ONE MOMENT IN TIME

This morning as I was leaving for work I stood outside my door mesmerized at the stillness with only the sound of the birds. There were no cars driving down the road and no other distractions, just the sound of the birds. It was if I was caught in a moment of time. When I got to work someone posted about taking a moment to listen to the sound of birds in the car park. I thought it was great to hear someone like minded. Many people get caught up in rushing around that they don't savor the little magical things in life.


I then spoke to a lovely lady who was 87 and had spent her time nursing parents and latterly her husband who had Dementia. In April  this year he took sick and was diagnosed with terminal cancer in August. To hear this strong lady still managing to keep her sense of humour while she has carers coming in 4 times a day confirmed to me that it's all about how your mind works. Her story today was telling me how organised she has to be, so she sets out her clothes the night before. Today she got dressed and put her tights and dress on. She turned  round and realised her underpants were still sitting on the chest of drawers. This had us both having a giggle as we chatted. It really is true that if you look for a good point in your day it helps you get through the stressful times. I take my hat off to both her plus all the carers out there.

Make sure you find something to uplift you each day. Why not go to a peaceful place and listen to the sounds of nature. Just take a moment or two to stand and listen rather than having your mind working all the time. Two of my favourite places to go are my local park and standing beside the sea. I am lucky to have both easily reachable from my home. Also if you know anybody in the above situation, sometimes like today they just need someone to talk to, or to give them a break, so why not call on them to see how you can help.

www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk
Usui reiki master/teacher
https://www.facebook.com/peaceharmonyandjoy

REFLECTIONS OF 2016

Have you ever wondered how you got to where you are today? I was looking through the photos on my phone and came across one of me taken last year. The interesting thing is it is a mirror likeness of my Mum and made me think of her.

My mum was often ill whilst I was growing up but was the most compassionate person I knew. She always looked out for others and helped them whenever she could. If it was not for her I would not be the person I am today. Through her I have two wonderful children and three Grandchildren. I'm sure she is still watching over us all. If your parents are still with you please make your time count. If they have passed on then count your blessings for the memories you have.

 This year I had to make a promise to myself to cut back on my charity donations after I was told by 2 Mediums that I had been giving away too much and needed to look after myself. This has been very hard so I only donated to one Charity this year. It's amazing though how many times in a month I had to say "no" to people. It was a big wake up call for me to be more aware of what I support in 2017.  It would be too easy to get compassion fatigue.

Wishing you all lots of love and happiness in 2017 and may we all spread love and light to help bring peace over all the world.


www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk
UK Reiki Federation Master / Teacher

You Are What You Eat

I just have to tell you about the last lady I spoke to at work today. She would like more people to know about what she is doing.

She is 71 although sounded under 40 and she has womb cancer. The important thing is it has almost gone instead of spreading and killing her within 3 months which the doctor said always happens. The problem with this  type of cancer is it does not bother you so often goes undiagnosed.

A friend of hers said she was not looking good a  year ago and got her started on juicing. In her words her arthritis and pains went and she started to look more youthful. She also dropped from 13 stone to 10. Her daughter at first thought this was wrong but has now joined her after seeing the difference in her mum.

She then had a touch of sciatica and went to see the doctor and was shocked to find herself diagnosed with the cancer. They told her it was very aggressive and would spread like wildfire and wanted to do chemotherapy. Spurred on by the difference juicing had made to her she decided instead to use food to treat her illness. She cut out all meat and dairy products and increased the juicing as well as eating lots of organic vegetables. She then went vegan and is now about to go into raw food as well. She has also cut out the use of all chemicals in the house and her hair.

We are now a few months down the line and she was sent for a scan. She was told that they could see where the cancer had previously spread to on the scan but it had now shrunk back to where it started and that was shrinking too! The doctor was amazed as he expected to find her riddled with the cancer as that is what usually happens.

We spoke about what type of juices she used and mentioned Jason Vale (The juice master) as well, as she has used his books as a starting point. I told her how wonderful it was to speak to someone fighting back (especially at her age) without using the chemotherapy that everyone expects us to.

So on behalf of this wonderful lady, who advised me she is a fighter, it truly shows that what you eat can make a big difference to your health.She also recommended going to You tube and checking out Fork over Knives which I will do.

Every day is a gift.

Do you ever wake up and just be thankful that you can see, hear and smell?  It's something a lot of us take for granted but all are not as fortunate as us.

Today I went into the garden with my dogs and saw a tiny bunch of snowdrops which have just opened. It is so easy to complain about the cold and the rain but here is a sign that spring is on its way. I then looked around the rest of the garden and could just see some daffodils peaking through the soil. Considering last week all I saw was brick hard ground it shows that things are always growing under the surface.

How about you? Are there  things you are studying- perhaps meditation - that you are struggling with? Does it sometimes feel as if you are fighting against a brick wall? Everyone can learn but it has to be at your own pace. I often tell students that struggle to just slow down when they are on a walk and be mindful of what they are passing in the streets and gardens. This is also a form of Meditation. If you can do this you are on your way. Listen to the sound of birds as you are walking. I love trying to work out what I am hearing. When you concentrate like this you block out all the other sounds around you. You may feel like the plants that are underground trying to push through but they always aim for the light and you should know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel in whatever you do. If you find it easier to meditate with others then look out for the groups around you.

Like the flowers we should all continue to grow in whatever we set out to do. It may be something you do on your own or with others. Give yourself some goals to reach so that you get there in small stages. It's much easier than looking at a big hurdle to get over. Use your ears and listen to any advice you are given. You do not need to take it but hearing another person's take on a problem often helps you find an answer to whatever the problem is.The most important thing is not to give up. It may take you longer to get to your destination but you will get there in your own time.


Most of all make sure you have time for whatever you are learning as this is time for you also to grow. I recently had a student that did not have time to practice reiki. She made a conscious decision to reorganise her life so she did have time for it. When you have a gift, you should use it. You cannot learn without making time for yourself. Treat everyday as a gift and enjoy it.

Everyday is a Gift, that's why they call it the Present. 

 

Joy Fraser

Usui Reiki Master / Teacher

Edinburgh, Scotland

www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk

Mindset Over Age - Positive Thoughts Go A Long Way

It always seems my Blog gets more views than the source of this article so I've added it here.

This past month has been full of experiences at work that I felt impelled to write about it. I work for a company and help people with vulnerabilities. This can be age, health or low income related. Most of this is done over the phone where a lot about a person's state of mind can be found out during our conversation.

There will always be people that feel down due to one of the above but what really makes me smile is the amount of people that think positively regardless of their situation. Two that stood out for me recently were an 84 year old lady that had just returned from a 2 mile walk. She mentioned that it shocked her earlier that day to realise she was now 84. She said that others may be expecting her to slow down but she had no intentions of doing that. The other was an 80 year old lady. She honestly sounded like she was 30. When I mentioned this to her she said that she had long blonde hair, a slim body and wore up to date clothes so there was no reason for people to think she was a fuddy duddy 80 year old.

I love having conversations like that with customers. It shows that age is just a number. It's how you feel inside that matters - not how old you are. This happens time and time again in my job. In fact some take umbrage that they are called vulnerable due to their age. When I advise the only way we know if they truly are is by speaking to them then they are okay with it.

I have even found customers that have such massive health problems which may include them being on mains powered medical appliances but they always believe that someone may be worse off so they get on with their day without complaining. On the other side there are people that feel the world has done them a disservice. They feel depressed and stuck in a dark place feeling like victims. To them every day is the same and there feels no way out for them. Sometimes I hear they have been on antidepressants for years and never sent for any kind of counselling. I think this is a disgrace as we should be trying to help these people get back to a normal life.

Life for all of us is made of up and downs. If we look at what we learn in a down period we can apply this to our life to increase the amount of up periods that we have. I do not focus after work on all the customers that are so down although every so often one can really affect me. I listen to see if I can point them in any direction to help them and move on. This type of job is not for everyone I can assure you. Instead at the end of each day I think of anything that stood out in a positive way. This is what I take home with me rather than feeling dragged down by all the doom and gloom.

Getting back to age though I can often speak to someone in their 50's or 60's who truly sound as if they are 90. They have perhaps retired and have nothing to do with their lives. They already have closed mindsets that they cannot learn new technology because they are too old! I told a customer last week that if I had £1 for everyone that mentioned they may not still be on this earth next year that I would be very rich. It's a shame that people feel this way as they are wishing away their lives rather than finding things to enjoy in it.

I had a lady recently who came to one of my reiki workshops. Her plan had been to learn reiki when she retired later this year. I asked why wait till then and she has learned it before retiral. She has already thought of what she wishes to do in retirement and will be working through her level 2 in the future. The main thing I believe is to have extra interests outside of work or home before you retire. That way you can still have things to look forward to when it is time to move on.

Life should not stop until we are no longer of this earth. Every day we are alive we should make sure we are actually taking part in it. Like my 84 year old lady take a walk or a hike in nature. If your health restricts you take up a hobby. Nowadays there are many groups that can collect you and take you to places to meet other like minded people.

To all those that have the positive mindset I take my hat off to you. You know how to get the most out of life and are probably enjoying yourselves more than others in similar circumstances.

Take a look at your life and see where you are going? Are you going to be someone that makes the best of life or if not you can start to change it now.

Joy Fraser
Usui Reiki Master / Teacher
Edinburgh Scotland
http://www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Fraser

Living your life with Gratitude

I have recently had the Bon Jovi song "It's my Life"  going round in my head. Check out the lyrics here. It talks about living while you are alive. It made me think how many people go through day to day just existing rather than living.

Do you have a job you go to that feels not right for you? Are you there just to pay the bills or because you like working there? Do you  go to work then come home and vegetate? Would you call this living while you are alive? I certainly don't think so. Life has to have some sparkle to it both in and out of employment.

There may be some of you reading this who are unemployed and may feel you just have to get through each day as everyday feels the same, perhaps without much hope depending on where you live. You all have the choice to make changes. It's up to you if you choose to do something about it.
If you look around there is so much more out there for you to use your time wisely.

There are many charities needing help and there are many organisations set up for whatever you like doing. It could be music, sports, films and so much more.  Search and you will find something to do that will make you happy. If you feel down check out all the pages on the internet starting with the words Positive or Grateful. They both actually go together. The more grateful you are for things in your life, the more positive you become.  Remember also that your thoughts attract so being positive will start aligning you with more positive things coming your way.

I am lucky to enjoy the people that I deal with in my work but I also make sure I have a life outside it. One of my students Beata Dziameka tonight posted an awesome photo taken locally that took my breath away(see the top of this blog). Isn't nature wonderful? We can't always be in the right place at the right time but through social media we can see it through someone else's eyes.I love seeing wonderful posts from across the world but for me it's more spectacular to be able to see things closer to home. I am so lucky to live in a city that has sea, hills, parks and lots of green spaces so there are always places to go that make me feel good. I remember years ago when I was in a darker place that I would go to the same sea as above and sit in the car for 30 minutes.  When I returned home I was always in a different frame of mind.

We are now in a world that we have distressing things thrown at us on TV, Newspapers, Radio and just about wherever we go. All of this pulls our vibrations down so it is good to look out for things to raise it too, We all need balance. This wonderful little girl was brought to my attention this week. Just listening to her will raise anyone's emotions.

As Bon Jovi say "We are not going to live forever". It's your life so make sure you enjoy it while you are here.

Comments are welcome.



www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk

Joy Fraser
Reiki Master / Teacher
Edinburgh, Scotland

Get with the programme this summer.

Do you ever feel it's time to wake up and get with the programme?  I was speaking to someone recently about how they were going to make a social media comeback. It made me think that I needed to increase my blogs as I was letting down those that looked forward to my posts. I think we all have spells of concentrating on different things but letting people find out about your business should be constant.

I have been remiss in blogging this year as I have been spending time on my reiki workshops and of course my lovable dogs. I am loving the amount of people coming forward for reiki workshops this year but more importantly it's as if everyone is waking from a deep sleep and becoming more spiritual either before or after training in a workshop to become attuned to reiki. The changes that I am seeing in each person are wonderful.

I wrote recently on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/peaceharmonyandjoy that as I run small workshops I get to know people in more depth than if I was running larger groups. This is the right way for me to train and word of mouth has attracted more people to me who appreciate my style of training. This way is not right for everyone so check out in advance what way you want to learn. I feel so privileged to be able to continue my journey of learning as I help others start theirs. I learn so much from all my students and am introduced to many new things. I recently found a student to be hiding paintings she had made thinking they were nothing special. All I can say is watch this space. Hopefully in the future she will allow me to share some with you.

As the weather is changing and we have such interchangeable weather from sun one day to rain the next- or both in the same day, I will be spending as much time outdoors as I can from now on but will make sure I keep you all updated. Being outdoors makes me happy and my dogs will agree to that too.

I currently have vegetables growing in my garden and greenhouse for the first  time so it is a race against the slugs to see who wins. I have already been able to share the many plants I have grown from seeds with others  (who needs 50 tomato plants and 30 courgettes?) I would really like to share any vegetables that survive the slugs as well so will be keeping a close eye on them. For all the gardeners out there, why not pay it forward by giving away your extra plants too?

Like me, is there anything you have been putting off until now. If so, get with the programme, whether it's increasing exercise, going to the gym or just making time for yourselves. We are half way through 2014 already which is a scary thought so time for no more excuses.


If you would like to learn Reiki in Edinburgh or have already started on your journey, I have 2 workshops on in July. Check out my website for more details.

www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk

Changing Your Thoughts To Create Harmony In Your Life.

I am lucky to have a field locally that is securely fenced. This means that anyone walking their dogs and puppies can let them off their leads to play and socialise. Last week on a day that I was off I took my pups there and saw Willow run to the fence with another dog. On the other side of the fence was a crow. The crow walked slowly on the pavement taunting the pups who could not reach it. It then flew just above their heads landing on top of the fence looking down at them before flying to a tree. I was advised by the other owners that this happened daily as the crow came to their 9 am club. It enjoyed outsmarting the puppies each day and often would fly above just to taunt them! I must make sure I take my camera or phone with me the next time I join in with them.
                                              

It reminded me of a few years ago walking my previous dog Misty in a local park when we were suddenly attacked  by crows. I assumed that they had chicks in the tree and were being a bit over protective as my dog and I certainly could not reach the tree! The interesting thing was for the next 3 years as we passed that particular tree we always got dive bombed. It made me aware that crows have long memories. I have since seen footage of this which showed that even when people that they had not seen for one year covered their faces, the crows still remembered them.

This got me thinking about how memories play a large part in peoples lives. How many of us can say that we genuinely don't harp back to things that we saw or were said to us or others in the past? I try to live in the now but don't always succeed. This may be because what I have put behind me may still be impacting on another so it can still be brought into a conversation. I remember considering being trained in Emotional Freedom Technique and went for a couple of sessions with the trainer. After the first one the trainer said " You must have had EFT before." I advised I had not and asked why she thought this. She said I did not have any distressing memories to dissolve. I said that I had worked through these with reiki but I'm not sure she believed me.  EFT works for many people but it was not for me at that time.



                                                 

How often do you hear that people are the way they are due to how they were brought up? This can sometimes be seen that an alcoholic or drug addict brings up a child that goes on to have alcohol or drug  related problems. I truly believe that for each of those children that take after the family there will be loads of others that go in the totally opposite direction. They often grow up stronger and successful, knowing that they have done it all by themselves. Of course they will have memories of how they were brought up but they don't let these hold them back. They use the memory to know what they do not want to be.

One thing to remember is how you react or speak to anyone can live on in their memory so be careful of what you say or do to others.  Once you say something, it cannot be taken back. The best type of memory to have is a positive one. Isn't it much better to be remembered for something good that you have said or done? We are all able to contribute to life in this way and it's never too late to start.

Let us be like the crow and create memories to hold on to but make sure from now on that they are only good ones. One of the things I love doing is Paying it forward. It always make me feel better to help others. This creates lovely memories for me to  keep.  You can check PIF out here and  also  in the UK. I also love just going out in all weathers to see the changes the seasons bring. When your mind takes a snapshot of all the colours and sounds surrounding you, these can be brought out to revisit anytime you want to feel back in those places.



If you live in Edinburgh, check out my workshops if you want to help change your life for the  better.

www.peaceharmonyandjoy.co.uk
UK Reiki Federation Master / Teacher