday and that is who I am. Living in togetherness with the Spirit world, always. Giving in to the gentle push of letting go of set intentions because something stronger comes first.  

Conclusion

Going back to the starting point, making a planning of things I want to do, showed me, that following "impulses" or being "intuitive" does not take me away from my planning. In fact I had a boost of energy and do-power afterwards, which shows that a bit of flexibility can be very rewarding. 

I feel very lucky and strong and do wish you the same.

With love,
Juliet Joan

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Getting "lost" in possibilities

Busy times

The last couple of months have been very intense, very busy.
It happens sometimes, that everything comes together in one big busy heap of activities .. activities that cannot be postponed. 
Sounds familiar? Well in fact it is the story of my life. 

This period felt extra stressful because there was the preparation for examinations (yes .. right .. not one but three) and it became a burden that made me wonder why I keep on doing this. 

Overview

Well, I managed, I survived and at the moment there is a burst of energy because two of the activities have successfully been rounded off!
One exam has been successful and the other two .. preparations finished. 

It is time for something new and totally different and in spite of the title of this post I know, that the answer to the "lost" part is focussing. I started to play bridge. Imagine that. Totally different from what has kept me busy these past 20+ years and to tell you the truth I LOVE IT!!

Balance

I just know playing bridge has captured me because it will help to create a better balance in my life. A balance between Spirituality and all the rest and my brain needs challenges.

Yeah.

With love,

Juliet Joan

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New beginnings - letting go

The Joy of ..

For the last 7 years I have been teaching online classes, mostly about Spiritual subjects. Different themes coming and going but from day one there were two that I could not let go.
Well the names have changed a bit but the "umbrella" has been and will be, always, The Joy of .. 
This came to me inspirationally, because a catching title with the word "Joy" was needed. Joy is what keeps us going, keeps the engine running smoothly so to say.

The Joy of Mediumship

Last night's class was The Joy of Mediumship and the theme for the evening was Today's Inspiration. I had formulated an exercise, which thankfully, was misinterpreted by some of the students. This was great because they started to bloom, really, and each and everyone of them shared their story and the torch of inspiration was kept alive.

New beginnings

Yesterday was the 1st of February and I learnt, that in the United Kingdom (and probably other countries as well) it is St Bridgets day and this day marks the first day of spring. This suits me well, because I am not a winter person.

Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland (Irish: Naomh Bríd; Latin: Brigida; c. 451 – 525) is one of Ireland's patron saints, along with Patrick and Columba. Irish hagiography makes her an early Irish Christian nun,^[3] abbess, and founder of several monasteries of nuns, including that of Kildare in Ireland, which was famous and was revered. Her feast day is 1 February, which was originally a pagan festival called Imbolc, marking the beginning of spring. Her feast day is shared by Dar Lugdach, whom tradition says was her student and the woman who succeeded her.

The saint shares her name with an important Celtic goddess and there are many legends and folk customs associated with her. Some scholars suggest that the saint is merely a Christianization of the goddess. Others suggest that she was a real person who took on the goddess's attributes. (from: Wikipedia)

Can you imagine, that during the whole class everyone's inspiration circled around New Beginnings and Letting Go Of Old Things? It was incredible. There was lightness, a lot of energy, power, joy, intentions were set ...

Song for a new beginning

Thankful

I am thankful for the experience. As always it is a Joy to experience how the students loosen up, relax and dare to formulate and share their thoughts and feelings.

With love,

Juliet Joan