The Week Ahead – Oracle Reading for Monday 19 September 2016

“Stay out of the court of self-judgment, for there is no presumption of innocence.”
~ Robert Brault

Hello Lovelies,

Here’s this week’s oracle card and my take on the energetic outlook for the days ahead.

‘Never-ending Story’, from Colette Baron-Reid’s Wisdom of the Oracle deck is the card I have chosen for this week.

Do you remember what I said about the energies of September, earlier this month? Let me refresh your memories:

This month we see things from a higher perspective. Old relationships, trials, failures and obstacles lose their sting, and we see how many of these things have helped us to become who we are and to develop a depth and wisdom we would not otherwise have had.

We can put down the guilt or resentment.

We start to see the learnings instead of just the pain.

Our energy can flow again after all of that stuckness.

So, in the week ahead, we are being energetically supported to act upon this. Among other things, we are being asked to become deeply aware of our own voice in our heads.

How do we speak to ourselves? Is it from a place of meanness and judgement? Are we endlessly critical or complaining? Are we stuck in our story – and does that story harm us and hold us back?

Many of our limitations arise from this faulty thinking that makes us and our capabilities diminished in our own eyes.

This week, a little awareness can go a long way. When we find ourselves listening to a negative inner voice, we can consciously choose to think differently:

• I can choose this
• I can learn to do that
• I can do this
• I can ask for help
• I can choose something different
• I am changing
• I’ve got this
• I’m doing better
• Things can be different
• Things are changing for me
• I’ll find another way
• I’ll find someone to help me
• Something wonderful will happen to me today (one of my all-time favourite mantras)

Often we tell a story about our limitations or stay stuck in a pity-party long after an event or relationship has passed our horizon. Where can you lighten your load this week by letting go of that tired old news?

When we stop telling the old stories, we create space for a new story to take shape.

Don’t have a new story yet? Take time for dreaming, imagining and goal setting. Making a dream board this week is an excellent activity too, which is bound to fire up new ideas and possibilities for you to aim for. (instructions below)

Make time for your dreams – even fifteen minutes a day, or a couple of hours one night or on the weekend can get you heading in the right direction, and feeling less frustrated and resentful with yourself or the world.

It’s also a week for examining the relationships around us.

We often get into the habit of living from a story, rather than being in the moment in our relationships. We think in generalisations or judgements, which frame our thoughts and actions before we even begin an interaction with the other person:

He’s never going to go for that. My brother thinks I’m stupid. My mother-in-law hates me. She’s the boss’s favourite, not me. None of them like me. She’s so stuck up.

This week, how about starting over in your challenging relationships? Allow that just as you can change, so can the other person, and in fact they may already have changed but you are still stuck in the old story.

Approach your relationship with the other person as though they have changed, and things are different between you. Treat them as though things are already good. Look for a positive story between you, no matter how small a step you take. Look for positive things about the other person, as well as about yourself. Speak these positive things where you can. Practice kindness. Acknowledge the good and the talent in others. I have seen this technique bring about huge changes in families and love relationships over time. It may well take patience, but the rewards will be worth it.

You’ll also soon see where you efforts are wasted and it would be better to step back or minimise contact with people who put you down and judge you harshly. If they stay stuck in their story, that’s their problem, not yours.

If you need a little encouragement this week, I think the words of Max Erhmann’s great poem Desiderata may speak to you…

Thinking of you, and sending all my love and encouragement for a week of kindness towards yourself and others, and for emerging possibilities and healing,

Nicole <3 xoxo

PS: I’m through all my surgery now, and am healing well. I’ve had a slight complication with infection – having picked up a nasty superbug along the way – but I’m being well taken care of, getting lots of rest, and there is ample time for meditation, thinking about my memoir and dreaming a little of how good life will be once I’m up and about again. Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes and well wishes and healing energy sent my way. You’ve really lifted me up and through some very tough days, my friends, and I thank you with all my heart.