Happy New Chinese Year of the Water Dragon

Chinese New Year was ushered in on 23 January with the first day of the Chinese astrological year beginning on 4 February.

This is the year of the Black Water Dragon and I share with you information and exercises from two respected teachers to help you make the most of this auspicious year.

Five things about dragons you may not know – Roger Hamilton

Gong Xi Fa Cai! We’re now in the Chinese Year of the Water Dragon. Whether you follow the Chinese Zodiac or not, here are 5 things about dragons worth knowing in 2012.

DREAMS TO REALITY - The dragon is the ONLY mythical animal on the chinese zodiac. It is the link between the imaginary world and the real world and has a special place in Chinese culture (In the same way you cannot deface a US flag in America, you cannot deface a dragon image in China).

• In 2012, what is the one dream you will bring into reality? Pin it up with a dragon image.

THE SYMBOL OF FLOW –  The dragon symbolises the protector of flow, and in Chinese myths is always controlling the waters, floods, seas and rivers. Its three joints represent the trinity of flow (creation, preservation, destruction).

• In 2012, what will you begin, what will you preserve, and what will you end to stay in flow?

THE POWER OF NINE - The dragon is related to the number 9, the highest single digit number and Chinese symbol of celestial power. The chinese dragon has 81 Yang scales (9×9) and 36 Yin scales (9×4). Nine dragons was the symbol of the Chinese Emperor (and if you have ever been to Hong Kong, ‘Kowloon’ means ‘nine dragons’ in Chinese). The chinese character for ‘nine’ is the same as the word ‘forever’.

• In 2012, what part of you will you develop – a skill or quality that will lift you higher, and be with you forever?

THE CELESTIAL MESSENGER - The dragon has spread through all cultures, and today are found in everything from Shrek to Harry Potter. The English word comes from the Greek ‘‘drakan” which means ‘water dragon’, derived from ‘drakein’ which means ‘to see more clearly’. Up to modern time, the dragon is seen as carrying a secret or message that it protects and passes to the select few.

• In 2012, what dragon will you seek out. In what area do you want to ‘see more clearly’?

A SIGN OF THE TIMES - 2012 is the year of the Water Dragon, which only comes around every 60 years. The last Water Dragon year was 1952 (the first year to see a return-flight of a passenger plane across the Atlantic), and before that was 1892 (The year Edison got a patent for a two-way telegraph. It was also the year of the first basketball game).

• In 2012, what will you invent? What will you create that will leave a legacy?

Where to start with these five questions?

Grab a blank sheet and start with that – a white space of unexplored, virgin territory: the kind that old map makers would leave blank on their maps because no one had been there yet; the spaces on the map where there were no coastlines or land masses; just empty space with the words “Here be dragons.”

Gong Xi Fa Cai. Wishing you a prosperous lunar new year!

Roger James Hamilton

Connect with Roger at:
http://.twitter.com/rogerhamilton
http://on.fb.me/FBRoger

Suggested ritual for 2012 – Davina Mackail 

Well we’ve made it to 2012 – what a gloriously exciting time to be alive! Yes, really. I know it may not seem like that with all the current doom and gloom. But this truly is the beginning of a transformational epoch in human history.

We are entering a new golden age, a renaissance of human consciousness, an opportunity to raise our game as human beings, to understand our true nature and realise our passion and potential both individually and collectively.

Ushered in with the first new moon in Aquarius accompanied by the Chinese New Year of the Black, Water Dragon. 2012 is also a 5 year. With that line-up transformation is guaranteed.

This is the pivotal year of the new millennium. A time of make or break. To harness the luck of that mythical dragon and increase your personal flow this is a year to go beyond your known boundaries. A year to dream BIG dreams, get inventive, be adventurous, develop the courage of your heart and go for gold! It’s a time for boldness in following the wisdom of your own inner knowing. Truly the time of being your own authority has arrived.

MANIFEST YOUR INTENTIONS

Between now and the full moon on 7 February is a great time to manifest your intentions for the year.

It’s great to set your big goals and dreams in motion. But I’d like you to focus on something else as well. Something far more important to your daily flow of peace and joy and something that is far more likely to help you ultimately achieve your big dreams. That something is “What you LOVE to do”.

It’s extraordinary how often we ignore this even when we think we’re actually doing it. Often we’re so focussed on our big dream we forget our daily happiness.

CONNECT WITH WHAT YOU LOVE

To connect with what you LOVE find a time when you’ll be undisturbed and sit with yourself. Spend a few minutes just relaxing. Take a breath in above your head and exhale below your feet and repeat a few times.

Now, with your non-dominant hand resting on your heart to remind you of where this information is coming from ask yourself “What do I really LOVE?” and keep asking yourself until you can tune in to that energy and get the flow going. Relax and allow time for this exercise.

If you’ve been really out of touch with yourself lately it’ll take a while for you to remember what you really love – not what you think you should love or achieve or have but what you REALLY LOVE deep down in your soul.

To give you an idea, some of the things I truly LOVE in life are walking in the woods; playing my drum; my morning cappuccino especially if my husband goes to get it for me:); afternoons curled up reading a novel; going to the cinema; catching up with good friends; rainbows; hugging trees; dancing by myself; making up silly songs whilst driving; long, indulgent bubble baths…etc etc

Once you unleash your soul they’ll be no stopping you. You’ll also discover that what your soul loves rarely costs much money so this is a gift you can truly afford. Capture all your deep loves in a notebook and promise yourself that 2012 will be the year you give yourself the pleasure of something you truly love every single day.

I wish you all a truly joyful and courageous 2012

With infinite love and blessings from a wood dragon!

Davina Mackail
http://askdavina.com

Love Changes Everything

Robert Holden and Nick Davis hold their annual A Course in Miracles (ACIM) workshop, ‘Love Changes Everything’. on Saturday 4 February in London, with online streaming for those unable to attend the live event.

The workshop focuses on 12 aspects of Love that can be expressed in the world, practices which keep us in touch with Source and enhance the awakening of those whose lives we touch.

A Course in Miracles is an inward journey back to who we truly are. Once that journey has been made, a reawakening occurs and the Love that we are now aware of transforms everything we previously saw in the world into a vision of Love. Yet, when we have awakened to Love, which is enlightenment, what on earth are we going to do?

Nick and Robert address this and combine to bring ACIM practices to life with practical teachings on how Love Changes Everything.

The workshop costs £75, with lunch by donation. Online live streaming between 9.45am to 5.00 pm UK time costs £38. For further information and booking details visit:

http://www.miracles.org.uk/events/event_page.php?event=296

About Robert

Robert Holden is founder of the Happiness Project and Success Intelligence. His work has been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, and two major BBC documentaries, including QED’s ‘How to Be Happy’. He’s the author of Happiness NOW!, Success Intelligence, Shift Happens!, and Be Happy. He hosts a weekly show for Hay House Radio called Shift Happens!

About Nick

Nick Davis and his wife, Anne, run the Centre for Inner Peace in Worcester, UK, where Nick holds regular seminars, groups and Course-based counselling sessions. He also teaches around the UK.

Barefoot Doctor Live in Leeds for Healing Sounds and Movement

Barefoot Doctor Stephen Russell will be in Leeds, West Yorkshire, on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 February to help ‘Heal You and Your Life through The Tao of Sound and Movement’.

As a modern day Taoist, martial arts master, musician and energy healer, Stephen has spent his life practicing and teaching skills that were once the preserve of emperors and warriors in ancient China. Kept secret from the masses for centuries, Stephen has brought these simple, yet profoundly effective, techniques bang up to date for busy people in the modern world.

His simple routines help you:

• SHIFT YOUR ENERGY
• CLEAR YOUR BLOCKS
• GET IN FLOW
• MAKE THE ABSOLUTE MOST OF YOUR LIFE

Once learned these powerful techniques take you just a few minutes and can be used alone or incorporated into any daily practice.

So if you’re feeling stuck, lacking in vitality and zest or just wanting to make 2012 your most successful year yet, don’t miss these powerful, many would say life changing, sessions with the Doc in Leeds this February.

The Friday evening talk will give you an overview of the Taoist system and an experience of it to take home with you. Then on Saturday, Stephen will share with you:

• SIX ANCIENT HEALING SOUNDS and how to harness their power to flush out pain on every level, and to heal all aspects of you and your life – we’re not just talking physical pain, but psychological issues, emotional trauma; personal, social or professional pain – even financial stresses and strains
• ACUPRESSURE & SELF APPLIED MASSAGE – simple pressing techniques which clear energy blockages from your mind, body and life, so you can feel better, perform better and make the absolute most of your life now and in future
• QI GONG EXERCISES to increase your vitality, strength, stamina and stability, whilst bringing a deep sense of relaxation – these are simple exercises you could incorporate into daily life whenever you feel stressed or need a boost.

No previous experience is required – just an open mind and a desire to make positive change so you can live the life you really want, rather than one you settle for. Barefoot Doctor is known for his engaging, entertaining style, so these events will be lots of fun.

Because Stephen’s appearances in Yorkshire are rarer than hen’s teethm grab your seat for Barefoot Doctor’s Tao of Sound and Movement whilst you can. Numbers are limited (particularly for the workshop) to ensure everyone gets the absolute most from the sessions. For more details and to book go to:

http://barefootdoctorinleeds.eventbrite.com

 

Marianne Williamson’s Enchanted Love Workshop

Whether you’re a woman or a man, gay, straight, single or in a relationship, Marianne Williamson’s ‘Enchanted Love Workshop’ in February promises “valuable spiritual, psychological and emotional insight into the nature of practice of true love”.

According to Marianne, the fear-based ego uses relationships to hurt us, whilst the spirit uses them to heal us. This weekend workshop in Los Angeles, California, which will also be streamed online, promises spiritual enquiry into:

• How to prepare ourselves for love
• The deeper forces that foster a powerful romantic relationship
• The masculine/feminine dynamic in romantic relationships
• True intimacy and how to achieve it
• How a romantic relationship can become a portal to spiritual growth

Whether you’re looking to attract a relationship or seeking to deepen one that you’re already in, the weekend offers a rare opportunity to work closely with Marianne on one of the most significant and tender issues in our lives.

Commencing at 7.30pm on Friday 17 February the workshop is being held at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles International Airport Hotel on West Century Blvd and runs through until 1.00pm on Sunday 19 February. Tickets are priced at $200, available from:

http://enchantedlove.eventbrite.com/

Accessing the workshop online, live and with unlimited access for two months, costs $119 from:

http://www.vidiatrack.com/MWELW/mwelw.html

As perhaps the world’s best known student and teacher of A Course in Miracles, Marianne has been speaking and writing for years about relationships. To learn more about miracle-mindedness in relation to intimate love and the romantic journey, visit Marianne’s blog post ‘The Romantic Issues’.

New F**k It website & retreats

F**k It author John Parkin and his wife Gaia Pollini have said F**k it to running their award winning Hill that Breathes retreat centre in Italy and embarked on a new adventure.

The whole F**k It thing began when Gaia and John began teaching F**k It Weeks at The Hill seven years ago, but they’ve now decided they prefer to be spreading the F**k It message around the world than running a retreat centre in just one place.

Whilst The Hill will remain home to the couple and their kids, it’s now closed to visitors and F**K IT RETREATS has been born instead. This will see John and Gaia teaching F**k It weeks, and other great stuff, in amazing venues … on a volcano (yes, you read that right), in a luxury country estate and spa, and more.

The retreats will mainly be held in Italy and the UK for 2012, but there are plans for other venues later.

If you feel like learning or revisiting how to say F**k It (it’s the ultimate spiritual way) with John and Gaia, check out their new website, featuring a cute video of their young boys talking about F**k It (or ‘Fooook It’ as they call it in their Italian accents):

www.thef**kitlife.com

Barefoot Message in London

Barefoot Doctor Stephen Russell shares information from his latest book ‘The Message – Vision for a New World’ at a special event being held at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells, London.

New Golden Era for Humanity

As Barefoot shares his vision of a new golden era for humanity, the event will be captured on film for ImagoPeopleTV by BAFTA award winning director David Skynner in the presence of various journalists and thought leaders from the transformational sector. There will be networking both before and after the performance, when you’ll be able to purchase ‘The Message’, meet Barefoot Doctor and have your book personally signed.

The Message

Three thousand years ago, Moses unveiled 10 commandments on a tablet of stone. Now, Barefoot Doctor unveils The Message, available in modern day tablet format, to people willing to take the next step in the evolution of mankind.

Outlining in detail seven once-secret Taoist principles for health, happiness and spiritual enlightenment, The Message explains how, if practiced, these principles create a natural template for living a brilliant life, no matter  the exernal circumstances.

Full details and ticket information for this limited seat event are available here

 

New Year, New Life – Neale Donald Walsch’s Holiday Retreat

There are magical places to spend New Year and Neale Donald Walsch’s Holiday Retreat is one of them.

Held in Ashland, Oregon, which if it snows transforms into the most picture perfect Christmas card town, the retreat is an opportunity to look back over your last year and ahead into 2012.

Explore the messages of CWG

The retreat is hosted by the Conversations with God Foundation and facilitated personally by Neale. It gives you the opportunity to explore the deepest messages of the Conversations with God books and the most important understandings of a dialogue that has shifted the reality of human beings around the world.

You look at your present moment to determine just how life is for you right now and look to the future with hopeful eyes and a joyful heart, sure and certain in the knowledge of what a loving and caring universe and a constantly blessing God has in store for you in the twelve months ahead – your best year yet.

Neale and his wife, Em, join with CWG readers from around the world to share together the spiritual journey and the spiritual opportunity which Conversations with God opens for all of us.

What to expect

This retreat is empowering and often life changing. Expect to be challenged – though the amount to which you participate is quite up to you. When I attended a few years ago, I saw people addressing issues as difficult as addiction, abuse and bereavement, as well as self image and deeply held, damaging beliefs. It’s wonderful to watch how Neale helps people with such issues to truly turn their thinking and their life around.

You will meet new friends of like mind and maybe renew acquaintances, ahead of a lovely New Year’s celebration. Due to their work with people dealing with addictions various, the event is usually held in an alcohol free location, so be aware of that if you’re more used to a boozy New Year!

Full information, including a video from Neale, plus booking details are available here

Positive Message Music from Barefoot & Leakster

Boost your confidence, lift your spirits and open your heart through the power of Positive Message Music.

Barefoot Doctor Stephen Russell and fellow musician Russell Leak (Leakster) offer their debut live performance of music from their new album this week at Naked Dragon, Crown Hotel, Chertsey, Surrey, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on Wednesday 30 November.

The evening of spiritual rhythm ‘n blues’ utilises music, rhythm and positive messages to create a healing effect. Doc will give a live and spontaneous talk on how to formulate and use positive messages for maximum impact in your life and explain how to combine those positive messages with the ancient Taoist wu wei manifesting system.

Then Barefoot and Leakster will present their first ever live jam session with full audience participation.

Doc says: “We’re going to get everyone toning together. There’s no amplification or tricks, just everyone chanting together as we segue into a sound healing based song cycle with affirmations and beats. It’s very informal, deconstructive and fun – so come!”

Full details and tickets are available from Naked Dragon

If you’re within travelling distance of Surrey, this is one not to miss!

 

 

 

Robert Holden’s ‘Loveability’ in London

Robert Holden hosts a practical three day ‘Loveability’ course in London from 2-4 December to help you learn how to love and be loved.

“Love is the purpose of your life. And the more you learn to love, the better your life gets,” says Robert, whose work on happiness and love has been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, and two major BBC documentaries.

Deepen your experience

Loveability is Robert’s brand new course and the signature event of a new project on love and relationships. It is designed to help you deepen your experience of what true love is, and to help all your relationships be happier, kinder, more enjoyable, and more loving.

You will learn 10 essential principles and exercises of true love which can be applied to any relationship, including family, partner, children, friends, and yourself! Key themes include:

• Finding True Love – being open to a new level of love in all your relationships
• Love Lessons – identifying your major life-lessons about love and relationships
• Stages of Relationship – undoing common blocks and growing in love
• Languages of Love – knowing how different personality types experience love
• Gift of Forgiveness – releasing old patterns, fears, and wounds about love
• I Choose Love – committing to being the most loving person you can be.

About Robert

You may be familiar with Robert through his Hay House radio show or his books, Happiness NOW!, Shift Happens!, Success Intelligence and Be Happy. He’s a director of The Happiness Project and Success Intelligence, a student of A Course in Miracles and an acknowledged authority on happiness and love.

He’s also a lovely chap with a great sense of fun, so I’m sure you’ll have a great time if you opt to attend Loveability at The Columbia Hotel, London, from 9.30am to 6.00pm on Friday 2 December to Sunday 4 December. The training is priced at £249 and you can book at Robert’s website  or by emailing info@happiness.co.uk

‘Empowerment Now’ event, Cambridge UK

Eight inspirational speakers take to the stage at Empowerment Live to be held on the weekend of 28-29 January 2012 in Cambridge, UK. Their seminars and workshops, will share secrets, wisdom and passion with you in a bid to uplift and motivate you for the year ahead.

The line up includes some of Life Change Secrets’ favourite speakers – not least stand up philosopher Tim Freke and mind-body connection scientist Dr David Hamilton – with the aim of you leaving the event feeling more confident, happier and positive, equipped with practical tools for achieving your goals and dreams!

The event brings together scientific, spiritual, financial, emotional and physical wisdom from the world of personal development – and more esoteric subjects such as nutrition for the mind!

Tickets are £130, including refreshments and lunch, but book before 1 December 2011 and you pay £95. Full details and booking information here

 

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