Saying Goodbye to 2013 And Hello To 2014

2013 was a big year for a lot of people. I know it certainly was for me. I can honestly say it was one of the most challenging, and most transformational years I have had in a very long time. I learned so much about myself and others. I feel as thought I connected with a great mystery that brought deep understanding and yet at the same time it remained elusive. There were times I thought 2013 would break me, only to realize that by going into the fire I was burning away the dross. I was becoming purified. Just like the clay pot that goes into the fire to become a vessel to hold things, the challenges I faced (while seemingly insurmountable) made me stronger, more compassionate, more whole.Every year I like to find some kind of way to connect with the energy of the past year, a ceremony of sorts, whether it is through journalling,  meditating, or dancing, or some other way that feels right. Every year it is different, but every year I do something before the New Year to honour the one that is passing, to acknowledge it, and to let go of what I need to leave behind. That way I can face the New Year, Fresh and Clear and Hopeful.This is an exercise I have done in the past to help reflect upon the past year, and to help prepare for the energy and opportunities the new one  brings.I hope you find it a fun and enlightening experience.

Step 1: Review the past year and write down every major happening or event that stood out for you

Step 2: Once you have your list, ask yourself a few questions:

What made this year remarkable?

Who are the people who entered my life this year?

Who were the people who left it?

What were my greatest accomplishments/achievements?

What were my favorite times/moments?

What was the biggest disappointment?

What was the best surprise?

When I look back on the year, I could never have imagined_______(fill in the blank).

What was the most important thing you learned this year?

What was the single most important/significant event of the year?

How would I like next year to be different?

You can have fun doing this exercise alone, with a spouse or partner, with a good friend, or as a whole family. It’s remarkable to see all that you’ve accomplished, celebrated, and lived through during one year.

Reflecting upon 2013 allows you to carry forward the wisdom from the experiences you have had this past year, to help you decide what you would like to carry forward, and what you would like to leave behind. It helps you prepare for the Brand New Year and the opportunity 2014 brings, to consciously create your new reality and begin anew.

Biggest Blessings!

Kerri

In The Dark~ The Pre Christmas Blackout

Everyone has heard of the 12 days of Christmas. This year my family and I experienced the 4+ days of darkness.It was ironic because the day before the storm I was talking with my boys about what a pioneer Christmas would have been like, what their gifts were like, their meals etc. How they would have been grateful for the smallest of things. We have so much, so many conveniences, and so many 'things' we all take for granted. So it was a truly bizarre twist of fate not even 24 hours later to find ourselves without many of those conveniences we take for granted.Like many others in our area after the ice storm, we experienced loss of power and no heat in the days leading up to Christmas. The ice storm left all of the trees encased in ice. They looked truly beautiful. That is until the weight of the ice caused them to crack and lose limbs and be completely torn apart. We lost several trees. I love trees. I have always loved trees and this to me was devastating, and hopeless. there was nothing to do to help. The ice was too thick to crack off the branches. We just had to wait and hope it would thaw.Being without power or heat. That was not devastating. That was an adventure. Evenings spent by candlelight playing boardgames as a family. Cooking on the campstove, getting creative as to what to make for dinner. Days spent hiking outside. It was as though we were all in a cocoon with one another for 4 days. My boys could not watch tv, or get on their devices, or play video games. I could not do my Christmas newsletter or answer emails or catch up on all of my work stuff. We simply were. Our lives became remarkably simple. Cuddling up at night to stay warm. Phone battery dying from no way to recharge it. We were cut off from the rest of the world. For a few days stores were closed, so there was no where to go, nothing to do. My boys did not complain once. Thank goodness they are used to camping.Although cold and inconvenient we loved the adventure. We were certainly glad to have our power and heat restored on Christmas eve-especially since it was such a cold night that night, but overall we took the inconvenience and made something magical with it. I believe that in the years to come my children will remember this Christmas to be one of the simplest and most significant of all of our Christmases because we all spend huge amounts of quality time together. We shared and learned from one another.As for the other positives, I felt less guilty about my massive candle collection(I have a weakness for them), it was put to good use. Also I learned how to play chess a bit better. I hadn't played since I was 12 and all of my boys schooled me in the art of the game. They were merciless. Had out power not gone out we would not have had the experiences we had, the conversations we had, or the cuddling and bonding we all shared(my twins are 13 and oldest is 15 now-so those moments are rare!), and for that I am truly blessed.I am also grateful for those men and women who were out there working day and night to restore the power and services back for the rest of us, so we could be comfortable. They took time out of their holidays to help all of us.Now that the lights and the heat are back on, I am slowly re-entering the world outside. Earlier today I ventured into a store. I felt like I was from another planet as I wandered around for a solid 30 minutes just blown away by all of the things. Right now I have my computer back on and am trying to catch up on my to do list. Although it feels good to get things done, honestly right now I would rather be cuddled up in the dark with a few candles, a hot chocolate, and  trying to defend my king from my crafty 13 year old.I hope no matter how busy things have been or continue to be, that you can all enjoy some quiet simple moments this holiday season.Big Blessings,Kerri

Are You 'Wearing' Your Illness?

Please do not ever wear your illness.What does that even mean?I've noticed lately how we introduce ourselves has changed over the years. It used to be career or family or relationships that people identified with.Now people seem to introduce themselves with their illnesses or limitations. Whether its physical, mental, or emotional. At first I thought this was just happening to me. Once people realized I was a holistic practitioner, they would then proceed to share their medical history. But then it happened again the other day, with a person had never met me before, and did not know what I did for a living and it got me thinking. What is going on out there in the world that we feel the need to disclose personal health information with people we just meet? Is it that we are just more aware of our bodies? Or has social media created a world in which people interacting with one another feel the need to share Everything.While I celebrate our new found awareness that we are more aware of what's going on in our body, I do question if it's healthy to identify the Who in the 'Who We Are' with those things so thoroughly.Identifying with our illness solidifies it. It becomes part of the  personality, and as a result becomes locked into the mind. In truth the mind is fluid. Things in the body are in constant change and flux. Some parts of the body actually change moment to moment. If you are going to grab onto a belief and identify yourself with it, please make it a positive one, a hopeful one. And don't use illness as an excuse for why you do not participate in life.(More on that Here)I would love for people to introduce themselves and share their dreams and goals. If they have to talk about their illnesses, to speak of them in fleeting transitory terms like 'You may have noticed I'm currently facing the challenge of (such and such) though it may be clearly visible to you, I want you to know I'm not letting this current situation define my life. I'm working with it to heal and balance it the best I can. And though you may see this about me first I want you to know that I am (this this and this) as a person. That's Who I Am.'I find people born with physical disabilities or have to deal with ones on a daily basis that are hard to miss are the first ones to Not define themselves by it. They do not want to. My father in law was in a wheelchair most of his life and he rarely if ever spoke of it. He was obviously in the chair. But he spoke of other things. He never let it stop him. He was still a scout leader. He invented a contraption to help him hang his  basement  drop ceiling. He swam, scuba dived, and could fix anything. Sure he almost injured himself a million different other ways doing some of these things but he LIVED life. He Never let his disability undermine his ability.I find people today use their (insert everything from ADHD to gluten allergy to back pain) to define them and prevent them from not only acknowledging their abilitie,s but in living their lives. When a group of unwell people are talking it can become almost a contest. No longer do people talk of jobs, cars, houses, or neighborhoods to brag of social status.(thank goodness) But they will list off all manner of illnesses and problems and the winner is the person with the most things wrong with them. They win the sympathy of the group. I'm just waiting for the day when those letters that some people send in lieu of Christmas cards do not tell you about that families trips or children's accomplishments, etc. but instead will list personal ailments. Or when those cute cartoon stick people families on the back of cars morph to have symbols representing everyones 'conditions'.Why am I even blogging about this? Who cares you say? Why not let everyone introduce themselves with their illness and limitations forevermore?Because WHAT WE SAY MATTERS.Our Thoughts over time actually Become Matter.Please please before you speak, consider that you are ordering from that vast soup of potential-the quantum field. To say something out loud means you have had to think it for a very long time and The Thought is What Creates Your Reality.Believe me, I know illness is out there. I know some of us will face horrendous challenges and heartache in our lives. And that's hard.But if it happens to you, please do not let that illness, imbalance, or terrible life event claim and take over your mind. Keep your mind a sanctuary of peace and allow those other things to morph and change and heal and balance. And if they cannot or will not and they are life long please do not let them define or limit you. Leave a space in your mind that is hopeful, that will create a space for healing. Find a way to Live your Life and your Dreams despite your circumstance. You owe yourself that much.May you all have joy, love and perfect radiant health!Always,Kerri

What You 'Want' You Will Never Have

 That above statement is not only true it is the law of attraction at work.What you 'want' you will never have because you are in the act of wanting it.The very act of wanting pushes it away.Do you really really Want something?Then Stop Wanting it and start BEING it.This applies to everything. abundance, health, relationships, career, family, etc.Wanting keeps you waiting. It keeps you a victim in your own life.Life is too short to waste time by not living it 100%.The fastest way to create something new in your life is to Stop Wanting It and start BECOMING it.How do you do that?1. Take action. What action would you be taking if that thing you wanted was already in your life?2. Have a plan. Have a few steps you can take forwards. You do not need to see the whole staircase remember? Just the first few steps.3. End victimization. Throw your excuses and 'poor me' out in the trash where they belong. As long as you are seeing yourself as a victim of circumstance you will never take constructive action towards your future.4. Own it. Be ok with being that what you want. Don't judge your dreams. If your dreams come true it is not at the expense of anyone else. You are not stealing anyone else dreams or joy. There is enough love & abundance in the world for everyone, and thankfully we all have our own unique dreams.5. Remove fear. The # 1 stumbling block of anything is Fear. Self doubt is fear with a different name-they are essentially one and the same thing. You want this remember? You don't have the time & energy to waste on being afraid of it. Take action-even baby steps forward will alleviate fear.6. Be flexible. It's ok to change your mind. That thing you want? As you get closer to it if you realize you don't want it after all and just thought you did- that's ok. Nothing is wasted. At least you have realized that now and not later. So scratch that dream off the list and replace it with something you feel you truly want.Now go out there and do it! 

I Don't Believe In Miracles ~ I Expect Them

Several years ago I was invited to speak at an event. The opening speaker was a native elder and he said something I will never forget.He said,"I don't believe in miracles I expect them."I was more than a bit surprised.What did he mean?What a bold thing to say!To 'Expect' miracles!Honestly!But today I realize what he said, it's SO TRUE!When we Trust and Love and Live in the Flow of Life Miracles Abound!When we are Present and Aware and live our lives in a state of Gratitude we soon realize Miracles are Everywhere and are Happening All of The Time!We simply need to take notice, to look and listen and feel what is happening around us. I just wanted to share this with all of you. I hope it helps you pause and take notice of the miracles at work in your own life.I now live every day expecting miracles. I welcome and embrace them and am so grateful for them when they arrive.What miracles have you experienced this week?In love & service,Kerri

'I Can't' ~ Two Words That Will Get You Nowhere

Have you ever said 'I can't'? Most people have at one point in their lives.Those two words hold a lot of power. More than you realize.Just contemplate for a moment.....How often do you use them in your life?'I can't' can also appear as 'I won't', 'I don't want to', 'I'd rather not', 'I don't know how to', and 'I'm too afraid to''I can't' happens when we feel powerless, when we feel unable to make change or take a step forward.In truth we are Never powerless. It is only our fear that stops us from action.Sometimes it is necessary to stop and reassess and take stock of our lives, so uttering an 'I can't' can buy some time or result in a much needed 'time-out'.'I can't' can become problematic in your life when you find it is a recurring pattern and/or it is replacing the 'I can's'.'I can't' ultimately is an excuse not to participate in life. We are all here to participate in life. The body will not thrive in an environment of 'i can't' for long without some ill effects. 'I can't' is often used as an excuse to not act, to not decide, and to not change. It is used as an excuse because it sounds so much better than I won't or I don't want to. 'I can't' doesn't invite argument. No one is going to say why can't you? Whereas people would easily say why don't you want to? Excuses are handy. They can be helpful when you need a break. But are your excuses killing you softly?The refusal to change out of a negative or toxic situation whether it's a job relationship or habit can slowly deplete you life-force energy over time. The early stages often manifest as fatigue, depression, anxiety, and can continue to affect organs and systems more directly as adrenal failure, chronic fatigue, cancers, heart disease.If you ever feel stuck in the 'I can't' but you know you need to make a change in your life then that is a great time to enlist the help of a professional to guide you through the process. Whether its a gentle nudge you need, or a complete overhaul, there are many wonderful healers, counselors, life coaches, lawyers, etc. out there who can help you. The good ones will never tell you what to do, but they will support and guide you to get to that place where you know what you want to/need to do.Sometimes just information gathering will make you feel more empowered. Education dissolves fear, and this will help you move towards making a choice.If you ever find yourself stuck in the 'I can't', taking action (any action!) will help move you out of that energy into the energy of 'I can' which will empower you and begin to move you forward. This post is just about awareness. In my line of work I encounter a lot of people living in the mentality of 'I can't' and they do nto even realize it, nor do they realize the unique link it has to their wellness. Just start tracking your 'I can'ts' , just to notice where and when you use them. That alone is a very enlightening exercise. Then you can begin to try changing them to 'I can' or at the very least an 'I will try'.Lots of Love,KerriI created Circle of Light to support everyone on their journey. We have many helpful services and talented caring staff. As with anything else always use your intuition and meditate on it or contemplate in silence the best course of action for yourself. If you need us we are happy to be of service to you.www.circleoflightwellness.com

Getting Creative & 'Frankening' with My Inner 'Girly' Girl

This post is a total departure from my usual but was fun, so I wanted to share.I love to learn something new every year. Or more often than that. Alright to be totally honest I love to learn new things basically whenever I can.My most recent 'experiment' was making nailpolish.Now the ultra strange thing about this is I rarely wear nailpolish. In fact this past year has been the only time I have ever gone for a manicure pedicure outside of my wedding day. I went through a nailpolish phase in high school and that was it. Today I prefer my nails to be free of any polish and to be able to 'breathe'. But there was just something super exciting to me about making my own that I had to try it!My boys were truly unimpressed. My 14 year old announced he would not tolerate me making lipstick, so if I had any ideas for that in the future (which I did! I think he was reading my mind!) to forget about it. When I asked him why he was so 'against' my fun he replied that I was making our house too 'girly'.I have 3 boys. I have and always will be outnumbered. I have a girl dog but seeing as she loves to roll in mud and swamp, that does not count. My house smells like goats. I'm on my own here and am not much of a girly-girl. I use my blow drier to heat seal shrink wrap on my lip balm tubes and usually dry my hair via the vents in my car on the way to work. I can get my makeup on and out the door in 10 minutes. Because confession is good for the soul ~ I usually sleep on wet hair to avoid the whole drier vent blow dry conundrum. I have tried to take more time to look 'better' but honestly I'd rather be doing other things. I blowdry my hair when I'm going to a wedding. That's it. Most of my friends are paired up now, so that essentially means bad hair for me for a while. O.k. I'm getting off topic and sharing way too much.Back to nail polish!To ease into the new-ness of this I started by trying Frankening.What the heck is Frankening? Believe me, I asked the same thing, and this is what I found out.'Frankening' is the art of taking existing nailpolish and in essence mixing the colours to create a brand new 'one of a kind' colour.As you know, nail polish comes in a wide array of colours. I don't know about all of you but in the past I have been deeply disappointed when the shade in the bottle does not create that exact shade on my nails. Or it does and it just does not go with my skin tone. So I have a bunch of nailpolish rejects-that I never wear-but (thankfully) never threw out either. Frankening came about by a few young girls mainly wanting to be different and not wear the same shade as their friends. When choosing polishes to mix, cheaper is better. If your polish is too thick (likely from being too old) put a couple of drops of nail polish remover in the bottle and shake it up to thin it out a bit.Indie Polish is the art of making your own nail polish from scratch. Involving a base and micas, colorants glitters etc.Yesterday I did both.I had ordered supplies a few weeks ago to make 'new' nail polishes and my plan was (if all went well), I would eventually add a line of nailpolish to Soap Planet.Everything went well. It went really well. But I realized in my 'mad scientist' glory, my joy comes in experimentation, in creating unique 'one-of-a-kind' blends. When purchasing a product, most people want the option to re-order what they love at a later date. I have no trouble doing that with my soap products but I realized I would not enjoy doing that with the nail polish...not the coloured polish anyways.I may make up clear top coat glitter and shape embeds to sell but as for the rest of it, I am going to be making up kits to sell so people can create their own polish. I already have all of the supplies! I will also be offering a workshop in the future where you can learn to Franken with your existing polishes as well as learn how to create brand new ones. If you are interested in that leave a note in the comments section. I hope to do this at the centre in the new space and possible beforehand. It can get messy though, and we are working with chemicals to a degree, so depending on demand I may just teach it out of my house.Here is a polish I made yesterday. Blue base and glitter topping. My photos are not the best(I used my phone) The wonderful thing about the glitter toppings are they look amazing on any base coat. This glitter topping has blue, silver, and a bit of black glitter.   

If You Want Something Done Right...Do It Yourself?

How many times have we heard that over the years? I like to think that is not necessarily true but over the last couple of weeks I have realized something. No one can do my job as I do it, and that is not necessarily a good thing. I want to delegate. I really really do. But when I have to constantly repeat myself and ask for things to be done, in the time it takes me to explain them I could have used that energy and time to just do it myself and get it done. I do not feel I am asking too much or being extra picky, but the last few weeks have had me at the edge of my patience and boundaries with a couple of people. The feeling of disrespect from not being heard...it's not a good feeling. I expect that kind of behavior from children, but adults? Not so much.So I had to face the facts. As without so within. Meaning that I know my external reality is created by my internal reality. I knew the only way I was going to solve any of this was I had to go inwards and dig deep. But before I could do that and even begin to sort this all out, I had to be clear in why I was bothered. I had to break it down to the base things that were bothering me.1. I felt like I was not being heard. That made me feel disrespected, unacknowledged, and used.2. I felt like people were taking advantage of my good nature and knowing that I probably would not call them out on their 'crap' so they decided to steamroll me instead.I'm a patient person. To a point. And I was pushed past that point. My inner warrior was in full effect-that 'inner me' that thrives on justice, truth and honesty was saying a loud no to disrespect, no to tyranny, no to unfairness, and no to just anything really.When I took all of the 'things' (and they were just that-things) that were bothering me, and I took them inside of myself and meditated and contemplated, I realized that the real person I was annoyed with was myself. I was not listening to, acknowledging, or honouring myself. I was not taking the time in my life to listen to my inner voice, so how on earth could I realistically expect anyone to listen to my outer one?  So I took  a couple of days off. And I meditated, and I connected, and I wrote and I channeled and I created, and you know what? I am so glad I did. I had some incredible amazing epiphanies. I have learned so many new things. I been so creative with 3 new very exciting projects in the works (it will be like having triplets-but I have had twins already so I can do it-it's all good)I have made the promise to myself to honour myself and create more time in my day for reflection.In the end I am grateful for all of those people who rubbed me the wrong way to get me here. They reminded me that they are just the mirror and the answer to any and all outer conflict and frustration is to simply to have the courage to look into the mirror and look within.xo Kerri