The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages, may be preserved by quotation.  - Issac D’Israeli



​My Dad kept the old school case that my little sister took with her on her first day of school.  As we grew older, every now and then we would watch as he reached into the stairwell cupboard, pull out the suitcase, pop the clips and retrieve some treasure or other which he stored there.  

So often as children, we would come home from school with a story about some cruelty inflicted on us by our teachers or a treachery by a classmate and Dad would listen until we’d used up all the words to describe the assault.  Then thoughtfully he’d go to his little case of treasures and take out an old leather-bound notebook in which he had written down quotes he’d come across in his reading.  Taking his time to flick through it and scanning each page carefully, finally Dad would lift his eyes, a smile wreathed across his face as if he’d found the secret of the Holy Grail.   Then reading from his notebook he would say something like "'There are two types of pain, one that hurts you and one that changes you” Which is it do you think you’re feeling as a result of what happened?' he’d ask.

There were times in those days when we just wished he’d pulled two lollipops out of that suitcase instead of the notebook but today,  we realise the riches it held and the future-gifts it yielded. 

I too keep a quotes notebook and in considering what I’d write about to you today, I wondered what it is about keeping quotes that gives me so much pleasure.  And I keep coming back to this:  Quotes declutter my head and crystallise my thoughts.  I’m grateful that some wise person before me has succinctly articulated their thoughts so that my heart can recognise its truth as my own.

I find quotes restful because they get rid of all the excess and cut straight to the heart of an idea, the words appealing to us because they seem to confirm and define our values more clearly.  

For some their favourite quotes may be from scripture, for others it may be from a character in history whom they admire JFK, Eleanor Roosevelt, Churchill etc..  People who enjoy humour keep quotes from funny people such as  Mae West or the Marks Brothers.  Others enjoy quotes from motivational gurus such as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Maya Angelou, Gabby Bernstein or Tony Robinson.  On life and glamour -  Coco Channel, Audrey Hepburn, Diane Von Furstenberg etc.  and philosophical quotes can be from Rumi, Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nietzsche etc.

So today’s exercise is to consider beginning a quotes notebook and to listen out for usable quotes as you read, listen to music, watch a movie and hear something which reflects your own values, beliefs and philosophy. Then make a note of it.  

There will be times when one of these may be the exact words to give you a fresh perspective, lift your spirits or even point the way in moving forward.  Times when you find it difficult to express or access your own wisdom.  This is when the pearls of the wisdom of others become the jewels which reflect our truth and point the way back home.

Here are some from my collection to help you begin your own.

“When you change the way you look at things, what you look at changes.”  - Dr. Wayne Dyer.

“We do not heal the past by dwelling there.  We heal the past by living fully in the present.” Marianne Williamson.

"Magic is believing in yourself.  If you can do that you can make anything happen.” - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

“We do not attract what we want.   We attract what we are.” Dr. Wayne Dyer

“When we know better, we do better.” Maya Angelou

“What you think you attract.  What you feel, you become.  And what you imagine, you create.”  Buddha

Wishing you a peaceful and pleasant Sunday evening,

Trina xx

​Rituals guide us gracefully out of auto pilot mode creating a magical space where something more beautiful can emerge.  - Laurey Simmons


Rituals create order out of chaos.  In the same way that there is beauty within trial -  a pearl out of grit, a ruby out of stone a rose out of thorn -  rituals polish up our appreciation and hone our intentions. 


In her book The Inner Beauty Bible, Laurey Simmons says  Rituals allow us to create a safe and timeless zone where we can fully acknowledge our thoughts and feelings (and) let them breathe.

We know that the power of intention is the fuel that shapes our world.  Dr Wayne Dyer tells us we do not attract what we want, we attract what we are - and if intention drives our desire for compassion, forgiveness, inclusion and loving, it also drives our desire for beauty, success, happiness and abundance and causes us to bless the goodness in  all of nature.  Believing that what we cultivate without, we also cultivate within, so that when we spread rose petals across our bath, use scented soap, light scented candles and lay out our best linen we draw into ourselves the essence of beauty which we have prepared outwardly.

It is said that the best way to focus on maintaining the power of intention is to create a ritual which causes us to bless the goodness in all of nature and these rituals form a part of almost all communities, tribes and religious bodies and are often done either through prayer, dance, art, ceremony or ritual.  

There is no hard and fast rule about rituals (outside of some religious or tribal ceremonial rituals)  -  no right way or wrong way so long as the practice is one which focuses your attention on your exercise.   Rituals such as lighting a candle  before meditation, cleansing our home or work space with sage or Palo Santo, using essential oils to prepare for sleep, slipping into a series of sun salutation poses to prepare for the day or cleansing our crystals under the light of the silvery moon and -  even something as simple as sipping a herbal tea while writing your gratitude list,  all help us focus and dedicate ourselves more carefully to the energy of intention.

Almost all rituals involve:
cleansing - of self, environment or energetic vibration/frequency
connecting to a higher power  - that may be your Ancestors, Guides, Source, Universe, Angels, Nature, Life Force or Heart Energy.
dedicating to the highest good of all - even if you are letting go of someone or thing, this should be harmonious and for the benefit of all beings everywhere.
gratitude - the master key that unlocks everything, instantly raises our energetic frequency and opens our heart.

Tools of rituals:
Crystals - considered the bones of mother earth and the gift of the gods - for healing, protection, cleansing and balancing energies.
Smudging and cleansing tools - for drawing away heavy energies and releasing sticky energy to be cleansed by the violet flame of the Great Central Sun.
Flowers and petals - they bring vibrant colour and beauty to any space and have a place in the celebration in almost all life events.
Feathers - often believed to represent the heavens. In ritual they symbolise divine knowledge.
Sea shells  - bring the flowing energy of the ocean to a ritual.  In many cultures they represent fertility and are valuable as a nurturing of ideas and creative intentions tool.
Stones - some stones call to us by their shape, colour, size or surface.  Stones retain their source energy so may be bringing a piece of mountain, forest or sea bed to your environment.
Wood - this resource from nature can be in the form of carved figurines representing animals, nature or of religious significance.
Essential oils and other perfumes - these unlock different qualities of our inner world.  They are for healing, calming, cleansing, energising, purification, wisdom and beauty.  
A singing bowl - the ultimate tool for centring our minds.  Place crushed lavender or rose petals in the bowl and allow the sound release the wonderful aroma.
Silence - appreciate it as much as all the other elements of ritual.

What kind of ritual?

There are rituals for literally everything. For the morning and the evening, for mealtimes and bathing and sleeping, for weddings and birth and death and coming of age.  There are rituals for preparing for exams and for making a speech, rituals for meeting and healing and teaching and learning, rituals of friendship and forgiveness, rituals for asking and receiving, for giving and for forgiving  and rituals for letting go, endings and completing.   And of course there are rituals for thanksgiving.


And finally…

As it is day 30 of November Bliss, 30 days of Magical Rest, we learn that after rest comes the reawakening.  Each of the practices, exercises and tasks of the past 30 days were intended to allow us to rest from the usual,  meaning seeing things and doing things differently.  If a change is as good as a rest then hopefully you feel more aligned in mind, body and spirit and find that you are healed, radiant wise and loving, ready to experience the magic and wonder available to us everyday.

Now it is time for one last ritual.  

The ritual of promise to yourself to remember to hold the practice of magical rest sacred and to return to it regularly.  Light a candle,  and placing your hands on your heart, right hand over left, read the following words:

PROMISE TO SELF

I promise to notice the child in me.  To pay attention and make time to have fun.
I promise to take care of myself.  To rest and ask for support when I need help.
I promise to affirm that I am a perfect and divine being worthy of love and respect.
I promise to forgive myself and shed the burden of guilt and shame.
I promise to keep an open mind and be prepared to expand and evolve.
I promise to speak kindly and with compassion to myself.
I promise to live my life according to my own values and principles and not how others expect.
I promise to let go of any relationship that shrinks, belittles or demeans me.
I promise to celebrate my successes no matter how small.
I promise to expect the best and to meet the universe half way.
I promise to tell fear that I appreciate it looking out for me but I’m in the driver seat.
I promise to remember that I am of the stars and that I leave sparkles in my wake…..

Thank you for your company on our quest together over the past 30 days and wishing you love, happiness and magical light every day.

Trina xx

​Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something. - Winne the Poo

Time was when a sign on the door announcing the proprietor had Gone Fishin’ meant the shopkeeper had seized the day and fetched his rod to spend an afternoon whistling to himself on the banks of a river catching whatever fish came to pass by.


That’s the spirit of today’s restful tone, it’s a do nothing day to take the day off and do exactly as you please.  Leave the dishes, the laundry mountain, the empty fridge and read a book, watch an old movie, make love, draw, knit, play with lego.  ……..Or do nothing!

And to help you get into the spirit of it, here’s a little story.

A rich man was on vacation lying on a beautiful beach in Mexico.  His attention becomes drawn to a man who comes to shore and climbs out of his row boat with a bucket full of fish he has caught.  The man’s children come running towards him greeting him with squeals of delight and help him to pull the row boat onto the sand.  His wife waves to him as she sets up a table with fruit and breads and the man moves to make a fire on a circle of stones.  He guts and cleans the fish and his children marvel at the colours of the fish scales then they run to splash about and skim stones in the water while the fish cooks on the hot stones.  Later the man and his wife murmur contented conversation as they watch the children roll and chase about.   After a while they pack up their picnic and the happy family head home together to their small cottage nearby as the sun sinks low into the horizon.

Each day the fish man witnesses the same ritual and eventually one evening he strikes up a conversation with the fisherman as he arrives in with his catch.  
"I see you spend a number of hours each day out fishing for your family’s evening  meal."
“Yes," replies the fisherman.  "We have abundant stocks of the most delicious, nutritious fish swimming in these waters and my family can’t get enough of it."
"But do you know," says the rich man, "that in a few years you could be a wealthy man like me?  You could raise a small investment and buy two boats, hire some young men and catch many more times fish.”
“Well, what would I do then?” the fisherman asks.
“You could sell the fish to all the restaurants along the coast and they will pay you a lot of money for it.”
“And what would I do then? the fisherman asks again.
“Well then you could get more investors, buy a fleet of trawlers, hire more men, stay out longer, catch more fish, have it ready prepared for market and sell it to a chain of supermarkets!”  The rich man spoiled broadly at the genius of it all.
“And then what?” the fisherman asks one  more time.
“Well then you pay back all your investors and you’re a rich man.  You could take your family on a wonderful holiday to beautiful places like I do.  You can do what you like - take a boat out fishing all day and watch the sun setting knowing they are living the good life……..” 
“Then I am already a rich man for that is the life my family enjoys already!” the fisherman shook the rich man’s hand and waved pleasantly over his shoulder as he walked towards his children and his evening meal set out in the sun. He turned back to the rich man and called to him “Come join us won’t you, there’s plenty for everyone.”

Nothing really happens in our future or in our past.  It only ever happens now because now is all there is.  Today take the day off.
It’s time to go fishing!

Trina xx

​Methinks that the moment my legs began to move, my thoughts began to flow.  - Henry David Thoreau

Observations of astronauts shows that when they return from space, these super-fit men and women ‘walk like old people’.  The problem? Lack of gravity in space—and lack of a horizon to orient themselves to—which results in deterioration of vital connections in their balance or vestibular systems.  

Joan Vernikos, Ph.D., former Chief Life Scientist at NASA and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals,  made the study and realised that what we call the ageing process—including walking like an old person (wide based gait without swinging arms, eyes fixed downwards)—actually has nothing to do with a person’s age.  It is simply that as people get older, they stop moving their bodies through space in ways that maintain balance.  Long periods of inactivity, sitting down,  causes us to lose our orientation and disconnects us from our vestibular system or ability to balance.

Vernikos’s astronauts returned to their former fitness levels and achieved perfect balance once they returned to normal activities and exercise routines but  If they had tried to stabilise themselves simply through immobilising their bodies and being afraid of falling, their deterioration - or ageing - would have continued. 

The message here is that muscle and balance doesn’t deteriorate with age - only with lack of use.

What’s the use?

Doing a little exercise every day contributes more to your general health and wellbeing than two or three longer weekly sessions.  Just 20  minutes is enough to change the way the brain processes information and memories and then the benefits multiply over time - even after only one session your brain function will begin to improve and after a week of regular exercise you will feel your energy levels increase and your cells will start to benefit.  After just one month you’ll have increased your muscle mass and your metabolism and after six months your heart will be bigger and stronger.  There’s icing on the cake…….. for every day of exercise your mental health benefits more and more. 


An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day - Henry David Thoreau

Including exercise in your morning routine helps you get the day started in a wonderful frame of mind and has such positive benefits for your mood and the energy you’ll have for other activities throughout the day.

Use the following stretching practice to begin each day to develop a strong core and be able to move with a confident, elegant stride. My daughter  Katie (KatieKFitness) says that when you focus your mind on the muscles you are moving or stretching, it multiplies the effects of those movements making your practice much more effective.

• Stand with your feet hip distance apart and swing your arms from side to side breathing in and breathing out.
• Bending your knees begin to do a little light bounce through your body to get the circulation going.
• Stretch your arms over your head.  Then hold your left wrist with your right hand and bend slowly to the right feeling the stretch on your left side. Inhale and move back to the centre.
• Change side and repeat holding your right wrist with your left hand.
• Place your hands on your lower back and lift up your chest to the sky carefully arching your back.
• Return to standing upright.
• Now keeping your knees soft, walk your hands down your legs towards your feet.  Hold each elbow and hang over your legs, keeping your knees bent. Rock a little from side to side and feel the back release and stretch.  Release your arms and roll up slowly.
• Inhaling for four counts, reach your arms up and over your head and hold for four counts.  Exhale for four counts  as you bring your arms down. Repeat three times.

How flow can you go?

Why not check out Tai Chi or Chi Gong - these along with yoga are often described as meditation in motion and are ancient practices which improve health, fitness, wellbeing and longevity, each cultivating the chi or life force that flows through the body’s energy pathways by combining movement, breathing and meditation.

Enjoy your day,

Trina xx

To be sensual is to perceive the world through your senses rather than logic or reason. - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Dr Christiane Northrup says that a daily dose of pleasure is her prescription for a long life and happiness.  It seems that our body is hardwired to heal itself when it experiences pleasure and responds with the release of Nitric Oxide which sends helpful hormones through our system reducing inflammation and promoting healing.

Appreciation of pleasure doesn’t have to be about the big things like holidays, it’s about the small things we feed our senses daily.  It’s in a long scented bath or savouring the flavour of a freshly picked strawberry.  It’s in laughing at the antics of your pet dog or being enraptured by the sound of birdsong at dawn. The healing nourishment of pleasure pours into our being when we are present or sentient in the moment of pleasure.

Today’s the day to fill up each of your senses with pleasurable moments.  Every now and then stop and be aware of how your are experiencing the world.  Which sense is most engaged and is it an experience of pleasure?  Then be conscious that this feeling is restoring you, renewing you and filling you with radiant energy.  

And just to add a helping of cheese, here’s a link to the John Denver Annie’s Song (You fill up my senses).  It’s been in my head this morning so I had to pass it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyJRsp5t9mA

Happy Sunday,

Trina xx