Mandalas and Meditation

Meditation, in its simplest sense, is the art of focusing your mind on one thing.

So there are many creative forms of meditation which don't involve emptying the mind, sitting in a lotus position and counting the breath.

For example, working with mandalas is a form of meditation which can connect you with the unconscious part of your self and evoke relaxation, healing and enhance your spiritual awareness and intuition.

Mandalas are said to originate from Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism.

The word 'mandala' is from the Sanskrit language. It is often translated as 'circle' or 'sacred circle'.

Mandalas are usually in a circular form composed of symmetrical shapes with a deity or a symbol in the centre.

You can meditate with a mandala by contemplating the central which can symbolise your Inner Self. After gazing at the mandala for several minutes, when you close your eyes, your mind's eye will be able to reproduce the mandala. With closed eyes, you can watch the mandala. The colours may change. The patterns may pulsate. You may experience a strong feeling of well-being.

Creating a mandala can also be an act of meditation - whether it be colouring it in, drawing one, painting one, or constructing one out of wood, rice, jewels or sand.

Traditionally, before creating a mandala, Tibetan monks would chant in meditation before creating the outline of the mandala.

Mandalas can also be created or used to purify your environment and create a sacred space.

You can read more about mandalas here: http://www.creative-healing-meditation.com/mandalas.html.

Picture source: http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/images/mandala.jpg

Try a Creative Approach to Healing

Looking for a creative approach to healing?
Take a look at my free newsletter, Imagine which includes a guided meditation which sends energy healing to the listener.

You can read the third issue without subscribing by clicking on the link.

So what’s in the latest issue?

Special Offer

Healer Man is a guided audio meditation which combines energy healing, visualisation and the creativity of your own imagination.

You can purchase The Healer Man Meditation at half the usual price.

It is available to download instantly.

Listening to this guided meditation will help to:

● relax your mind and body
● relieve stress and anxiety
● increase your spiritual connection

This issue of the newsletter also includes:

● a short article about the difference between healing and curing

● quotations dedicated to the theme of healing to inspire, motivate and encourage

● a short review of a perennial bestseller which is packed with lots of methods to heal and empower you on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.


You can also contribute to the next issue of the newsletter by sharing your motivation, meditation and relaxation tips while promoting your own newsletter, blog or website.

If you like Imagine,you can subscribe so that you can receive it automatically next month directly to your e-mail address.

You will then receive monthly meditation and motivation tips or special discount offers on products related to meditation and personal development.

The newsletter is free. And you don’t have to subscribe to read Issue 3.
You also gain access to the Special Offer given to Imagine readers.

Click here to read Imagine now.

An Introduction to Energy Healing

Feeling stressed?
Can't get enough sleep?
In need of emotional support?
Looking for a spiritual connection?

Energy healing can help with all of the above and with many other symptoms, difficulties and challenges.

Perhaps you don't have time to take an Energy Healing course. Or maybe a weekend workshop or seminar doesn't appeal to you. You would like to heal emotional wounds but have a strong need for privacy.

Maybe you do wish to follow an Energy Healing course but aren't sure if this path is the right choice for you.

One solution is the home study course Unlocking the Ki which is based on the Usui Spiritual Energy Healing Method and which provides an introduction to energy healing.

'Ki' comes from the Japanese word for universal life energy. The course will teach you how to access this energy for your own healing, support and personal development.

This introductory course includes six guided meditations with music and a course manual. The course materials are available to download immediately.

You can follow the course independently at your own pace and there is the option of an online tutor at no extra charge at any point in the course.

Unlocking the Ki gives you the ability to:

• Connect with universal energy through simple instructions and powerful but gentle guided meditations
• Be attuned to the Universal Energy through MEDITATION so you will be able to access this healing life force for yourself anywhere and anytime
• Reinforce and strengthen your connection to the Universal Source of Energy by listening to the meditation recordings and practising the exercises whenever is best for you

This will help you towards relaxation, holistic healing or a deeper connection to your spiritual self.

Buy Unlocking the Ki here.

Read more about Unlocking the Ki here.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Plan ahead -- It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

Author Unknown

Imagine - the Free Ezine

The second issue of Imagine, the free e-newsletter will be out this week.

Imagine is a newsletter about meditation, inspiration and related topics.

This month's issue contains a great visualisation exercise designed to motivate and focus the mind on achieving goals.

Subscribe here and receive your free copy by e-mail this week.

Thought for the Day

Mind is the master weaver, both of the interior garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance.

James Allen

Simple Stillness Meditation

This is one of the meditation tips offered on my Stress Busting E-Course .

It is very simple yet effective and a bit like playing Musical Statues - only without the music.

The object of the exercise is to sit comfortably, close your eyes and to try and keep your body perfectly still.

You don't have to empty your mind. In fact, you can think about whatever you want and let your thoughts go where they like. However you may find that the simple act of sitting motionless may be enough to still your thoughts.

As you concentrate on not moving your body or fidgeting - which some people may find difficult - you may discover that your mind is no longer racing along thinking fast thoughts because your attention is focused on keeping your body still. And often where your body leads, your mind will follow (and the other way round, of course too).

If you find it difficult to keep still, you can practise this exercise for five minutes initially and then gradually lengthen the period that you keep still over the next few days.

If you find the exercise really easy, you can sit completely still for anything from fifteen minutes to half an hour and beyond.

You will find that the act of sitting still will also still your thoughts and centre your being.

You can find similar exercises on the Free 7 Day Stress Busting E-Course.

Thought for the Day

When the heart weeps for what it has lost, the spirit laughs at what it has found.
Sufi Aphorism

Inspirational Bookstore

Over the next few weeks, I'll be compiling a list of inspirational books and music that have empowered individuals, awakened the imagination and fed the soul.

Check out the list so far in the Creative Mentors Bookstore.

Selling the Impossible

In the late 90s, Dr Evoy, a Canadian physician developed a specialised investment software product which he knew would be "virtually impossible to sell" and that cost 1000 dollars.

He set himself the challenge to create a website that would be effective at encouraging people to buy the little known product.

In two years, he sold all 1000 copies of his software at $1000 each by developing the ultimate internet marketing techniques.

Now he teaches other people to create something out of nothing through his webhosting service, Sitesell.com

Over the past two weeks, I have been looking at the ingredients of success. So far I've observed that successful people never give up and don't know the meaning of the word impossible.

They also diversify, expand and never stop progressing once they reach a certain platform of success. For example, Dr Evoy teaches emergency medicine at McGill University, created a successful toy design business, taught golf, and coached baseball before eventually becoming one of the top internet gurus who has led many webmasters to success.

For me, I think the true meaning of success is defined by people who enjoy and celebrate their achievements, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem to others.

After all, what is the point of having a billion dollars if you're not enjoying it?

Impossible Dreams

I read this story a couple months ago on the blog Eric's Tips.

At 20 years old, Ladan Lashkari is a top internet marketing expert with over 20 websites which include newsletter publishing tips and self-improvement. She makes a profitable living from her online businesses in spite of many challenges and obstacles she faces such as not being able to have a credit card or merchant account or travel outside her country.

The ingredients of success in her case appear to be persistence, perseverance and immense positivity in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

In the book, Think and Grow Rich, the author Napoleon Hill said that he once removed the word 'impossible' from a dictionary. According to the article in Eric's Tips, Ladan Lashkari seems to share this philosophy. And in the past few weeks, when studying stories of success, I've discovered that many of the people who've realised great ambitions did not seem to know the meaning of the word 'impossible'.

But there are many people who dream big dreams but are not able to manifest them. So what is the ingredient that separates the fanciful Don Quixote style dreamers from those who actually realise their big ambitions?

I shall endeavour to find out.

Read the inspiring article about Ladan Lashkari.

The 7 Rules of Success

When striving to turn a big ambition into a reality, it can be helpful and inspiring to read about other people who have already achieved success (and who - most importantly - are HAPPY with what they have achieved).

It can be particularly inspiring to read about all the odds they had to overcome, all the setbacks, obstacles and difficulties they experienced before they attained success - especially if you may be on the verges of giving up.

In the book, The Seven Rules of Success, top Life Coach, Fiona Harrold, explores and interviews people who have achieved great success in diverse areas of life.

She identifies 7 factors which helped these people on their journey to success:

1) Passion about what they are doing
2) Great self-belief
3) Doing more & more
4) Being prepared to take risks
5) Being able to inspire others
6) Perserverance
7) Generosity

The 7 Rules of Success features about 28 success stories and is an inspiring and insightful read.

The Dark Side of Success

"So, Charlie, do you know what happened to the boy who suddenly got everything he ever wanted?" asked Mr Wonka, ominously in the movie Mr Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder version).
"What?" asked Charlie, a little anxiously.
"He lived happily after," said Mr Wonka.

But what really does happen to people who suddenly get everything they ever wanted?

It is rare in life to hear of people who live "happily ever after" once they have achieved great success. On the contrary, great success is sometimes accompanied by a spectacular downfall.

People tend to equate success with fame and wealth. But so many talented people who have achieved fame and wealth both in the past and in today's society have been depressed or have developed addictions because fame and wealth have not lived up to their expectations or met their needs.

A lot of young people these days say, "I want to be famous" without having any idea what they want to be famous for. And it's quite easy to get famous today in the world of Reality TV. It is even easier to become infamous.

Keira Knightley is considering quitting acting because she finds fame too intrusive.

Britney Spears is recovering from a very public meltdown.

It begs the question: why would anyone want to be successful?

It doesn't only happen to celebrities. You may land the dream job you always thought you wanted. And things go well at first. But after the initial celebration when you settle down into your new life, you think - "What now?" or "There's got to be something more to life than this".

That is why important to know WHY you want to achieve what you want to achieve so that when you get it, you don't think, "Is this it? Why did I want this?"

Once you achieve and manifest a goal, toast your achievement, celebrate, maybe have a rest - and then create another goal. It could be a completely different kind of goal, in another sphere of interest entirely. If you have achieved a financial goal, you may want to create a goal which enables you to help others or your new goal may be to downshift or create a better quality of life.

"Be careful what you wish for" has always been a scary phrase for me. Looking at the purpose of our wishes is a helpful way to avoid meeting the dark side of success.

This month's theme: SUCCESS

Over the past couple of months I have been exploring the themes of perseverance, setting and achieving goals.

This month I will be exploring the theme of SUCCESS and ambition.

What happens after people have manifested their goals? How do they deal with their success?
I also hope to include inspiring stories about people who have achieved great success in spite of emormous obstacles, difficulties and setbacks.

Visit this blog again for more about living with, coping with or embracing success.

Thought for the Day: Success

Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.
~Author Unknown

Achieving Goals - Personal Success

Yesterday on Deal or no Deal, a contestant, Rita, won £18,444. Everyone in the studio was sad for her because she could have gone away with £100,000.

Rita was happy with her eighteen grand because it meant that she could fulfil a long held ambition to travel and visit the grave of the father she had never met because he had been killed during the war when she was a child.

To Rita, the amount of money she got was a success and she was delighted. But everybody else looked upset for her.

This made me realise that success is very personal. One man's hill is another man's mountain. One woman's failure is another woman's victory. It is all relative and individual.

When defining and manifesting our goals, we shouldn't think about what people around us expect of us or whatever everybody else thinks is a good goal to reach.

We should think about what success means to us. In this sense, success can be defined as what would make ME happy.

Achieving Goals - Part Four

OK, so you’ve listed and clarified your goals, you’ve chosen the main priority for your first focus and you've visualised your ambition coming true. What's next?

Draw up an action plan.
It isn't enough just to send your wishes out into the ether.
You need to plan your vision outlining the steps you need to take to achieve that goal.
This is the logical practical part of journey. Be very detailed, realistic and specific.
And remember that realism doesn't mean pessimism.

Divide your action plan into small manageable steps.
Some goals don't require a great deal of action and some require a lot of implementation.
Each day take at least one step towards achieving your goal.

Create milestones or signposts along your journey to keep you on the right track. Don't be too rigid about keeping to the finer details of your plan. Allow the Universe to do its part and to meet you halfway with synchronicities, coincidental meetings etc.

Have a strong focus but try to go with the flow at the same time. It's a fine balancing act to remain focused but not rigid and to see the big picture as well as the minute details of your future plans.

It is important to know exactly what you want but it is just as vital to know WHY you want it. So while you are creating a plan of action, it's a good time to review the purpose of your goal. Why do you want to achieve this particular ambition? Is it for financial security, happiness, creative fulfilment?

It is always good to keep the Big Picture in mind so that you are open to discovering several routes towards achieving the underlying purpose of your goal.


Read Achieving Goals - Part One

Read Achieving Goals - Part Two

Read Achieving Goals - Part Three

Achieving Goals - Part Three

You may have heard of Cosmic Ordering, the system created by Barbel Mohr for manifesting your goals.

One of Barbel Mohr's guided meditations instructs the listener to imagine that the cosmos is like the internet and to connect to the cosmos, we should imagine that we are going online.

I have created the following visualisation exercise based on the concept of cosmic ordering and the internet. It is a form of proactive prayer.

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Observe your breathing for a couple of minutes and instruct your body and mind to relax.

When you are relaxed:

Imagine that you are at your PC and you are shopping online. But you are not ordering from Amazon. You are ordering from the Universe.

There are different categories in the Universe's Online Store: Career, Property, Relationships, Health and so on.

In each category, you select what you want to order. For example, in the Career section, you may order a new job. In the Property section, you may order a new house. In the Health section, you may order Peace of Mind.

When you click on each item that you want, it goes into your shopping cart.
Finally you go to your Shopping Cart and review your list.
When you are satisfied with your list, see yourself clicking the SUBMIT YOUR ORDER button.

Et voilà.

Read Achieving Goals - Part Two

Read Achieving Goals - Part One

Read Achieving Goals - Part Four

Achieving Goals - Part Two

The first step to achieving your ambitions is knowing exactly what they are.

The best way of clarifying your goals is to write them all down.

Your main goal may be to get a new job or to travel the world or to write a novel.

However for a truly holistic approach, it is a good idea to create goals for yourself in each of the following categories:

Financial - This covers your job, career aspirations, bills, debts, possessions, property etc.

Health - This covers physical and emotional healing or personal development, leisure and fitness.

Spirituality - (If you are spiritually minded) - For example, you may wish to discover a spiritual path or create your own.

Relationships - This covers your relationships with your family of origin, your partner, your children, your friends etc. including people you want to improve your relationship with, opportunities for creating new relationships and those you wish to eliminate from your life.

Visualisation
Once you have made your lists, you can pick the goal which is the most important to you at this particular moment and imagine in detail how you would feel to have this specific goal fulfilled.

What impact would achieving this goal have on your life?

Which emotions would you experience in the first few moments that your new goal is attained?

The Achieving Goals Series will continue over the next fortnight.

Read Achieving Goals - Part One

New FREE Online Stress Relief Course

A new 7 day Stress Busting course is now available from my main website.

The course is absolutely free. You need do nothing more than sign up for it on the link below.
You will then receive each day's lesson by e-mail.

The course provides practical relaxation techniques and carefully designed exercises for reducing the symptoms of stress.

Discover creative and healing methods of combatting stress by enroling on the 7 Day Stress Busting E-Course.

To enrol, click on the link, scroll to the bottom of the page and complete and submit the short form:

FREE 7 Day Stress Busting E-Course