“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ~ Albert Einstein
Hello, Lovelies!
July is a powerful month, bringing insight and empowerment. It’s a month for understanding what is holding you back and keeping you trapped. It’s a month for honestly identifying and owning any addictions, self-destructive or self-sabotaging behaviours and damaging relationships (with people, beliefs or situations). July also gifts you the clarity, energy and courage to end those things that do not serve your Highest Good. (And I have a gorgeous new online course which will help you capitalise on all of this good energy! Details Here) Keep July’s energy in mind as we look at the gifts of inspiration which the card Air Guardian brings us.
Air Guardian encourages you to look into all the old hurts, pains and shames of your past. Know that it is possible to do that without being triggered back into pain this week. Instead, you’ll find that – often for the first time – you can look at that situation or relationship and see the learnings that have come from it, so that you can take the learning and then close the door on the past.
Air Guardian supports you as you grow wiser. This is not knowledge from books. This is hard-won wisdom from the experiences of life. Wisdom that is owned in every cell of your body – the kind of knowing that, once understood, can never be lost.
See everything that has happened as part of your growth.
Know that healing is possible. You are a different person today. Today is a new life. Yesterday is forever in the past and your future is anchored in the NOW. Air Guardian invites you to live mindfully in the now, looking forward with hope and your hard-won wisdom.
Supportive crystals this week?
Amazonite (pictured) helps you to live bravely and from your heart. It will boost self-confidence and self-worth. Mookaite is a gently shielding stone that helps you to think clearly and to break patterns of self-criticism and negative thinking. It aids in looking for positive solutions to life’s dilemmas and embracing change. Dalmatian Jasper helps you move forward, living in mindfulness. It releases stress and amplifies joy. Yellow Obsidian is a gently shielding stone that helps you to think clearly and to break patterns of self-criticism and negative thinking. It aids in looking for positive solutions to life’s dilemmas and for embracing change.
Helpful essential oils?
I’m loving Frankincense and Ylang Ylang essential oils again this week. Frankincense is the Master Healer and is fabulous for connecting to your inner wisdom. Ylang Ylang has proven ability to promote relaxation and positive emotions.
These diffuser blends will work well for you:
2 drops of Frankincense, 2 drops of Ylang Ylang and 2 drops of Cypress to promote clear thinking, forward vision and personal empowerment
3 drops of Ylang Ylang, 2 drops of Bergamot and 1 drop of Vetiver for a blend that is grounding and uplifting and sure to shift you into a positive headspace and support taxed adrenals
3 drops of Ylang Ylang, 2 drops of Geranium and 2 drops of Lavender for a sublimely relaxing and nurturing blend (this one’s good in the bath too!)
2 drops of Ylang Ylang, 2 drops of Jasmine, 2 drops of Sandalwood and 1 drop of Frankincense to promote deep meditation and heightened intuition
I’m passionate about essential oils and their capacity to support our wellness journey and our spiritual and emotional wellbeing. If you’d like to know more or want to source the oils I recommend and trust visit this site or contact me at channelnc@gmail.com
Do you want some support for your journey?
My new self-paced Journey of Transformation online course teaches you how to use your intuition and oracle or tarot cards to gain insight and guidance for life’s troubles or to get clear on your future direction. Suitable for complete beginners and advanced students. The feedback from students already enrolled in this course has been amazing and their results have been too! Click here to find out more.
Be gentle with yourself this week. There’s no point in beat yourself up about the past. The only place where you have power is when you are in the moment. Learn, grow, turn your face to the sunshine and keep moving forward.
Lots of love, Nicole xx
PS: Monday’s oracle card, ‘Air Guardian’, is from the Angels and Ancestors Oracle Cards by Kyle Gray. I use any cards shown as a prompt for channelled messages and my own intuitive wisdom, so my take is sometimes quite different from the meaning found in a book.
“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.” ~ Thomas Sowell
Once upon a time, I was a member of the corporate world. My meetings lasted hours and sometimes days. I wore a suit. I was often bored, or frustrated. Every hour a meeting dragged on made me feel a little more dead inside.
I do meetings differently now.
Our Staff Meeting started with a cup of tea and a tasty piece of cake on the veranda.
After a skype meeting with our team member who’s in another country (Hi, Miss Love, And HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR TODAY!!!), we broke for sourdough toast and soup in the winter sunshine.
Then we did a little more work.
We finished scheduling our next course and looking at the calendar for 2020. That also involved scheduling a mini-break interstate with Ben for my birthday in September this year. Because holidays matter!
In the afternoon we walked up into the orchard and picked sweet mandarins and lemons.
Just a little more work and then we called it a day.
In the early evening we stood outside looking up at the moon and the stars in the crisp winter sky before we came back to sit by the fire and enjoy a leisurely dinner.
We got plenty of work done and came up with some great new ideas. But we also balanced that work with living. And that feels right for me.
I like this new business model much better than that old way of working. How about you? What kind of business world do you want for yourself?
Much love, Nicole xx
A cup of tea for us, under the Jacaranda tree here at my farm!
“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” ~ Steve Maraboli
Hello, Lovelies!
July is a powerful month, bringing insight and empowerment. It’s a month for understanding what is holding you back and keeping you trapped. It’s a month for honestly identifying and owning any addictions, self-destructive or self-sabotaging behaviours and damaging relationships (with people, beliefs or situations). July also gifts you the clarity, energy and courage to end those things that do not serve your Highest Good. (And I have a gorgeous new online course which will help you capitalise on all of this good energy! Details Here) Keep July’s energy in mind as we look at the gifts of inspiration which the card High Priest brings us.
High Priest reminds you of something vitally important this week. This life is YOUR life. It’s not a life for you to please your mother, or placate your partner, or to be submissive to a bully, or to stand in the wings waiting for someone to notice you and invite you to the stage. This is YOUR life.
Your life starts as an empty canvas, a book yet to be written, a movie waiting to be made. You’re the star. So, what do you want your life to be about? If it hasn’t happened yet it’s not too late. Every day is a chance to start afresh.
There’s no point playing small. There’s no point in comparing yourself to others and, in doing that, being defeated before you’ve even started. This is YOUR life. And no-one can change it for you. No-one is coming to save you. You must save yourself. You must change your life for yourself!
High Priest invites you to think about how you want your life to be, no matter what your current situation, and then create the intention that your life can be different from what it is now. Dream, plan and decide. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to act.
Thinking is not enough. Dreaming is not enough. Planning is not enough. High Priest shows you that, in order to change your life, you must combine vision with action. But if you do that, you WILL change. Not only that, from that place of action you will draw forth many unexpected helpful energies and miracles of manifestation. So, courage my friend. You CAN do this!
Supportive crystals this week?
Amazonite (pictured) helps you to live bravely and from your heart. It will boost self-confidence and self-worth. Mookaite is a gently shielding stone that helps you to think clearly and to break patterns of self-criticism and negative thinking. It aids in looking for positive solutions to life’s dilemmas and embracing change. Fluorite taps you into your innate creativity, fires up your inspiration and helps you to be honest, objective and innovative with your life. Orange Calcite connects you to creativity, inspiration and your heart’s desires and helps you to develop confidence in yourself and your dreams. Use it to help you see your first steps forward.
Helpful essential oils?
I’m loving Frankincense and Ylang Ylang essential oils this week. Frankincense is the Master Healer and is fabulous for connecting to your inner wisdom. Ylang Ylang has proven ability to promote relaxation and positive emotions.
These diffuser blends will work well for you:
2 drops of Frankincense, 2 drops of Ylang Ylang and 2 drops of Cypress to promote clear thinking, forward vision and personal empowerment
3 drops of Ylang Ylang, 2 drops of Bergamot and 1 drop of Vetiver for a blend that is grounding and uplifting and sure to shift you into a positive headspace and support taxed adrenals
3 drops of Ylang Ylang, 2 drops of Geranium and 2 drops of Lavender for a sublimely relaxing and nurturing blend (this one’s good in the bath too!)
2 drops of Ylang Ylang, 2 drops of Jasmine, 2 drops of Sandalwood and 1 drop of Frankincense to promote deep meditation and heightened intuition
I’m passionate about essential oils and their capacity to support our wellness journey and our spiritual and emotional wellbeing. If you’d like to know more or want to source the oils I recommend and trust visit this site or contact me at channelnc@gmail.com
Do you want some support for your journey?
My new self-paced Journey of Transformation online course teaches you how to use your intuition and oracle or tarot cards to gain insight and guidance for life’s troubles or to get clear on your future direction. Suitable for complete beginners and advanced students. The feedback from students already enrolled in this course has been amazing and their results have been too! Click here to find out more.
This week I urge you to value yourself and your life. This is not a dress rehearsal, and you won’t get a do-over. Every day that passes is one you’ll never live again. Let this week support you to reclaim your personal power and make this life count.
Lots of love, Nicole xx
PS: Monday’s oracle card, ‘High Priest‘, is from the Angels and Ancestors Oracle Cards by Kyle Gray. I use any cards shown as a prompt for channelled messages and my own intuitive wisdom, so my take is sometimes quite different from the meaning found in a book.
I suspect everybody has a degree of psychic ability, just as a everybody has a degree of athletic or artistic ability. Some people have special gifts; other people have a particular interest that leads them to develop their abilities. But the phenomenon itself is ordinary and widespread.” ~ Michael Crichton
I’ve had many people asking me about the difference between Spiritual Awareness and Psychic Awakening since my post a few days ago. Spiritual awareness leads to an opening of our hearts and to a period of personal and spiritual growth. Psychic Awakening leads to an opening of our hearts, to personal and spiritual growth AND an unmistakable, unignorable call to a path of service.
Here are twelve signs that what you’re experiencing is an awakening of your psychic abilities. You may have experienced any or all of these:
1. Crowds become overwhelming, distressing and make you feel psychically battered and energetically drained.
2. Your dreams become increasing vivid and seem to contain messages, information and symbols that go beyond what your normal subconscious would put on the nightly view-screen of the inside of your eyelids. You remember these dreams and keep thinking about them during the day, trying to work out what they mean.
3. You become confused at what people tell you, when part of you knows that the words they are saying don’t match their emotions, inner thoughts or energy. You can’t put it into words, but you feel that conflict and find it disturbing. You have no way to prove what you feel.
4. You get feelings of heat in your palms and fingers, your feet, around your heart, on your forehead around your third eye chakra, or in the top of your head. You may also get a sensation of moving energy or tingling.
5. Your sleep becomes disturbed. You wake up at 2am, wide awake and waiting for something. But what? Weirdly, by about 4am you can get back to sleep again, and you don’t become tired from this crazy routine.
6. You become suddenly attracted to crystals, healing arts and metaphysical tools. You may feel energy in stones, places or people, or access impressions or information if you touch a person or an object.
7. You get a fullness or a choking sensation in your throat (or throat chakra) like something is stuck there, or you want to speak, but there isn’t anything you can think of to say.
8. Electro-magnetic energy, wi-fi and electrical fields make you feel fuzzy, off-balance or exhausted. You feel immediately better in nature, or out of cities.
9. Your sense of deja vu increases and you experience moments of having been somewhere before, reliving a conversation or performing an activity again, even if it really is the first time you have experienced this thing.
10. You know things about people or situations that prove to be correct, even though there is no way you could have consciously known about those things.
11. You have been compelled to make sudden changes in your life, such as giving up smoking or drinking alcohol, or leaving a long-term relationship. Or you haven’t done it yet but you’re seriously thinking about it and know it’s inevitable that you will.
12. You should be happy but… your life doesn’t feel like it fits anymore and you no longer feel like you know who you are, what you want or where you are going even if from the outside you look like you’ve got it all together. You’ll also feel like no-one will understand if you try to explain how you feel.
If this sounds like you, please don’t feel that there is something wrong with you, or that you are going crazy. Intuitive ability and psychic awakening is a normal part of our soul’s development. Modern western culture may no longer recognise the path you are taking, but it is very real, and you are not alone in this journey.
Trust that your time is now, and that you are very much needed in the world. Know that there is a place for you here in my tribe, and that I value you and all you are experiencing. Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s blog, where I’ll have all the details of my new Online Spiritual Mentoring Course for people who are going through Psychic Awakening.
“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.” ~ Alfred Tennyson
Yesterday was July 4. It’s our niece’s birthday. It was our first dog Charlie’s birthday, Charlie who is now Harry. And it was Kate’s birthday.
Kate was such a dear friend. I met her hanging over the fence at my Auntie Doff’s when I was a kid – both of us in primary school. I was a goody-two-shoes. Kate was a foster child, a tough kid and ‘bad girl’ who secretly had a heart of gold, a wicked sense of humour and a shared love of books. She became my penpal at a time when people used to write letters to stay in touch and we became entwined in each other’s lives, using each other like a ‘Dear Diary’ and witnessing each other’s trials, tribulations and wobbly successes.
She died in 2010 and yesterday, July 4, she would have been 49 years old.
Kate was a crap cook, and a lover of junk food, a killer musician, circus and aerial artist and street performer. She was famous for her cupcake kebabs and Horses Doovers Towers – her only two and best dishes!
It’s been nearly ten years since she passed. Still, sometimes I find myself thinking that I’ll call Kate or send her some stupid Facebook thing I know she’d love. Sometimes the grief I feel and the still-missing-her is ferocious. I never knew it could continue to take my breath away at unexpected moments after all this time.
My friend Carls (none other than THE Carly-Jay Metcalfe) was a mate of Kate’s too and we always remember Kate on her birthday, message each other and make sure to eat cake. Kate would have been all for that. She was a girl who loved life and lived it hard.
The older I get the more my heart is marked by those strange unhealable wounds that are created when a loved one has left this life. I’m glad for those wounds, and for my dinged-up battered heart. I feel these departed loved ones around me still and they live on inside me. I still talk to them. I still think about them. I still hold them close.
And sometimes, just sometimes, I miss them so much I can hardly breathe.
“You can’t stop a teacher when they want to do something. They just do it.” ~ J.D. Salinger
There’s a difference between ‘Spiritual Awareness’ and a full-on ‘Psychic Awakening’. Spiritual Awareness happens when we begin to understand that there is more to the Universe than meets the eye. It leads to such things as asking the Angels to find you an excellent parking spot right out the front of a crowded supermarket or deciding to learn Reiki. Spiritual Awareness is gentle and lovely and helps you feel connected, loved-up and curious about all kinds of spiritual and energetic things.
Psychic Awakening is a crazy ride, where your psychic and intuitive awareness becomes hyper-stimulated and hyper-alert, and where you cannot control how or when that happens. It leads to a rapid acceleration in your psychic and intuitive gifts and it can be so traumatic that it can tip people into mental illness or breakdown OR cause them to stall in their development or close off their intuitive abilities altogether.
Psychic Awakening is an unstable and often scary time. It’s lonely too because there’s usually no-one to talk with who’ll understand what you are going through. But I do, because I’ve been there. One of the things that led me to the work I do now is that I never wanted another person to have to find their way through a Psychic Awakening on their own and without a teacher – which is what happened to me all those years ago.
Once you’re through your Psychic Awakening you’re open to your intuitive gifts and you can use those gifts to support you in whatever you came to do in this life. Because EVERYONE who goes through Psychic Awakening has come here to this life to be of service in some way. You’ll all have a Calling, a reason for being here, and using your psychic and intuitive gifts will support you in your Calling.
I was sitting with a client yesterday, doing a Life Direction Reading with her. Before we started she told me about why she had come to see me.
‘I was in Bali and it came through in my meditation that I needed to see you. I got your name in my meditation and I googled Nicole Cody and then I made a booking. That probably seems crazy to you!’
‘No,’ I said. ‘It doesn’t sound crazy at all. There’s a certain group of people who find their way to my door because they need my help with a specific thing – their Psychic Awakening. That’s why you’re here.’
We had a great session together, but to navigate a Psychic Awakening you need more than ninety minutes. It just wasn’t enough time for me to give her everything she needed. And that bothered me because she left still needing my help.
My client was the fourth person I’ve seen in the past few weeks who is sitting in full-blown Psychic Awakening, and one of several I’ve talked with who feel that they are in some kind of strange feedback loop or go-slow with their psychic development after stepping into the initial stages of Psychic Awakening.
Which is why I’m posting this today. You see, I’m noticing this huge upswing in Awakening as we move toward 2020, and I know it’s the beginning of a major shift in consciousness.
So, I am considering creating a pilot ‘online spiritual mentoring course’ to help people cope with their Awakening and to teach them foundation skills for using their psychic gifts. Keeping it online means you’d be able to join in from wherever you are.
The format would be me leading a group of you through live teaching webinars and Q and A sessions, as well as giving you access to workbooks, videos, weekly activities and a private forum. I’d be mentoring you and showing you everything I’ve used to open up my own gifts to a place of stability, connection and flow. It’s the stuff I usually only teach on retreats, and some of it is stuff I’ve never taught to groups before. But it’s time, and I know you’re ready.
I’m thinking of an 8-to-10-week format, and for the course to start in mid to late August this year. If enough people are interested.
So, if this sounds like something you’re interested in you need to let us know.
“The only way love can last a lifetime is if it’s unconditional. The truth is this: love is not determined by the one being loved but rather by the one choosing to love.” ~ Stephen Kendrick
I had a laugh with my sister yesterday. ‘Oooh,’ she said, ‘you blogged a recipe!’ We both knew what that meant. It meant that I was in overload and needed to sit in my humanity for a while. (I wrote a whole blog post about it here.)
Why was I in overload? A few days ago I wrote about a 12-year-old boy, Matt, who attempted suicide in the fallout from Israel Folau’s (the boy’s football idol) Instagram post about homosexuals going to Hell. Matt has known since his earliest memories that he was gay, and under immense pressure he nearly succeeded in taking his own life this week because he was worried that God had made a mistake in making him a homosexual and he felt ashamed, worthless and a burden to his family.
I wrote that post about Matt because words can kill just as easily as a coward’s punch. One punch can kill but so can words – too often we forget about mental health. As Jason Masters wrote in a recent article about repetitive and cumulative trauma, ‘We all know the saying ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back’. Cumulative trauma is a real issue within the LGBTIQ community.’ Israel Folau’s post, his stance on homosexuals and the huge public support for Folau was that straw for Matt.
I wrote that post because I wanted to stand with the LGBTQIA community and let them know that I support them. I wanted kids like Matt to know that being gay is normal, nothing to be ashamed of and that they won’t be going to Hell. I also want psychics and people who identify as empaths and intuitives to know that they are normal too. These are not ‘lifestyle choices’. Being gay or non-binary in your sexual orientation, being psychic or an empath or intuitive is the way you are born. It’s normal and natural and I stand for a society that is inclusive and accepting of the diversity that has always been part of our humanity.
In response to that post and its re-posting and sharing on other social media platforms, my inboxes filled up with hate mail – none of it from anyone I know.
Here are a few examples:
You are a tule (sic) of Satan, Wych. If you come to my country you wud be stoned to death and I wud help.
Rot in Hell, witch-bitch gay-lover. If I ever meet you I’ll slit your throat. (I reported that one to the Police.)
Israel Folau spoked with GODS POWER and his love for people wuz trying to save them from SIN and HELLFIRE. You are a stoopid slut and you will burn in HELL. Fags will burn 2 unless they REPENT.
You have condemned yourself, your family and and their families to eternal Hell. Their only hope is to be Born Again under merciful Christ. There is no hope for you and I pity and abhor you. You disgust me.
‘get on your knees in front of GOD you witch bitch and suck my dick. how dare you disrespect da man IZZY and GODS WORD. You and all the dick suckers can go to HELL. REPENT SINNERs!’
That last one actually made me laugh. It reminded me of schoolboys making taunts at girls from the safety of the back seat of the bus.
Curious, I checked that man’s Facebook page. He supports the Silver Ferns Netball Team and the New Zealand Rugby Team. He likes fishing and The Voice on TV. There are photos of his little girls jumping on a trampoline, his wife and his mum serving up a big Christmas lunch to a huge group of people at their Church, his young son playing Auskick football with a bunch of other tiny little boys in huge jerseys. He looks like a decent, kind family man. A man I’d be happy to have as a next-door-neighbour. A kind Christian family man who wants me to suck his dick and go to Hell.
Days later I’m still receiving messages just like those.
The volume of hate mail shows me how many people feel like this. It’s not an isolated thing. It makes me sad. Sad that these men (they are all men!) are so angry, so righteous, so full of venom and hate, so duplicitous that they can live a normal happy life with their family and then shoot off a quick bile-filled message to me, a person they’ve never met. Would they say those things to me in front of their children, their wives, their mothers, their Ministers or congregations? Would they say them in public, or in front of my husband? Probably not.
I’ve included all of them in my daily prayers and meditations. I just want to surround them with Love until that’s what they feel, until Love replaces all the hate and judgement and insecurity and fear and anger and pain inside them.
Dear Haters, I don’t hate you back. I love you. I forgive you. I wish only good for you and your families. May you know peace and love for all your days.
“Encourage yourself, believe in yourself, and love yourself. Never doubt who you are.” ~ Stephanie Lahart
*Note – names and details have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.I have been given permission to post this story on the condition that this family remain anonymous. It’s a long read and an important one. Maybe make yourself a cuppa before you start.
One Saturday afternoon in Brisbane a few months ago, I heard a knock at my door. There stood a sweaty eager-faced young boy with grazed knees, clutching a bicycle helmet and a grubby envelope. His bike, wheels still spinning, was laying on the lawn in my front yard.
‘You’re Nicole Cody, right?’ he said. ‘I’m Matt. My parents have seen you. You know, Julie and David Smith. I’d like to see you too please.’ He handed me the envelope which was stuffed with five and ten dollar notes. ‘That’s my mowing money. Is it enough?’
I handed back his money, got him to stow his bike in our garage and invited him upstairs into my office. ‘No charge,’ I said. ‘Let’s just have a chat instead’
And then Matt told me his problem, cracking my heart open with his honesty and self-awareness.
‘I’ve got a big problem,’ he said. ‘You see, I’m gay. You know, a homosexual. I’m sure about that. I was born this way and I’ve known since I was little. I’m only twelve, so I’m not sexually active yet, but I’m attracted to men, not women. I’ve already had crushes. Not with my friends or anything. Just with people on TV and stuff. You know, all kids get crushes. When I was little I wanted to marry Justin Bieber. I thought you could marry anyone when I was little, but now I’m old enough to know better.’
‘So this gay thing is a problem for me right now,’ Matt continued. ‘You know Dad was a footballer, and my older brothers are all good at football, and I love playing football and maybe if people know I am gay or if my school knows they will ask me not to play any more, or my friends won’t want to be around me in case I fall in love with them, but I don’t think it works like that anyway. And it gets even worse than that. It’s a lot of problems.’ He sighed heavily.
I asked him to tell me more.
‘The biggest problems are all mixed up together and they are that I haven’t told my parents yet, and I’m worried about what they will say or maybe they will be ashamed of me or they won’t love me the same way any more. Right now they love me and they don’t know, and we don’t have any gay people as our friends so homosexuality is not a thing they know much about.
‘I don’t think they’ll be happy about my news. Dad was against the Gay Marriage Bill. Then when we were at Church last weekend the Minister was really negative about gay people and their lifestyles. I’m not sure what he meant but he is God’s representative and I really like him. So that upset me because if he knows I am gay he won’t approve of me and he won’t like me anymore, or maybe he will need me to leave that church, or maybe he will ask me to change but I prayed and prayed to God to change me already and nothing ever happened.’
Matt started to cry. Tears trickled down his cheeks and I slid a box of tissues over to him.
‘Keep going,’ I said. ‘I’m listening.’
‘Well, there is this footballer. His name is Israel Folau, and he is one of my favourite athletes because he is so good and talented and he wrote this thing about gay people and how we are going to Hell and so that’s two people who are important to me and both of them are telling me that I am a bad person and a faulty person because I am gay. I follow Mr Folau on Instagram and that’s where I saw this.’
He’d saved a copy of the post on his phone, and he showed it to me.
I noticed that Israel Folau would probably include me and most of my community under the label of ‘witchcraft’. I’ve been up against this kind of ignorance before.
‘That must have been difficult for you to read,’ I said, ‘especially coming from someone you respect and admire.’
‘It was. Really difficult.’
Matt looked suddenly smaller in the chair. He was just a boy, after all. A boy who should have been out playing footie with his friends.
He started again. ‘I know you are not a minister but my mum says you are really wise and a kind of Earth Angel and so I thought you would know the answer to this big question I have that is all I can think about.’
I nodded encouragingly. I couldn’t speak for the lump in my throat.
‘My question is…’
He paused and then his voice got so quiet that I had to lean in to hear him.
‘My question is does God make mistakes, and am I just a mistake?’
It took all I had not to cry with him.
He kept going. ‘Israel Folau says that I am going to hell with the drunks and liars and thieves and other bad people. I am only twelve and I am trying my best. I thought God loved me but now I don’t know anymore. I just feel bad and ashamed. I don’t know what to do.’
Then he said the thing that made my heart stop.
‘It makes me feel so bad that I wish I was dead. I think everyone might be better off without me if I can’t fix this problem.’
The boy was crying so much now that he was a tear and snot-soaked mess. We talked some more about how God is Love, and that if God is Love then God can only have love for Matt and that he wasn’t a mistake at all. He was simply part of the beautiful diversity that is humanity. When he was calm I made him a cup of tea and then I rang his mum, Julie. She came straight over and I supported Matt while he had a very hard conversation with his mum about his sexuality. Both of them cried and we all hugged and Julie promised her son that she still loved him and that everything would be okay.
Then Julie sent Matt downstairs to put his bike on the racks on the back of her car. ‘I’ve thought that he might be gay ever since he was two or three,’ she said. ‘And of course his Dad will be okay with it. It’s 2019. We’re a modern family. All we want for our boys is that they are healthy and happy.’
‘Did you know he’s been thinking about harming himself?’ I asked.
Julie went pale. ‘No,’ she said, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll take him home now and we’ll get this sorted.’ We hugged again and she drove away.
I was deeply affected by my visit from Matt. Matt’s homosexuality is not a ‘lifestyle choice’. He is a child of only twelve. He was born this way and has felt this way since his earliest memories. As Israel Folau might see it, Matt was made that way by God. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then this is no mistake but an act of pure love. Matt is a clever, kind, funny and sensitive boy who is popular at school, a good sportsman, an active member of his church and a good citizen. It devastated me to see him feeling so judged and condemned that he was contemplating self-harm.
Like Matt, I struggled as a child, being different to others and feeling like I was ‘a mistake’. I was born the way I am too. I am psychic. I’ve been this way all my life. I can’t change it. It’s hard-wired into who I am. It took a long time for me to be open about my abilities as an adult for fear of being judged. Many Christians have ridiculed, humiliated, judged and bullied me. I’ve had people refuse to sit beside me at conferences after finding out who I am, quoting Leviticus (the Bible) to me: “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.” and “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” I don’t believe that. I believe that we come from Love and return to Love, and that love and kindness are more Godly than judgement and cruelty.
Julie rang me late yesterday. Matt is in hospital after a suicide attempt. He’s twelve. He’s a great kid who has been terribly distressed by everything that is happening right now about Israel Folau’s fight with Rugby Australia over Folau’s right to freedom of speech, and about Matt’s idol’s continued stance on homosexuality as a sin against God.
Israel Folau, I support your right to your own opinion and to practice the religious beliefs of your choice. But you are also a role model and a public figure representing your country, a club brand and a sporting code. As part of that code, and your acceptance of your role within that code and the pay packets you received as an employee of that code, you had a duty of care to uphold the values of that code and to not do harm to your fans and supporters. You have failed that duty of care.
I am struggling to find the words right now for the fallout your post and subsequent actions have created. If any good is to come of it, then I hope that is this – we start having the conversations we need to have around these issues, and that we can find a way forward as a community that is inclusive, compassionate and kind.
“When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied.” ~ Herophilus
Health is physical. It’s how our body feels, how it moves, how it responds to things, how it behaves. It’s our mobility, our energy levels, our vitality when we get out of bed in the morning, our capacity to respond to stress, our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep each night. It’s how our body reacts to foods, smells, chemicals, mould. It’s our immune systems and our sensitivities. It is teeth and bones and muscles and gut and fertility and skin and eyes and ears and so many moving parts. Moving parts we usually only notice when they aren’t working so well all of a sudden.
Health includes mental health too. It’s important to tune in and check where we are at with our minds. Mental health is our resilience, our coping skills, our energy levels, our self-talk, our attitude and emotional state. It’s our self-trust and our capacity to solve problems and make decisions. It’s our relationships with others and our relationship with ourselves. It’s whether we feel lonely or connected, empowered or lost.
Health is our soul health too. It’s important to tune in to our spirit and sit in self-awareness here. Does our life reflect our values? Are we spending time on what matters to us? Does our job work for us? Does our relationship work for us? Are we honouring our Calling? Do we love where we live, what we do, who we hang out with? Is there space in our lives for us or are we living like machines, too busy and then exhausted.
A useful question to ask yourself this week is ‘How am I feeling right now?’ and then tune in to your body, mind and soul. Stay quiet and open. Notice where it aches, if it is tired, notice everything. What’s going on for you – body, mind and spirit? Be still and let your body show you.
If you’re really brave keep going and look at where you might be self-sabotaging. Get your journal out and ask ‘Why aren’t I writing? Why am I eating take-away each night instead of cooking? Why aren’t I going to yoga? Why am I drinking so much? Why am I too busy for my dreams?’ Or whatever other questions are appropriate for you.
We are souls in physical bodies having creative journeys through life. Health and wellness is about ALL of that.
Once you have a better awareness of how you truly feel right now, look for answers. Look for help. Look for where you can make changes or take action.
Don’t just make your life about supporting others – make sure there is room in your life for you.
Need help with this process? My new self-paced Journey of Transformation online course teaches you how to use your intuition and oracle or tarot cards to gain insight and guidance for life’s troubles or to get clear on your future direction. It’s a deep dive into self-awareness that is suitable for complete beginners and advanced students. The feedback from students already enrolled in this course has been amazing and their results have been too! It’s only $47 AUD and that includes over 2 hours of instructional videos, two guided meditations and a beautiful downloadable workbook. Click here to find out more.
Value yourself, my lovely. Take the time this week to tune in and get some answers for yourself. You’re worth it! Much love, Nicole xx
“Let your community be your testimony.” ~ Jaco Strydom
I’m busy creating an online Learning Academy for next year. Why? I’m so darn passionate about helping you to connect to your inner wisdom, intuition and psychic abilities. And you can get access as a Foundation Member now by joining my YOM Community. (Ready to jump in? Click Here)
Imagine that you are lost, stuck, miserable, confused or hating on yourself. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know how to help yourself or how to move forward.
Imagine that you’re full of ideas, but they all lead in different directions and you don’t know which one to choose.
Imagine that you always lead with your head, but that your heart – your intuition – often shows up and gives you a different take on things which you always ignore. Afterwards, when your head was wrong and you wished you’d listened to that inner knowing, you wonder why you always second-guess yourself.
In each of these situations, your intuition and inner knowing is a compass that can guide you forward. Most people have just forgotten how to use it and I know how to show you!
I’m passionate about helping people to reclaim their natural intuitive and psychic ability, to stop being afraid of it, and teaching them how to use it in their daily lives. The change I want to make in the world is to teach you how to reconnect with your own inner knowing and natural spirituality and to understand that being empathic, psychic, sensitive and intuitive is normal and good. Being intuitively connected empowers us to know ourselves, to become self-aware, to live more authentically and to become more confident in ourselves, our direction and our decisions. It helps us to live as better and more satisfied versions of ourselves. Yep, that’s the world I want to live in. That’s why I want you to join my membership community.
If you’re ready, and if you’re looking for a teacher and mentor, I’m here. And so is a beautiful community of like-minded souls. Come join us. All my love, Nicole xx
Not convinced? Let some of my YOMMERS give you their feedback on what it has meant to them to join my community:
Hey Nicole!!!!
I just needed to drop you a line to tell you how excited I am about the Academy Of Learning that you are creating for our tribe! I know that there are many people out there that read your blog like I have and are just timid about signing up to join the YOM community. Maybe they are like I was, and think it is just a daily planner. OH, but we both know it is more than that. Lets see….I started following your blog back in 2012. Your free guided meditations and blog helped me get through cancer treatment and the death of my mom. I loved your Kimberley stories, and occasionally you would put some journal activities for us to partake in. Then you created your YOM planner, and community….and I was like….I don’t do planners. If I had KNOWN that it was much more than a planner, I would have joined then. However, I was slow to the take….but I did join GeSHiDoMo in 2017, which came with a online group. By being in that group of such welcoming ,wonderful people, I was convinced to join the YOM community for 2018. Talk about a life changing year for me! Wow! By February 2019 I was on a plane to Australia going to your Advanced Channeling Retreat! I had never been overseas in my life! The Tribe and you (Ben and the dogs, too) so embraced me and let me feel so welcome! I think about that so much. People I had never met in person offering to let me stay with them, pick me up from the airport….DRIVE ME FROM BRISBANE TO BYRON BAY….I tear up now thinking about it. The retreat was all I could hope for and more, and I now have life long friends that I so cherish. Most importantly, I had been looking for my teacher for a very long time on my spiritual quest. I remember reading this particular blog post. https://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2018/03/08/last-one-standing/ and thinking “I have found her.”
You are such a profoundly inspirational writer as well as teacher, I think your own writing will sum up what I love about you the most. https://cauldronsandcupcakes.com/2019/02/20/the-authority-of-soul/ Incidentally, when you wrote this I was on retreat with you…..I remember coming out of retreat and reading this…thinking yes. This is exactly why I love this woman as my mentor, friend and fellow traveler. To quote your own words:
“One of the things that is most important to me as a metaphysical teacher is for you to understand that your ultimate power lies within you, your ultimate authority and wisdom also. This is YOUR life, and when you learn to tune in to your own wisdom you become empowered to make the decisions that are right for you. No-one knows you better. And everything I teach is for the purpose of helping you know yourself, to connect you to your inner wisdom and to help you forge your own considered path in the world.”
I just really wanted to give my deep heart filled thanks to you and your team. I look so forward experiencing the YOM community evolve into Your Academy For Learning., and where this will take the tribe and myself next.
You wrote in a blog once….”If you are looking for a teacher, here I am”…….and yes you are. Always.
I have been using the ‘Year of ME’ planner since 2016 and to say it has been life changing is not an exaggeration.
The one thing I love about working with Nicole and her diary is that she has a knack of empowering and guiding you without you ever feeling like you’ve got it wrong or you don’t belong.
What do I love about the diary the most? It helps me get clear about ‘everything’ in my life, on a daily basis, a weekly & monthly basis and quarterly. The reviews I feel are what I find most helpful plus I can work at my own pace.
Plus you’ve got the added bonus of the FB group which is so supportive & respectful of each other.
Some folk turn on the TV in the morning for the news, but I go straight to my inbox and look for “Cauldrons & Cupcakes”…Nicole is the BEST guide & I feel so blessed to be part of this community, and I’m sure you will too
It has given me the gift of myself. It has reconnected me to long forgotten pieces and parts of my soul that have lain dormant, forgotten and neglected. It has taught me to honour me, care for me, tune in to me and to be gentler with myself. It has connected me to a tribe of women who are just like me. They are sensitive, searching and have experienced life in all it’s bloody glory. They have huge hearts, wise words, and comforting hugs. In fact, some of my closest friends now in my own little circle are women I have met because of Nicole and YOM.
Belonging to YOM means I know that there is a place that I can reach out at any time of the day or night and someone will be there to listen, laugh with or support me.
I am on a spiritual journey, hungry for knowledge. Belonging to YOM means I always have access to information, classes, courses, a pool of talented, experienced souls and a wise teacher leading the tribe.
My planner is a jouney into me at the start of every year. It is solitude, reflection, heart space and starting the year off right. Using oracle cards and meditation, I create a clear vision for the year ahead. I have also developed the habit of tracking my finances and looking at my net position at the end of every month for the first time in my life! I love the weekly cards, the gratitude practise and knowing when the moon is full or new.
With, Nicole, and through YOM I have found a space where my hungry soul is fed and I have found a safe and nurturing place where my soul feels home.
I am a planner girl from way back! I love a hard copy planner I can write my appointments and meetings in but like many people I’ve never quite found the ideal planner for me.
At the start of 2016 I started working with the Year of Me Planner created by Nicole Cody. Nicole’s planner offered me much more than the traditional planners I had worked with before, and has become my go-to planner ever since.
The Year of Me planner allowed me to integrate my spiritual work along with my practical day-to-day schedule. Spending time analysing the year that had just ended, seeing how the year ahead looked, and using oracles cards to get a feel for my week, month and year has guided me to a place I could never foresee these past three and a half years.
The practical nature of the planner has allowed me to tick more off my to-do list than I ever thought possible. The process Nicole shares in the planner has also helped me gain clarity around my bigger personal and professional goals, allowing me to step more fully onto my true path.
If you’re looking for a planner that takes you deeper, that supports you on your spiritual path, and helps you tick off your to-do’s, I highly recommend the Year of Me Planner.
In 2016 I purchased Nicole Cody’s Year of Me Planner and twelve month online course and support forum – and I have been a part of the community ever since!
I’ve attended a number of Nicole’s retreats and knew that the guidance she would offer through the course would help me reach the goals I wanted to achieve each year. What I didn’t realise was that the online community would become one of my favourite places to hang out online, to grow, learn and support others, and receive support in return.
The Year of Me course and support materials Nicole has created really do help you reach your personal and professional goals with grace and understanding of where you’re at and what your needs are. Knowing there is a community behind you, supporting you and cheering you on, is an incredible part of this journey, one I am glad I made the choice to be part of.
