TED is an annual conference that brings together the worlds most fascinating thinkers and doers who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.
If you haven't come across it before you have got to check it out. The best of these talks are available free on www.ted.com—you can also hear some through Sky on the EMTV channel
Many of these talks will blow you away so take some time to browse but here’s suggestions to get you started:
“A Stoke of Insight” — Jill Bolte Taylor is a Brain Scientist who got a research opportunity few scientists would wish for—she got to study herself having a stroke and came up with some amazing insights on the connection between stroke, energy and our brains.
“Why are we happy” - Dan Gilbert gives some interesting evidence to challenge the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don't get what we want
“Do Schools kill creativity” - Sir Ken Robinson delivers a speech as good as stand up comedy but with some really thought provoking ideas
“Classical Music with shining eyes” Benjamin Zander takes an unusual and funny approach to help increase the worlds appreciation of classical music
Enjoy !!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Breakthrough Weekends
Breakthrough weekends are a perfect way to make a quantum leap forward, work deeply with a challenge you are facing or simply to renew and refresh your energy.
Take a weekend away from it all in beautiful Aughrim, Co Wicklow. Stay locally in B&B, hotel or self catering accomodation. Spend 5 hours spread throughout the weekend with Erica in one to one healing, coaching and therapy work. The rest of the time you are free to integrate in whatever way feels right for you. Spend time nature, hang out in the local coffee shops and restaurants, sit quietly in your room. The choice is yours!
There is something very powerful about taking a breather from your life especially when it is done with a clear intention of bringing about healing or of helping you to create positive change.When this is done in a space that is being energetically held to support your intention and you are receiving direct support through healing and coaching this creates the opportunity for powerful transformation.
Breakthrough weekends are available on the following dates: 20th to 22nd February, 24th to 26th April, 17th to 19th July and 21st to 23rd August.
For more details contact Erica on 0402 36899 or createthelifeyouwant@gmail.com
Take a weekend away from it all in beautiful Aughrim, Co Wicklow. Stay locally in B&B, hotel or self catering accomodation. Spend 5 hours spread throughout the weekend with Erica in one to one healing, coaching and therapy work. The rest of the time you are free to integrate in whatever way feels right for you. Spend time nature, hang out in the local coffee shops and restaurants, sit quietly in your room. The choice is yours!
There is something very powerful about taking a breather from your life especially when it is done with a clear intention of bringing about healing or of helping you to create positive change.When this is done in a space that is being energetically held to support your intention and you are receiving direct support through healing and coaching this creates the opportunity for powerful transformation.
Breakthrough weekends are available on the following dates: 20th to 22nd February, 24th to 26th April, 17th to 19th July and 21st to 23rd August.
For more details contact Erica on 0402 36899 or createthelifeyouwant@gmail.com
Courses & Workshops
This season I am delighted to bring you lots of new and exciting opportunities to create space for deep and lasting transformation in your life:
The Law of Attraction Workshop—Learn the secrets of this powerful law and how to use it to create what you desire. This workshop is suitable for people that are new to the law of attraction or for those who have previously read “the secret” or similar books and have worked with limited success with the law.
Energy Awareness & Healing Workshop—I’ve often been asked to teach healing or to provide a follow up to my “understanding the Human Energy Field” Course and I am excited to announce my first weekend workshop that will do just that. Increase your awareness of energy, get in touch with your own healing ability and feel confident enough to use it with yourself, your family, friends and those you see in need.
Live Your Dream Night Class—6 evenings packed full of invaluable skills to get you focusing on and moving steadily towards the future of your dreams.
Understanding the Human Energy Field Workshop—Energy is the source of everything. This workshop is always a huge success and an inspirational 2 days and I am thrilled to now be offering it as a residential course in Chyrsalis starting January 09.
Create the Life You Want Workshop —Breakthrough negative patterns or beliefs that hold you back and learn how to move forward in a positive way in your life. Small group only so book early.
Lose Weight—Feel Great - Get in shape for Christmas with this highly successful private weight loss programme. One to one weight loss coaching at an affordable price. Available in Aughrim, and Dun Laoghaire.
Breakthrough Weekends - A perfect way to make a quantum leap forward, work deeply with a challenge you are facing or simply to renew and refresh in beautiful Aughrim, Co Wicklow.
Healing and Life Coaching - Private consultations are available in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin & Aughrim, Co Wicklow
Be well and happy,
Erica
The Law of Attraction Workshop—Learn the secrets of this powerful law and how to use it to create what you desire. This workshop is suitable for people that are new to the law of attraction or for those who have previously read “the secret” or similar books and have worked with limited success with the law.
Energy Awareness & Healing Workshop—I’ve often been asked to teach healing or to provide a follow up to my “understanding the Human Energy Field” Course and I am excited to announce my first weekend workshop that will do just that. Increase your awareness of energy, get in touch with your own healing ability and feel confident enough to use it with yourself, your family, friends and those you see in need.
Live Your Dream Night Class—6 evenings packed full of invaluable skills to get you focusing on and moving steadily towards the future of your dreams.
Understanding the Human Energy Field Workshop—Energy is the source of everything. This workshop is always a huge success and an inspirational 2 days and I am thrilled to now be offering it as a residential course in Chyrsalis starting January 09.
Create the Life You Want Workshop —Breakthrough negative patterns or beliefs that hold you back and learn how to move forward in a positive way in your life. Small group only so book early.
Lose Weight—Feel Great - Get in shape for Christmas with this highly successful private weight loss programme. One to one weight loss coaching at an affordable price. Available in Aughrim, and Dun Laoghaire.
Breakthrough Weekends - A perfect way to make a quantum leap forward, work deeply with a challenge you are facing or simply to renew and refresh in beautiful Aughrim, Co Wicklow.
Healing and Life Coaching - Private consultations are available in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin & Aughrim, Co Wicklow
Be well and happy,
Erica
Book Review "The Dark Side of the Light Chasers" by Debbie Ford
A Friend of mine gave me this book several years ago -she thought it was amazing and that I’d get a lot out of it. I took a look at it and nothing about it grabbed me so I put it in a drawer and that’s where it sat year after year.
Then one day I felt like I really needed something new, something to move me forward and I remembered this book—I took it out and for the next 3 days I could not put it down—I read it from cover to cover. Everything in it spoke to me. It felt like the perfect gift at that moment.
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers is a powerful guide to help you reclaim your power, creativity, brilliance and dreams by actively embracing the sides of yourself you dislike or deny.
Debbie Ford, the author contends that everyone possesses the entire range of human traits and emotions "the saintly and the cynical, the divine and the diabolical, the courageous and the cowardly" When we try to deny or hide those aspects that we think are not acceptable to others—our dark side– we also end up hiding much of our brilliance and our light.
Ford offers advice on how to recognise your shadow side and how to confront rather than reject the seemingly undesirable parts of yourself. It is only by owning every aspect of yourself that can you achieve harmony and "let your own light shine". She explains. "The purpose of doing shadow work, is to become whole. To end our suffering. To stop hiding ourselves from ourselves. Once we do this we can stop hiding ourselves from the rest of the world".
A fabulous book for anyone whose ready to take a good honest look at themselves. I highly recommend it.
Then one day I felt like I really needed something new, something to move me forward and I remembered this book—I took it out and for the next 3 days I could not put it down—I read it from cover to cover. Everything in it spoke to me. It felt like the perfect gift at that moment.
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers is a powerful guide to help you reclaim your power, creativity, brilliance and dreams by actively embracing the sides of yourself you dislike or deny.
Debbie Ford, the author contends that everyone possesses the entire range of human traits and emotions "the saintly and the cynical, the divine and the diabolical, the courageous and the cowardly" When we try to deny or hide those aspects that we think are not acceptable to others—our dark side– we also end up hiding much of our brilliance and our light.
Ford offers advice on how to recognise your shadow side and how to confront rather than reject the seemingly undesirable parts of yourself. It is only by owning every aspect of yourself that can you achieve harmony and "let your own light shine". She explains. "The purpose of doing shadow work, is to become whole. To end our suffering. To stop hiding ourselves from ourselves. Once we do this we can stop hiding ourselves from the rest of the world".
A fabulous book for anyone whose ready to take a good honest look at themselves. I highly recommend it.
The Law of Attraction
The law of attraction simply says that you attract in to your life whatever you think about. The law of attraction is always at work in your life even if you are completely unaware of it’s existence or how it works.
Without an understanding of how you create then it is very likely that due to scattered, unfocused or negative thinking you will end of creating things that on a conscious level you really don't want.
The Law of Attraction starts with our thought but gains power through our emotions. A thought that does not create an emotional response is not as powerful a creator as one that creates a strong emotional response in us. If we think and feel negative things then we will attract negative things in to our lives. If we think and feel positive things we will attract positive experiences in to our lives.
In order to make the Law of Attraction work for you in a positive way it is important to understand how we create our reality. The essence of this lies in the fact that we and everything else in the world are made of energy and how we think and feel affects the energy we emit to the world. Our energy acts like a magnet attracting like energy to it. This understanding can then be used to deliberately create the things we truly want.
Take a strong step toward creating what you want right now by spending time each day deliberately focusing on the things you want to create in a way that makes you feel strong positive emotion about them. Imagine how you would feel and think if you had what you wanted in your life right now. Really connect with this and bring the sensations and the positive feelings this picture brings into you body. Do this every day for a few minutes.
In parallel to this start to become aware of when you are feeling negative emotion. Negative emotion is a sign that you are thinking negatively and therefore are creating negatively. Allowing yourself to simmer in negative emotions will block good things coming in to your life.
If you’d like to learn more about how to make the law of Attraction work for you check out my workshop on 19th October. You’ll find full details on my www.pathwaytothesoul.com
Without an understanding of how you create then it is very likely that due to scattered, unfocused or negative thinking you will end of creating things that on a conscious level you really don't want.
The Law of Attraction starts with our thought but gains power through our emotions. A thought that does not create an emotional response is not as powerful a creator as one that creates a strong emotional response in us. If we think and feel negative things then we will attract negative things in to our lives. If we think and feel positive things we will attract positive experiences in to our lives.
In order to make the Law of Attraction work for you in a positive way it is important to understand how we create our reality. The essence of this lies in the fact that we and everything else in the world are made of energy and how we think and feel affects the energy we emit to the world. Our energy acts like a magnet attracting like energy to it. This understanding can then be used to deliberately create the things we truly want.
Take a strong step toward creating what you want right now by spending time each day deliberately focusing on the things you want to create in a way that makes you feel strong positive emotion about them. Imagine how you would feel and think if you had what you wanted in your life right now. Really connect with this and bring the sensations and the positive feelings this picture brings into you body. Do this every day for a few minutes.
In parallel to this start to become aware of when you are feeling negative emotion. Negative emotion is a sign that you are thinking negatively and therefore are creating negatively. Allowing yourself to simmer in negative emotions will block good things coming in to your life.
If you’d like to learn more about how to make the law of Attraction work for you check out my workshop on 19th October. You’ll find full details on my www.pathwaytothesoul.com
The Amazing Power of Gratitude
If you’d like to be happier and healthier start cultivating an attitude of gratitude and you’ll be off to a flying start.
According to scientific research by psychologist Emmons and McCullogh the simple act of counting your blessings can increase happiness levels by 25%! Those who make a point of practising gratitude sleep better, exercise more, feel more optimistic and less materialistic, are more empathetic and joyful and reported few physical symptoms such as pain. They can even have sharper minds.
Secondly, this is not hard to achieve - a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more.
Emmons and McCullough carried out an experiential investigation into the link between gratitude and well-being. More than 100 adults took part in the study and were randomly divided into 3 different groups. Each group had to keep a journal. Group A had to write about things they felt grateful about. Group B about things they found annoying, irritating and Group C about things that had no major impact on them.
Results show that the gratitude group generally evidenced higher-levels of well-being than those in the comparison conditions, especially when compared to Group B (the one journaling about hassles), but also compared to the “neutral” group C.
The most common method used in the research was to keep a “Gratitude Journal” where participants wrote something they felt grateful for. Doing so 4 times a week, for as little as 3 weeks, is often enough to create a meaningful difference in one’s level of happiness.
Another exercise is to build a “Gratitude 30” into your day. Select a 30 minute period and actively notice all the things you are grateful for as you go through your daily business.
Alternatively simply taking a few minutes before bed time or in the morning to run through all the things you appreciate in your life can be very effective.
So start being thankful and before you know it you’ll be happy you did!
According to scientific research by psychologist Emmons and McCullogh the simple act of counting your blessings can increase happiness levels by 25%! Those who make a point of practising gratitude sleep better, exercise more, feel more optimistic and less materialistic, are more empathetic and joyful and reported few physical symptoms such as pain. They can even have sharper minds.
Secondly, this is not hard to achieve - a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more.
Emmons and McCullough carried out an experiential investigation into the link between gratitude and well-being. More than 100 adults took part in the study and were randomly divided into 3 different groups. Each group had to keep a journal. Group A had to write about things they felt grateful about. Group B about things they found annoying, irritating and Group C about things that had no major impact on them.
Results show that the gratitude group generally evidenced higher-levels of well-being than those in the comparison conditions, especially when compared to Group B (the one journaling about hassles), but also compared to the “neutral” group C.
The most common method used in the research was to keep a “Gratitude Journal” where participants wrote something they felt grateful for. Doing so 4 times a week, for as little as 3 weeks, is often enough to create a meaningful difference in one’s level of happiness.
Another exercise is to build a “Gratitude 30” into your day. Select a 30 minute period and actively notice all the things you are grateful for as you go through your daily business.
Alternatively simply taking a few minutes before bed time or in the morning to run through all the things you appreciate in your life can be very effective.
So start being thankful and before you know it you’ll be happy you did!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
What is your Body Telling You?
Our body is constantly talking to us, giving us messages about our emotional and mental wellbeing. It is a deep source of knowledge and a great tool for transformation. If we listen and learn to work with it, it can guide us to health and wellbeing. If we ignore its messages we may well suffer unnecessary illness or distress as a result.
Many people do not even hear when their body talks – they dismiss its communications as just another headache, pain, virus, stiffness or cold. For others, they hear but do not develop a full enough understanding of what is being communicated to use the information for positive change.
In my work as a healer one of my main focuses is to help my clients become aware of their body’s messages and to use this information to transform their perception of themselves and how they live their life. Physical symptoms are usually the external expression of inner emotional or mental struggle. They are a symptom of being out of alignment with who we truly are or of not fully accepting ourselves. They are an expression of the parts of us that we are ashamed of or deem unacceptable – the parts we hide. They are the external manifestation of those emotions that are unexpressed but which burn inside us and play havoc with our minds.
Physical illness rarely comes out of the blue, although it may feel like it does when it happens. Generally it is preceded by warning signs which come in the form of emotional symptoms such as stress, fear or anxiousness or small aches, pains and routine illnesses. Often we notice these signs and promptly cover them up with medication. Doing this is like noticing a red warning light in your car, bringing it to the mechanic and getting him to take the bulb out of the light. In reality nothing has changed except you now are no longer aware that you have a problem.
Medication can play a vital role in treating illness but it is also vital to look at the deeper cause of your problems and to find out what you body is telling you. If you don’t address the underlying problem, the emotional or physical symptoms will often get worse or appear to be resolved but later reoccur in a different and more threatening disguise.
I have suffered on and off throughout my life with severe ear aches. As I have watched these ear aches come and go over many years a pattern emerged – the ear ache always comes when I feel intense stress. My ear aches used to last weeks in the past, now within a matter of minutes of feeling the first pain, I know the problem and I stand back from my life to see what is going on – by doing a few breathing and energy grounding exercises I can clear the pain within a few minutes. The ear ache has become my friend – most of the time I don’t even realise I am stressed until I get the surge of pain in my ear. In the past I would have thought – “goddamit – I can’t believe I get an earache now of all times” – now I think “earache - I must be stressed – got to stand back and see what’s causing this”
Each physical area of the body relates to an area/aspect of your life for example the stomach area relates to the self - self confidence, self esteem, self care and self acceptance. When you feel anxious in your stomach it can be a sign of not feeling sure of yourself. When you suffer from digestive problems or problems with any organ in that area the underlying problem is likely to be related to how you feel and think about yourself. To truly heal a physical problem in this area you must heal your relationship with yourself. Each area of the body has a similar story.
There are books which give maps of body areas and parts and what they relate to. I also teach this in my "Understanding the Human Energy Field Course". These are useful guides but your most useful guide is your own body. I truly believe and have witnessed both in myself and my clients how the cells and energy of our body hold all the answers and all the guidance that we need.
A few years ago I was working with a wonderful healer and at the time was feeling very overwhelmed by life. She asked me to bring my attention to the area of my body where I felt the tension most strongly. I felt it in my chest and with her guidance I connected to that area of my body to allow the tension to speak to me. As different emotions, feelings and thoughts came to mind I spoke them out uncensored. I started by noticing how anxious and tight my chest felt and continued to talk out all that came to my awareness.
After some time a memory surfaced of a lady that I had worked with in a healing session a few months prior to this who had breast cancer and from this, a fear came up that I too had breast cancer (I had been experiencing breast pain since that healing). My healer asked me “and what if you do have breast cancer” I could barely believe or speak the response that came. It horrified me and I found it hard to believe that it lived in the depths of my being somewhere but it did. The response was clear “if I had breast cancer that would be good because then I could just let go – I could stop struggling, stop stressing and just be”. What a message to get! What a gift to find out before I had managed to create this illness in my life that some part of my being found my current stressful way of living so unacceptable that breast cancer seemed like a good solution.
This information was so powerful– I could no longer ignore what needed to be addressed in my life. I could no longer continue to put dealing with my stress on the long finger. I now knew how badly my body and my soul cried out for my way of living to change. This was a big wake up call. Either way the depths of my being had plans to create space and lower stress in my life – I could choose to create this myself now while in the fullness of my physical health or I could wait until I was struck by illness and was forced to create it. It was a pretty simple choice for me one I couldn’t afford to ignore.
This is the power of the body as a messenger. This is the opportunity our body gives us if we are willing to listen and take notice. This is where we can avoid or reverse physical illness and in parallel create emotional and mental happiness and wellbeing. By listening to our body as a guide we give ourselves the choice – the choice to change what isn’t working about ourselves and our lives. By ignoring our body’s messages we take away our choice, and leave fate and luck to make those choices for us.
Many people do not even hear when their body talks – they dismiss its communications as just another headache, pain, virus, stiffness or cold. For others, they hear but do not develop a full enough understanding of what is being communicated to use the information for positive change.
In my work as a healer one of my main focuses is to help my clients become aware of their body’s messages and to use this information to transform their perception of themselves and how they live their life. Physical symptoms are usually the external expression of inner emotional or mental struggle. They are a symptom of being out of alignment with who we truly are or of not fully accepting ourselves. They are an expression of the parts of us that we are ashamed of or deem unacceptable – the parts we hide. They are the external manifestation of those emotions that are unexpressed but which burn inside us and play havoc with our minds.
Physical illness rarely comes out of the blue, although it may feel like it does when it happens. Generally it is preceded by warning signs which come in the form of emotional symptoms such as stress, fear or anxiousness or small aches, pains and routine illnesses. Often we notice these signs and promptly cover them up with medication. Doing this is like noticing a red warning light in your car, bringing it to the mechanic and getting him to take the bulb out of the light. In reality nothing has changed except you now are no longer aware that you have a problem.
Medication can play a vital role in treating illness but it is also vital to look at the deeper cause of your problems and to find out what you body is telling you. If you don’t address the underlying problem, the emotional or physical symptoms will often get worse or appear to be resolved but later reoccur in a different and more threatening disguise.
I have suffered on and off throughout my life with severe ear aches. As I have watched these ear aches come and go over many years a pattern emerged – the ear ache always comes when I feel intense stress. My ear aches used to last weeks in the past, now within a matter of minutes of feeling the first pain, I know the problem and I stand back from my life to see what is going on – by doing a few breathing and energy grounding exercises I can clear the pain within a few minutes. The ear ache has become my friend – most of the time I don’t even realise I am stressed until I get the surge of pain in my ear. In the past I would have thought – “goddamit – I can’t believe I get an earache now of all times” – now I think “earache - I must be stressed – got to stand back and see what’s causing this”
Each physical area of the body relates to an area/aspect of your life for example the stomach area relates to the self - self confidence, self esteem, self care and self acceptance. When you feel anxious in your stomach it can be a sign of not feeling sure of yourself. When you suffer from digestive problems or problems with any organ in that area the underlying problem is likely to be related to how you feel and think about yourself. To truly heal a physical problem in this area you must heal your relationship with yourself. Each area of the body has a similar story.
There are books which give maps of body areas and parts and what they relate to. I also teach this in my "Understanding the Human Energy Field Course". These are useful guides but your most useful guide is your own body. I truly believe and have witnessed both in myself and my clients how the cells and energy of our body hold all the answers and all the guidance that we need.
A few years ago I was working with a wonderful healer and at the time was feeling very overwhelmed by life. She asked me to bring my attention to the area of my body where I felt the tension most strongly. I felt it in my chest and with her guidance I connected to that area of my body to allow the tension to speak to me. As different emotions, feelings and thoughts came to mind I spoke them out uncensored. I started by noticing how anxious and tight my chest felt and continued to talk out all that came to my awareness.
After some time a memory surfaced of a lady that I had worked with in a healing session a few months prior to this who had breast cancer and from this, a fear came up that I too had breast cancer (I had been experiencing breast pain since that healing). My healer asked me “and what if you do have breast cancer” I could barely believe or speak the response that came. It horrified me and I found it hard to believe that it lived in the depths of my being somewhere but it did. The response was clear “if I had breast cancer that would be good because then I could just let go – I could stop struggling, stop stressing and just be”. What a message to get! What a gift to find out before I had managed to create this illness in my life that some part of my being found my current stressful way of living so unacceptable that breast cancer seemed like a good solution.
This information was so powerful– I could no longer ignore what needed to be addressed in my life. I could no longer continue to put dealing with my stress on the long finger. I now knew how badly my body and my soul cried out for my way of living to change. This was a big wake up call. Either way the depths of my being had plans to create space and lower stress in my life – I could choose to create this myself now while in the fullness of my physical health or I could wait until I was struck by illness and was forced to create it. It was a pretty simple choice for me one I couldn’t afford to ignore.
This is the power of the body as a messenger. This is the opportunity our body gives us if we are willing to listen and take notice. This is where we can avoid or reverse physical illness and in parallel create emotional and mental happiness and wellbeing. By listening to our body as a guide we give ourselves the choice – the choice to change what isn’t working about ourselves and our lives. By ignoring our body’s messages we take away our choice, and leave fate and luck to make those choices for us.
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