Vienda Maria

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Category: life design

  • i’m moving to New York

    i’m moving to New York

    kind of, maybe, not really…? I really wanted to write that to see how it feels in case it turns out to be true 

    FEB 18, 2025

    I’m sitting on the Ikea sofa in his living room, laptop balanced on my knees, pretending to work. Through the open door to his office down the hallway, I can hear his voice, steady and methodical, as he speaks with the electricity company to cancel his contract. Each call makes his impending departure feel more real.

    The day we met he told me he was moving to New York in the new year. At the time it meant nothing. I was talking to a stranger on the wooden bench outside a cafe window.

    But as coffee meetings evolved into sunset walks through cobblestone streets, as dinner dates transformed into intimate evenings on his sofa, as casual conversation turned into “Will you be my girlfriend?” – that once-insignificant sentence took on a weight I hadn’t anticipated.

    He’s preparing to leave the country at the end of March. I’m not built for long-distance relationships – I’m either fully present or completely absent. So I am joining him a few weeks later.

    One day, a few months after meeting, he was excitedly speaking about New York as we wove our way through the alleys to our favourite Saturday breakfast spot for coffee and cinnamon rolls. In my luteal phase, my emotions already simmering close to the surface, when tears welled to the surface.

    We had discussed it before. 

    He had asked me to join him with such natural ease as if it were the most obvious next step. I had always dreamed of spending three months in New York – to live there permanently? I wasn’t certain. But to discover its hidden corners and explore its endless possibilities? Absolutely.

    But that morning, as my hormones conspired against me and left me feeling raw and vulnerable, all I could focus on was how this was his adventure, his dream. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I might be merely a footnote in his story. In that moment, I grieved for something I hadn’t yet lost.

    I tried to compose myself in private, but the wave of emotions was too powerful to contain. Through tears, I confessed that while I was genuinely happy and excited for him, hearing him talk about New York made me feel like an afterthought. Unused to and ill-equipped for such feminine displays of emotion, he panicked, genuinely confused – because in his mind, there had never been any question. We were going to New York, together. That was the only version of the future he had envisioned.

    I needed reassurance, more than I wanted to admit. I found myself losing an internal battle between soaring excitement and crushing doubts.

    Now, as our departure date approaches and our relationship has deepened with time, I feel more secure in the future we’re creating together. Today, when he looked at me with bright eyes and said, “I can’t wait to see what we create together!” I felt my heart lift with joy.

    Still, I oscillate between hopes and fears. Perhaps you, dear reader, if you’ve made New York your home, can offer some guidance.

    My excitement and hopes bloom:

    • I dream of losing myself in the halls of the Met, discovering hidden galleries in Chelsea, hunting for treasures at Brooklyn flea markets, and immersing myself in the vibrant, multicultural tapestry that is New York City. Every corner holds the promise of inspiration.
    • The thought of the connections waiting to be made sets my heart racing – the artists, writers, dreamers, and doers all within reach. I plan to approach each day with intention, cultivating a diverse and inspiring circle of kindred spirits.
    • I envision this new chapter expanding my creative horizons, opening doors I never knew existed, and forging connections that could transform my work and life in unexpected ways.
    • Each morning will bring new possibilities – a different neighbourhood to explore, a new face to become familiar, another layer of the city to uncover and make my own.
    • I believe in a kind of magic that happens when you’re perfectly aligned with your path. I’m curious to discover what shape that magic takes in a city of eight million stories.

    Yet my fears and doubts cast shadows: 

    • As a highly sensitive extroverted introvert, I quickly become overwhelmed by excessive stimulation. When surrounded by too much input – noise, movement, energy – I need a quiet space to decompress and reset. I worry about finding that sanctuary in a city that famously never sleeps.
    • My soul craves warm sunshine, the gentle rustling of leaves, and the rhythmic sound of waves – none of which New York is particularly known for. Where will I find those moments of natural peace that keep me grounded?
    • In a city consistently ranked among the world’s most expensive, I fear financial pressure might force me into a “hustle culture” I’ve intentionally avoided. I believe in working with purpose and alignment, not from desperation.
    • The heaviest weight on my heart is finding a new home for my cat, Danger. This separation might be temporary, or it might be permanent – the uncertainty makes it even harder. He’s been my constant companion, but I can’t bring him with me, and I can’t let his needs become the anchor that holds me back from this adventure.

    If you’re reading this in Europe and have space in your heart and home for a loyal ginger cat who gives his affection selectively but completely, please reach out. He needs a peaceful environment, ideally with a garden, and he’ll reward you with unwavering devotion.

    Life has a way of surprising us with unexpected turns. Moving to New York after my lease ends in April wasn’t part of my plans (though a psychic I’d quickly dismissed had predicted exactly this last August). But I love to embrace life’s kismet redirections.

    I don’t live by carefully crafted plans but by my unwavering belief that “something will happen.” Something always does.

  • I am someone with enormous desires

    The struggling woman archetype simply cannot exist in 2025. There’s no more room to play small.

    It’s a rainy winter day here on the windswept Atlantic coast of Portugal. Winter has officially set in, and I’m already yearning for warmer days. I really do try to embrace these colder months – wrapping myself in cozy blankets, sipping steaming cups of tea – but ultimately, my soul was made to dance outdoors under that magnificent ball of fire in our sky.

    Lately, I’ve been in a deep season of reflection, turning over the same question in my mind: “What life am I truly designing for myself?” To chart my path forward, I need to first understand where I’ve been.

    The recent path was initiated with a leap of faith – moving from sun-soaked Mexico to the misty shores of the U.K. in early 2020 to launch my first physical product: Plannher 𓂃, a planner crafted specifically for women. Then, of course, the global panini hit (I’ve decided to rename it because if I hear “pandemic” one more time, I will actually expire).

    I know this era transformed all of us in profound ways.

    For me, it shattered something fundamental – this infinite trust I had carried in the world around me. Perhaps it was misguided, perhaps even privileged, but I had always held this unwavering belief that some mystical force would ensure everything worked out. That belief crumbled when I witnessed just how broken our world could be, and it hurt me deeply.

    In response, I tried to make myself smaller. I convinced myself I could be content with less, shrinking to fit into what my environment seemed to expect of me. In a world I had once felt was mine to explore, I suddenly felt microscopic.

    This contraction forced me to mature and face myself in ways I’d been avoiding. 

    Alongside my inner growth, my career accelerated at a dizzying pace – I said yes to everything, trying to keep up with a world that felt increasingly unstable.

    Seeking sunshine, I relocated to Mallorca. 

    But something had shifted inside me. The carefree global wanderer I’d once been felt like a stranger. The magical circuit I’d existed in had shattered, taking pieces of my heart with it. I had witnessed humanity’s vulnerability, selfishness, and irresponsibility, and I couldn’t unsee it. Burned out, unsettled and unable to find my flow – which manifested in strange physical symptoms – I left Mallorca behind.

    Back in the U.K., after five months of nomadic wandering, I nested in a sweet little village, in a cabin surrounded by ancient forest. But even that wasn’t enough. My soul was starving.

    That’s when I had to face a powerful truth: I am someone with enormous desires.

    I want it all. I want that epic, life-long love story. I want to taste every flavor this world has to offer. I want to craft a bold, meaningful, breathtakingly beautiful life. I want to be so well-resourced that I never have to compromise on experiences. I want my creative life to overflow with possibility. I want to buzz with pure, electric aliveness.

    Sometimes we need others to remind us that we deserve everything we desire. My closest friends have been lighthouses in this journey. I speak to my friend Lola almost daily, and we fan the flames of each other’s dreams, encouraging one another to follow the charged desires pulling at our heartstrings. Because really – if we don’t, what’s the point of this precious life?

    Through all this, I’ve realized something crucial:

    To be truly free, playful, and creative, you need both financial security and the maturity to handle your resources wisely. The struggling woman archetype simply cannot exist in 2025. There’s no more room to play small.

    My boyfriend and I often discuss how the real game-changing adjustments in life are actually quite boring, simple, and repetitive. You can’t hack your way to satisfaction. But you can strategically stack your habits to create better outcomes.

    When I examine the areas of my life that have flourished – my career (at times), my lifestyle (I’ve already lived such a full life that fills me with pride!), my friendships (meaningful and deep), my romantic relationship (everything I dreamed of right now) – the design process has been consistent.

    I followed the magnetic pull inside my body and took whatever action was required.

    I showed up for my business every single day for years, long before it became financially fruitful. I made heroic efforts with my friends, driving hours just to share a coffee or offering soothing words as balm for their hearts, even when it wasn’t convenient. I said “no, thank you” to countless potential suitors and relationships, choosing solitude over settling for less than what my heart truly desired.

    Eventually, piece by piece, I got what I wanted – even if it looked nothing like I’d imagined. 

    Because context matters. The only thing that truly matters is that it fits me like it was made for me. Because it is.

    If you’re ready to redesign a specific part of your life, here’s what works:

    — First, decide how you want to feel in that area of your life. Ultimately, we only want anything because we’re chasing a feeling. So get crystal clear – what feeling are you pursuing?

    — Next, pay attention to what makes you feel truly alive. It doesn’t have to be directly related to what you’re redesigning. But by holding that part of your life high in your consciousness and heart, you help pull the necessary elements toward you, creating momentum.

    — Create a feedback loop between your actions and the area you’re redesigning. Gradually adjust how you show up for yourself, letting the context of what you want to change inform how your life shifts.

    — Finally – and this is crucial – find people who are already living the life you’re designing, in ways that you admire, and spend time with them. Nothing transforms your life faster than surrounding yourself with people who expect nothing less than spectacular for themselves.

    Rinse and repeat, forever and ever, as you evolve as a human being.

  • enough

    my life of “it’s enough” instead of “I want more”

    We’ve swallowed the lie whole. It’s in our bones now.

    Our egos have been programmed into the structure.

    This relentless pursuit of more. Always more. Your benchmark keeps changing. You never reach the finish line. The wanting never ends.

    In this capitalist world that constantly whispers “more, more, more”, standing still and saying “I have enough” feels like a rebellion. A quiet revolution of the soul.

    At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.

    Heller responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have — enough.”

    enough kms/steps walked

    enough friendships

    enough discipline

    enough money

    enough clothes

    enough love

    enough joy

    enough

    There is a certain magic in embracing enough.

    It’s the moment you stop struggling against the current and simply float. Suddenly, you realise the river’s been carrying you all along.

    As we meet mid-year, I’m learning to trust in the existing abundance.

    I’m tuning into the rhythm of sufficiency that beats in every cell of my body. It’s a gentle pulse that says, “You are enough. You have enough. This moment is enough.”

    In the soft light of dawn, in the quiet moments between breaths, in the space between thoughts — that’s where I’m finding my enough. It’s not a destination, but a way of being — a lens through which to view the world.

    A life of abundance disguised as simplicity. A life of richness measured not in things, but in moments. A life of recognising that the cup isn’t half full or half empty – it’s overflowing, if only we have eyes to see it.

    In this noisy world that’s always clamouring for more, let’s be the ones who dare to whisper “enough”. Let’s be the ones who find infinity in a grain of sand, and eternity in a wildflower.

    Because when we know we are enough, we have enough, we do enough – that’s when we truly begin to live.

    A THOUGHT EXERCISE:

    Make a practice of writing your list of enough.

    Not could it be 10x better – but does it feel in your heart like enough?

    * Family — Enough

    * Friends — Enough

    * Home — Enough

    * Work — Enough

    * Partner — Enough

    * Mentors — Enough

    * Memories — Enough

    * Blessings — Enough

    * Recognition — Enough

    * Opportunities — Enough

    * Financial independence — Enough

  • it’s easy to be happy

    who am I when I am just looping in this endless existential crisis where I’m not sure what is real and what I want to pursue anymore

    Do you want to do the talking?

    Ok. I reply moving in front of her and approaching the door manned by four people with two clipboards between them.

    We’re just crossing names off the list, one of them tells us.

    Actually, we aren’t on the list. I smile.

    I am a terrible liar but excel at making the truth really fun and compelling

    We were in our flat up there. I point at the top floor of a set of late Victorian-era mansion blocks overlooking where we are standing. And we saw the party and heard the band playing and decided to invite ourselves.

    That’s a good one! One of them laughed in response.

    The four gathered and discussed options. Finally one looks up questioningly at his compadres, Ross left two tickets at the door for her friends but we don’t think they’re coming maybe you can have them.

    I know Ross! Marina exclaims.

    Yeah, sure wink wink! Someone replies laughing. No really! She is my neighbour!

    At this point, we’re both cracking up at how absurd it all is – two adult women attempting to crash a party. Ok, well make sure you go for a swim, they accede. We will, we brought our bikinis! I reply with a grin. We all laughed and were ushered into the Lido summer party.

    We stripped into bikinis by the pool and saunaed and cold plunged and saunaed and cold plunged again until they closed the pool and got dressed and watched the live jazz and funk band and drank cheap cold white wine out of little plastic cups and danced.

    It’s easy to be happy, now. I turn to Marina. I just need more of this in my life. More spontaneity, more risk, more playfulness, less rigidity.

    A few hours earlier we had been lounging on her sofa overlooking the Lido in which party we were now enmeshed into talking about the happiest times in our lives and how things felt different now.

    I’m fine. Everything is fine. I have incredible friendships, I have enough money and a nice place to live. Fresh food local food is abundant. I actively count my blessings and choose to see the beauty of life. But I don’t feel that euphoric feeling of love and joy and excitement for life like I used to. And that makes me sad. And maybe I am a little depressed. But mostly I feel like I am just looping in this endless existential crisis where I’m not sure what is real and what I want to pursue anymore.

    I have had so many moments in the past couple of years crushed by a distinct wave of lack of ambition that sucks the oxygen out of my lungs and makes me wonder what I am doing. The flavour of this feeling is akin to my burnout climax in 2022/23 but I am starting to realise I am not burned out by my work but by the accelerating demands of the modern Western world.

    In this incredibly dystopian version of capitalism we are being told more is better. We’re told to push harder, to take as much as we can from anything and anyone to get ahead. No wonder we’re left feeling lost. Deep down, this isn’t who we are as humans. We’re not built to be endless consumption machines.

    Let’s have a reality check.

    This “take take take” approach comes from LACK, not ABUNDANCE. It is a lack of resources. It’s a lack of abundance. The system we live in which is ‘growth at all costs’ is the antithesis of abundance.

    A personal reality check.

    Until 2020, I’d skillfully sidestepped this reality. Stranded in the UK after my life in Mexico, I found myself sliding down a slippery slope of overwork. The rush of financial success was intoxicating, and with little else to occupy me, I dove in headfirst.

    Because what else was I to do and honestly, the taste of financial success and public validation and money flowing in so readily was addictive and fun, and what else was there to do?

    And there I lost myself…

    In that spontaneous pool party, we crashed, surrounded by strangers who quickly became friends, I rediscovered it. That spark was right there, effortlessly within reach. Life’s magic reveals itself in these kismet unplanned moments, when the future feels ripe with possibility and human connections bloom unexpectedly.

    As the last notes from the jazz band faded, the lead guitarist approached us. I love your energy! he grinned. You brought this party to life with your dancing!

    We giggled, confessing our impromptu adventure: watching from a high-up flat, deciding to crash the event, sweet-talking our way past the door.

    I knew I liked you before, he laughed, but now I love you.

    Abundance has a language and it’s not money. It’s relationships, health, experiences, and depth… because what we want at the depths of our souls is to be humbled.

    We are drawn to experiences that humble us because they remind us of a profound truth: we are already complete. Embracing this completeness – recognising that we have, do, and are ENOUGH — is a radical act.

    A quiet rebellion against a world that constantly tells us we need more.

    Beneath the surface, there’s a deeper loss and longing — a profound ache — that no new job or shiny purchase could ever soothe.

    What we truly crave is a foundation that is steadfast and real. We are looking for substance. We are looking for something we can place our feet on that won’t fall away.

    We all have these big existential fears because we are terrified of failing at life. So we protect ourselves by contracting, fitting in, grabbing more, and trying harder.

    These past few days, I’ve been retracing the steps that brought me to this trajectory of my life.

    I do not like it here.

    I find myself ensnared in the relentless machinery of Western capitalism, a system that’s stealthily invaded even the havens I once sought refuge in.

    I feel uneasy existing in a world over-saturated with screens and social media. As someone who was once eager to vulnerably share myself without hesitation, I have begun to feel the burden of strangers’ unflinching projections and expectations.

    What’s more, I have had to come to grips with the ephemeral nature of my digital presence.

    Every word I’ve penned online hangs by a thread, at the mercy of faceless corporations. At any moment, they could wipe away my work and art, erasing years of my life with a simple keystroke.

    I have returned to the value of physical spaces that must be balanced with a career built on a digital footprint.

    At this juncture, I return to a few simple questions:

    What makes me come alive?

    What brings me joy?

    What do I live for?

    The answers come readily. They are simple and easy.

    Unexpectedly, the benchmark does not keep changing. What I want is less rather than more.

    But they do not fit into my society’s deemed trajectory of a ‘happy’ and ‘fulfilling’ traditional life path. That’s challenging for me, sometimes.

    There exists within me a very human part that yearns for social acceptance and validation. On some level, I still fear rejection from the tribe. A tribe I have disowned many times before.

  • the medicine of opposites

    When we don’t have enough money, enough love, enough joy or pleasure… when our core needs are out of balance, what do we do?

    I spend a lot of time looking for ways to bring harmony and balance into my life. I can hold a greater capacity for more, bigger, beautiful, evolving and confronting experiences because I reach for the medicine of opposites.

    It’s a concept that originates in both Ayurveda, the principle that “everything can be medicine” and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the basic idea of the ‘yin- yang theory’.

    Ayurveda recognises that our daily choices and lifestyle habits have the potential to influence our overall balance and promote homeostasis. Like increases like, and opposites cancel each other out. It is natural to warm ourselves when it is cold, to moisturise our skin when it is dry, to eat cooling foods when we are hot, and to need more rest when we are stressed.

    TCM nods to the two natural, complementary and contradictory forces in our universe, the principle of opposite polarity and duality. The meaning of yin and yang is that the universe is governed by a cosmic duality, and sets off two opposing and complementing principles or cosmic energies that can be observed in nature. Yin and yang elements come in pairs. The moon and the sun, female and male, dark and bright, cold and hot, passive and active, and so on. It is believed that to be healthy, one needs to balance the yin and yang forces within one’s own body.

    This is not only true for our bodies.

    It’s true for our minds, thoughts and as a result life experiences as well.

    At its very core the medicine of opposites states that all is energy and all energy needs to be in balance to achieve well-being. The theory is all-inclusive, intuitive and seated in your own inner knowing.

    Everything has inherent qualities of polarity in its energy.

    The magnificent miracle of life is that we are essentially tiny oceans bound by skin somehow walking around having conversations, inventing smartphones, writing on the internet, reading memes and spending far too long watching cats do weird stuff.

    The water in our bodies is balanced out by the hardness of our bones. That’s the medicine of opposites at work. Otherwise, we would be highly sophisticated slugs.

    This medicine of opposites plays out in every sphere of life. We are living in a world of interdependence.

    Applying the medicine of opposites to our challenges, how do we intentionally harness this cosmic principle to bring about positive changes and in essence, more harmony in our lives?

    When we don’t have enough money, enough love, enough joy or pleasure, a sense of direction, stable health and wellness, a life that we adore, the perception of belonging, feeling connected to something larger than us… when our core needs are out of balance, how do we find that balance again?

    We do the opposite.

    — When there’s something we want to avoid, we lean into it.

    — When we feel financial lack, we seek abundance in our lives.

    — When our intuition has abandoned us, we repair our connection with it.

    — When we want more of something, we find out where it already exists.

    — When creatively stuck, we don’t give up, we summon our inner muse.

    — When life feels like it’s ending, we recognise the cyclical nature of it.

    I teach the concept and application of the medicine of opposites in my work. It’s the primary principle of my approach in life. Life topics covering: money, creativity, intuition, manifesting, starting life all over again (renewal), and running a heart-led online business…

  • I need to remember what I am.

    It’s been two months since I left the tiny bubble of Mallorca and tore open my life for anything conceivable to enter. In that time a lot has happened.

    I woke up rolling amongst sheets and pillows this morning, my cat stretched out against my back in his feline slumber, a cool summer humidity hanging in the air. Last night I had promised myself to take an early morning walk around the village I call home for the last few days so I step out onto the aged hardwood floor and softly pad barefoot down into the kitchen to make warm lemon water, refill the cat bowl with food and open the back door to the garden.

    A whoosh of fresh sticky air from a night of opaque rain infuses the room as I fill the kettle with just enough water for my drink — a supposed energy-saving trick a friend of mine had shown me — and pour some filtered water and then hand-squeeze half a lemon into my thermos mug while I wait to fill the rest with hot water.

    Back upstairs with my mug, I wash my face and spray it with lavender hydrosol. The only thing that keeps my sensitive skin from flaring up in protest against the constant climate changes I render it to. A light cover of bb cream, mascara and blush later I continue sipping on my morning lemon concoction as I shimmy into an old pair of Levi’s that have been worn too loose from wearing and a soft grey men’s sweater and pick up my phone to go back downstairs to slip on brown loafers, pick up my basket with purse and keys waiting inside, coax my cat back in before locking the back door and depart from the front.

    It is a grey July day. Not so much summer as I know it but I appreciate the rainforest vibes of this green British isle while the world is burning in other parts.

    Morning walks before the world is fully alive bring about a different kind of peace. Ones that make my thoughts feel clearer and more certain than at other times.

    As I walk I remember the panic attack I had on the northern line tube in London this day a week ago.

    As soon as I stepped into that car I felt it. It was hot, the air stale and stifling. I could not, did not want to, breathe it in. The people around us, big and filling up all the space. My companion watches me freeze and recoil at my environment, panicked and unable to move or communicate. He asks me if I want to get off and I say “No, I just want to get there,” as I gasp for small pockets of air wishing I could hold my breath until I can come back up from underground. At our station, I rush out through the barriers focused on the open space and trees outside and cross the road without looking back. Finally free, I immediately burst into big, heavy, body-shaking sobs.

    Removed from the intensity of that moment on my walk I notice how sensitive my body is to subtle emotional changes and thoughts as they stream through my subconscious.

    On the surface level, my response was simply a small moment of claustrophobia, enhanced by the heat and crowds and the very strong coffee I had had earlier adding a backdrop of anxiety to my day. Deeper, it was a cosmic blend of fear, feeling out of control, overwhelm and grief bubbling over from within me that I could no longer hold in.

    It’s been two months since I left the tiny bubble of Mallorca and tore open my life for anything conceivable to enter. In that time a lot has happened.

    I have moved twice and am about to move a third time, my cat in tow. I met someone and am slowly falling in love. He has asked me to move to Bangkok with him on account of his work. Which I am willing to do. And with that, I am grieving: a) the end of a life that was entirely my own for the past few years; b) having to relocate my cat with a friend for some time and being parted from him; and c) feeling a lot of fear and loss of control because it’s all happened so fast. Meanwhile, continuing my work with private clients, my 4-week writing course, and my annual mentor training that is opening again for enrolments in September. It’s a lot.

    I stop to pick up a flat white and flirt with the cute barista at my favourite coffee shop, and then walk through town to pick up raspberries, strawberries and cherries at the market stall before heading down to the river.

    Change always takes a toll and I have a lot to integrate.

    Two people choosing to merge their lives to run parallel to each other is imperfect and messy. Each has their own set of habits and coping mechanisms. When emotions run high our uglier parts are revealed and it takes tremendous courage, compassion, respect and patience to hold space for one another. Relationships are enriching and challenging.

    I walk past the narrow boats and then take a sharp right up the hill back to the cathedral that dates back to 600 A.D. and a gothic time of medieval mystery.

    I know everything will turn out exactly as it must. I need to get out of my way and let go of the illusionary notion that I am in any way in control. I need to breathe space and trust into what is happening and remember that I asked for all of this in my dreams and prayers. I need to remember what I am.

    The universe expressing itself through the kismet life form that I am.

  • 8 self-care products to amplify your intuition

    8 self-care products to amplify your intuition
     
    While I touch on the importance of self-care in my new course IntuiMethod because when we take care of ourselves we become a clear channel towards what our body, heart and soul most needs, I focus mostly on the psychological aspects and practices that amplify your intuition. They are the ones that make the biggest difference, but there are a few simple and fun self-care practices that I thought would be fun to share with you.
     
    As you may have noticed, when you feel stressed, are in fight or flight survival mode, and your adrenaline is running high, which is how most people function on a day-to-day basis, it is really hard to tune into the subtle messages and inner knowing of your intuition. Instead, what we do is we rely on our linear, logical minds to direct us forward. The problem with that is that our minds cannot *think* beyond what they already know, so they get stuck in a cyclical pattern which just gives you more of the same.
     
    To step out of that reactive conditioning and actually return to alignment so you can hear your intuition you have to find ways to relax the body enough so you can feel it again instead of avoiding your bodies sensations by staying stuck in your mind. Here are some of my favourite useful and inexpensive products that help me do exactly that, so I can amplify my intuitive voice and follow the IntuiMethod.
     
    GABA — Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid is a kind of neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that helps to ease nervous tension, reduce stress and anxiety, promoting a positive mood and a feeling of well-being. I pop a 750mg tablet in my mouth after a big working day when I feel my central nervous system is extra flustered and it makes me feel so relaxed and kind of stoned. Some people call it “natural Valium” and I have friends who used to use it after big nights out partying to inhibit a comedown.
     
    Calm Nights — We all know that sleep and dreams help us get unstuck from our waking mindset. They allow us to see solutions that aren’t apparent to our logical, conscious minds. Studies show that more than one-third of the subjects in any given study reported that deep sleep or dreaming about a problem guided them to an intuitive solution. But if you’re not getting that deep REM sleep so you can access your intuition? Try Calm Nights, a powerful blend of magnesium, GABA, Suntheanine, L Theanine and Melatonin. I use it sparingly but it works like a dream.
     
    Evening Primrose Oil —  It has a compound known as phenylalanine that can help with pain relief, and is increasingly used with remedying headaches, as well as reducing inflammation. Pain, headaches, inflammation, all these body conditions tend to make us want to avoid our bodies and therefore avoid our intuitions, so taking Evening Primrose Oil regularly helps dispel this avoidance and amplifies your ability to connect with your intuition.
     
    Bach Rescue Remedy — I use the “comfort and reassure” one which I keep in my handbag. I tend to reach for it especially when I am travelling as all the bright lights and weird smells and people coughing and fake air in airports and on planes really disrupts my calm and balance. It helps me stay present, connected to my intuition and patient.
     
    Lavender essential oil — I love dropping lavender essential oil on my pillow before I got to sleep but you can also diffuse it during meditation or journaling or place it on your wrists or ankles before you go out. Its role is to increase calmness that enables us to relax and let intuition be the guide.
     
    Dry body brush — Dry brushing improves the function of the nervous system and rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin. When your nervous system in feeling good, clean and clear, you are a clear channel for your body to transmit intuitive messages to you.
     
    Epsom salts — If you’re empathic (aka: human) it’s possible that you sometimes feel confused, scattered, exhausted, fatigued and irritable because of the whirlwind of life that is going on around us. Epsom salt in a hot bath soaks away all the external noise so you can come back to the subtle, gentle voice that is always guiding you to your own truth, inside.
     
    Almond Oil — While you’re in that bath, pop a glass bottle of almond oil in it and let the hot water in the bath gently heat the oil so that when you get out you can generously slather it onto your skin. This is a trick I learned from my Ayurvedic practitioner who taught me that it is important to care for my drier Vata dosha type with lost of warm oils. Almond oil is now for pacifying a strung out central nervous system so you can feel your intuition again. Most interestingly, the word ‘Almond’ comes from ‘Amygdala’ — a part of the limbic system of the brain — the key role of the amygdala is the function of decision-making, memory and emotions. It is believed that applying almond oil can help keep these in balance.
     

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  • Intuition is seeing with the soul.

    Intuition is seeing with the soul.
     
    Intuition is seeing with the soul. — Dean Koontz
     
    Intuition is a phenomenon of bridging the heart and the mind, through an intangible sense or feeling. It describes the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of logical reasoning. The word “intuition” comes from Latin verb “intueri” translated to the word intuit, “to contemplate”.
     
    Intuition is often interpreted as the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.
     
    It is an ability available to all of us, commonly known to be an aspect of our right brain function, and requires strengthening, just like a muscle. The more you use it, the easier it is and the faster it responds.
     
    The universe sends us directions through our intuition; and we receive them through an inner voice, a tug in the heart, a sense, a vibe, a deep inner thought, a feeling, a certain subtle knowing, an energy that directs us along the way. We each feel this intuition in a different way and because it is subtle, it can seem elusive. If we pay attention we can connect to it in the centre of our body, like a deep inborn guidance system wired to the divine.
     
    Have you ever been in a situation where you heard a very quiet, yet distinct intuitive warning, and ignored it, only to look back in hindsight and think “I knew that was a bad idea!”?
     
    Yes? No? Maybe?
     
    I have been in that situation tonnes of times!
     
    It was around the time that I decided to start listening to my intuition more, that I noticed just how often I was getting myself into trouble, by ignoring the wisdom that the universe was consistently sharing with me.
     
    I was 23, and I decided, after many, many mishaps — more than I’d like to admit — that I was finally ready to heed the strong persistent signs, voices and feelings that were arising as my intuition. So I set an intention, and made a pact with my intuition that I wrote in my journal.
     
    Why not write one yourself?
     
    Set the intention to connect to the universe and write a letter to your intuition, making a promise and a pact to start listening, paying attention and heeding its call.
     
    Here’s a template to get your wheels turning…
     
     
    Dear Intuition,
     
    I am sorry I have been ignoring you for so long. It’s not because I don’t appreciate you, but because I was taught not to listen and trust you, or that you are wrong.
     
    Thank you for the way you have _____________.
     
    I now make a pact and a promise to connect to your guidance and hear your wisdom.
     
    Please guide me when I  _____________.
     
    Please speak louder when I _____________ and show me the signs even if I _____________.
     
    I may not always heed your call as I learn to recognise you more. Please be patient with me and show yourself in ways that I can understand.
     
    Thank you for being my _____________, my _____________, and my true _____________.
     
    I love and appreciate you.
     
    [your name here]
     
     
    Soon after I wrote a letter, very much like this one, literally days later, I found myself in another one of those ‘situations’.
     
    I was meant to go on a date with a very cute boy; a dreadlocked ballet dancer. On the morning of that day, I woke up, stretched and went outside to our backyard in my panties and t-shirt for a few minutes to catch some sun. Moments later, the back door slammed shut, and for the first (and last) time of living there, was suddenly locked out of my house.
     
    Barely dressed, I walked around the sides of the house, looking for ways to break in. Nothing. The neighbours weren’t home and there was nowhere I could go. So I sat down and waited.
     
    I heard my phone ring. I ran around the house and saw it, happily buzzing away on my bed, with no way to reach it. I was late for my date.
     
    Several hours later my housemate arrived back home, and let me in. I apologised profusely to my date and rescheduled. Only to discover that this very cute boy, had some serious anger problems, a drug addiction, and was on too many counts entirely wrong for me.
     
    In hindsight, I realised that my intuition was trying to tell me very loudly (as I had asked) not to meet this boy. But I was stubborn and determined and had to find out for myself.
     
    This particular incidence prompted me to completely surrender myself, my life, and my decisions to the wisdom of the universe, as communicated to me by my intuition.
     
    Over the past 12 years, since that fated day, my intuition has grown in strength and precision, and is now my only counsel for the choices I make and the way I live my life.
     
    What it took, was to learn to listen, hear and take action on the direction of a gentle guidance, that often doesn’t have a logical explanation.
     
    I had to practice, from moment to moment, being very still within myself, to check in, ask for guidance and pay attention to the direction I was being guided in.
     
    Practice taking time throughout the day, checking in with how you feel, and adjusting your choices and environment to align with what feels right for you.
     
    Photo: Camille Moir Smith
     

  • 35 BIG mistakes I’ve made in the past 35 years that changed my life for the better. 

    35 BIG mistakes I've made in the past 35 years that changed my life for the better.  with VSCO with f2 preset
     
    In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you.
     
    I turned 35 today. I wrote about it earlier this year. I feel really good about it. I’ve done so much in my life already, more than the average human, and that makes me feel proud and satisfied. I’ve also fucked up (a lot) and made some big mistakes in my life that have changed my life for the better.
     
    I thought I’d share them with you today. Maybe you’ve made the same mistakes. Or maybe you can skip making them and just learn from mine.
     
    Enjoy!
     
    1. Loving too much. While I do believe that love is the answer to almost everything, it also has to be balanced. I tried to save my mother with love, and didn’t work. I got into the wrong relationships and they didn’t work. It wasn’t until I learned that love alone isn’t enough, that I understood what love really is.
     
    2. Dishonouring my boundaries. It’s still something I’m working on, boundaries were non-existent in my life a few years ago. As a recovering ‘rescuer’ I’m learning how to identify boundaries as a safe container for self-love while also taking risks.
     
    3. Believing in external security. Our society loves to pump us full of promises that we will find a sense of security out there if we follow the rules and buy the things. Get a job, and get married and you’ll feel secure. Lies. People get fired and divorced all the time. Buy our insurance and get all the fancy things and you will feel secure. Lies. Insurance doesn’t pay for acts of god, and acts of god often vanquish our fancy things. Real security comes from knowing, loving and accepting oneself. And staying open and flexible with the ever-changing nature of life.
     
    4. Fighting for things to go my way. When we soften, the world softens. If you are fighting, and it isn’t working — try softening. This is where you learn to go with the flow.
     
    5. Not trusting. The signs, the people with good advice, the support networks all around. I didn’t realise that these where all here to guide my way and take care of me. Trust is the highest currency of the heart. Use it generously and wisely.
     
    6. Being afraid of being ‘weak’. In the meantime I’ve discovered that vulnerability is a superpower. When I am vulnerable, open, honest — I am stronger than anything that might be in my way.
     
    7. Wanting to ‘find myself’. Finding myself actually showed me that I was never lost. What was lost is a sense of certainty in myself. But uncertainty is a gift: it breeds skepticism, it breeds openness and it breeds non-judgement. It helps you grow and evolve.
     
    8. Needing to know all the answers. So instead I’ve learned the art of not having to know. And I let it all be. And just keep moving. It’s much more fun, this way.
     
    9. Being too hard on my self. It is atrocious, the demands and expectations we place on ourselves. Since I’ve let go, I’ve achieved and done more than I ever did when I gave myself a hard time.
     
    10. Waiting for external validation. When instead, it’s up to you (and me) to decide: you are fucking awesome.
     
    11. Getting caught up in eating trends. The green smoothies. The paleo. The vegan thing. The all or nothing. The raw till 4. Fuck that shit. Eat what your body wants to eat. Eat things that are alive. Avoid boxes and packaging. It’s that simple.
     
    12. Being addicted to stress. Gah! I’m still working on that one. It’s cellular. But I’m getting better and better at relaxing and enjoying the simple, little things, every day.
     
    13. Thinking that who you spend time with, doesn’t matter. I had this crazy belief that I could overcome any negative person with my positive energy. But man is that exhausting! And you just end up giving away your energy. Now I’m very, very selective and adhere to the rule: the 5 people closest to you are a representation of who you are; and choose to spend my time with people who uplift me and encourage me to shine brighter.
     
    14. Putting joy at the bottom of my essentials list. My upbringing was all about putting others first. Martyrdom before joy. Many of us have been taught that. But the moment I made joy a non-negotiable, I started living the life I always dreamed of.
     
    15. Waiting for permission. How often do we wait for someone to say “yes” to what we want to do? Too often. That’s how often. You don’t need permission. If it lights you up, do it. End of discussion.
     
    16. Being afraid to speak my truth. Because no-one wants to hear what I have to say, right? Don’t want to upset the god-damn boat, do we?! Wrong. No-body cares what you say, but saying what it truth for you, is ground-breaking.
     
    17. Having grandiose fears of being punished. Just in case the entire world is out to punish me for innumerable sins, I would hide away. And then I realised, hey — we’re all sinners! And stopped that.
     
    18. Doing the ‘nice girl’ thing. For many years I thought that in order to get the things you want, you had to play the ‘nice girl’ card. But being nice, is suffocating. It’s stifling. It’s soul-murder. Don’t be nice, be you.
     
    19. Believing that everyone else has the answer. Guess what?! Everyone’s making it up, just like you. So no more of that, thank you very much.
     
    20. Shrinking, because I’m a woman. I love men. This is not about them. It’s about the social conditioning to be less than men, because I’m a woman. This is not helpful and true, for anyone. There is not better. Men are men. Women are women. We show up in our individual ways. Be who you are. Stand tall and proud and do what you want to do.
     
    21. Waiting for someone else to take care of my finances. I grew up in a world where money was ‘the mans realm’. It’s almost like I grew up in the 1940’s. Lady, did I have to break down some social conditioning to get through that mountain of a molehill! Now, I very happily am in charge, and my money mound is healthily expanding.
     
    22. Blaming others, or circumstances for my woes. Learning to take 100% responsibility for my well-being and happiness has been the best lesson ever. Now, whenever I want to point my finger out into the world, I take that finger and point it straight back at me and ask “What can I do right now, to change this / make this better / choose something else?”. Simple, easy, mind-blowing.
     
    23. Being scared to piss people off. But being a people-pleaser is social suicide, and at some point, we are all going to do things that others don’t like. And that’s ok.
     
    24. Expecting others to just ‘know’ what I need. These lips didn’t know how to ask for what I need, or communicate what my boundaries are, because I thought, for too long, that we all work on an equal assumption of what we all need and what everyone’s boundaries are. Not so however.
     
    25. Feeling guilty when things are going great. It’s almost like I would expect someone to come along and show me that I didn’t deserve all the awesome. Enjoy your awesome, people! You deserve every ounce of it. Own it. It’s yours.
     
    26. Being afraid to set real, definite goals. Call them intentions if you wish. Or dreams. But essentially, I was so afraid of failure, I wouldn’t put my big dreams in motion and hence miss out on multitudes of opportunities, that the universe is constantly gifting us with.
     
    27. Having FOMO. The fear of missing out is so real, that sometimes we say “yes” to things that should definitely be a “no”. It’s so wonderful to have the wisdom I have now: that everything is happening at just the perfect time, and what is for you, won’t pass you by.
     
    28. Bulldozing past my energy levels. I’d push and push and push until I fell into a heap of exhaustion. It’s not okay. Now, I protect my energy levels, my time and space, like a spiritual ninja.
     
    29. Giving away my power to situations I cannot control. What I can control is myself, and how I choose to show up in this world. You too? Perhaps now is the time to start asking yourself, what kind of legacy and impact do you want to leave behind in the world… Write it down, map it out, and turn it into a plan by breaking it down into daily micro-actions that result in re-creating your life and telling a new story.
     
    30. Trying to do everything the ‘right’ way. As if there is a right way. Ha!
     
    31. Confusing my identity with my work. The part of you that equates your sense of worth with “what you do” is your ego.
     
    32. Confusing my output with my worth. The part of you that equates your worth with “how hard you work” is also your ego.
     
    33. Thinking that ‘more is better’. It’s not. More is more. This is better: what is necessary, for this to be at its ultimate, most essential, best? That is all that’s required. Magic. Love. Work. Worth.
     
    34. Holding on too long, to people who didn’t deserve it. I think that’s a mistake we all make at some point. Letting go, letting go, letting. There’s purification and expansion in knowing when to let go.
     
    35. Copying others because my art didn’t feel ‘enough’. When I first started writing, I would copy others’ words down into a notepad to see what it feels like to write words that meant something. It took me a long time to trust and like my own art and voice. I did the same thing when I was learning to draw. I would take sketches that I loved and draw them myself until their art felt like my art. I’m doing the same as I’m learning to sing. I hear a voice and imitate it until I can’t tell if it’s my voice or theirs. Part of this is learning, part of this is hiding because owning what you have, doesn’t feel ‘enough’. Holding back my own art, and copying others is both detrimental and helpful. Knowing when and where to draw the line, is the difference between stealing and learning.
     

  • 5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant.

    6 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant.
     
    Every few months or so, I write about the books that have had the most impact on me, lately. I write about them, because I love it when I discover word-gold, and the inner understanding that transforms my life through those words.
     
    Every book I have ever read, has been recommended to me in some form. I very rarely take the time to explore bookshelves or the Kindle store, to find my next read. I want those recommendations to have a ripple effect out into the world, so you too, can experience your own inner understanding and ‘aha’ moments.
     
    I like to read in bed mostly, or outside in the sun on the balcony, especially when I’m having a quiet, reflective day and pondering the meaning of life and the world. I use Kindle to read, because lugging the amount of books that I read around with me, is totally insane.
     
    Behold, my list of the 5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant. Please, enjoy them as much as I have.
     
     
    5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant: The Art of Asking.
     
    The Art of Asking
    If anyone can making asking for what you need and want, feel badass, it’s Amanda Palmer. It’s been such a long time since I have enjoyed reading a book this much, and learning, at the same time. Asking is something that we have been socially conditioned to believe is wrong, and yet, when someone asks us for help, we feel so remarkably good, and thrilled to be able to do something for someone else. Why is that? And how can giving and receiving work  Amanda explores this concept as she takes us on a punk-rock flavoured rollercoaster ride through her creative and artistic ventures. My favourite quote from the book is “When you love people, they give you everything.”
    This read is perfect for every artist, creative, entrepreneur and woman, who has ever had a hard time asking for what he or she needs. I don’t do star ratings on here, but if I did, The Art of Asking would get a 10 out of 5 stars. In fact, Amanda’s ferocious belief in the generosity human beings, lead the inspiration to my Pay What You Want price for my monthly The Free-Spirited Collective membership. Get your copy from Amazon.
     
     
    5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant: The Crossroads of Must and Should.
     
    The Crossroads of Must and Should
    My second favourite book in this writeup is this one by Elle Luna. The entire time I was reading it, I wanted to share quotes from her words on Instagram, and only managed to hold back out of trepidation that I would end up overwhelming everyone with enthusiasm. Elle writes about learning the difference between must: “Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest most authentic self.” And should; how most of us unconsciously imprison ourselves in the confinements of what our society and culture expects of us and tell us to do.
    This book is about a gentle rebellion, and figuring out what your ‘must’ is, and then doing that, exclusively. “We each have a potential that was given to us at birth, but whether or not we cultivate it is entirely up to us. In its purest sense, Must is why we are here to begin with, and choosing it is the journey of our lives.” Get your copy from Amazon.
     
     
    5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant: Big Magic
     
    Big Magic
    Every creative ever must read this book about creativity by Elizabeth Gilbert. Simply because it makes the creative process that much more understandable. I felt quite elated that many of the concepts and ideas she shares were already a part of my own personal understanding of my creative process. It’s always so nice to be assured from someone who has been commended for their outstanding work in a field that you admire. I particularly appreciated her powerful prose on making the creative process not have to have meaning, significance or to be ‘useful’, but to do it, for the sake of doing it, and trusting the process as it guides you forward. Plus, her writing style is impeccable and I adore reading Liz’s words, on almost any topic. Get your copy from Amazon.
     
     
    5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant: Radical Self-Love
     
    Radical Self-Love
    Gala Darling was my inspiration to start blogging. After shunning the internet for years, I suddenly saw it with new eyes: an uncensored platform on which to take pieces of my soul and spin them into words, for all to see. When I first discovered her, she had a voice unlike anyone else, and she was speaking my language, which at the time felt like a fucking miracle.
    Her book is an adaptation of an eBook she used to sell on her website, and while I really enjoyed reading it, I did feel a little disappointed that there was no new, juicy, unexpected insights included. What was once brand new and perceptive in her writing, is now a refined recapitulate of what is now already deeply ingrained in me after spending years doing my own soul-searching. Get your copy from Amazon.
     
     
    5 latest books that have made me feel empowered, alive and vibrant: Clear Your Shit
     
    Clear Your Shit
    I spent the first third of this book emphatically nodding my head. So much of what he writes, I have thought in my own mind. It was a wonderful feeling of confirmation that, yes, I am on the right track with how I intuitively view things and the way we can actively reshape our entire lives by clearing the past, and belief systems that hold us back from being limitless. Dane Tomas captures the essence of what it means to modify yourself down to a cellular level, in order to create the kind of life experience you know is meant for you.
    Once he gets into the ‘how to’ steps however, he looses me a little. This book is excellent if you process things predominantly through your intellect. And I recommend it highly to anyone that is new to doing their inner transformational work, and don’t have $1,000’s of dollars to spend on coaches, mentors and psychologists to help them on their way. However I personally, from experimenting on myself, find that the best way to ‘clear my shit’ is to work through it on an emotional and physical level, using my own processes that I have adapted.
    Overall its awesome insight into how you can totally transform your life, by doing your inner work, and I am quite proud to say that Dane is one of my manifesting experts in my course Manifest More, as well as a speaker in the July edition on The Free-Spirited Collective. Get your copy from Amazon.
     
     
    Photography by Jessica Shirley.

  • Wondering what those elusive ‘signs’ look like? Here are 5 examples.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset
     
    “Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth – the universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The issue concerns the very laws of nature themselves. For 40 years, physicists and cosmologists have been quietly collecting examples of all too convenient “coincidences” and special features in the underlying laws of the universe that seem to be necessary in order for life, and hence conscious beings, to exist. Change any one of them and the consequences would be lethal. Fred Hoyle, the distinguished cosmologist, once said it was as if “a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics”.
     
    To see the problem, imagine playing God with the cosmos. Before you is a designer machine that lets you tinker with the basics of physics. Twiddle this knob and you make all electrons a bit lighter, twiddle that one and you make gravity a bit stronger, and so on. It happens that you need to set thirtysomething knobs to fully describe the world about us. The crucial point is that some of those metaphorical knobs must be tuned very precisely, or the universe would be sterile.
     
    Example: neutrons are just a tad heavier than protons. If it were the other way around, atoms couldn’t exist, because all the protons in the universe would have decayed into neutrons shortly after the big bang. No protons, then no atomic nucleuses and no atoms. No atoms, no chemistry, no life. Like Baby Bear’s porridge in the story of Goldilocks, the universe seems to be just right for life.” ― Paul Charles William Davies
     
    Yesterday, I wrote about how seeing ‘signs’ means something is manifesting. Wondering what those elusive ‘signs’ look like? Here are 5 examples.
     
    Repetition
    Whenever something shows up in my world, at least 3 times, I sit up and start to pay attention. It might not even be something that I’ve been consciously asking for or wanting to manifest. Simply the fact the same thing repetitively is being brought to my awareness means something.
     
    Maybe it’s a message I’m meant to hear. Maybe it’s an answer to a question. And maybe it’s a ‘sign’ that the thing I’ve been wanting to manifest, is near.
     
    Repetition most often comes in the form of various, most-often completely unrelated situations and people, mentioning the same thing to me. It. Also comes as reading or hearing the same theme or message in different places: maybe on signs, in newspapers on the radio or even overhead in public places.
     
    For example, when I was looking for an Osteopath that I really wanted to work with, suddenly, what seemed like out of nowhere, 3 of my friends to definitively don’t know each other, told me about one specific Osteopath that I should go see. And there was no doubt in my mind then, that she was exactly whom I was meant to work with. And as it turns out, she is pure magic.
     
    Opportunities
    This is my favourite ‘sign’! Whenever I ask for what I want, (co-create / manifest) as soon as I have stated my desire, I let it go, knowing that the universe is conspiring to make it happen. When opportunities that support my desires start appearing, I know that what I want is manifesting, right now!
     
    Opportunities are anything that makes what you want, easy to reach. For example, let’s say you want to move to Paris. Then, one day a few weeks or months later, serendipitously someone offers you to house sit their Parisian home, or offers you an opportunity to work in Paris. Those opportunities are signs that your desire to live in Paris are manifesting. And, most importantly, that it’s time to go for it. Even if it doesn’t look exactly the way you thought it would. Because they might lead on to even better opportunities. Saying a big, fat, heartfelt yes to opportunities, is like saying yes to your manifest ion, and trusting that the adventure it’s taking you on, is going to be perfect, and marvellous.
     
    Solutions
    We often think that, by spending time mulling a problem over in our heads, we will find the solution somehow. But, in fact, by thinking about the problem, we simply make the problem seem bigger, and bigger, the more that we think about it.
     
    As with much of manifesting, what we really need to do is recognise that there is a problem, and then let it go, so the solution can come find us. It takes away the pain and pressure, and leaves many, many more possibilities open to us.
     
    One of the signs that something we want is manifesting, is when an incredible solution, shows up for us, when we weren’t even looking. Because we have let go, trusting that the right solution will come at the right tim, the sign here is that now is the time for the thing you want to manifest, to become a tangible experience.
     
    Coincidences
    Some people say that there’s no such thing as coincidences. That everything happens exactly as it should. I, myself, have often said “everything happens for a reason, if we don’t know what that reason is”. Which can be a mighty unsatisfying response, especially when the things that are happening, f&*#ing suck.
     
    This is where having trust plays such a wonderful role. We can relax, breathe a sigh of relief and allow the world to have its ways, while doing our best to focus on the best, most beautiful outcomes, and trusting that the universe is always conspiring for your highest good.
     
    Coincidences are signs that say “You’re on the right path. Keep going.”
     
    Feelings
    We all seem to notice our feelings more, in retrospect. But when you have honed your intuition and learned how to trust it, those feeling can guide us, towards manifesting our desires at a much faster pace. Because when we do, we will have an unusual urge, a ‘feeling’ to go do something that doesn’t make any logical sense, and when we go do that thing, as crazy as it might seem, we realise later, exactly why we had to do it.
     
    Feelings are signs that we need to take action in a specific place of direction, which allows our desires to manifest.
     
    Have you ever had a feeling that you just had to talk to some one, and then it turns out they had the exact information you needed to hear?
     
    There are just some of the my favourite examples of how signs play an important role in co-creating and how they help you manifest. I speak a lot more about how signs work and can be applied in the manifesting process, in my 8 week course: Manifest More.
     
    Sign up and find out more here. 
     
     
    Not sure yet, about manifesting? Get a taste by doing my Free 7 Day Manifesting course, by clicking on the image below:
     
    Free 7 Day Manifesting Course
     
     

  • Manifesting 101 Gypset Style: How To Write Notes To The Universe


    I’m about to let you in on a little secret. The number one method that I use, to bring more of what I want into my life.

    It’s very simple. I write notes to the universe.

    Normally, I just wrote them into a special notebook. But then I started emailing them. Every day. And so much more magic started happening!

    HOW IT BEGAN

    We were sitting around the kitchen table one afternoon, laughing about some anecdotes and sharing stories about our latest miracles and manifestations. When one of the girls shared her little secret. She had set up a special email account to which she wrote an email every single day, asking for what she wanted. And tells us about how she always gets everything she asks for. We asked her for examples and she gave us many.

    A clothing brand that she wanted to start selling in the shop she works in, suddenly appeared because of a mix-up. A man that she once had a crush on and wanted to date but hadn’t heard from for years, contacted her suddenly, after she asked the universe for it, in an email. Right now she’s asking for a husband. She says the universe is still working on this one because it’s a big one.

    And I liked the idea. I loved the idea so much that I wanted to share it with you. Because you are the special ones. Because I trust and love you. And because we all deserve to ask the universe for what we want, and really start manifesting big things.
    WHAT ‘NOTES TO THE UNIVERSE’ IS

    Notes To The Universe is a sacred space to which you can send your hopes, dreams and wishes. It’s an email address to which you can send your notes full of prayers, wishes and plans, every single day of your life, to give them a voice, clarity, and a tangible possibility to become reality. It helps define and focus on what it is you want and gives you practice in asking for the things that you know you deserve.

    Notes To The Universe is an email address: notestotheuniverse@gmail.com. Your own personal manifestation station.

    WHY IT WORKS

    Writing out what your hopes and dreams are, means that you have to get really clear and specific in your head, about what it is that you want. Writing helps you to identify the little things that are important to you, that we otherwise might not be able to articulate and put in words, with clarity and brevity, what we wish to manifest.

    The universe loves it when we are clear with what we want because that makes the manifestation process so much easier and faster. Writing emails also means that we identify where we are in relation to our dreams, which gives our subconscious space to start finding solutions for us. Also, the writing process also helps us focus on our goals and remember what is truly important to us.

    HOW IT WORKS

    To receive the things that we dream of, we first have to prepare ourselves for them. Learning to RECEIVE is as important as learning to ASK for the things that we want in our lives. When we start to focus on the things that are really important to us, we become more sensitive and open to opportunities relating to those things, as well as more aware and able to respond when opportunities arise.

    By writing down and creating a focused intention, we clearly let the universe know that we are ready for said thing, your attention for receiving becomes refined and you subconsciously begin to create space in your life for this thing. By creating the space and letting go of the stuff that is holding us back and no longer serves us, we, as if by magic, begin to manifest our desires very simply and easily.
    WHAT TO DO

    Write an email to notestotheuniverse@gmail.com. Make it a daily practice. I do. It means that things start moving faster.

    1. Start your letter with a greeting. Dear Universe works. Sometimes I get all flamboyant and call her darling, sweetness and goddess.

    2. The next part is your gratitude. Write all that you are thankful for in your life. Say thank you for all the manifested magic you’ve already received. Really delve into your appreciation for all you have, until you bask in a warm glow of abundance and gratitude. Manifesting works from how you FEEL and to receive abundance and fulfilment you have to feel abundant and fulfilled already.

    3. Finally, write with great clarity and in as many finite details as you can, what you would like to manifest. Get really super clear on the what.

    • What it looks like.
    • What it feels like, and
    • Why you want to bring this into your life experience.

     

    4. Then sign off with loving gratitude and be ready and open to receive.
    IMPORTANT NOTES

    • Remember that the Universe always has our highest good intended for us, which means that we need to let go of the HOW and the WHEN of our dreams and manifestations. The experiences we wish for will always, always show up, but how they reveal themselves in our lives can often be a surprise.
    • Everything always happens at the perfect time. Also, since time doesn’t exist, except for in our minds, the time it takes to for our dreams to realise, depends entirely on our clarity both in intention and in our subconscious. Sometimes we say we know what we want, but there are actually limiting beliefs and blockages holding us back from receiving what we want, so we need to go back and clear those out until our energy field is completely and resolutely certain that this is what we want to manifest.
    • Doubts and fears arising are completely normal. Acknowledge them as they pass through your mind, give them a nod but no meaning, and continue in focusing on what it is you choose to manifest.
    • Be careful what you wish for. You will always get it, and sometimes you’ll realise that it’s not actually what you want.
    • This email address is completely secure. No one will ever read your notes. They are completely confidential and private.