Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I choose to rejuvenate my spirit
Have an affirmation you want to share? Don't hesitate to post it in a comment on the blog or on the Facebook Fan Page or watch the past Instagram Live about affirmations. You can also share your affirmation stories in the practice or by e-mail.
Dear People,
I recently spoke about walking meditation on the radio in my Dutch Spiritual Column, but I'm sharing some more thoughts and exercises about this technique today. I love so many forms of meditation, but walking meditation is so suited to many people, that I want to share more about it. I've also already written about my own meditation practices, but today I'm writing more specifically about walking meditations.
Why try a walking meditation?
For a lot of us - the idea of sitting still and meditating is quite daunting. We keep feeling distracted by our body, our thoughts and our position. Sitting still is definitely not everybody's cup of tea. Yet, a lot of us have felt the freeing clearheaded feeling that can be created when our body is in motion. It might be while we are running, using a swing set or rocking a baby. Repetitive motion can help us get into a trance like state.
So it's no surprise that a walking meditation is an easier way to get into a meditative trance for a lot of people. And, of course, in our busy lives, it's nice to have the additional benefits of walking on top of the benefits of our meditation practice. So even if you've been discouraged with other ways of meditation, I highly recommend you at least give walking meditation a try.
Basic needs for walking meditation
Yourself and a place to walk are basically the most important things. I recommend wearing clothing and shoes that are comfortable for you and no jewelry. That means you won't be distracted by tight fitting clothing or sounds as you walk and your feet won't hurt. And if you want to sit and rest after your walk, you are comfortable and can extend your trance like state.
As for the place: you can do walking meditation everywhere, even in your own living room. I do recommend that you walk somewhere safe. Especially if you want to walk with your eyes closed. So while technically you can do a walking meditation by walking in your neighbourhood, if it's busy, I don't recommend doing it. Not only are busy streets distracting, you can also harm yourself if you do reach a meditative trance.
Best place outside for me is usually the beach when it's not busy (spring/fall season), because you have a wide open space with not much people. That means that you have a lot of visibility. Sounds of the sea/ocean also work to help bring me in a meditative state. Another good option is usually a park or forest when there aren't much people. Or a mountain path or pasture. Being in nature means it's easier to be meditative, but please be mindful of your safety.
If you want to walk inside your own home, make sure to clear a space around you. If your walking meditation keeps getting disrupted because you need to step over things or turn very quickly, that usually doesn't work. We all like to have at least a couple of strides in each direction.
A basic walking meditation
- Prep: wear comfortable clothing, shoes and no jewelry. Bring a snack and a bottle of water (or other beverage)
- Select (or prepare) a safe area in which you are going to do your meditation
- Start walking in your natural pace
- Become mindful of your pace, your body and yourself
- Walk in a soothing rhythm or pace that allows you to walk for a length of time and to 'zone out with your thoughts'
- Once you are at peace - sit down, eat and drink something
- If needed, do a grounding exercise
Deepening your walking meditation practice
Once you have the basics down and feel that walking meditation is something you'd like to do more often, there are many variations you can do to see what works best for you. You can also change your walking meditation practice depending on what your goal is for the meditation.
Here are some tips on what to try:
- Walking with your eyes closed or open. If you do closed, the best way to do this is to create a circle and walk safely in it or to create a square (for example, 4 steps forward, turn right, 4 steps forward, turn right, 4 steps forward, turn right, 4 steps forward and you are back at your beginning). I do not recommend walking with your eyes closed if you have not set a safe path for yourself!
- Changing the pace of your strides. Going from fast to slow or standstill if you need more peace or moving from a stressful pacing towards a more relaxed stride. It's also possible to move from slow to increased pace, for example if your goal is to accelerate something in your life. It's much harder to reach a meditative trance by going faster though. Changing pace during the meditation can also help, if you want to get more in touch with the cycle of life. Or just noticing you do this subconsciously (speeding up or slowing down).
- Stopping and starting at places in your meditation. You can do this to get more viewpoints, tune into your body, take time to see what your natural pace is, acknowledge what's changing during the meditation and for many other reasons.
- Walking in a pattern. Different patterns help us with different things. A square helps with feeling solid, a circle is a closed loop, a spiral inwards can help introspection and one outwards can help with goal setting and connecting with life, a triangle can help with different viewpoints or with different aspects of ourselves or a problem. Or walk a trail with your eyes open and acknowledge what you see, hear and feel during it.
- Walking with intention - you can do a mantra during the walk or bring an energy with you (for example by drawing one of my 100% Positivity Oracle Cards - which you can do for free on my website).
- Walking with a question or with a issue, allowing inspiration and higher power to solve it for you.
As you can see, walking meditation is quite versatile. I'd love to hear how you experience walking meditation! Post a comment here on the blog or send me a
message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or listen to my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment Loopmeditatie and leave a comment there! I sometimes host walking meditations or other meditation in my practice in Delft, The Netherlands or the surrounding area. If you are interested, sign up to the Monthly Newsletter to be the first to know of any meditation events.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I am open to grace
I allow grace to move through my body
I allow grace to move through my heart
I allow grace to move through my mind
I allow grace to move through my spirit
I manifest grace in my work
I manifest grace in my private life
I manifest grace in my connections
I manifest grace in my my life
I connect to the healing flow of grace
I connect to the supportive flow of grace
I connect to the miraculous flow of grace
I manifest grace for myself
I manifest grace for the earth
Dear People,
I recently spoke about Pendulums on the radio in my Dutch Spiritual Column, but thought I'd write a blog post about it as well. I did mention using a pendulum in my blog post concerning if I use my gifts to find lost items
but I'd like to expand on what you can use this spiritual technique for and how to try it out at home. If you want to know more about this technique
you can also listen to me talk about it in my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment Pendelen.
Why use a Pendulum?
I find a pendulum to be a very easily accessible spiritual tool. Unlike Tarot or Oracle Cards, most people already own something that they can use as a pendulum. You can use a key chain, a necklace with a pendant or basically anything that has a string and a heavier object on it.
Besides having the tool readily available to most people, the basic Yes/No swings of a pendulum are usually easy to discern. So you can teach somebody how to work with a pendulum in just a few minutes - although it's a lot harder to get consistent good results of course. Practice makes perfect as always.
When working with a pendulum it's also very quick to get answers and it's quick to get several answer in a row. That means that while basic Yes/No questions might not seem very useful to many people, they can be used to narrow down answers fast. For example: Is my phone in the house / Is on the first first floor / is it in my bed room / is it on the floor / hidden in something else etc. etc.
Pendulum Pitfalls
When doing any intuitive work, it's often hard to distinguish between what we want to be true, what we fear to be true and what our intuition is actually telling us. When using a pendulum, it's easy to subconsciously try to influence the result due to our movements. So it's very important to keep your arm and hand steady, so it's actually the pendulum doing the answering and not your own subconscious. I've seen people move their arms/hands and being unaware that they are influencing their results. It helps to watch yourself in a mirror or to close your eyes until you feel a good swing and then check your results.
Another disadvantage of the Pendulum is that it doesn't give much extra information. You need to ask it the right questions to move forward. And if you forget an aspect, you might not get the full picture. For example, if you are asking about job offers and you forget to ask if a better offer is coming, you might choose the best offer available to you that you got answers on. When working with Oracle or Tarot Cards you can easily draw one card for insight and that you missed something and what it is. You can ask your pendulum if you are missing something, but then you'd have to ask a lot of questions to figure out what exactly it is.
Pendulum Charts
If you want a range of answers fast, you can use a Pendulum Chart. If you have several options, you can put them in a chart and see what your pendulum indicates. If you get a good feel for it, you can make charts with a lot of options in them. I recommend using a circle, so it's easy to use. However, when you are starting, having a chart with 4 quadrants makes it easier to see what answer is being indicated.
Pendulum Tips
Feel inspired to give it a try? Here are some quick tips to use a pendulum/
- Make sure your position your arm and hand correctly. You can see how I do it in my Creating Joy: Pendulums Video
- While it's tempting to give your pendulum a big swing, just waiting patiently while it picks up some speed usually gives the best results.
- If you get tired out fast, it often means your pendulum is too heavy - so if you use a necklace, use one with a lighter pendant and if you use a key chain, remove some keys from it.
- Make sure you ask first what indicates a yes and what indicates a no. It can be different depending on your pendulum. While it's tempting to think a yes is a vertical direction and a no is a horizontal (as shaking your head no) that is not always the case.
- Besides using Yes/No indicators you can also create "Maybe yes/Maybe No/Maybe/Unknown. Just name the indicator and see what happens on the pendulum swing. You can see horizontal, vertical, circles, but also diagonals.
Pendulum Practice Questions
The best practice questions are those you do not know the answer too, but you can find out easily and quickly. That might mean you ask questions for somebody else (who knows the answers) or you ask questions that have easy to verify answers. So these questions won't give you any super useful information, but do help you practice getting a feel for the pendulum. After you've had a couple of successes, it's much easier to trust your process and ask questions that matter to you and give you new information.
Practice questions:
- How much mail is in my mailbox?
- Will my package be delivered today?
- Do I have an email from X?
- Will I be rained on today?
- Will I find a parking spot near X?
- Will I receive a phone call from X?
- Will I meet X today?
- Will I have a seat on the bus/tram/subway?
- Did I get a good grade/pass my test?
- Do I fit in my jeans/bikini/shoes?
- Do I have an assignment due this week?
- Will X be in stock at the store?
Want to discuss Pendulums or share your experiences? Post a comment here on the blog or send me a
message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or listen to my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment Pendelen or watch Creating Joy: Pendulums and leave a comment there!
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I find ease in my daily life
I find ease in my needs
I find ease in my wants
I find ease in my goals
I allow ease in my daily life
I allow ease in my needs
I allow ease in my wants
I allow ease in my goals
I embrace ease in my daily life
I embrace ease in my needs
I embrace ease in my wants
I embrace ease in my goals
I manifest ease in my body
I manifest ease in my heart
I manifest ease in my mind
I manifest ease in my spirit
I manifest ease in my daily life
I manifest ease in my health
I manifest ease in my career
I manifest ease in my love life
I manifest ease in my connections
I manifest ease in my relationships
I manifest ease in my financial flow
I manifest ease in solving my problems
I manifest ease in removing obstacles
I manifest ease in releasing trauma
I manifest ease in healing
I manifest ease in my soul path
I manifest ease in building my life
I manifest ease in living my best life
I manifest a flow of ease
I manifest a wonderful flow of ease
I manifest a successful flow of ease
Dear people,
I love Self Care, because self care is self love. For a lot of people it's really hard to take the time to take care of themselves. Life can get really busy, you might feel obligated to take care of others first or of your household or just forget about your own needs. We tend to forget we can't pour from an empty cup and that we need to prioritize our own well being. If you recognize that, it's time to do some self care! If you have only a minute, check out my Creating Joy: Self Care video.
Three Pillars of Self Care: Eat, Sleep and Relax
I always tell people that before you do other things, we need to make sure that the three pillars of self care are strong and healthy. If we don't do that, we will ultimately crash our health. The bill of neglect always comes due - we can stay upright for a while, but in the end, we can't live without food or sleep. High stress levels will definitely also take their toll.
So yeah, it's tempting to just forget meals or eat fast food when you are busy, but it's not a healthy long term choice. It's hard to get the right amount of sleep when you are stressed and it seems so much needs to be done or to choose to relax first and pick up work later. Yet, if we do that, we will replenish our own energy reserves and have the time to find better solutions.
Stressful situations tend to cause decisions being made out of fear, exhaustion or emotional distress. And later one, we'd see that if we had just taken a break, we'd have made better choices. It's very hard to remind ourselves of this though, because the stress and lack of sleep will definitely cloud our judgement.
If our foundation of self care is solid, it's time to make sure our second level of self care is taken care of. This one is very personal, because what is self care for one person, is deeply annoying for another. For some, a part of self care is connecting to our loved one's and having social time. You can see quite often that when people become parents, some people really need to leave the house and go out, while others are most content just reading a book on the couch or taking some time in the bath tub.
You are the one person who knows what you need for your well being. Don't drink coffee if you are a tea drinker or force yourself to go out if you need some me-time at home. It's fine to try out new things and see what they do for your well being, but if you have been stressed for a long time, going back to your old time favorites is often the best practice.
By regularly taking care of your own well being, you will notice it's much easier to be flexible, generous with your time and energy and joyful. If you only do the foundation of self care, after a while, you will notice you have a feeling of discontent. We all need to make sure we do things that make us feel happy!
Last level of Self Care: Soul Purpose
When the first 2 layers of Self Care are solid, it's time for the last level. We have enough energy and vitality to take things on and we are happy enough to deal with more, it's inevitable that we are drawn toward our soul purpose.
If we don't move towards it, after a while, our lives will start feeling meaningless and we wonder what it's all for. So we will find our lessons, our opportunities and our blessings if we choose to connect to them. God, Higher Power, The Universe whatever you feel comfortable with, will continue to offer them up to us.
If we are very tired still, we might find opportunities to heal, to be pampered or to be cared for. If we are ready to learn, we will find teachers, books, podcasts or other resources. If we are ready to help others and ourselves, we will be called to use our gifts and talents. We don't really need to do anything for our soul purpose, it will just be done through us. So listen, be guided and enjoy!
Self Care exercise
- Take around 5-10 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Close your eyes
- First, allow yourself to receive love and care from God/The Universe/Higher Power
- Imagine yourself being completely filled with this care
- Let is rejuvenate you in body, heart, mind and spirit
- Once you feel completely at peace and cared for thank God/The Universe/Higher Power
- Ask for any guidance on how to take care of yourself and listen closely
- You might get inspiration based on food, sleep or other activities
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
- Plan your self care activities and hold yourself to it!
If you want to share your experience with self care or my exercises, you can email me, post a comment here on the blog or send me a message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I manifest the knowledge the create miracles
I manifest the wisdom to create miracles
I manifest miracles being created through me
I manifest effortless miracles
I manifest miracles in my heart
I manifest miracles in my love life
I manifest miracles in my finances
I manifest miracles in my home
I manifest miracles in all area’s of my life
I manifest miracles in my family
I manifest miracles in my social circle
I manifest miracles in all my connections
I manifest miracles in my life
I manifest miracles on my soul path
I manifest miracles for the world
Dear people,
Often I'd hear from people that it's bad to be sweet. Sweet is considered being a push-over, unable to set healthy boundaries, being compliant or overly accommodating. It's sad that being sweet is getting such a bad rap nowadays. Especially since sweetness can truly melt our hearts. Who doesn't like seeing sweet baby animals, sweetness of two young lovers etc. etc. So today, let's work on embracing sweetness.
Sweetness in our lives
Of course the most obvious external sweetness for a lot of people is sugar! And with how often it's added in to food, some of us have serious issues with cravings and missing the sweet taste in their life. It's important to realize that true, lasting sweetness is not one that leaves a bitter taste later. So sugar isn't actually adding any sweetness to your life - it just feels that way temporarily. I highly suggest you don't overindulge in sugar if you feel the craving of sweetness in your life.
So what sweetness can you expect in your life that is pure and good? It could be as simple as a compliment from your boss or your friends, an unexpected gift, a nice smelling flower you encounter or a ray of sunshine that you sit in. Life is filled with sweetness that can be embraced when we see it or try to look for it. I truly believe that God is always creating sweet surprises for us.
Those kind of sweet moments, when life feels so wonderful, can pass you by, be fleeting or embraced to last longer. When we choose to live with awareness, we will find sweetness everywhere and it will fill our cup. You can also try Gratitude work to enhance the sweetness of life or try out the exercise in this blog post.
Sweetness for yourself
Often, people are stuck in their own busyness or critical voice and forget that they can also increase sweetness for themselves. You can build your own positive voice, practice self care or just do something sweet for yourself. When is the last time you gave yourself a gift? Decided to speak about yourself with kindness? Complimented something you did? And of course, watching bunny, cat or dog video's, for a reasonable time, is also a wonderful way to have your heart melt with sweetness.
While it's wonderful if other people bring us sweetness, it's also kind beautiful to gift it to ourselves. It might feel a bit uncomfortable at first - but once you get used to it, it should remind you that sweetness is to be savored.
Sweetness in our relationships
Often people tell me they long to go back to the beginning of their relationships - when their partner was still sweet. How he or she would gift them unexpected surprises, gave them more attention, did sweet things or sweet talked them. So why does that stop? Sometimes people get stuck in a rut, they might stop wooing their partner or (which is most likely) they are stuck in resentment.
So what happens if we let sweetness return in our relationships? If we do, it's easier for our partners to forgive us our mistakes, to treat us with grace and to feel like we contributing in positive ways in our lives. Do you always have to be sweet? Definitely not - but when we choose to consciously be sweet, we are enhancing our relationships.
True sweetness is also sweet to us. You aren't buying a gift out of guilt, you are buying one because you have a sweet memory that you'd like to share (these used to be my favorite snack!) or you want to create something sweet for your partner (I saw them and I know you love them). And thus, the sweetness you give to your partner, is also creating sweetness in you. You get happier seeing their excitement, gratitude or joy.
Besides romantic relationships, it's also wonderful to creating sweetness in all relationships. Again, don't do it out of obligation, guilt or fear. Just respond with sweetness: gifts, compliments, support, kindness etc. whenever you can. You will see your friendships, working relationships etc. flourish.
Sweetness exercise
- Take around 10-15 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Close your eyes
- First, allow yourself to receive sweetness from God/The Universe/Higher Self/Higher Power
- Imagine yourself being completely drenched in the sweetness of life
- It flows over you like a shower of multicolored rain and removes all guilt, fear and resentment
- Once you have drunk your fill - it's time to share the sweetness with the people in your life
- Imagine gifting everybody you care about this sweetness
- See it transform their lives
- Open yourself up to inspiration - you might get some good ideas for sweet acts for yourself or others
- Thank Higher Power
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
- Plan your acts of sweetness so you will do them within a reasonable time frame
If you want to share your experience with sweetness or
my exercises, you can email me, post a comment here on the blog or
send me a
message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
Dear people,
I've already written some Inner Child Energy Affirmations, have a Creating Joy: Inner Child video and spoken about Inner Child Work in my Dutch Column, but today I'm writing about it again. That's because I find Inner Child work so important. When our Inner Child doesn't get what it needs, we either have childish tantrums and self sabotage or feelings of depression and meaninglessness. Play is so important. So, today, let's do some Inner Child work!
Inner Child
What is our Inner Child? Spiritually speaking, a lot of people believe that we have this Archetype or part of us that needs nurturing, safety, time, energy and attention. If we had a rough childhood, our Inner Child often has a lot of needs that have been neglected. Giving ourselves what we need, heals in deep ways, that help us find a better balance.
Yet even people who have had great childhoods have an Inner Child who has needs. I am on the side of C.S. Lewis who said: "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." We all need wonder, amazement, innocence, creativity, passion, trust and play just like we did in our childhood.
Why do Inner Child Work
For one: it's nice to be balanced. Secondly, it's wonderful to have that inner child energy running through your life. And last, but not least, most humans have a tendency to take things too seriously, to get stuck in to-do lists and forget the meaning of life.
Allow this youthful energy in your life revitalizes you and allows you to connect to yourself in a deeper way. And you can connect with people of all ages. A lot of energy healers have a youthful demeanor and/or youthful energy. It's because they are able to connect to this energy.
Doing Inner Child work also helps greatly to reduce our childish behaviors: tantrums, anger, unable to say sorry, unable to admit faults or mistakes, rebelling, you first mentality or quid pro quo mentality. This behavior sabotages our adult connection. What we are willing to accept from children of teenagers, we won't accept from adults.
When we are harmed in our childhoods, we sometimes stay stuck in childish behaviors. Or if we feel harmed in the same way again, we return back to that childhood state. Sometimes people are aware of the fact that they are acting like a 3, 5 or 12 year old. Sometimes it's a subconscious response. Yet in both cases doing Inner Child work will help heal us.
Inner child work ideas:
While it's nice to spend 15 minutes in meditation/manifestation or visualization, sometimes it's much simpler to reconnect to our Inner Child and access this energy within us.
So here is a small list of idea's:
- Take the time to play (with childhood toys, with something you never got in childhood, but still long for)
- Take the time to connect to nature or animals with the wonder of a child
- Take the time to return to childhood hobby's or activities! Enjoy those nerf guns or that swing.
- Eat childhood favorites
- Have breakfast for dinner or eat your dessert first
- Go to bed late
- Have a pillow fort or sleep over
- Watch TV from your childhood
- Give your Inner Child room to tell you what it needs/wants
Inner child work exercise:
- Take around 10-20 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Close your eyes
- Imagine yourself as a child
- Allow that child to be the age that is necessary for your healing - baby, toddler, child, tween, teenager etc.
- Simply hug that part of yourself and give it your love
- Tell that part you are proud
- Ask what this part of you needs from you
- Listen carefully
- Discuss if you can give that at this moment or at a later time
- Allow the Inner Child energy to revitalize you
- Say goodbye
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
- Do what you promised or plan to do it in the agreed upon timeframe
If you want to share your experience with inner child work or my exercises, you can email me, post a comment here on the blog or send me a message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or post a comment below the YouTube video's: Creating Joy: Inner Child video or Inner Child Work in my Dutch Column.
I write my affirmations in different levels so you can see what resonates with you and what you want to work on. You might start with a lower level that resonates and then move your way up.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I recharge my body
I recharge my energy body
I recharge my vitality
I recharge my passion
I recharge my motivation
I recharge my career
I recharge my life
I recharge my connection with my partner
I recharge the earth
I recharge the world
Dear people,
I've already written about how an illness can be an advantage, but today I'm writing about something that can be a great solution to heal: busting your own lies. We all need to bust our own lies, so we can move forward in a healthy way. Living authentically isn't always the easiest and sometimes we delude ourselves instead of facing the truth. So today I'm writing about how to bust your own lies, so you have a better life.
We all lie - but which lies are problematic
It's very normal to lie - we all do it. Sometimes those lies are polite fictions so we can smooth social waters, sometimes those lies are a little bit more involved, because we want to escape consequences. It can be hard to accept that we lie, but once we do, we can take better care of what lies we tell and why. I know a lot of people who say that they are very honest, but when we are truly honest, we all need to acknowledge that we lie.
Lies based on what's really going on in our lives are very problematic. If you don't want to share your inner most thoughts and feelings, that's fine. But if you tell a lie about how you are feeling to others, you miss out on comfort, support and love, unless they see you are lying and call you out on it. If you lie to yourself about what you are truly feeling, you can't take charge of the problems, heal your emotional upset or look for solutions.
Lying about your own part or responsibilities in problems is also extremly problematic. If you insist it was just 'bad luck' or 'that just happened to you randomly', you are missing out on solving problematic patterns in your life, subconscious self-sabotage or past life pain. While technically it is possible that bad occurrences are just bad luck - if you are always losing jobs, getting into car crashes, having trouble with your friends etc. it's a good idea to take a long hard look in the mirror. Like they say: "If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole." It can be very hard to accept our own part in our problems, but it is necessary for healing, self forgiveness, letting go and moving on.
Conscious lies vs Subconscious lies
A lot of people think they don't lie much, because they are highly unaware of all the lies they are telling. This is very normal, but at the same time, doesn't help in busting your own lies. A few years ago I heard that the most spoken lie is: "I will remember that". Upon reflection, I totally agreed, that I have said that often, while not remember the message later. So now when I hear myself say that, I substitute towards: "Let me write that down so I will remember that". Since I've done this, I definitely had to deal a lot less with things I've forgotten.
Another common lie is the: "Everything is ok"-lie. If you don't want to share, that's fine, but automatically saying everything is fine, isn't good for us. If you hear yourself do that a lot, take some time to reflect why you don't want to share your life with others. Maybe you need to work on vulnerability, maybe you need to allow support or feel safe with another person. There are many reasons why we tend to automatically say we are good, when we are not.
If you consciously lie, you know you are trying to get away with something or trying to take something. So it's very important to admit to yourself that you are lying. Asking yourself if it's worth the loss of integrity and the fall out if your lie gets discovered. Besides the polite fictions, that we all sometimes use, we do have malicious lies as well. We need to own those, so we can heal.
Hearing your own lies exercise
- Take around 5-15 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Think of a statement you want to verify
- For example: I love myself, I am blameless of X, I am doing the best I can, I'm making healthy choices
- Gently speak it in the air
- Listen carefully to your own voice: do you sound strong, confident and convincing? Or does your voice waver, do you sound small etc.
- Feel your body: are your relaxed and does this statement resonate fully with truth? Or do you feel a blockage somewhere or notice stress?
- Notice your energy: does this resonate with you or does it sound off?
- If you notice your statement is a lie - state the opposite and again notice what happens. Is the counter more true? Are both not strong and does it mean you are divided?
- Ask God/your Guides/Angels/the Universe to place you back into Truth
- Notice what happens for you and if need me, repeat your statement to hear the difference
- Do a few statements if you want to, but no more then 10, because this work can really be tiring
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
Want to share your experience or give feedback on my exercise? Email me, post a comment here on the blog or
send me a
message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Want to work more with releasing lies? Check out the True Unity Video Release Self Delusion!
I write my affirmations in different levels so you can see what resonates with you and what you want to work on. You might start with a lower level that resonates and then move your way up.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I balance my emotions
Dear people,
A few weeks ago I did my Dutch Column about our Positive Voice, but you can now also find a Creating Joy: Positive Voice video on my YouTube Channel. Many of us know how to easy it is to be critical of our bodies, our behavior and ourselves. Building our Positive Voice means we build self value, self acceptance and self love. Yet it seems many of us don't know how to do that as negative self talk is so ingrained that positive self talk doesn't feel like an option. So today I'm writing about finding and supporting your Inner Cheerleader to support yourself.
Positive vs Negative messages
Research says we need 5-10 positive messages to negate 1 negative message. Yet when we grow up we are surrounded by negative messages. Don't do this - don't do that - you didn't study enough - you didn't eat enough vegetables - you ... fill in the blanks. Our parents, our teachers, our peers and ultimately we ourselves, talk negatively about ourselves.
That's why many of us have a big negative critical voice that is talking to us every single day. It will say things like: "I can't do this/I can't do that", "I'm not smart/beautiful/worthy" etc. etc. Yet, our positive voice should be there to counteract this poison by telling us: "I can give it a shot, it might be easier then I think, I am smart/beautiful/worthy just the way I am.".
If you notice your critical voice sounding like your parent or specific teacher, it's very worthwhile to do some cord cutting and release that energy. We do not need somebody else's judgement clouding our own. We need to decide what we value, not what we have been told to value.
Reducing your Critical Voice
If you are a parent, don't think you need to be positive at all times to your child. Just separate the behavior from the child. Instead of saying: "You are dumb", we need to practice saying "that wasn't a smart thing to do". The person isn't being judged, but the behavior is.
So if you hear yourself saying that to your child or yourself, please try to make an effort to change your language. What we choose to say and how we choose to say it matters. It will take some getting used to, but it's very worthwhile.
Building your inner cheerleader
Expect to feel a bit uncomfortable when you first start building your positive voice. We aren't used to giving ourselves a praise, a pep-talk or validation. Yet, it's so important to learn to give yourself positive self talk. You can use compliments you've heard from others about yourself, use affirmations or try talking to yourself as if you are your own best friend.
Positive Voice exercise:
- Take around 10-20 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Ask for Higher Power/Heaven/The Universe/God to return you to a place of self love and self value
- Gently breathe in this atmosphere
- Open yourself up to listening what messages and inspiration is there for you
- Repeat them out loud
- Whenever you feel ready - thank Higher Power/Heaven/The Universe/God
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
- Do what you promised or plan to do it in the agreed upon timeframe
Want to share your experience or give feedback on my exercise? Email me, post a comment here on the blog or send me a message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or post a comment below the YouTube video Positive Voice from my Dutch Column.
I write my affirmations in different levels so you can see what resonates with you and what you want to work on. You might start with a lower level that resonates and then move your way up.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
Dear people,
I've spoken about co-creation in my Dutch Column and on a Creating Joy video. I love manifesting, achieving my goals and walking my path using this spiritual technique. It's wonderful not having to do things all on your own and always having support from Higher Power. Want to know how to work with co-creation? Read on and try the exercise in this blog post!
What is Co-creation?
The idea of co-creation is in the name: co, from cooperation, or doing thing together and creation for creation, creating things. So basically it means creating in cooperation. As a spiritual technique that means it's not only creating with others, but specially, creating with Higher Power. It doesn't matter if that's God, the Universe, Higher Power, Heaven or whatever you are comfortable with.
You can of course also co-create with other people, which is also lovely, but not what this blog post is about, unless you choose as a group to co-create with higher power.
Drawbacks/Benefits of Co-creation
One of the big drawbacks of using co-creation is that you need to relinquish control. When we work with higher power, it's not us behind the steering wheel of the car. We need to accept that Higher Power has a better plan then we do. Sometimes that type of surrender is hard for people and they come and complain to me that they are trying to co-create goals for their business or private life, but it doesn't seem to work at all.
They are right that it won't work, because if you are trying to force a relationship that isn't right for you - you can't do that with co-creation. Same goes for business goals that are not in line with your soul path or purpose. You simple won't get clients for services or find that storefront if it's in the wrong city for you.
That's why if you are a micromanager or control freak, co-creation is going to be hard for you. You need to accept that you are asking for the other more knowledge, wiser and more loving partner to take charge.
Even when the co-creation is going well, you will have to release your timeline, because that's also out of your hands. I remember really setting a deadline for myself to start the new year with a new business name a few years back. But I just couldn't find or connect with anything. In the end, I decided to use co-creation, knowing it might mean not registering domain names or even getting my business cards ready in time. Once I accepted that and listened however, I did receive the name, and everything fell into place on time. Yet - my time isn't always Higher Powers time, so it could have meant I would have needed placeholders.
Benefits of Co-creation
So what are the benefits of co-creation? First of all: it's lovely not to have to do it on your own. Having support is wonderful. Just knowing support is available greatly reduces stress levels! It might feel strange to leave big decisions up to Higher Power, but once you learn to surrender your life becomes a lot less stressful.
Secondly, you only have to do half the work, and sometimes even less! Imagine being able to ask for help in finding a place for your business. Doing it on your own would mean checking out many different places, hoping you'd pick the right one and signing a contract. Doing it with co-creation would be asking what is the right place for you. You'd listen to guidance, you might be guided to somebody, somebody might be guided to you or you'd just stumble upon the right place. Instead of having endless lists to compare places and getting statistics, you'd just open yourself up and listen.
Thirdly, better results. While co-creation with Higher Power takes some getting used too, once you start seeing results, you'll know immediately that it's worth it. You pick the right people, the right places, the right work, the right everything. Even if things don't go 100% your way, they often either go better then you ever dreamed of or you'll learn something very important that is worth the aggravation!
When to use Co-creation
I'd like to say: "Always", but that's not completely true. There are times when you need to take quick decisions and won't be able to get into the head and heart space for co-creation. There are times where it's hard to let go of the outcome and you notice you can't co-create. There are times where the decision to do co-creation can feel like overkill - like what you'd make for dinner.
Co-creation is the easiest to do for big projects, blockages/obstacles that you are unsure how to overcome or anything that is so important to you that you just want the highest level of success.
Co creation exercise
- Take around 10-20 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Close your eyes
- Imagine a symbol for the project/goal/situation you'd like to co-creation on. For example: an imagine of a house for your housing search etc.
- Gently place that symbol upon the ground and release the need to control
- Ask for help by stating: "I ask God/The Universe/Higher Power to help me co-create this for me
- Imagine the symbol shimmering in gold energy and then rising up until you can't see it anymore
- Ask for guidance: "I open myself up to any guidance/inspiration needed for my side of the work"
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
- Write down any impressions that you had during this exercise
- Repeat this exercise whenever you feel the need to have more guidance on what you should be doing. You can change the symbol based on changes in your journey. For example: paper symbolizing a bid for a house.
If you want to share your experience with co-creation or get some advice
on this technique, you can email me, post a comment here on the blog or
send me a
message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or post a comment below the YouTube video's: Dutch Column or Creating Joy video and I will respond as soon as possible.
I write my affirmations in different levels so you can see what resonates with you and what you want to work on. You might start with a lower level that resonates and then move your way up.
Pick and choose what works for you and affirm away (I recommend three times a day if you can manage it).
I can always find harmony within
I am in harmony with my friendships
Dear People,
I recently spoke about Remote Viewing in my column on the Radio, but thought I'd write a blog post about it as well. I did mention Remote Viewing in my blog post concerning if I use my gifts to find lost items but I didn't describe what I would actually do. I'm going to write a bit more about this technique today as well as give an exercise so you can try it for yourself. If you want to know more about this technique you can also listen to me talk about it in my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment: Remote Viewing.
What is Remote Viewing
Remote Viewing is a technique designed to seek information or impressions about something. Usually a distant or unseen subject, but it can be an object, event, person or location. Some people close their eyes, while others like to keep them open and draw their impressions.
It's been made famous a bit, due to to research by the US Military as well as the CIA. Some people think remote viewing is done by traveling out of body, while others believe it's using a psychic eye. In any case, it's definitely flexes your psychic muscles.
Why would you use Remote Viewing
I guess it's easy to see how you could use remote viewing as a type of spying, but most people use it for lost objects or to just train their psychic skills. For example if you lost your keys, trying to use remote viewing can give you a much better idea of where they might be.
Using it to practice your psychic skills usually means you'd check basic things that you can easily check later or doing it with a group. I've worked with others in a remote viewing group - we'd check in on a certain member holding a photo - and discuss our impressions together later. It was interesting to see who tuned into what and how close or far we were from our test subject.
Remote Viewing Exercises
Curious how you'd do with remote viewing? Here are two remote viewing exercises so you can give it a try.
Exercise 1: Remote viewing your Mail
- Take around 5-10 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Imagine your mailbox, your doormat or whatever you use to get your mail
- Imagine you opening your third eye (or if you want to try by psychic traveling - imagine floating above your object)
- What can you see? Do you see any mail? Colors of envelops? Notice or hear numbers? Have an idea who they are from?
- Write down all your impressions, sounds, numbers, colors etc.
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
- Check how you did by going to collect your mail
Exercise 2: Remote viewing a photo
- Take around 5-10 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Grab a book with photo's or a deck of cards
- Close your eyes and randomly open your book (travel books are best!) or draw card from your deck
- Place your hand on your object
- Recite your impressions: colors, sounds, numbers, energy, ideas
- Open your eyes and see how you did!
- Afterwards drink a bit of water and do some grounding
Want to discuss Remote Viewing? Post a comment here on the blog or send me a
message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram. Or listen to my Dutch Column: Spiritueel Moment: Remote Viewing and leave a comment there!
I truly believe we should have more fun in life. Often we get bogged down in worries or just stuck in the normal routines of life. We need to create opportunities for fun and remember that life is meant to be enjoyed. Do you feel stuck in meaninglessness or dreary moods? Take some time to affirm some fun affirmations today.
I write my affirmations in different levels so you can see what resonates with you and what you want to work on. You might start with a lower level that resonates and then move your way up.
Create more fun by listening to the 5 minute Fun Manifestation Meditation on my YouTube Channel.
I enjoy other people's laughter
Dear people,
A lot of times people only seem to appreciate fast. Fast results, fast healing, fast changes, fast transformation.. fast everything. Yet, there is so much power in slowing down, in taking your time, in allowing things to simmer before you make changes, take a decision or leap forward. You can see that quite clearly in nature and in cooking. So today I'm writing about the power of Slowing Down.
Why slowing down is no longer appreciated
For many people - slowing down automatically means losing time, getting less results or feeling old. Fast has become something to strive for. Yet, we all know that fast isn't always better. Some things need time before they are ready, like a good stew. You simply can't make good stew in 5 minutes, no matter how high you put the fire. And a good cook will tell you that the stew is often even better the next day - as all the flavors have had time to mingle.
Yet if you look at your own life, are you taking the time you need? Or are you rushing into making decisions or getting things done fast for the sake of fast? Ever taken the time to slow down and let things simmer for betters results?
Appreciating the benefits of slowing down
So when we choose to no longer focus on fast, we can move from finishing our tasks, towards mindfully staying connected to the right rhythm. Fast tends to connect us only to our heads - were our thoughts and observations are racing around. Slowing down allows us to reconnect to our bodies - feeling what is going on there, what we need or want. We can flow towards our hearts and feel deeply what we've been carrying or what we desire for our future.
Slowing down gives us time to look at the bigger picture, to allow our inner child to play, without pushing the envelope. Play is a wonderful way to get great results is a relaxed, slowed down way. It focuses on enjoyment, higher vibrations and wonder. That road leads to a lot more satisfaction then looming deadlines and stress.
How to slow down
If you are used to minimizing time and feeling that less time is more efficient, it can really frustrate you to slow down. Yet if you understand that slowing down gives better results sometimes and might be more efficient in the long run, it might be much easier for you to give it a try.
I don't recommend slowing down with everything or all the time, but just allowing yourself to feel what a different rhythm does to you. Small ways of slowing down can be something as simple as slowing down your walking speed, choosing to take the stairs slowly, going around the block an additional time or taking the long way around. Observe how you feel and what a small slower moment does to you, your feelings, your well being and your mind.
If you are eager to slow down more, you can choose to do an activity slower like cooking, a creative hobby or even something as simple as taking a longer lunch.
Slowing down exercise
- Take around 10-20 minutes for this exercise
- Make sure you are comfortable and can't be disturbed by your phone etc.
- Imagine your life moving like a stream of a river
- You gently float above it, seeing the stream move
- Now consciously try to reduce the speed
- Feel your heart also slow down and take deep and slow breaths
- As you reduce the speed more and more, you are able to see more in the water
- You can check for bubbles, for foam, for fishes or anything else that interests you
- Take some time to check the water and gain insight
- Take deep and slow breaths
- Allow the river to move even slower and see if the water clears up more for you
- You can gentle dip your fingers in and ask for insights
- Whenever you feel ready, release your river
- Gently open your eyes, drink a bit of water and do some grounding
Want more slowing down vibes? Check out my Creating Joy: Slowing Down video or try out the Slowing Down Manifestation Meditation. I'd love to hear your ideas to slow down, so please comment here on the blog or on linked videos.