Values

Good morning blog o’mine!

Hope you are all well dear readers, I have had the same phrase running through my head this morning

“I value myself, I value my time and I value my gifts”

At first I wasn’t sure why this particular phrase was repeating on a loop, was it a blog, a poem, or an affirmation?  I do value myself (took a long time but I’m getting there), I do value my time and I not only value but an extremely grateful for my gifts and talents – they have, and continue, to take me on an amazing journey.

So, I meditated on it, and the answer came to me that the phrase is a response to the oft repeated question………. Should I charge for my readings and healings?

I have, in the past, struggled with this poser, purely as we were in the middle of a double-dip recession and money is tight for everyone.

I realised while pondering the phrase, that I go to work 8 – 6(ish) and while I am there I work my butt off to do a good job for my Employer, I take breaks but for the most part I sit at my desk doing what my employer wants me to, what he employed me to do – and at the end of the month he pays me for the great job that I’ve done.  He values my time and effort and pays me accordingly.   It should be no different for someone giving their time and energy to supply a service for the ‘client’.

Working with energy is tiring, even when you are shielded up and protected, it still takes time, ‘effort’ and the use of the healers home, or their travel to your home.  So, why should they not ask you to place the same value on them and their services as a regular ‘employer’ would – I would go so far as to say they are employed – they work for the Universe and answer to the Divine.

A reader/healers time is just as valuable as yours, they give up their time to aid and comfort and guide others.

Now, there are those out there that ‘fake’ it and charge a fortune to do that – I can’t comment on that, it is their life Path and they will walk it without either my censure or my approval. 

All I can do is warn you to listen to your intuition, your gut, if it feels hinky then leave, you don’t have to stay, if you are not satisfied with your reading or healing session then speak to the person, if they are worth their salt then they will take time to either explain your feelings or do something further to help you – no-one should leave you scared, frightened or upset.

As to cost, there is no set price some are cheaper than others, that is down to them and their value of their worth, cheaper doesn’t mean rubbish and expensive doesn’t mean they are the best.

Most healers/readers work by word of mouth, and the majority of the people I know personally find it almost painful to advertise how wonderful they are (again there are exceptions to that rule).   

Personally, I think I still struggle with the charge/no charge issue, but I value myself, I value my time and my gifts – so I will always be open to an energy exchange, it doesn’t have to be money……

There you go my ponderings

Respect

Good evening blog o’mine, 

Something has been rumbling round my brain lately, yep, I know something else to waffle about….

I consider myself to be a tolerant person, I respect others opinions, I respect their right to be who they are without my input, but just lately I’ve noticed that I’m becoming less and less tolerant of rudeness.

I don’t mean swearing, although I would prefer to have a conversation or read something on the internet without the constant F’s and C’s …. But, that is (again) their choice and who am I to judge their vocabulary?

The rudeness I am talking about is the complete and utter disregard for others,  I’ve noticed several times lately when in conversations there is no eye contact, there is no consideration of the other point of view and tempers have flared on more than one occasion …. I should point out here that I am not involved in these conversations I am merely an observer….

I’ve also noticed that there is no holding open of doors, no ‘Good Mornings’ or ‘Night alls’  – people tend to move in their ‘circles’ of friends but even then there is no acknowledgement when people come in or go out ………. And if someone sneezes there are zero ‘Bless yous’… other than me……….

Am I old fashioned?  Am I totally out of touch with the world??  I do feel sometimes that I am living in a parallel universe. 

I have to giggle as I am typing this I am listening to the track “Have a Little Respect” – how apt…

Manners cost nothing, politeness doesn’t mean you are weak, and having some respect for others should be ingrained from birth, in my opinion.

I know that respect is earned and is not a given, but I’m talking about respecting others on a purely basic level here….. It does make me wonder how these people react outside of work, is this lack of interaction purely for the office?

I think, that if we did have more respect for others, more please and thank-you’s, more consideration then the world would be a much happier and pleasant place for all that dwell here….

If that makes me old-fashioned then so be it, I’d rather be old-fashioned than young and hip anyday :)

Love and angel blessings to you all

Lesley x x x

And the circle ever turns....

.......... and isn't it a wonderful ride :)

I am feeling very blessed and happy today, I am booking workshops and taking courses, sharing the wonderful healing of the Angels and strengthing my connection to my Guardian Angels and listening to my intuitions and guides ....

A few weeks ago I was having a lovely conversation with someone that I have known for a while and it was mentioned that I might like to host my Rune workshop down in Portsmouth.  Today that germ of an idea has become a reality and I will be in Portsmouth in September spreading the wisdom of the Runes .... if you had told me a few months ago that I would be doing this I'd have laughed out loud!

It's not that I don't trust the Runes, or that I don't believe in the messages that they give me - it's because of the lack of self-esteem... You see I totally believed the people that told me that I wasn't good enough!

At this point I would like to do a shout out to my Bestie - Trish Sheridan, she's been telling me for years that I need to get out there and work with my Runes and 'share the wealth' and I've resisted, I've dallied and I've pooh pooh'ed the idea - then back in October last year the lovely Sue Owen asked me to host a workshop at her house and before I knew it I'd said yes .......... now here I am working on my fourth workshop......... two in September and I'm actually holding one at my house - time to let the Runes lead me where they want to go .....

I don't know everything there is to know about the Runes, I don't profess to be an expert and I am by no means conventional in the way that I use the Runes - but here's the thing - I don't think it matters they are by definition an oracle of mysteries and no-one really knows about them ....

So, here's to a new journey, an exciting journey and one that I know will be an adventure ....

Mirror personalities ......

This is something that has been rumbling round my brain for a while - so I thought I'd get it out and put it somewhere where I can see it in black and white and muse upon it ....

First of all - what is a Mirror personality - well, in my opinion they are the people that always seem to be in a group, when you are talking they have had exactly the same experiences as the other people in the group.... sometimes 'bigger and better' .... you know the ones if you have a bad experience in a shop, so did they.  If you have an emotional issue, so do they and they can then empathise with you and you find yourself sharing details that you wouldn't normally .... they get really close to you and you call them friend......

In my experience, a person with a mirror personality has no substance once you scratch the surface, they have no real experiences only what they have heard from other people and these people soon lose friends and find themselves going from group to group and when things go bad it's 'always' the other person, they are jealous, they are bullying, they are manipulative etc.

The 'mirror' will always reflect back to you what you are thinking and feeling, they will come across as the best friend you have ever had - they just so get you! ..... but, in reality they are doing the exact same thing to everyone else that they have in their circle ....

I have, fortunately, only met a handful of people that I would call 'mirrors' and it's always been a relationship that has ended badly - and yep, I've done the whole 'it must be me' thing, where I have blamed myself - I mean how can this person be to blame - they sooooo got me and I must have let them down right?  Wrong! .... a 'mirror' doesn't have real feelings for anyone - they are chameleon like in their dealings with people and when someone comes along that can give them more or are more useful to them then they discard friends like yesterday's newspapers ....

Unfortunately, the downside of knowing a 'mirror' is that once you realise how you have been manipulated and used it's hard to trust - this personality is likely to be quite popular and therefore when the 'friendship' ends you end up losing more than one person as the 'mirror' has gone round the 'group' reflecting back to them all what they want to see .... so, how do you learn to trust again?

Be true to yourself, learn to love yourself, allow yourself to grieve and allow yourself to forgive yourself and them, they can't help their personality and you deserve to know that you did nothing wrong .... forgiveness doesn't mean that you forget, and compassion doesn't mean that you condone - all it means is that you shed light on the part of yourself that needed to be in front of the mirror in the first place ..... it's hard, it's upsetting and it's, at times totally de-moralising, but it's worthwhile...

Eventually, all mirrors lose their shine and begin to crack but by then, you will be surrounded by the love of real friends that don't just reflect back to you but show you when you are wrong, guide you when you are lost and hug you when the going gets tough .....

To an extent we are all 'mirrors' we all have public masks that we put on before we allow people to get close to us and for them to see the real us, the authentic 'warts and all' us.  How can you tell a 'mirror' personality to a genuine person?  Look at how they act, are they the same with everyone, or do they change 'personalities' when they are in different settings?  A 'mirror' will always reflect the environment they are in - so if you are in a group and the group is gossiping and the 'mirror' is slating someone that you've seen them be everso friendly with before - then chances are they are just reflecting so that they can be liked....

Don't be a 'mirror' - show your true self - and let the people that love you really love you warts an all

love and angel blessings to you all

Lesley x x x

Muses of a rambling mind .....

Whoa, been a while since I blogged anything – being honest I’ve not really had much to say, that’s not to say that things haven’t happened that have either riled me up or had me jumping for joy, just that the things that have happened have been really rather personal…. 

Strange as it is that I, the biggest advocate for journaling, has suddenly gone so quiet … well, a lot of that is to do with the things I do want to discuss, putting them into words gives energy to the whole situation and being honest, I’m happier when I’m keeping my energy to do the healing work with and for my clients ……… 

The other day on FB I received a message berating me for ‘deleting’ someone and having my whole attitude called into question, I replied politely to that message but it did get me thinking about things – and I realised that a few short months ago that message would have had me begging for forgiveness and desperately trying to right the wrong that I had inadvertently done to this person.  Why?  This person hadn’t connected with me via FB in months and I would never be able to meet them in person, they aren’t blood family, so why would I be desperate to keep them in my life?  

It is all down to insecurity, I believed that my worth was based on how my friends perceived me, how could I be this all loving, all caring person if so and so didn’t like me, how could I be a healer if I had someone throwing me daggers from the other room.  

But that idea is all wrong, I don’t need people to validate my worth, I need to validate my worth, I need to know that I am good, loving, caring and compassionate.  I need to know that decisions I make for myself are based on what is best for my Soul’s Path in this lifetime.  I will make mistakes, I will ‘slip up’ and that’s part of the journey that I contracted into in this lifetime.  No-one is perfect and everyone makes those mistakes, it’s all about how you react to those mistakes do you take the situation personally and then change who you are and what you believe to fit someone else’s mould? 

I have been on a lot of courses, I have worked hard for the credentials that I have, I’ve cried buckets and sweated blood to get where I am today, and yet until recently I still held others journeys up against mine and found myself lacking, I devoted hours of energy worrying about why they had the ‘good stuff’ while I was still floundering in a sea of confusion, lost in a fog of incomprehension.

I fretted and worried at it like a wobbly tooth, causing myself more pain and angst.  I read books, I said affirmations, I waited patiently for the ‘good stuff’ to come (I’m not talking material wealth here) and I waited, and I waited and I waited …….. 

Finally, I realised that I was sabotaging myself, by trying to be everything to everyone I wasn’t honouring myself, I wasn’t savouring the moment that I was in, I was searching for a future that wasn’t here yet.  I, finally, realised that tho I could respect others and their journey’s I had no need to be jealous or worried that they were doing better than me because they weren’t wearing my shoes, and I certainly wasn’t wearing theirs…. They have their own insecurities and worries, I realised that they may look at others and be just as ‘jealous’.  It is human nature to be in ‘competition’ and to want to be like those we hold to a high esteem, but these people are human too and they still put their trousers on ‘one leg at a time’. 

I finally realised that they are no better or worse than me and that although I admire or admired them, they still have feet of clay. 

I now work very closely with my Angelic guides to help me to become the best ME there is, it may mean that I delete more off of FB, it may mean that I branch out and do more courses, or it may mean that I do more of what I am already doing.  The one thing I can guarantee is that it will be my Path, and it will be taken one step at a time at a pace that is right for me… 

So, for someone who had nothing to say – I think I said a lot! 

Love and angel blessings to all 

Lesley x x x 

Ooops - I knew it had been a while......

Oh dear - I knew it had been a while since I'd done any blogging - but didn't realise quite how long ...

So, what's been happening with me ... well.... I'm now an Angelic Reiki Master Practitioner, a Colour Threapist and still working full time - life is hectic in a good way with work, home, family, clients and workshops ....

The downside - I don't have as many hours in the day that I would like ..

It's rather odd that I've always been one for chronicling my thoughts in a journal either a paper one or online, but recently I just haven't felt the need to get things down as much as I used to ...

Today I have been updating my business web page - please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think http://arcofangellight.weebly.com/ ...

I have been toying with the idea of making a post a month about crystals - so watch this space - or don't if it doesn't come to fruition ...

That's all from me for today - short but sweet - I hope life is treating you well and that you know you are surrounded by the love of the Angels whereever you are.

love and Angel Blessings to you all

Lesley x x x

Growing pains ......

Today has been all about me being a big grown up and not the normal bouncy happy go-lucky lady that I normally am......

I've been dealing with my accountant and setting up a bank account for Arc of Angel Light and boy, does that make me feel growed up and 'portant .... although I have to say dealing with that side of things does suck all the joy, wonder and fun out of doing this ...... well, it could if I didn't have an extremely lovely accountant, who is an absolute angel at answering my questions :D

It did get me thinking about how far I have grown in just the four months since I opened my business, yes, I'm running at a financial loss but the things I have done, the people I have met and the courses I've taken have opened up more and more avenues and excitement for me and more than make up for the pitful bank account and that feels me with such pride and awe. 

Back in October I made the decision that I would walk this branch of the Path, at the time I was like a toddler with the training wheels taken off... I worried and fretted that I couldn't do it on my own, I stressed about how I would meet people and therefore how would I 'network' and 'sell my wares' and all that stress and worry came to nought!  The Angels provided for me when I handed it all over to them with a 'here you go, I trust you'

 LOL - that's not to say that I still don't fret and stress ... just maybe not as much!

I have been incredibly blessed with the most amazing mentor and friend who is showing me the way and doubly blessed with my bestie who is my sounding board, kick butter extradoinaire and chief cheerleader.  She's come a long way with me and I thank the Angels every day for her.

Blessings to you all

Lesley x x x

Full time worker - part time Witch ......

Does that sound familiar??  I must admit it is a struggle when you work full time in an office to be anything other than a part time Witch,  .... I work full time and have a house that despite my best efforts doesn't stay tidy all by itself and a family that I need to give some of my time too .... there often doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day .... but I try!

Balance is something that we all strive for, for a lot of people that's merely the balance of the highs and lows of life, but for us modern working away from home Witches the balance is more of making time for our Spirituality, finding time to meditate when the dishes need doing, having a moment in nature when the office is demanding our attention........... so, how do we achieve this.

I try to incorporate my Spirital side into my working day, I wear my pentacle ring, I have crystals underneath the computer monitor and those moments when I am alone in the loo I will do a quick ground and centre and say thank you for the good (and bad) moments...

At home, I'll have a five minute meditation while in the shower, I'll stir in love and harmony into the food I'm preparing.  I'll read a book or go out into the garden and whilst 'weeding' I'll be thanking the Angels and my guides for the blessings of the day :D

I've spoken to people that assume that to be a Witch you need to be casting spells and practising the Craft every minute of the day - it's not possible - well, not for me.  In the office I need to promote a professional image, I need to dedicate my working hours to the people that pay me, I can't be 'messing' with herbs and potions.

But, I can be repeating my affirmations in my head, I can (under the pretext of thinking) get in a quick ground and centre or gratitude prayer.  I can stir my tea while saying a spell in my head.  We don't (and some of us still can't) wear our robes and 'witchy' clothes into a professional environment but we can wear jewellery, we can carry crystals and we can take time out in our lunchtime to do a quick card pull ...

It's not easy, I struggle to find the time to do all I wish, I would love to be able to stay at home and devote my every waking moment to my Path, but, this is the hand I have been dealt and I am doing the best that I can, when I can, in those moments that present themselves.

with love to you all

Lesley x x x

Blue skies, sunshine and feeling good....

Isn't it amazing that as soon as the sun shines, after what was admitedly the soggiest February I can remember, everyone seems so much happier and willing to smile....

Today I purchased a crystal ball ready for my Angelic Reiki Master Practitioner course - so looking forward to that - and to making a connection with my crystal ball :D

I also purchased a set of oracle cards to add to my ever expanding sets of oracle cards - these tho are purely for my use and I don't think at this stage I will be using them to read for others - but never say never eh?

Short blog from me today as I'm off now to enjoy a glass of wine and the sunshine :D

love and angel blessings to all

Lesley x x x ^i^

To charge or not to charge - that is the question???

I had an interesting discussion last night on whether to charge or not for the services I provide and it's always been a bit of a conundrum for me.

So, do I charge or not charge... I do both, I am running a business yes, but I am also aware that not everyone has a stash of spare cash hanging around.

If, I am spending a lot of time on something, like writing Rune lessons, then yes I do charge a minimum, because it's my time that is being used and the feedback on each lesson will not be just a 'yeah ok' but will help and grow that persons knowledge.

Equally, if I am giving a Reiki treatment or a Crystal healing, then I would charge as I have had to pay out to learn and you could look at it as me re-couping my costs.

However, if I offer a service like a mini reading then I probably wont charge as I've asked you; not you asking me - does that make sense - so I don't charge ALL the time for my services.

So to charge or not to charge........... it's still the question that poses the most problems to me :) - how do you feel about it?

love Lesley x x x ^i^

Are you really a Witch.....????

image courtesy of Anne Stokes 

When I talk to people I'm often asked "Am I really a Witch as I don't cast spells" - well, if that's the criteria then I'm not a witch, neither are a good few of the other witches I know and love,

Spell casting is really a very small part of being a witch and on the other hand its a HUUUUGE part.  You see ............ no.......... confused?

What I mean is that I rarely sit down and cast an actual spell with the cauldron bubbling and the incense burning and sending my intent for a specific outcome, however, I do on a daily basis put intent into everything I do.

When I stir the food on the stove I pour in love, health and happiness, when I am feeling blue or out of sorts I will say my affirmations I AM.......... two of the most important words in my opinion.

Basically, there are many ways to 'cast a spell' without all the fuss and hullabaloo that a full on ritual requires, don't get me wrong I quite like all the majesty of a full ritual - but for us modern witches, sometimes time is of the essence....

So, are you a Witch, if you feel it - then you are!

love and blessings to all

Lesley x x x ^i^

Rune talks, lessons and workshops

I shall be giving a talk at this Mind, Body and Spirit Spring Fair - and it's way outside my comfort zone but that to me is what walking this Path is all about sharing knowledge...

Saying that I have been approached to write some Rune lessons which I would love to do - but that became the tussle inwardly do I or don't I charge - I'm all for one giving our knowledge to others but I also have to factor in my time and effort to write the lessons and then 'mark' them - so I settled on an energy exchange of £3 per lesson which is less than a packet of 10 cigarettes, I still feel a bit bad about it tho :(

I will also be doing a workshop in June about Runes - and I believe this is sold out already :o !!!

Seems I'm doing a lot of rune stuff :D and it's great as I love my runes :D

love and blessings to all

Lesley x x x ^i^

Joining the 21st Century

Oh my - how technology stumps me sometimes ...........

I have just joined twitter as my business and all I wanted to do was add it so that Twitter would update both or FB would update twitter ........ I think I've done it :P

It seems that the more techonology we have the more and more I want to retreat and not be accessible 24/7 and not read a book on a kindle - I much prefer reading a good book and turning the pages - I like the smell of a book and I like that when I put it down it will stay right there and not tempt me with adverts or games or status updates as well as being a book!

That said I do love my kindle and my laptop and my iPhone - they make my life easy - now if they could just make a cup of tea occassionally ..............

love and blessings to you all

Lesley x x x ^i^ 

Oh My ....

Has it really been a month since I last blogged - oops - well I guess that's what happens when you get busy ...

I have been incredibly busy with work often working weekends as well as into the night and it's taken it's toll on me - and I've now been forced to stay at home and rest and relax ..... so I've been 'tangling' LOL and very enjoyable it has been too ...

The coloured one is the first attempt ....

I've also acquired a bookshelf in the front room which I've made into an altar for Lakshmi

 Personally, I think this is really calming - and unfortunately just after this photo was taken the puppy got hold of the wee broom you can see and had a little chew fest .... :(

Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth, Abundance, Love and beauty and well like I said I do find this altar to be particularly pretty :D it turned out well :D

So, that's what I've been up to ........ what about you?

love

Lesley x x x

Crystals, Readings and More Readings

Whoot, I am now a Certified Crystal Therapist, I'm so blessed to be able to add this string to my bow, put this gun in my arsenal, have this ace in my deck .......... pick your metaphor - truth is I'm a happy chappy!!!

I've also had a couple of personal readings done on me (well d'oh that's what personal means kiddo) and they are so very accurate...

I have spent a lot of time investing in myself lately, investing in my dream and seeing it come to fruition, ok, I still have to work on the patience aspect of myself as I'm not a particulary patient person - at work, in traffic jams, in crowded supermarkets I am the eptimome of patience - when it comes to me and my Path - nope I want it now!!!!

I have always wanted to teach, I have always wanted to help people to grow to be the best that they can be in whatever they choose to be - when I was little I wanted to teach and I find myself coming back to that dream - not in a school teaching English or History - but teaching about love, healing, crystals, runes, witchcraft yep, I so want to do that .... it's in my makeup ....

I had a Soul Reading today and that echo'd that want in me - and said that I teach without knowing sometimes - something that has been said to me on more than once ... so, how to go about the teaching well, that's the question ............

So, I will put it to the Universe - I am ready, willing and able to teach all that I know to others that want to learn, please help me, guide me to put this into place so that I can spread light and love.  Thank you x

love and blessings to all

Lesley x x x

Full Circle ....

Well, I've come full circle ... and it feels great :)

I have been part of a Coven, I've been a Solitary and I have to be honest and say that I am at my happiest doing my own thing ....

As an Empath, when I work with others I find that I put a lot of myself into what they want and how they want to do things - anything for a quiet life me .... but that doesn't necessarily serve my highest Self, and at times I have lost myself into their dream ....

So, to come full circle and be a Solitary studying at my own pace and studying what I feel serves me is both liberating and exhilarating - I don't have to worry that my opinion is in opposition to anothers - I can just be me without having to fret!

I do miss the sharing of ideas, I do miss the fun and laughter and so I've joined an online community where I can come and go as I please and do what feels right for me at the time - yep, I've come full circle .........

I've been doing a lot of Shadow work in the weeks since I last posted here - and it's been both painful and enlightening - I've come to realise that I'm not a bad person.......... in fact, I quite like me :D

Today, I spent the day with a friend and we had a lot of laughs and giggles and it made me realise that life should be celebrated and we should not have to spend our time worrying what other people think and feel about us ........... it's not our issue and we can't change their opinions anyway - so lets celebrate us being us..........

love n blessings

Lesley x x x