Do you sometimes wake up and wonder precisely what you are getting out of bed for? Does life seem like a never-ending chore? We have all, at one time or another, felt disenchanted with our lives. I used to look up at the sky and wish that I was as free to fly as the soaring birds. I felt trapped, contained by the world and all that was in it. But, one day I realised that I had crafted myself a box that obscured my vision and by breaking down its walls I could taste freedom. Where once my eyes were firmly closed, they are now open wide and what I see is both exquisitely beautiful and heartbreakingly devastating, because there is joy to be found in the world, but also a great deal of pain, inflicted by humankind onto the earth and onto other human beings. If we would all just let our souls soar, it could be so very different. I discovered my path through learning a healing therapy called Reiki and it was a life transforming experience.

I have always been blessed, but now I can see and appreciate it because I truly have the freedom that comes from an intuitive connection, faith in the universe and knowledge that I am on my spiritual path and that no matter what happens in this life, I will be ok. The greatest gift you have is a glorious soul and it is longing for you to pursue your higher path and discover the truth of yourself and the universe.

We should all be asking ourselves the question, “Why am I here?” and dedicating ourselves to finding the answer, because it is only when we make this magnificent discovery that we experience happiness, freedom and enlightenment. It saddens me that so many beautiful souls are restrained and ignored because those souls need to be free.

You need to let your soul guide your body and make the right choices for you. Forget everything that you have ever been told and look within yourself for answers. You have all the answers you need. It is just a matter of awakening your intuition and never deviating from its flawless guidance.

It is easy to say, “Trust in your intuition,” but it is not so easy to do it. Our upbringing, environment and societal conditioning inform who we think we are, when most of us don’t really know who we are. It took me a while to get to grips with my intuition, but over time the myriad of conflicting voices in my head were replaced with one powerful and guiding voice, the voice of my soul. Your intuition is never wrong. Our lives often take a turn for the worst because we are not listening to our intuition and we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. When we adhere to the wisdom of our intuition, then and only then do we find ourselves in the right place at the right time and life flows as it should.

Try to remain aware of what is going on around you and within your life. We are often presented with vital signs by the universe, but we are sometimes oblivious to them. It is better not to search too hard, but to let go to the will of the universe, allow the universe to guide you rather than trying to retain tight control over your life.

One of the greatest misapprehensions held by many people is that they have control. In real terms we all have very little control and when you set foot on your spiritual path you will feel like the universe is making all your choices for you, the pressure to maintain control dissipates and you come to enjoy the wonderful path that you are on. Keep your eyes and ears open. Look beyond the facade of the world and see what is really going on. Be objective about your own life and about others. Take time out to be by yourself, without any external distractions and just see where your mind takes you.

Jesus Christ is alleged to have said on many occasions, “All who have ears ought to listen.” Every single one of us should be listening to our intuition. You are amazing, you know so much. Allow yourself to hear that knowledge and to see the truth. Grow wings and look down on the world absorbing the bigger picture. Cast down the walls of the box surrounding you and let your radiant soul soar.

It can seem hard to have faith in the twenty-first century, but the reward is worth the endeavour.

Most of us long to have faith in ourselves and the universe, yet faith can appear to be elusive and difficult to grasp. Some individuals have faith throughout their lives, regardless of their external circumstances, some people had faith once but lost it, causing them to question everything they had come to believe up until that point, and others have never known faith in any way, shape or form, remaining uncertain of precisely what it means to have faith.

Our lives only flow as they should, without the emotional rollercoasters and series of lows and highs, when we have absolute faith in our intuition, in ourselves, in the universe and the reality of what we can achieve. Personally, I believe in God, not in a religious sense but as a loving, creative energy that nurtures and guides us. My faith is immense, but I acknowledge that it could be stronger, because if my faith was absolute I would never worry.

Of course, I have to confess that I do sometimes become anxious, but not for long because I resolutely follow my intuitive guidance and deep down I know that everything will be as it should for me. It wasn’t always that way. There was a time when I had no faith at all, but at the age of 24 my life was radically transformed by a Japanese healing therapy called Reiki. I don’t even recognise the girl I used to be, because I grown so much. Ten years ago I never would have predicted that I would become an author, journalist, Reiki practitioner and teacher, spiritual teacher, ethical stylist and web designer, but making a commitment to follow my spiritual path, relinquishing all my physical desires in favour of pursuing that path, opened up a whole new world to me.

We can all grow spiritually, we can all have faith. Without it we feel hopeless and lack direction in life, we frequently ask ourselves, “Why isn’t my life going the way I want it to? Why haven’t I achieved my potential?” We can only achieve our potential when we embrace our intuition, follow its guidance at all times and foster a profound faith in our own inner wisdom, the insight that is born out of a connection with our souls, a connection with the universe, or what I would call God.

As well as following our intuition faith is about being able to adapt to circumstances, recognising that just because a situation is not as we would wish, it does not mean that there is no reason for it. Everything we experience in life is a lesson and we can choose to learn from that lesson or to ignore it. When we choose to learn, our lives become richer and more fulfilling. Faith is also about trusting that our spiritual answers will come to us as and when we need them, as long as we are adhering to our inner guidance. If we lack faith, we form needless obstacles that stall our self-development, when instead we should be focusing on the positive changes we could be making in our lives.

Cultivating faith is no mean feat, it requires dedication and hard work, but the results are truly worth it. Be prepared to change your life for the better, to take your life in a healthy direction and put the effort into listening to your intuition above and beyond your physical and emotional desires. See the trials and tribulations of your life as an opportunity to gain strength and to learn from your mistakes. Ultimately look within for your answers. There is a glorious soul within you that is waiting for you to open your mind to its insights. When you find faith, it will liberate that beautiful soul; it will truly set you free.

We all long to feel ‘complete’ in our lives, whether we acknowledge it outwardly, or push through our daily existence without a thought for nourishing our soul. The constant drive towards materialism, physical wants, setting high goals and looking for answers externally is ultimately the source of most people’s grief and indeed dwindling health. We need to stop going without our freedom and start looking within for guidance.

Freedom comes, not from our status, our achievements, our possessions, but from knowing our true self and being our true self. Many a time I have heard people exclaim, “You can’t change me. This is just the way I am!” This is a fallacy in many cases because most people’s true spiritual self is masked by their upbringing, emotional traumas, physical and material goals and their disconnection from their ‘higher self.’ Believe me most of the images we project are far from our true spiritual nature! We are too busy being people pleasers or clinging onto guilt or simply just neglecting our purpose for being here.

In saying this there are many people who do seek guidance and do wish to discover their true spiritual nature but are at a loss as to how to do this. As a Reiki teacher I often find that once people experience Reiki they say, “Oh this is how I become more intuitive.” Reiki is not the only way by any means we all have the capability of connecting to our inner self and receiving divine guidance from The Universe. It is very true that if you seek you will find, so never be disheartened if you are on a spiritual quest, just be in a state of awareness and be sure not to miss any signs. If nothing else remember that we all have the answers we could every possibly need in this life if we just access and abide by our intuition. Never ignore that niggling voice in the back of your head.

For those who find that their minds are clogged with the clutter of the daily grind, below I have cited a simple technique, from my forthcoming book, Passage to Freedom, published on 28th February 2008, that you can use to access your inner wisdom, find your higher path on earth and gain some much needed Universal guidance in life. Take some time out from your busy schedule each day to carry out this technique and you will soon find that subtle changes in your life transform into a deeper awareness and greater peace of mind.

Creating Connections

1) Sit down comfortably either on the floor in seiza (on your knees with your bottom resting on your feet), or cross legged or on a chair. Make sure your back is straight. Have your hands palms facing upwards in your lap.

2) Close your eyes gently and visualise yourself sitting in outer space with nothing else around you but the galaxies, stars and the dark skies. So in effect you are floating in outer space. Breathe slowly and deeply, breathing in through your nose into your stomach and out of your mouth.

3) Visualise a bright white light, so bright it is almost impossible to look at, coming down through space as far up as the eye can see. See the light enter the crown of your head from above like a radiant beam and allow the light to enter your entire body from your head through to the tip of your toes. As you breathe out feel the light pulsating through your body. Do this for a few minutes until you feel completely relaxed and lost in space!

4) As you are filled with light, place your hands in gassho (prayer position) in front of your chest, elbows pointing to the ground. Silently say to your self 7 times with meaning and purpose “I open myself up to the divine will of the universe.”

5) Move your hands still in gassho up over the top of your head and rest them on your crown. Silently say to your self 7 times with meaning and purpose “I open myself up to my true higher self.”

6) Place your hands over your stomach, palms facing towards your stomach and with your middle fingers meeting each other at the navel. Silently say to yourself 7 times with meaning and purpose “I allow my mind, body and soul to heal, I am connected to the heaven and the earth.”

7) Repeat steps 4 to 6 between 3 and 9 times constantly remaining focused on the light.

8) When you have finished breathe the white light out of your body and back into the universe. Place your hands in gassho by your chest again and bow to the Universe.

Had any lucid dreams lately? Sometimes our dreams can be rather obscure but there are certain symbols that can provide insights into our lives. Author and Reiki teacher Dawn Mellowship delineates ten common dream symbols.

Dreams can provide us with insight into our true nature and are a valuable tool to help us make sense of our lives and work through emotional traumas. Dreams are of course unique to each individual but there are some common themes, and certain symbols have more general interpretations. Below you will find ten symbols that may crop up in your dreams and suggestions for potential meanings. Get dreaming.

1) Birds

Birds indicate the freedom of the soul and an ability to communicate freely with your intuition and the Universe if you choose to do so. It can suggest that you have been feeling very trapped and bound to earth and the flight of the bird is the freedom you aspire to but feel that you lack. We can all be free if we trust our intuition so a dream featuring birds in flight is encouraging you to trust in what you know. Two birds, one dark, one light indicate your internal battle between darkness and light or between your physical wants and your spiritual needs. An eagle represents the power of your spiritual self. A dove is symbolic of your connection with the divine.

2) Bridge or Rainbow

This represents a connection between heaven and earth so to speak. The Universe is attempting to communicate a message to you that is vital for your spiritual growth. You are also being offered the option of crossing over the bridge or rainbow to understand more about the Universe and your place in the Universe. Spiritually you may be lost and not finding the answers that you seek but if you are brave enough to cross over the bridge or rainbow you will find all the answers that you could ever possibly need. These answers do not come externally. They come from the divine spark within you.

3) Cats

A cat (especially if it is a black cat) can represent the darker side of your human nature and a struggle to come to terms with desires that you feel are not coming to fruition. If this is the case you need to re-assess whether your human desires are what you really need on a spiritual level. Cats can also symbolise your ability to transform yourself from a very human, earthbound individual to a more spiritually aware and psychic being, with the ability to see beyond the images that are presented to you.

4) Door

A door can be an obstacle to your progression, something that needs to be opened or passed through for you to develop. You are keen to make headway and you are searching for answers but you are not looking in the right places, you are placing obstacles where there aren’t any and overcomplicating things. However, the door also represents hope because you have the opportunity of simply walking through the door to a whole new world where you will always have the answers you need in life. The door can also symbolise the entrance to heaven, the means by which we enter the spiritual realm.

5) Eye

This represents the ‘third eye’ or your intuition, the all seeing and all knowing, indicating that whatever spiritual abilities you have lying dormant, are now beginning to open up. The eye symbolises the potential for enlightenment and wisdom. If the eye is half open this suggests that although you recognise that you have intuition you are rarely listening to it and for you to gain more awareness and contentment you need to acknowledge that niggling little voice in your head.

6) Flowers

Flowers denote your potential for self-development and spiritual growth. The potential is there and you need to ensure that you act upon it. Flowers can also indicate a re-birth, a complete transformation that you have recently gone through or are about to undergo. Something has happened that has enabled you to see life from a completely different perspective. If the flower is broken in any way it can point to a fragility and vulnerability, whereby you are allowing other people to influence your choices in life. If this is the case you need to learn to speak out and stand up for yourself and not allow other people around you to cloud your judgement.

7) Ocean

The ocean can signify chaos: that your head is all over the place and your physical, emotional and spiritual bodies are all trying to take you in different directions. Your head is cluttered with conflicting voices and you don’t know which one to listen to. To be at peace with yourself you need to allow your physical and emotional bodies to always follow your spiritual body. The sea like the bridge can also represent a journey you need to make to connect to your true spiritual nature. This journey may be troublesome and stormy and perhaps you feel like giving up and heading back to the shore, but no matter what, you need to trust in your intuition in order to find your way. Even if the journey seems impossible as long as you are doing what you know is right, everything will be as it should be.

8) Parrot

You are very confused at the moment. Deep down you know there is something that you desperately need to do but parrot like you repeat the same mantra to yourself over and over again, in the hope that eventually you will convince yourself otherwise. Everything is becoming manic and you need to slow down and take the time to be yourself, get lost in your own thoughts and sort out what you need to do. If you allow yourself the time to be still, you will be a lot calmer and it will be a lot easier to make those all important decisions and choices.

9) Stairs

Stairs indicate where you currently are on your spiritual path in life. If you are climbing stairs it suggests that you are moving towards accessing your true spiritual nature, in effect a stairway to heaven. It is up to you whether you progress on this journey or not. If you are going down stairs or fleeing down stairs this indicates a fear of your true path in life and a reluctance to listen to your intuition. If you are climbing stairs to a temple this indicates a turning point where you are being given the opportunity to discover your true higher self.

10) Wings

Wings suggest a need for you to rise above your every day existence and see the ‘bigger picture.’ At the moment you are seeing things from too narrow a perspective and you need to allow yourself to be more objective and work on raising your spiritual awareness. If the wings are as part of a higher being such as an angel then you are being given a message that you need to convey or take on board.

My third book, You Can Only Achieve What is Possible (published by O Books) is out on July 25th 2008 and I thought I would share the introduction with you all. I wrote the book because I was watching a television programme about two life coaches, who happened to say, “You can achieve whatever you want in life,” and I commented to my partner, “That’s not true. You can only achieve what is possible.” My partner suggested that I should use that as a title for something and that very day I started transforming it into a book, which I wrote in three weeks.

The upshot of it is we can’t have whatever we want, we can have what the universe allows us to have. Ultimately we should come to want what we need, rather than chasing physical desires that will never lead to true fulfilment. Of course, if we want something bad enough, we might just get it, but that doesn’t mean that it will bring us happiness or enrich our lives. There are consequences for our actions and we have to be prepared to accept those.

We are always subject to the will of the universe and rather than trying so desperately to control our lives, we should surrender that control, choosing instead to follow the guidance of our intuition. I only achieved anything worthwhile in life when I let go of what I wanted and dedicated myself to following my spiritual path. I’m tired of people peddling easy answers that don’t meet people’s expectations and don’t make the world a better place. Forget about what you think you want, let it go and trust in your intuition.

You Can Only Achieve What is Possible by Dawn Mellowship - Introduction

The self-improvement industry is a multi-billion dollar one. In 2004, Amazon had a 38% increase in sales of self-help books. So many people are clamouring for ways to improve their health, their lives and their spiritual well-being. More of us are happy to take our health into our own hands. For many people, the niggling feeling that something is missing in their lives will not abate. There is a wealth of literature for us to choose from. If you walk into your local bookstore you will probably find a number of shelves stacked with self-help and spiritual books. Some of these books will have glowing, celebrity endorsements.

For anything you could ever possibly want to achieve, there is probably a self-help book, or expert that would be happy to offer you some advice. Whether you are looking for money, motivation, confidence, spiritual fulfilment or the attainment of your goals, there is something somewhere that promises to give you the answers you have been looking for.

Whilst it is fantastic that individuals are taking such an interest in improving their lives, the self-help genre is also a minefield, with a mixed bag of information. Some of it is fantastic, some of it is good, some of it is passable and some of it is sheer twaddle. Although it is highly commendable that many human beings are seeking answers, quite a significant proportion of individuals are hankering after easy answers; the answers that require the least amount of effort. By the same token there are some, some I might add, not all, self-help experts, who readily proffer easy answers.

The easy answers necessitate minimal action on your part, like, for example, the concept that, all you have to do is submit your wish list to the Universe and your desires will be fulfilled. The Universe is not a local take-away or a high class hooker offering optional added extras. It is not here to serve our whims. If we want something, we have to work for it and be thoroughly prepared to accept the consequences. This is just a paradigm, of what you can find out there. I could give many more, but I will not, or that will spoil the rest of this book.

So, everyone is left in a situation where they have to separate the good, from the bad, from the downright ugly. The ugly can appear to be incredibly good because it offers what you want to hear. The good can seem ugly because it questions your belief system and proposes alterations in your lifestyle that require real effort. We are left in a quandary over what option we should choose. I posit that we should choose our intuition. It sounds so glaringly obvious. It is not rocket science, there is no special code required. We just need to be fully aware of and take heed of our intuitive guidance. Our intuition is never mistaken and if we listen to it intently, we can take what we require from the self-help literature and experts that we admire and then disband the rest.

With this all in mind and in frustration at what I have witnessed and read, I decided to write some self-help books of my own. This is not without irony. In this particular piece of work I avidly question some of the more popular self-help theories, concepts, beliefs, or whatever you deem fit to call them. I have provided alternatives, well, you may call them theories, or beliefs. I would declare them to be my intuition.

Each chapter begins with, what I term, ‘A Tall Tale,’ or in other terms, a big fat fib. These stories are all just that, entirely fictitious, not based on any real people, or events and so on. They are simply there to illustrate my point. I did try to make some of them mildly entertaining, but for the most part, as in life, I only amuse myself. They are not intended to be hysterically funny, this is in truth, a serious piece of work and quite a number of them are pretty sombre. However to cheer you up, the little fictions are accompanied by slightly more amusing cartoons. If they cause offence to anyone, I do not apologise. If we take offence too easily, we need to re-evaluate our priorities in life.

With your appetite whetted by the Tall Tales you will reach sections entitled, ‘Seriously Though.’ Obviously, these are naturally intended to broach serious and poignant issues. However, sometimes I could not resist being a tad sarcastic. I do not believe this diminishes the value of the points I am making, rather it heightens them, because it does not all have to be entirely bleak. It is fine to laugh at ourselves and at each other. Self-help can be fun, spiritual development can be an absolute blast and you do not have to exude love and light to everyone you meet. Instead, you get to be your real self and brutally honest with it.

I do tend to state my case with conviction because I know what I know, but whether you choose to believe it or not, is up to you. I am not a preacher, although sometimes I may come across as slightly preachy and what you believe is, of course, entirely your own choice. It is never enough for us to hear the words; we have to experience the true significance of those words for ourselves. Take away with you, what you intuitively feel you need from this book. Questioning is vital, question away, it helps us all to learn.

I do keep labouring the point about trusting in your intuition, throughout the book, in the hope that my labour and toil will get the cogs of your intuition ticking over nicely. Without an intuitive connection we become a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and real happiness can never come to pass, until we re-kindle the flame we have extinguished. If I seem dogmatic, that is because, I suppose, in some ways, I am. I do not claim to know all truths. I am not God, but I do know some truths and these I have shared.

You too, know many truths, many more than you even dare to realise. Within you are all the answers you could ever possibly need for your path in this life and beyond, you just need to access those answers. Hopefully, this book will go some way towards helping you unleash the true extent of your own inner wisdom. The hard work that will take you there is all down to you.

At the end of each chapter there are techniques that you can use to foster your own intuition. They will not work overnight miracles, life will not suddenly become a walk in the park and they do not promise to accommodate all your worldly desires. What do they do? The techniques will help you, if practised often, with strong intention and purpose, to find the real you, or more precisely, in more spiritual terms, your soul. Effort is definitely required, as are good thoughts and good actions. You may not get everything you desire, but you can get everything you need. With our good friend, time, you will come to desire what you need.

If you think the methods are nonsense, you can do two things: do them anyway and see what happens, or do not bother to do them at all and see what happens. This is the exquisite beauty of choice. It is what separates us from our animal friends. Humans do not, as it is commonly believed, behave in a bestial way, because animals are governed by the instinct sanctioned to them. Humans instead, are frequently beyond the beast, because for all their choices, their barbarity knows no bounds. We would all do well to use our choices wisely. Some people do, but not as often as they should.

What gives me any authority to presume? I wield no authority over you. None of us really possess authority, not in the way we believe we do. Power is an illusion, because the earth is not ours and it can be snatched away from us in a mere moment. I relinquish my power to God, or if that term troubles you, the Universe.

I do believe in God, but not in the ‘religious’ sense that has become so customary. Rather I perceive God as a creative, intelligent, loving, energy. In reality, God is so much more than my words, or any words, could ever do justice to. However, bound by the poverty of language, I will keep the description short and sweet. The reason I am drawing your attention to this, is that I use the term God fairly liberally in the book and, more frequently, so as not to evoke negative stereo-typing, I use the term, the Universe. Sometimes I also say, Divine.

If you believe in God, then you will be completely at ease with the term. If you believe in something, but prefer not to bestow the label God, name it as you see fit. A tag does not alter what God is. If you do not believe in God, that is OK. I am sure you can still identify with the term intuition, as a form of inner wisdom or innate instinct. Although, for what it is worth, I do not believe that anyone can really gaze up at the stars, witness the intricate and complex elegance of the Universe and not, deep down, feel the existence of a higher force at work.

Now, about me, I am a Reiki teacher and practitioner. Reiki, as I practise it, is a Japanese energy healing system, discovered in the early 1900s. It is often used in a very flaky and passive way, but I like to use it in an active and practical way. Reiki transformed my life. I found my purpose in life and regained an intuitive connection that I had lost, or more aptly, squandered, in the past. I irresponsibly pursued my physical desires to the absolute detriment of my own health, well-being, self-development and, of course, my spirituality. Although, all was not lost, with hard work, dedication, right living and right thinking, I re-captured my lost forlorn soul. Anyone can re-capture their soul or self, if they take the right course of action. As Jesus Christ said, according to the Book of Thomas, “For whoever does not know self does not know anything, but whoever knows self already, has acquired knowledge about the depths of the Universe.”

I learned from my lessons and I continue to learn. I accept that in Universal knowledge terms, I am probably a toddler and perhaps one day, I will grow up to be an adult. We are all so much smaller than we dare to realise and if we can acknowledge this, we can come to truly evolve and grow. Only then, can we harvest adults in this melancholy world.

On that note, I will leave you to peruse the rest of this book in peace and quiet. I hope that you will, at least, find it engaging. I sincerely hope that it will achieve so much more.

The secret has at last been unleashed, it is called your intuition, it was never really a secret, but the term sounded so captivating and mysterious. The truth is not an enigma. It is blindingly obvious to those who see beyond what their eyes can see. Without further ado, I present to you, You Can Only Achieve What Is Possible.

For more information see www.dawnmellowship.com

The word love is used so frequently in modern society and applied to so many different things, but what does unconditional love really mean? Author and spiritual teacher Dawn Mellowship sheds some light on love.

One of the main pre-requisites for attaining enlightenment is the capacity to love all living things unconditionally. We cannot progress on our spiritual paths and hope to obtain ultimate wisdom if we lack a profound understanding of love. The Advanced Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary defines love as, “to have strong feelings of affection for another adult and be romantically and sexually attracted to them, or feel great affection for a friend of person in your family.” This is a tragically human definition of the term love, the type that often comes with strings attached and what I would refer to as conditional love.

There is a profound difference between earthly love and spiritual love. Of course, it is not to say that there is anything wrong with being affectionate and attracted to someone, but unconditional love requires so much more. It means being able to see the bigger picture and doing what is right for people’s souls above and beyond what their physical bodies may desire. It means appreciating that everything happens for a reason, that everyone has a purpose for being here and whilst we may not understand that purpose, it doesn’t render that purpose any less valid.

Language is inept to convey the real magnitude of love. We frequently use the term to the point where it is losing its value. Some people will declare that they love food, their house, money, clothes and a cornucopia or other physical objects and possessions. We don’t save the word for when we sincerely mean it. Sometimes our love is provisional, depending on whether a person does certain things for us. There are individuals who have no concept of love at all because they have never been shown unconditional love, rendering them less likely to express it to anyone else.

As we develop spiritually and gain a deeper understanding of the universe and our place in the universe we come to grasp the real meaning of unconditional love, a love that cannot be restrained, that is caring but detached and honest yet firm. Sometimes it is incredibly tender and on other occasions it is harsh, because sometimes people need to be told the truth, painful as it may seem in the short term, to benefit their overall journey on earth. It can mean standing back from situations, allowing people to make mistakes when necessary, telling harsh home truths to make individuals aware of the consequences of their actions, encouraging others to take responsibility for their lives, listening to those who need an objective ear, enjoying being in a relationship but not needing to be in a relationship and not needing to be around other people, but being happy alone, with the universe surrounding you. This love lasts forever. It allows people to learn painful lessons when need be, it is not dependent on anyone or anything else.

Indubitably it can be difficult to watch loved ones suffering but we need to learn when to step in and provide a helping hand and when to step back and let people make their own decisions. We all have choices in life and our decisions dictate our level of spiritual development and happiness. When we are children our choices are more limited and parents have a responsibility to nurture us with unconditional love, which will ensure that we make good choices as adults. As we grow older there comes a point where we must assume responsibility for our actions and at this point we can choose the direction our life takes. We should not take peoples’ choices away from them, because they will be forced to experience similar situations over and over again, until they finally make their own choices. Emotional detachment is essential on the path to enlightenment. It allows us to be objective in any situation, whilst still displaying empathy.

Everyone needs to recognise that all life on this earth is precious. By learning to replace conditional love with unconditional love, we can foster a meaningful and genuine kindness towards ourselves and others.

After the Christmas festivities the impending new-year can seem daunting rather than exhilarating. Dawn Mellowship has come to save the day providing eight top tips for making your new year go off with a bang!

1) Forget the new-year’s resolutions and faddy dieting this year. Lifestyle changes need to be made throughout the year and when you feel ready for them, not just because the date has changed! If anything, resolve to be kind to yourself and trust in your intuition, unlike your rational mind it can never be wrong! Find a quiet space where you can just drift off into your thoughts and ponder on what you really need from life as opposed to just what you physically want from life. Allow your intuition to choose where you should be heading next without berating it.

2) Stress is the bane of most people’s lives. In 2004 The New Scientist reported on a study by Elissa Epel of the University of California that suggested that psychological stress could age a woman’s chromosomes quite dramatically. Beyond that chronic stress can have a negative impact on many other physiological functions such as: our immune system, memory, sexual and reproductive organs, cardiovascular system and digestion. It has also been linked with the accumulation of fat around the abdominal region and vital organs. So whatever else you deal with in the new-year, stress needs to be kept at bay. www.stressbusting.co.uk has plenty of tips to keep you calm and an A-Z of stress busting therapies.

3) If there are any bold changes you want to make such as finding a new job, do your research thoroughly. There is no point making a half hearted attempt to make improvements because you will not get very far. If there is no commitment then you clearly don’t have your heart in it. If you are certain about what you want to do then have faith in your abilities. So many people are always trying to please others or self-deprecating. If you are passionate about something and positive that it is right for you, then go for it. Obstacles are very often self-imposed.

4) If you are feeling washed out after all the festivities there are a plethora of complementary therapies to give you a boost. A Danish study of sufferers of migraines and tension headaches in 1993 found that reflexology helped 81% of participants. Aromatherapy massage has been utilised in hospitals to help alleviate stress and tension and Reiki is fantastic for helping a range of conditions. Dr Gillian McKeith, the nutrition virtuoso herself is a big fan of Reiki saying, “I think it’s wonderful, one of the most incredible therapies we could ever have and you can learn to do it for yourself, which is so empowering.” See www.embodyforyou.com and www.comptogether.co.uk for directories of UK complementary therapists.

5) Try to reflect on the positive aspects of your life and the areas that you can change rather than dwelling on what you cannot change. Seek within yourself rather than externally for answers. All too often people run to someone else to ask for guidance but we all have the answers to our most pertinent life questions if we can just acknowledge this. Learn to trust in yourself because ultimately we all have different paths and what’s right for one person may not be right for you.

6) If you are keen to unleash your creative side and perhaps find potential where you never realised it existed head on a retreat to a far flung, picturesque location where you can experiment with ideas. Skyros holidays offer a trip to Atsitsa Bay in Skyros Island where unspoilt pine forests and awe inspiring views of the coast and mountains will greet you. There are a range of courses available such as: dance, massage and bodywork, music and voice, psychological, theatre and art and sailing and windsurfing. You are bound to come back inspired!

7) Resist the urge to compare yourself to others. The twenty first century is ridiculously competitive and whilst we are pitching ourselves up against others we can never truly be happy. Advertising plays a huge part in creating unattainable and unrealistic ideals. No human being is perfect, even if they may seem that way to you. Try to rise about any jealously and think about what you are good at and what you can achieve. Work with the tools you have been given.

8) If you are tired of working for ’soul less’ corporations check out www.ethical-jobs.co.uk. Jason Elliott the founding director says ‘There is a massive range of opportunity in the ethical jobs market, from solar engineering to sustainable development and care work. It means doing something that serves our practical needs, our personal values and our interests in a way that positively impacts upon the world.’ You could end up working for Greenpeace, Oxfam, Breakthrough Breast Cancer or the Soil Association to name but a few. The website servers run on 100% solar energy and Jason the managing director, does not own a car so they take their ethics very seriously! You can also check out our February issue, which has a feature on people who have chosen to work for charitable organisations.