We are constantly being told not to look back and to have no regrets, but during a recent life coaching session, I was urged to write a letter to the Universe outlining everything I am grateful for and has enhanced my life so far, and that as a result magical things would happen.
I was reminded of Oprah Winfrey who reportedly suffers from depression and anxiety – but her first call every morning is to give thanks for each and every part of her life and surroundings, including the simple things, and not just the yields of her wealth and fame.
So as I set about putting pen to paper, so many aspects of the past emerged, some I had buried deep in my unconscious but had popped up as a result of a random thought or memory ignited by another – the strongest being the love I had received from family and friends. I couldn’t see the sense at the time, but trusted my mentor and as I did felt a surge of energy through my body which was quite indescribable.
Gratitude is apparently famous for evoking a high spiritual frequency as is love, and I now believe is a good place to begin, especially as we are about to start a new decade. It is also brilliant if you want to take the next step in your life, as it will give you a strong mental platform to take a leap of faith into the future.
So where is this all leading, I was urged to seek life coaching when I had reached a crossroads as to where to put my energies, and as I had a plethora of skills all crying out to be commissioned. But my revered coach quickly identified where I would create most value.
It was a surprise because I felt she would opt for the most practical of options and the ones that seemingly would make the most money, but instead she urged me to follow my heart and my passion, as then she insisted, I would be fulfilled and only then could I create value on all fronts. She was right in her analysis.
It was a treasured lesson, and one that I have been putting in place for the past few months. I have been lucky to meet someone with whom my life has resonated in terms of mentoring, and felt compelled to write about the experience to give you the opportunity to explore your own inner journey which will in turn change your life and perhaps put it back on course.
Choosing a life coach is a very personal experience, and one that only you can decide is right for you. I can help by making suggestions but it is ultimately your call, and one that I hope will be as life changing for you as it was for me.
A couple of suggestions I can make initially are Lynne Franks, who operates from her own holistic healing centre in Somerset The Hub at No 3, where I spent a blissful three days being mentored and nurtured by Lynne and her highly practised professionals in the art of holistic healing.
This I would heartily recommend to start the new year and the new decade. You can explore all of Lynne’s courses, and do not be afraid of group sessions as they are gentle and nurturing, but you could also book her for a one on one coaching which is transformational.
If you would like to venture further afield, you could try one of Jason Chan’s healing centres in Thailand. Jason is famous for releasing stubborn spiritual blockages, and I highly recommend him to change deeply embedded karmic energies. Jason also visits many countries where you can visit him including the UK.
Happy 2020 everybody, and huge thanks for being part of our spiritual journey and for all of the love you have shown us. Let’s make 2020 and beyond a decade to remember for the good in every way possible!
POSE is an extraordinary television series, that is not only ground breaking but in a category of its own. It has been described as a Dance Musical, a revelation about LGBT culture and the explosion of the gender fluid Ball Rooms in New York City in the 80s. But I wouldn’t categorise, as to me it stands on its own as one of the most staggering and enlightening programmes to hit the screens in years.
I was around in the Eighties, living life to the full as a youngster and full of hope for the future. So how did murmurs of this extraordinary underworld escape us. Madonna burst onto the scene with Vogue which apparently emulated the moves and mood particular to this Ball Room culture, but how come it stayed under wraps for more than thirty years. Was the World not ready to listen, perhaps we can empathise with this generation who suffered the humiliation of HIV and Aids, which carried a huge stigma and still does to this day.
But if you can look beyond the camp and the glitter, there are stories crying out to be told of regular folk whose status is their only stigma, through no fault of their own, whether it be a gender issue or being tested HIV positive.
As survival was key in those forbidden days, a number of ‘houses’ sprung up with one mentor at the helm who would take in LGBTQ youth who had been rejected by their families, for being ‘different’.
Mj Rodriguez is magnificent as Blanca Evangelista, the selfless house ‘mother’, and we see her realm flourish as she takes in young homeless men and women who have lost their way. Blanca helps them to reveal their unique talents and sets them on the road to recovery with successful careers in dance, business and modelling.
I would recommend this as a wonderful watch over Christmas, perhaps not family viewing, but pure escapism if you would like to time travel back to the eighties and feel the intensity of the time and the wonders of human survival.
As I watched the Downton Abbey movie, it occurred to me that a good film provides the formula for success, a bit like a great recipe or fabulous banquet.
Downton has been a success story from the outset, and the film reflects every element that made it such a huge hit with audiences across the country and indeed the world.
The characters are key to every good story, and these are in abundance from the haughty Lady Mary played by Michelle Dockery to the deliciously wily Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley, played so deftly by Maggie Smith. You will adore her beautifully placed quips and relish her ‘put downs’ to all and sundry as she weaves her wondrous web of cunning against her less devious cousin who does her best to hold her own.
The storyline is artfully interwoven with both pathos and genuine emotional engagement, from Tom finding love again, to now Head Butler, Thomas Barrow finding a like-minded partner, albeit in secret.
The charm of an era that was already fading, was depicted in the pomp and ceremony of the day, with the visit from the Queen to Downton Abbey and the Ball held in her honour at a nearby Country Estate. The hierarchy of the servants as they vie for position within their own household, and their own delightfully devilish plan as they endeavour to dethrone the overly zealous Royal servants ‘in waiting’.
I defy anyone not to love the movie, as it is beautifully filmed and wonderfully performed, the script providing all the humour, drama, sentiment and excitement of the day, whilst raising questions of class and prejudice that still exist a hundred years on, and rear their heads in our Society today.
Downton Abbey is pure escapism, and I can only fully recommend this film which will no doubt stand the test of time, in a World where everything took just a little bit longer.
July 12, 2026 100 BC Julius Caesar 1854 George Eastman 1895 Oscar Hammerstein II 1927 Frank Windsor 1928 Kathy Staff 1935 Roy Barraclough 1937 Bill Cosby 1943 Christine McVie 1947 Gareth Edwards
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