4. Touch other people’s lives. In modern society it is so easy for people to become wrapped up in their own lifestyles and forget the many people around you that need help in one way or another. Be prepared to listen to other people as in many instances all someone will need is a good listener to make them feel that they aren’t all alone in the universe.  

7. Follow your own path. We all have our own path in this life and we all are expected to follow it at some point. If you feel that something is missing from your life but you are not quite sure what, then now is the time to follow your path. Intuitively we all know this but as we get older we can stray away. Reiki re-connects you to the Universe and allows you to really be yourself, try learning Reiki or if you can find another way to follow your path then do it as quickly as possible.

Dawn Mellowship - www.dawnmellowship.com

Love on the Road to Enlightenment

Friday, January 18th, 2008 2:17 PM

The word love is used so frequently in modern society and applied to so many different things, but what does unconditional love really mean? Dawn Mellowship sheds some light on love.

One of the main pre-requisites for attaining enlightenment is the capacity to love all living things unconditionally. We cannot progress on our spiritual paths and hope to obtain ultimate wisdom if we lack a profound understanding of love. The Advanced Cambridge Learner's Dictionary defines love as, "to have strong feelings of affection for another adult and be romantically and sexually attracted to them, or feel great affection for a friend of person in your family." This is a tragically human definition of the term love, the type that often comes with strings attached and what I would refer to as conditional love.

There is a profound difference between earthly love and spiritual love. Of course, it is not to say that there is anything wrong with being affectionate and attracted to someone, but unconditional love requires so much more. It means being able to see the bigger picture and doing what is right for people's souls above and beyond what their physical bodies may desire. It means appreciating that everything happens for a reason, that everyone has a purpose for being here and whilst we may not understand that purpose, it doesn't render that purpose any less valid. 

Language is inept to convey the real magnitude of love. We frequently use the term to the point where it is losing its value. Some people will declare that they love food, their house, money, clothes and a cornucopia or other physical objects and possessions. We don't save the word for when we sincerely mean it. Sometimes our love is provisional, depending on whether a person does certain things for us. There are individuals who have no concept of love at all because they have never been shown unconditional love, rendering them less likely to express it to anyone else.

As we develop spiritually and gain a deeper understanding of the universe and our place in the universe we come to grasp the real meaning of unconditional love, a love that cannot be restrained, that is caring but detached and honest yet firm. Sometimes it is incredibly tender and on other occasions it is harsh, because sometimes people need to be told the truth, painful as it may seem in the short term, to benefit their overall journey on earth. It can mean standing back from situations, allowing people to make mistakes when necessary, telling harsh home truths to make individuals aware of the consequences of their actions, encouraging others to take responsibility for their lives, listening to those who need an objective ear, enjoying being in a relationship but not needing to be in a relationship and not needing to be around other people, but being happy alone, with the universe surrounding you. This love lasts forever. It allows people to learn painful lessons when need be, it is not dependent on anyone or anything else.

Indubitably it can be difficult to watch loved ones suffering but we need to learn when to step in and provide a helping hand and when to step back and let people make their own decisions. We all have choices in life and our decisions dictate our level of spiritual development and happiness. When we are children our choices are more limited and parents have a responsibility to nurture us with unconditional love, which will ensure that we make good choices as adults. As we grow older there comes a point where we must assume responsibility for our actions and at this point we can choose the direction our life takes. We should not take peoples' choices away from them, because they will be forced to experience similar situations over and over again, until they finally make their own choices. Emotional detachment is essential on the path to enlightenment. It allows us to be objective in any situation, whilst still displaying empathy.

Everyone needs to recognise that all life on this earth is precious. By learning to replace conditional love with unconditional love, we can foster a meaningful and genuine kindness towards ourselves and others.

Dawn Mellowship - www.dawnmellowship.com

Let Your Soul Soar

Thursday, January 17th, 2008 2:10 PM

Do you sometimes wake up and wonder precisely what you are getting out of bed for? Does life seem like a never-ending chore? We have all, at one time or another, felt disenchanted with our lives. I used to look up at the sky and wish that I was as free to fly as the soaring birds. I felt trapped, contained by the world and all that was in it. But, one day I realised that I had crafted myself a box that obscured my vision and by breaking down its walls I could taste freedom. Where once my eyes were firmly closed, they are now open wide and what I see is both exquisitely beautiful and heartbreakingly devastating, because there is joy to be found in the world, but also a great deal of pain, inflicted by humankind onto the earth and onto other human beings. If we would all just let our souls soar, it could be so very different. I discovered my path through learning a healing therapy called Reiki and it was a life transforming experience.

I have always been blessed, but now I can see and appreciate it because I truly have the freedom that comes from an intuitive connection, faith in the universe and knowledge that I am on my spiritual path and that no matter what happens in this life, I will be ok. The greatest gift you have is a glorious soul and it is longing for you to pursue your higher path and discover the truth of yourself and the universe.

We should all be asking ourselves the question, "Why am I here?" and dedicating ourselves to finding the answer, because it is only when we make this magnificent discovery that we experience happiness, freedom and enlightenment. It saddens me that so many beautiful souls are restrained and ignored because those souls need to be free.

You need to let your soul guide your body and make the right choices for you. Forget everything that you have ever been told and look within yourself for answers. You have all the answers you need. It is just a matter of awakening your intuition and never deviating from its flawless guidance.

It is easy to say, "Trust in your intuition," but it is not so easy to do it. Our upbringing, environment and societal conditioning inform who we think we are, when most of us don't really know who we are. It took me a while to get to grips with my intuition, but over time the myriad of conflicting voices in my head were replaced with one powerful and guiding voice, the voice of my soul. Your intuition is never wrong. Our lives often take a turn for the worst because we are not listening to our intuition and we find ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. When we adhere to the wisdom of our intuition, then and only then do we find ourselves in the right place at the right time and life flows as it should.

Try to remain aware of what is going on around you and within your life. We are often presented with vital signs by the universe, but we are sometimes oblivious to them. It is better not to search too hard, but to let go to the will of the universe, allow the universe to guide you rather than trying to retain tight control over your life.

One of the greatest misapprehensions held by many people is that they have control. In real terms we all have very little control and when you set foot on your spiritual path you will feel like the universe is making all your choices for you, the pressure to maintain control dissipates and you come to enjoy the wonderful path that you are on. Keep your eyes and ears open. Look beyond the facade of the world and see what is really going on. Be objective about your own life and about others. Take time out to be by yourself, without any external distractions and just see where your mind takes you.Jesus Christ is alleged to have said on many occasions, "All who have ears ought to listen." Every single one of us should be listening to our intuition. You are amazing, you know so much. Allow yourself to hear that knowledge and to see the truth. Grow wings and look down on the world absorbing the bigger picture. Cast down the walls of the box surrounding you and let your radiant soul soar.

Jesus Christ is alleged to have said on many occasions, "All who have ears ought to listen." Every single one of us should be listening to our intuition. You are amazing, you know so much. Allow yourself to hear that knowledge and to see the truth. Grow wings and look down on the world absorbing the bigger picture. Cast down the walls of the box surrounding you and let your radiant soul soar.

Dawn Mellowship - www.dawnmellowship.com

Reveal the Real You

Thursday, January 17th, 2008 2:04 PM

We all long to feel 'complete' in our lives, whether we acknowledge it outwardly, or push through our daily existence without a thought for nourishing our soul. The constant drive towards materialism, physical wants, setting high goals and looking for answers externally is ultimately the source of most people's grief and indeed dwindling health. We need to stop going without our freedom and start looking within for guidance.

Freedom comes, not from our status, our achievements, our possessions, but from knowing our true self and being our true self. Many a time I have heard people exclaim, "You can't change me. This is just the way I am!" This is a fallacy in many cases because most people's true spiritual self is masked by their upbringing, emotional traumas, physical and material goals and their disconnection from their 'higher self.' Believe me most of the images we project are far from our true spiritual nature! We are too busy being people pleasers or clinging onto guilt or simply just neglecting our purpose for being here.

In saying this there are many people who do seek guidance and do wish to discover their true spiritual nature but are at a loss as to how to do this. As a Reiki teacher I often find that once people experience Reiki they say, "Oh this is how I become more intuitive." Reiki is not the only way by any means we all have the capability of connecting to our inner self and receiving divine guidance from The Universe. It is very true that if you seek you will find, so never be disheartened if you are on a spiritual quest, just be in a state of awareness and be sure not to miss any signs. If nothing else remember that we all have the answers we could every possibly need in this life if we just access and abide by our intuition. Never ignore that niggling voice in the back of your head.

For those who find that their minds are clogged with the clutter of the daily grind, below I have cited a simple technique, from my forthcoming book, Passage to Freedom, published on 28th February 2008, that you can use to access your inner wisdom, find your higher path on earth and gain some much needed Universal guidance in life. Take some time out from your busy schedule each day to carry out this technique and you will soon find that subtle changes in your life transform into a deeper awareness and greater peace of mind. 

Creating Connections

1) Sit down comfortably either on the floor in seiza (on your knees with your bottom resting on your feet), or cross legged or on a chair. Make sure your back is straight. Have your hands palms facing upwards in your lap.

2) Close your eyes gently and visualise yourself sitting in outer space with nothing else around you but the galaxies, stars and the dark skies. So in effect you are floating in outer space. Breathe slowly and deeply, breathing in through your nose into your stomach and out of your mouth.

3) Visualise a bright white light, so bright it is almost impossible to look at, coming down through space as far up as the eye can see. See the light enter the crown of your head from above like a radiant beam and allow the light to enter your entire body from your head through to the tip of your toes. As you breathe out feel the light pulsating through your body. Do this for a few minutes until you feel completely relaxed and lost in space!

4) As you are filled with light, place your hands in gassho (prayer position) in front of your chest, elbows pointing to the ground. Silently say to your self 7 times with meaning and purpose "I open myself up to the divine will of the universe."

5) Move your hands still in gassho up over the top of your head and rest them on your crown. Silently say to your self 7 times with meaning and purpose "I open myself up to my true higher self."

6) Place your hands over your stomach, palms facing towards your stomach and with your middle fingers meeting each other at the navel. Silently say to yourself 7 times with meaning and purpose "I allow my mind, body and soul to heal, I am connected to the heaven and the earth."

7) Repeat steps 4 to 6 between 3 and 9 times constantly remaining focused on the light.

8) When you have finished breathe the white light out of your body and back into the universe. Place your hands in gassho by your chest again and bow to the Universe.