May 2011

I'm glad you're all here and the world didn't end this past weekend, as “predicted” by a radio preacher from California. Was it all a scam? Maybe he really believed it was true and hoped to be taken to 'heaven'. The blessing in all of this was the connection it created, the focus on the earth and the collective desire to stay here on our beautiful planet. So while we didn't leave the planet, experience a massive cataclysm or an alien visitation, it was a great success.

So what about the predictions from the Mayan Calendar? Anyone with no previous exposure to the Mayan Calendar will be surprised by the fact that some people today take such an interest in an ancient calendar.

Most people probably have a much too limited view of the importance of the Mayan civilization, and Native American traditions generally. In fact, at their height in the 5th to 9th centuries AD, the Mayan cities would be among the largest in the world and developed the most advanced mathematics and astronomy of their day. And so, even if the Native American civilizations hardly survived the later contact with the Europeans they were and are the carriers of a significant and irreplaceable part of the global human consciousness.

So, what about 2012?

Will the world end in 2012? The Mayan Long Count Calendar ends on December 21st 2012 (after over 5000 years). Does that mean the end of the world? No – although a lot of people do seem to think so. So what awaits us in 2012 basically is an open question. And as with so many open questions, countless doom preachers, semi-prophets and other crackpots pop up to provide an answer. The interpretation you hear most: 2012 will mark the coming of a new, glorious age of wisdom and peace. It will be Age Of Aquarius at last, with a world full of peace, love and understanding.

The reasoning behind this is actually not that stupid. The Maya's didn't really believed in endings: their conception of time was circular, with every end being the beginning of something new. So, 2012 shouldn't be an exception.

Also, the Maya's had a highly developed philosophy of the cosmos. They saw the cosmos as the true mother of things. Consequently, the Maya's thought the cosmos is all around us, and within us. Every plant, every animal, every man is sheer Cosmos.

I think it will be the end of an age – but I also think the new age will start the next morning. Will this date be marked by a huge event of some kind? I believe it will bring a shift in consciousness. I don’t know that for sure either – lets wait and see.

Our beautiful world

Heather

TRUTH

Did you have an intense week? I did and we have a full moon tomorrow on May 17, very powerful because it is conjunct Algol, 'the most malefic star'. This can bring truth to light and cause quite a bit of chaos. Pay attention to your emotions this week, there is so much intense energy going around, so choose what you want to connect with.

The month of May’s message is about Truth. What is our truth and how do we express it? Do we approach the truth from doubt or knowing? Our truth is everything that we believe is true about us and without truth we could not exist. We must embody the truth that we deserve to live, be happy, and have peace, in order to have them. But while we may think our truth is true, our real test comes when we must turn these thoughts into knowing and action. If not, our truth becomes a possibility, depending on whether it can be validated. And within that realm of possibility our truth becomes optional, something that we may or may not believe, depending on the circumstances. Did someone steal our truth? Not really, we lack the one thing that helps us stay focused on our truth.  

Without faith truth becomes an option, a possibility and a potential. But it's a little more complicated than that, depending on where our truth is based. Each of us is a blend of spiritual and material truth. Our spiritual truth speaks of our highest potential, greatest possibility, maximum joy, love and peace. But do we have those things? Often we don't and it's not because the truth of them doesn't exist, it is because we are grounded in material truth, where we think it is optional and can happen if we are lucky, with the right person, in the right place at the right time and are blessed. No one steals our truth; we just don't have enough faith to keep it true.

We keep our truth true by believing that it is. And everything that happens which causes us to question it is a test of our willingness to hold our truth. The material world doesn't say 'Your truth isn't true', it says 'Do you want this to be true or not?' and then provides us with the option to agree or disagree. No one steals our truth, we give it away through our powerlessness, doubt and insecurity. We want to be different but we also want to be part of the group. And if being part of the group means giving up our truth, we are sometimes willing to do that. If holding our truth means we risk being rejected, we have to choose whether being true (which is different from being 'right') is worth it.

No one steals our truth, we give it away based on what we want from others. If we want to be loved and we think an aspect of our truth stands in the way of that, we will give up that truth. When an experience tells us if you go after what you want something bad will happen to you, as was my childhood experience, we will block any expression of our truth that allows us to be powerful. And if someone rejects us because of our truth we will deny ourselves rather than asking whether they are being truthful with us. Our truth is the foundation of our energy, our being, dreams and miracles. As long as we hold our truth tightly, we will live powerfully and use our truth as a reminder of our divinity and the unfolding reality of love, joy, peace and abundance that is our divine birthright can then manifest for us.

BE TRUE TO YOU!

Love

Heather

x

RETREAT OR NOT TO RETREAT?

Getting whooshed up in the Royal Wedding and bank holidays, it’s so easy to let my monthly newsletter and blog slip by and we’re now into the 2^nd week of May!  The 5^th month of the year and only 7 months till Xmas…  Now slow down and let me lead by example and remain in the moment.

It’s so easy for us to have our head into next week, next month and next year, so that we lose the current moment.  If we beat ourselves up about what we said or did in the past and be consumed by worry about what we need to do tomorrow, we’re never enjoying or even being “aware” of the current moment.

That’s where a break away from routine allows us time to reflect on where we are now and where we wish to go.  Without a destination a pilot or captain of a ship would just drift or travel in circles.  And that’s what many of us tend to do without even realising it.

A retreat is an excellent opportunity to take some quiet time.  Enjoy the sound of nature.  Waterfalls, birds, crickets in the grass, the sea brushing against the shore….  Allow our heartbeat to synchronise with nature; slow down; calm down – that is why so many refer to holidays as their “down time”.

It’s a perfect space to think about the future and what you wish to achieve.  To spend more time with loved ones; do something for charity; move home; change job; learn a new skill……

Each year in May for the past few years I have taken a small group of people to Snowdonia in Wales and Ibiza Yoga.  This year we’re going to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, to stay in an old traditional crafting village.

Testimonials from past years have certainly been humbling with many people taking stock and shifting their life gear into a new direction.  For my very sceptical brother it became an opportunity go change his life and meet his new current partner.

Retreats can be the key you’ve been waiting for, to change your life to the positive and become the Captain of your own ship, steering your life to the destination you choose.

St Lucia

I left Gatwick early on a cold morning, when the world was still in black and white.  Ghostly outlines of trees and motionless animals in the fields were only just discernable through layers of mist.  Just a eight and half hour flight later, I stepped down into a place of sultry warmth and vivid colour.  My senses were bombarded with the sights, smells and sounds of an island that’s truly alive. My dream destination, St Lucia is  truly exotic and unbelievably beautiful. Gorgeous sandy beaches, brilliant sunshine and sunsets, sparkling water…
I went on a wonderful boat trip to see the famous Pitons, which rise from the waves to the clouds like pyramids of volcanic stone; the drive-in volcano and botanical gardens.

A canopy of green covers the island like a haze. Rolling hills grow to form volcanic mountains and reach to the sky. The main town of Castries move and shake to the sound of car horns, the smell of rotis fresh from the oven and reggae blaring on the speaker.

I met many women who were single, widowed or divorced. Each had their own “story”. Their courage, sense of adventure and love of life was a true inspiration!

Life in St Lucia is slow and the people smile from the heart.  Life is simple.  Love, respect and kindness.  We can all learn from this amazing island.

With all the excitement of the Royal Wedding at the end of this month, people are focused on marriage.  The average bride is now 30, and the typical groom is just past his 32^nd birthday.  The modern couple is older and wiser; they know who they are, they know what they want and they know each other as well as they can.  That’s the idea anyway.  Yet, 54 years ago my own parents married at the ages of 34 and 30 so is it modern or were they before their time?

Many people believe that this age is the “right” way and they use divorce stats to verify their argument.

 

Yet I married at 21 and believe that if you marry young, you marry baggage-free, full of hope and blissfully ignorant.  It’s all very well spending years weighing up each other’s potential, but the long relationship test-drive is the opposite of romance and trust.

We live in a culture that encourages young people to fear all the big stuff – what if it goes wrong?  How will you afford it?  Burden of responsibility…. And as a result nobody wants to do anything, let alone marry. 

Marriage might be the most important decision of your life, nonetheless you can if you’re not careful take it far too seriously.  Some choices have to be instinctive.  You don’t have to be in your thirties to cope with the big life challenges.

I say get married when you are your most resilient and optimistic.  There’s no guarantee it’ll work, but at least you’ll have an amazing experience of being on a huge learning curve.

When there are problems within a marriage and it nearly falls apart, this is when people open their eyes to their self-defeating behaviours and gives them an opportunity to resolve those problems

But unless they understand the unconscious desires that motivated their dysfunctional behaviour in the first place and they choose to divorce, they will only repeat them again with their next partner.

I have come to believe that couples should make every effort to honour their wedding vows, not just for moral reasons, but for psychological ones; fidelity and commitment appear to be conditions dictated by the unconscious mind.

April

After what we experienced in March we are probably wondering what April has in store for us.  World events showed us how lives can change in a moment, that Mother Nature is still in charge, that no matter how technologically advanced we think we are, everything can be wiped out, taking us back to very simple basics of food, water and shelter.

In our individual lives there was an opportunity to assess where we are, whether we are happy, what we need to let go of and how we are creating our life path. For many it was a sobering experience and that leads us into the possibilities of April.

This month we have another major planet changing signs, Neptune enters Pisces, for the first time since 1827. This is another milestone - all of the outer planets have changed sign in the last six months and there is also a concentration of planets in Aries, the first sign of the zodiac and the sign of action. The question for us this month are what actions will we take and how will we be guided to take it. It is one thing to take action blindly and without forethought, it is another to consciously choose the action that is in our highest good.

While we all want to run away from whatever causes us pain, it is one thing to run away from fear, it is another to go towards success. A client just felt the need to leave her home and family because she felt the urge to run away.  She didn’t realise that we get the best results when we use every part of each experience as a learning curve and refrain from judging any of them. By running away, she just side-stepped, from one place to another. So nothing changed except her living space!

A shift in energy, in being and in thinking allows us to move towards success, towards a different reality that is not better or worse than the one we have, just different.

This month will be a call to becoming more whole, centred, grounded and aware. With six planets in Aries at the April 3 New Moon, we have much support for the new but Saturn, which is in opposition, challenges us to choose wisely, to reflect, take our time and move ahead consciously and mindfully. This month we have much support for taking action and creating change.

But if we don't want to create more of the pain, discomfort, fear, lack or anything else we no longer want, we will have to take mindful, powerful, conscious and deliberate steps towards success instead of trying to run away from our fears.

Have a great month.

Heather

 To order “Centre Yourself” meditation CD, go to www.heatherprince.co.uk

My week

Where I’ve been this week

What an amazing week.  I’ve been to the Battersea Barge to see gorgeous NATALIE GREEN, a young 22 year old talent that has a powerful voice like LULU with a theatrical twist. She sang ballads, jazz, swing and gospel.   I have known Natalie for many years and I felt bursting with pride as she received a standing ovation.  First of many I feel sure, as she strides towards an amazing future and is next appearing in Godspell at the Union Theatre.

I also attended “What Every Woman Should Know About Successful Relationships”, with Francine Kaye.  She is one of the most experienced relationship coaches in the UK, Francine is the relationship expert for the Channel 5 programme The Wright Stuff appears on The Trisha show and GMTV and is featured in and writes for national magazines, the press and is a guest on national radio. Francine is also the author of The Divorce Doctor published in 2009 by Hay House and Time to Live. Divorced 16 years ago with two small children, Francine has experienced the challenges of an uncertain future as single parent. She has overcome financial adversity and in the past 14 years has transformed her life to become one of the UK’s most successful relationship coaches. Francine says “As a direct result of accepting my new life instead of resisting it, I have regained my identity, healed my heart and learned to love again. Now I am helping others to do the same”

All I can add to this is that I love her passion and charisma!

This coming week



There will be so much energy shifting this week, it may feel a little overwhelming.  It’s the equinox following a super full moon, the year’s biggest energetic vortex as we continue to move forward on our journey of re-birth and re-newal.  Make a commitment to create the highest potential for yourself this month as the energies will support it.

To remove “blocks” or “negativity” to your full potential, book a spiritual response therapy session with me, (90 minutes).  Can be done via email for anyone or anywhere.

Natalie, Sue, Jade and I

The Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

As I look outside and admire the blue sky and spring sunshine, I count my blessings that I have a home and all my family are safe.

I have to blog today about the recent earthquake in Japan because I know that it's on our minds right now as we watch the images of total devastation on tv and learn about 10,000+ people found dead. As I chatted to my daughter this morning it was very difficult for us to take in the vast death toll as it’s as huge as our home town!

This catastrophe could happen to anyone and I feel a twinge of guilt that we go about our daily lives in the same way today as we did on Friday, worrying about such small things.  This gets everything into perspective. Nothing has changed for many of us but everything has changed for them. Are we just lucky or is our turn coming soon?

There have been many earthquakes recently including Chile this weekend and there will be more. Is this the end of the world and will it be taken apart a little piece at a time? Attention has now turned from the earthquake and tsunami to the threat of a nuclear meltdown in Japan's nuclear power plants. Given the recent revival in the use of this as a power source, we are being asked to pause and consider the future results of these choices and make different decisions.

Can we do anything to prevent this and why are some people spared while others become victims of disaster? In reality, no one is spared because whether it is our homes that are destroyed or we are watching it on TV, we are all part of what happens to others as we’re part of the human family. It is heart-wrenching to see the victims and their families as much as if they were our own family because as humans, they are.  We can pray for them and while it feels like so little it’s really a lot.

Compassion vortexes are openings for us to reconnect and remember ourselves as a human family, to remind us that we are all one, from a single Source and all part of each other. When this kind of event happens, we are further reminded to love one another, to have compassion, to be mindful that life is precious, our earthly home is a living being that we must love, honour and protect, that we are most powerful when our hearts beat as one than we can ever be when we use our lives in competition with each other.

Animal friends

I own two dogs.  Bella is a 3 year old Doberman and Vito is a 8 year old large Yorkshire terrier; or maybe a mix of something... we're not quite sure! 

Bella has her name because she is “beautiful” inside and out , but she’s very much a typical dog- she loves chewing bones, playing ball (when she eventually drops it!) and most importantly, eating. Vito has his name after the “Godfather” and he believes he’s in charge! He yapps in the car; at people; when guests arrive and when they leave! But I wouldn't change them for the world.  They're by my side through good times and bad, giving unconditional love.

I love the Irish Proverb “A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied” and this reminded me that most of us have SO MUCH- homes, food, clothes, warmth, light and many many possessions, but we still find even the littlest of things to trouble us. Another person’s opinion doesn’t match our own, so and so hasn't rung me; worrying about the family; discontent with our job; the rain hasn’t stopped all day, we wish we could be on holiday instead of working away all the time etc etc etc...

Bella and Vito don’t go on holiday, they don't care about what other dogs think; they face as much rain as we do, and sometimes they want to do things which we won’t let them do (more than sometimes- quite often in fact!) like eating biscuits constantly or sleeping on the couch when they’re covered in mud, but they wake up every morning, leap on my bed wagging their tails expectantly with a happy expression.

No day is the same, the sniffs in the garden each morning will have changed, and they don’t know where they might go on a walk. Each day is a whole new adventure for a dog; especially on Saturday when Bella cut her back leg in the garden and had to have an emergency visit to the vet, for 3 stitches! The mean looking doberman suddenly was a shivering, fearful animal, wondering what an earth was going on!

Let’s take a few lessons from our animal-friends Another perspective on life is never a bad thing, it helps us to reconsider and define our own thoughts so that they are truer than ever to the right that lies within each of us. Love.



Vito




Bella



Parenting

In the Meditation Group we shared a story about a man who had all materialistic things in his life, but wasn’t leading the life he wanted.  It touched a chord with one of the participants who shared that their child had been offered an amazing opportunity to work in the city with a large income.  But he had turned it down.  This Mum was so angry and disappointed with him, that she had a physical sensation in her stomach. 

I suggested that she put her hand over the area and just “accept” the sensation.  As she did this, she realised that she’d been pushing her own dreams and ambitions onto her child and whilst at university he was “ just trying to figure out how to live life". There was so much truth and conviction when he explained that he didn’t want to work a 70-hour week and even if he could afford a Porsche, there would be no time to enjoy driving it!   This realisation produced the sensation in her stomach.  As she worked on accepting it, the fluttering inside dispersed until she finally felt calm. 

 Kids of all ages are "just trying to figure out how to live life!"

 If we as parents can take this message to heart, there is really no reason to get so angry with them. It reinforced for me the importance of why I wish to reach teachers, parents and children to talk about the tools to be able to support kids as they 'figure out how to live life' without feeling bad about the mistakes they make along the way. Remember, we are products of our own environments.  Our kids, are our most precious resources. 95% of what are kids learn is in what is modelled to them.

An important suggestion is for parents and kids to spend time together, where the kids receive full attention and the adults listen more than talk. Only offer an opinion if they ask for it, and DON’T judge or criticize them.  Let them talk about whatever they want to, without interruption.

I am running a Parenting workshop on Saturday 11^th June if you or anyone you know is interested.  

My 3 wonderful kids