Thursday, April 20, 2017

The Law of Attraction is not Enough | Design Life

Hello and welcome to the DesignLife blog where we discuss Holistic Beauty, Personal Development and a little bit of Magic!

It's no secret that I believe in the Law of Attraction, but that's not really the right way of putting it. That's like saying "I believe in the Law of Gravity" (which makes it sound like some people don't, and we all know that that is ridiculous because whether or not someone believes in the Law of Gravity, it still exists and influences their lives). If you don't believe in Gravity or if you don't even know about it (e.g. babies), that doesn't mean you float around the surface of the Earth, no, whether or not you believe in or know of Gravity, it's true.

That's how the Law of Attraction works too. It's not some vague or ill-defined religious or spiritual belief, especially associated with The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (no offence, of course, I've watched it many times and I loved reading The Magic, too). I just have this feeling though that many people see it as some sort of airy-fairy new-agey mumbo-jumbo (no I don't talk like that in real life so I have no idea why I just wrote it), but in actual fact, as much as Gravity is natural law, so is Attraction. We live in an Attraction based Universe where when you put out specific vibrations, that is what is going to come back to you. The most perfect way I have ever heard this explained is like this: Think of it like a radio. Somehow magically (science can explain it, but I can't) when you set your radio to the right station it matches up with something that is being transmitted somewhere you have no idea about but then boom! Once you are on the right frequency you hear whatever is being played there in your car! Magic.

You work in a similar way. Many people say it's your thoughts that that attract similar thoughts into your life like, "think about your perfect lover and he/she will come into your life, because you attracted them by thinking of them". That's not true. Thoughts don't become things, you don't bring about what you think about.

I used to believe this. I used to be so obsessed with the Law of Attraction and thought I could change my life by thinking about the things I want. I pictured so many different things in my life and yet it never worked for me and OMG did I hate on myself for "screwing it up". I could see it working for other people, I knew it was Truth, and I hated myself for not being able to "do it right". Until quite recently I figured out I wasn't doing anything wrong. I just didn't understand the bigger picture. But finally I do. Follow with me carefully, thoughts don't become things. You don't bring about what you think about.

You bring about WHAT YOU FEEL about what you think about. 

So let's say there are two people from different places, Jason and Tamsyn. So Jason and Tamsyn are both thinking about money for something they want to buy (let's say they both want to go on holiday). Within a week of planning for this holiday Tamsyn wakes up one morning to find out a friend is returning some money they borrowed from her (so long ago she had forgotten about it). Later that same day she saves 50% on her movie ticket and popcorn because she's the 100th customer that day. A few days later someone offers her a ridiculous amount of money to act in a short commercial that she has the perfect look for. And so on and so on. Within a short period of time, she has accumulated enough money to go on a pretty extravagant holiday.

Jason, on the other hand, wakes up one morning and goes about his day as usual. He works really hard at his job and he's able to put a little away each month for his holiday, but sometimes unforeseen things come up and he has to dip into his savings... It takes him a whole year to save up enough money to go on a short holiday, but he did enjoy being able to take his well-deserved break.

Tamsyn and Jason were both thinking about what they wanted (money) so that they could go on a holiday. So WHY (whywhywhywhy I kept asking myself) did it come so EASY to Tamsyn, but not to  Jason, if they were both thinking of the same thing? 

Because of how they felt about money. When Tamsyn planned for the holiday and started budgeting she felt pretty good, because she knew that money comes easy to hear in all kinds of ways so when she thought about saving up for this holiday, she felt excited, because she knew it was going to happen soon and she was excited to see how the money is going to show up in her life. Jason, on the other hand, felt nervous, because he didn't know how he was going to be able to save money with all the other bills he has to pay each month... When he thought about saving money for his holiday, he felt worried. Do you see the difference?

The Law of Attraction is neutral, it doesn't hear you say NO I don't want that or YES I do want that. It responds to the vibrations (feelings) you emit when you think about that thing. So if you think about MONEY and you feel nervous you are going to get more of that, but if you think about MONEY and you feel really excited you are going to get more of that. You bring about what you feel about what you think about.

Of course, I might argue that it comes down to beliefs. Tamsyn believed money would come easy to her, so she feels good when she thinks about money, so money flows easily into her life experience. Jason believed that you had to work really hard for just enough money to get by, so he feels worried often when thinking about money, so money doesn't flow easily into his life experience. If you can change your beliefs about things in life (and beliefs are only practiced thoughts so of course they can be changed), then you can change the way you feel, which will change what you attract into your life experience which will change your whole life! Exciting stuff.

I used to be so obsessed with the Law of Attraction and getting it to work for me. But the thing is, the Law of Attraction is always working, and I was getting more of what I was feeling about the things I was thinking about. I was getting the change that I wanted, but it came about with a lot of difficulty and effort and it didn't feel good. So I got more of that.

I realized there has to be something missing. And that my friend, as I have discovered recently, is the most important Law. Or it should rather be called an Art. The Art of Allowing.













Friday, April 14, 2017

The Numbers Game | Design Life

Hello and welcome to the DesignLife blog where we discuss Holistic Beauty, Personal Development and a little bit of Magic! 

I don't usually post blogs more than once a week, however, today I decided to blog about something that I often get asked about. A few weeks ago, Hanco and I did a vlog wherein we shared a fun game we play with everybody who watches our videos. If you want to check out the vlog first, here it is 👉  (trust me, there's a reason for that photo in the thumbnail! The video is worth a watch, even if I do say so myself).



The game we play in this vlog is called The Numbers Game. However, his is just one of the games we play (we also play The #HappyThingsGame). The Numbers Game is really easy and the reason why we play it, is because Hanco and I believe that we (not just us, but all people) create our own luck. We are Creators of our own happiness and magic and things don't just happen to us, we are the Creators of our life experience, whether we create consciously or unconsciously, we are always creating with our thoughts, our feelings, what we say and what we do. We are the creators of our own luck and happiness, because we are in control of the meaning that we give to things in our lives. What we see and the experiences we have are interpreted by us. This belief is also included in the #HappyThingsGame. You can watch that video here  ðŸ‘‰ 



As I explain in the video, things and experiences are neutral until we give them meaning from our individual perspectives. Rain, for example, is a neutral occurrence. When I am sleeping, warm in my bed and it starts to rain outside, I am not even aware of the rain. It has no effect on me, therefore the rain (from my perspective) is irrelevant. When a bride has planned her wedding outside on a specific date and everybody has showed up in their most beautiful clothes, ready to celebrate one of the most special days of her life with her and it starts to rain, the rain will be interpreted by her as a disaster! But, when a farmer has suffered a great financial loss as a result of a draught that has carried on for months... The moment it starts to rain, he will fall to his knees in gratitude, because from his perspective, the rain is a blessing. Three people, three perspectives, the same thing = rain. Money is neutral, places are neutral, words are neutral until we give them meaning

So, back to The Numbers Game. Seeing as Hanco and I believe we create our own luck and we give meaning to the things in our lives, we chose to see numbers as lucky. Especially repeating numbers.We believe, numbers are a universal language, so to speak, because people speak different languages and call the same things different words and we can pretty much change whatever we want when it comes to languages (I mean, we just recently started inventing words like bae and given a whole new meaning to words like "ship" and "lit"), but NUMBERS are universal. Numbers, unlike language, was not created by us. Honestly, I do not have the capability to explain anything mathematical to you, but numbers (like any truth) don't need to be understood to be true. 

(If you are interested in reading more about this topic in general, why not start with this article: click here.)

Anyway, to cut my long story short, I did some research and found an interesting science called Numerology. Numerology is the study of numbers and the manner in which they reflect certain aptitudes and character tendencies, as an integral part of the cosmic plan. As some of you may know, I don't believe in any singular truth (I'm not sure if this is the exact right way to put it, but anyway...), but as I've said before, I do believe that we give meaning to the things and events in our lives. So, Hanco and I decided to make up a numbers game. How it works, is if you see repeating numbers (especially numbers like 111,222, 333...), this is a really good message from the Universe that brings us good luck! See below for some of the meanings: 

111: Make a WISH. Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts are manifesting instantly into form. Focus only upon your desires and not upon your fears.

222: The Universe is sending you good luck in LOVE. Focus on the good things in your relationship, keep the faith and more love is flowing to you right now. 

333: Is a beautiful, spiritual message. God is reminding you, you are never alone. The number 3 refers to the trinity, and means that you are receiving divine protection, help, and guidance. If you do not believe in the concept of the trinity, this message is from whoever God is for you that you are never alone

444: This is a good sign about your job/career/dream. It means that you should pay attention to your intuition and inner wisdom when it comes to any topic about your career or dreams about your career. Good vibes are being sent to that part of your life right now. Number 444 is a message that you have nothing to fear in regards to your life, work and Divine life purpose. 

555: We have chosen number 555 to be all about friendship (because we high give our good friends only okay 🙄 ). So their is a lot of good vibes being sent to your relationships with your friends right now. If you're having trouble with a friend, this means that it'll be okay soon. If you're looking for new, more positive relationships in your life, this is a sign that it is well on the way!

666: We have chosen number 666 to be all about family. Parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, cousins etc. These people are part of your family for a reason. Number 666 reminds you of your ability to use your imagination and the intellect combined to bring about positive outcomes in this area of your life. Good thoughts bring about good things! 

777: This number is super powerful and it's all about how you feel about yourself. Self-love is the start of all love. When you see this number, it's like a wink from the Universe reminding you that you are looking great 😉  inside and out! You are a beautiful (or handsome) spiritual being and you look amazing right now! This number should give your confidence a little boost whenever you need it! 

888: This number is one of my favorites as it's all about abundance, financial freedom and independence! Angel Number 888 indicates that financial and material abundance is on its way into your life and suggests that you will receive unexpected rewards for past abundant vibrations you sent out into the world. Exciting!

999: Number 999 can be a strong suggestion that a phase (or phases) in your life is/are coming to a definite end and you can expect many closures in your life. This is a good thing, because it is preparing you to begin a wonderful new part of your life. It can be anything from a new relationship, to a new way of thinking, to a new style or whatever your life needs in that moment. 

000: This number means you get to choose any of the numbers above! Where do you need the most luck in that moment? Confidence? Relationships? Feelings of abundance? Ask and you will receive! 
Remember though, that this is just a reminder that you can choose what you want, but in actual fact, the Universe will give it ALL to you whenever you want! 

ALL OF THIS is available to you whenever you truly ask for it! The numbers only pop up as a reminder and you can play this game whenever you want to feel good and tap into some really good vibes 🙋 Have fun playing! 




Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Why Tarot and my Concept of God | Design Life

Hello and welcome to the DesignLife blog where we discuss Holistic Beauty, Personal Development and a little bit of Magic!

A very long time ago, on my first blog, I wrote about why I do tarot card readings, but I felt like I wrote it out of a position of defense and as if I needed to explain myself. It was a very long post and I intend to keep this short and sweet, just as a means to inform rather than defend. I would love to share these kinds of blog posts freely on all of my social media accounts and yet I am hesitant. Not because I am unsure or ashamed by my beliefs, but because I am wary of the closed-minded people who, even though their religions speak of love and kindness, usually respond with hateful and unkind words when they are confronted with something (like tarot cards) that they have yet to understand the purpose of.

Firstly, I'll summarise what it is that I believe. I do believe there is a God, or rather, a Source from which we all flowed. This Source is Love. But Source is not male, nor female. To give God human attributes like these is a little ridiculous, as God transcends human beings. That is to say, God goes beyond our limits, but not that God is above us, we are still connected to Source and we can choose whether or not to allow the flow. I don't believe we can truly stop the flow, only stifle it.

One of my favorite stories to use illustrate my concept of God is the story of the blind men and the elephant. In most versions of the parable, it tells of a group of blind men who come upon an elephant and touch the elephant to learn what it is like. Each one feels a different part, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk or the tail or its foot. They then compare what it is they feel and learn that they are in complete disagreement.

In some of the versions of the stories, the men become very angry and violent about what they believe to be true. Each person tries to convince the others that what he feels is true. For example, one man is arguing that it's something with a pointed end (the tusk) while another man disagrees and says that it is something round and wide like a tree trunk (the foot) and even another gets angry, because he knows it's flat and leathery (the ear). So the men keep fighting and arguing about what it is that they have encountered.

What the story implies is that your subjective experience can be true, but that the experience is inherently limited by its failure to account for other truths or a totality of truth (thanks Wikipedia). In other words, even though each blind man is telling the truth from his perspective, he is blind and cannot account for what is the entire truth. The elephant has a tusk and a foot and a tail etcetera, but the elephant is not it's tusk or foot or tail. It's part of the elephant, not the other way around.

This is how I see God and all the major religions. We are taught by religion to believe without seeing, which is called faith. And I believe we are taught this because we don't possess the capabilities right now to SEE the entire Truth, which is God, which is Love. We connect to God through our religion, we feel God's presence by practicing the rituals our religion teaches us (Christmas, the Sabbath, praying and even things like circumcision which connects each male Jewish child to God's covenant with Abraham and with all of Abraham's descendants or the central act of Hindu worship which is puja - a ritual to engage the senses of both the devotee and the gods).

But what if (and this is what I believe) each religion is just a part of a higher truth, that we can't comprehend, because we are spiritually blind? We are taught to believe by faith, because we can't see God. So what if when we do, we realize that we have forever been fighting for no reason, all this time we have each been right in our own way. Each of us had hold of Truth, just not the entire Truth. I'm definitely not saying I'm right, because how would I know if I couldn't see? But I will tell you this... I feel closer to God now than I ever have before, even though I don't have a specific religion which teaches me who God is supposed to be, because now I experience God through my own experience and not based upon the experience of others. I can choose to connect in ways that brings me closer to God. Closer than I would feel when I force myself to go to church to "find" God. As if God were something outside of myself that I need to find. God is not above us, not below us, not around us. God is inside of us.

I would go so far as to say, we are of God, therefore we are God. Each and everyone of us, whether we are allowing the flow or quenching it, we cannot remove ourselves from that which we have come. As much as we need God, God needs us, otherwise we wouldn't be. We are God's hands with which he feels, feet with which she walks, lungs with which it breathes... God is not hateful, God is not angry and God is not judgmental. God just is. God is God. God is Source. God is Love. And you are free to connect with Source through whichever religion feels most like God for you or not through a religion at all. You can meditate, or pray, or sing, or go to church, or be with beloved family and friends - you cannot "go to" God, because God doesn't stay somewhere waiting for you to come. God IS. God is in the air and in the sky and in the trees and in the ground and in our homes and in our hearts and we don't need to GO anywhere to connect, we just need to become aware.

When are you most aware of God's presence? When you are singing? When you are doing something you love? When you are at church? When you are praying at home? When you are driving on your way to a job that you are so grateful for? Mostly, we are aware of God when we are very grateful or we are very hurt, because our hearts are most open in those moments. Even though, mostly we only realize God was with us hindsight.

I am not arguing for my beliefs, I am merely laying them out for you to read about if you choose to. If you don't like reading about what I believe, then don't. I am open to your thoughts and any questions, but I am not interested in any argument about how wrong I am and that I need to accept Jesus into my life otherwise I will go to hell. You are welcome to share your truth on your own social platforms, as I have shared mine, so that you can connect with or "salvage souls"who are also looking for your truth. I am not sharing this to salvage any soul, because none of you are lost. You are all curious and amazing and I hope that you realize that. I am posting this to remind you that it's okay to ask questions and that you are allowed to connect with God in your way.

Shortly, about tarot cards... In the same way that many people pray for a sign, or they read their Bibles as a ritual to hear God speak to them, or some people go to a place of worship to sing and sometimes fall over, because the spirit takes over them... I connect with through my tarot readings. I speak to God all throughout each day with my words, my thoughts and my feelings and God always reflects it back to me. God, in my beliefs, is just another form of us and  an "see" things from a different perspective. So even thought I try my best to be aware of God all throughout each day, I choose to spend a few hours per month (on one day) to do a tarot reading. It's not some huge ritual, I  don't light candles (although I actually think that would be lovely) and like I used to open my Bible, knowing God would send me the message I need to hear, now I use the tarot cards. Because I can interpret them to how I feel, whereas with the Bible I felt that it was never really my own words (or God's words) but the many people who came before me to write and translate and re-write and re-translate everything in the Bible and I just don't connect with it anymore. However, with tarot cards, I feel more connected to God (or the Universe, or Source, or my Higher Self or whatever you want to call it).

Once again, even though I thought I could keep this short and sweet, I couldn't. No matter how much or how little I write, I would never be able to capture the true essence of God anyway. All I have left to say is, it doesn't matter how you connect with God, just that you do connect with God. And as long as you feel Love and Light and Joy when you do, there is no harm in how you connect, because God is Love and Light and Joy. And when you feel really, really feel the Love that is God, you can say nothing unkind and do nothing hateful, because God is not Unkind and God is not hateful. God just is Truth, and whether you believe it or deny, God does not change. God is, was and will always be.