Let the games begin

"I believe deeply that we must find, all of us together, a new spirituality."

Dalai Lama

I actually got round to starting my Christmas shopping yesterday but ended up mainly buying stuff for myself.  Ever done that?  Got all my cards bought which I find the most challenging.  I'm really not one for just picking up any old card, it has to have just the right message, something that I would write myself.  It can be difficult to find one with exactly what you do (or don't) want to say.  But I was pleased with what I got.

Presents that we have ordered either by phone or the internet have been turning up at the house over the past few days.  The internet is so great at this time of year.  I went into Chichester for 20 minutes earlier which was 20 minutes too long!  It was so crowded and I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for that.  There was a fantastic group of street performers playing drums and dancing though, that made the trip worthwhile.  There's something about drumming, particularly tribal drumming that resonates with me.  Maybe I was part of a tribe in a past life!:-)

Anyway, I can't move on any further without mentioning the delivery guy who turned up with one of Rachel's parcels yesterday (a day late!).  I opened the door to find him standing there with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  The draft from me opening the door then blew his smoke into my face and stank the hallway out!  I couldn't believe how rude he was, it took me by surprise so much that I didn't even think to say anything to him about it!  As soon as he did it, he stepped out of the porch as I think he realised what was going on.  Some people are so inconsiderate, you can't even get away from other people's bad habits in your own house!  If I was really bothered I would have phoned up his company but I didn't want to get myself worked up over it.  Ok, rant over!

Mum came round with a pack of Angel cards last night as a little present for me (is it Christmas already?).  She loves these cards and has been telling me about them for a while now.  I opened the packet and drew one straight away.  Here's what I got....

"Isaiah - It is a good time to give birth to new ideas and situations in your life.  I am watching over you, guiding you, and protecting you during these changes.

You are ripe with new possibilities, and you feel an urgency to push into new territory.  Beloved one, your new and exciting life changes are inevitable.  There is no turning back!  Instead of playing it safe, you decided to move forward.  That is why I am with you right now, giving you the extra courage and comfort you need.

However there is no need to rush.  This is a time of incubation, where nature can allow everything to grow in it's innate rhythm.  Be assured that your life changes will hatch at just the right moment!  In the meantime, know that God and the Angels are watching over you.  You are safe and very loved.  Congratulations on this new period of your life!"

As you can imagine, I was pretty taken aback with that.  I have already written in this blog that I am moving out of Sussex.  My intention is to move to Cambridge as I believe that, particularly after TFN open day, I need to be there to take advantage of opportunities that arise.  I was a bit confused about the part of the reading that says I should take my time though.  I intend to move in February as that's when my current tenancy ends so I really need to get things happening.  I always feel like I need to know things are happening, I intensely dislike the feeling that i'm not making progress.  Sometimes that can go against me because I don't stop and think about how far i've already come.  I was looking at houses in Ely (on the internet) just yesterday and signed up for email alerts for suitable properties.  Within 5 minutes I had an email from a guy who's got, what sounds like a perfect place.  He has just had notice on it from the current tenants so it would be available when I need it.  He's going to email me a picture asap but he described it as a tidy 2 bedroom house with a garage and garden.  I will update you when I have more details!  So today I drew another card with this question in mind as I shuffled the deck, "Am I doing the right thing with my move to Cambridge and looking for a house now?"  Here's the card...

"Oceana - Take action.  You're in touch with you're truth in this situation, and you need to trust your gut and lovingly assert yourself.

Dive right in!  There's no need for more research or time.  You can trust your feelings on this one.  I will guide you through the actions that are necessary, considering the circumstances.  You're main concern is to avoid procrastination at all costs.  Break the situation down into small steps so that you don't become overwhelmed. Then, take those steps in regular intervals.

You already know what to do about this situation, and you have made up your mind to take action.  I am here to validate that your decision is on the path of light.  Although there might be some temporary hard work or emotional turmoil, this will soon be replaced by a lightness of spirit akin to gently floating on a summer breeze.

Sometimes you may feel too emotional or tired to take action.  That is because you're unsure of the 'correctness' of your decisions.  Usually, unfounded guilt is the culprit that is draining your energy and happiness.  This is when it is very important to call upon the angels to shore up your faith.  Notice how the doors open smoothly with each step you take.  That is one more sign that you are taking the best course of action."

I like these cards!!!

Have been doing my 'mood board' tonight.  It's a board that I stick things on that are representative of the 5 'Ps'.  They are passion, purpose, principal, proficiencies and personalities.  I did the exercise as part of a project but I would encourage you to do one as well.  Stick some inspiring music on, sit down with a stack of magazines, some glue and a pair of scissors and get creative!  You'll need at least a sheet of A2 card or paper to stick the cuttings on and what you'll end up with is something that you can put up in your house/office that will juice you up every time you look at it!  It's similar to a 'dream board' where you stick up clippings of things that you want in your life which is another excellent idea.  Which brings me on to....

My Magical Creation Box!  I got this idea from 'Ask & It Is Given' and have just set it up this week. The idea is that you get a box that you like and write on it, "Whatever is contained in this box - IS!".  I got a faux suede brown box and wrote on a bit of paper that goes in the metal label thing on the front!  You then put photos or descriptions of things that you want to come into your experience, in the box.  When they go in you have to repeat the,  "whatever goes in this box - IS!"  I won't tell you what i've put in there so far as it's very personal but as things start happening that I can tell you about, I will!  Stay tuned!

Bought a new gratitude journal with my Creation Box too.  It matches as it's also brown faux suede.  I've been writing 30 things each day that i'm grateful for.  This will also bring more of the same into my experience.  With everything that i'm doing, I feel like i'm using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut!  That's when I feel happiest but maybe that's what the card meant about not being in a hurry.  The key (and the challenge) is to actually keep these things going and form new habits, not just get excited for a while and then stop!

I realise I haven't told you what i've been eating for a while and I know you're interested to read what a raw chef eats so here we go...Today I had an apple, lemon, celery, cucumber and avocado smoothie for breakfast.  I think I also snacked on soft dried apricots and macadamia nuts for most of the day.  Lunch time was kale and avo salad with the addition of sun dried toms and black olives. I've had several cups of white tea as I felt really cold earlier!  Tonight i've had some cherries, mandarins and an apple.  So nothing really adventurous, I think it's because i've got a bit of a mission planned with the Christmas dinner!  We're having a dinner here at the house on the 23rd and then i'll have dinner at Mum's on Xmas day itself.  I'm doing a bit of a raw extravaganza for myself.  Details and pictures of that to follow in the next week!  I am planning to put a recipe together tomorrow for buckwheat bread which i'm looking forward to trying out.  And of course, i'm going to need to make some more of those mince pies!  I will try and post the mince pie recipe on here tomorrow, i'm going to make a few adjustments to it even though they were great as they were, if I say so myself!  I saw some brandy cream topped mince pies in Sainsburys earlier which got me thinking too, i'm seeing raw mince pies with piped cashew cream on top, ooooooh yeh!

Wow, that seemed like a long blog entry.  I'm off to have a soak and use my new organic honey, bran and oatmeal soap with vanilla extract and cinnamon powder.  I don't know whether to wash with it or put it in a blender!!!!