A Race Well Run

Hello beautiful being

What a year of rapid transformation it has been. I can hardly believe all that I have crammed into it. It seems like just yesterday that I wrote to you of my intention to take a slow pace, one that would sustain me for the duration of this year.

 

I quote what I wrote on 13 January in my blog titled ‘Message in a bottle’…

 

“As I sit in the starting blocks of the year ahead, I have made a cognitive connect with the tortoise.

 

I have every conviction that I will run the race, but that I will do it slow, savouring all of life’s magical moments and that I will achieve everything that I am meant to and more.

 

Sweet soul, if you too have had a tortoise awakening, I invite you to pace yourself for the year ahead, to take it slow and choose a pace that you can sustain for the full duration of 2015.

 

Here’s to all of us crossing the finishing line this year with surplus energy.”

 

http://nicolettelodge.com/message-in-a-bottle/

 

 

Well, that said, I find myself reflecting back over all that I have achieved and done and I am content that I ran the race as I intentioned. I ran at a pace which did indeed prove to be manageable and I still have surplus energy. I am pleased with the results I have manifested and the fact that I am still standing strong after all the incredible shift in my life. It just proves to me that rushing and making forced, hasty decisions perpetuate more mess ups and land up wasting more time than just persistently plodding along one step at a time.

 

So, dear soul, how did your year pan out? Did you run it well? Are you content as you stand in the afterglow of the setting sun, and acknowledge another year under your belt?

I have made you a short, complimentary video to help you unwind any knots of tension or stress you may have, to help you breathe and access a state of calm as you wind up your year and ease into holiday mode. Click here.

 

I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful rest and safe travels if you are going away. May you take the time to rejuvenate your body, mind and soul this festive season. And I look forward to sharing with you again mid-January 2016.

 

Blessings of unconditional love, kindness, mercy and forgiveness to yourself.

 

All my love

Nicolette

Girlfriends

I read some years ago a Psychology professor stated that in order for a woman to enhance her longevity she should cultivate her girlfriends.

Today I wish to pay special tribute to you incredible women out there, who mean the world to me.

I am so grateful for your support and undying loyalty, especially during the past couple of months. You have taken turns carrying me when my load has been heavy. You have sustained me with hope and filled me with encouragement when I couldn’t see the light. You have held my hand when I have needed emotional support, and been a listening ear that upheld and heard me when I needed to vent. You walked beside me when I needed companionship. You walked behind me in case I fell, when I needed to try it my way.

Your relentless non-judgement has been my pillar of strength and safety net. Each one of you has stepped up to the plate at just the right time to be there for me in whichever way Spirit has led you. For your intuitiveness, obedience and generosity I THANK YOU!!!

Your advice from outside my frame of reference has proved invaluable. You have been my ballast when I have most needed you and my sounding boards when I needed to challenge my conditioning. You have been like light houses helping me navigate my way through rather tempestuous seas.  You are my Earth Angels looking out for me, always at the ready with helpful words of wisdom. You validate me and give me a sense of purpose and belonging.

You are my playmates when my soul needs frivolity. You are my reprieve from the chores and hardships of everyday life. Your laughter, kind words, and loyalty are what add value and meaning to my life.

You are my lifeline when I am worn ragged by my fears, always at the ready with tissues, chocolate or wine.

You are always there to remind me that hardship only endures for a season. You are a constant reminder to me that I will once again make it to the place where you are standing right now. You motivate me to accept life’s lessons as they evolve and grow me.

I am so blessed to be a woman and to belong to the female tribe. Thank you my, Earth sisters, for all the value, meaning, nurturing and sweetness you bring to my life.

I love you all.

Nicolette

 

Within

Within me I discern a small inner voice

It has been waiting patiently to connect with me …

Waiting silently for the noise to diminish,

Awaiting an audience with my harried soul

Waiting…..

Without agenda or need

Awaiting a miniscule gap in the incessant cacophony…

An opportune parting of the clouds in which to reveal itself,

Baited and ready with answers to the questions that I haven’t yet asked

A healing balm at the ready…

 

The small inner voice is calling my outer self

To come home and align itself in resonance…

To give it permission to sooth my weary soul

To fill me with a trove of ancient wisdom

And healing from the great heart

To quench my thirst and satiate my desiring

To connect with the Mother of all mothers

And receive a warm nurturing embrace…

A healing balm for my heart’s aching

A caring ear,

A soothing word of assurance

 

The message my inner voice wants me to know is…

That everything is as it is meant to be

That I am enough…

That I am intentioned,

That my timing is perfect,

That I am cared for by the unseen realm of Divinity

That I should savour every never-to-be-repeated moment

That there is no judgement

That I am infinite love

And that I am free.

Have an awesome week, beautiful soul!

Namaste

Nicolette

P.S. This week create a gap in your incessant rushing from one experience to the next, that you may experience the wisdom within you.

Be happy! I love you.

 

 

Messing Up

I have been doing a lot of pondering in the last couple of days, digging deep through my layers and uprooting some really uncomfortable issues that I wasn’t superficially aware of.

One issue that surfaced, challenged me to burn off some of the conditioned patterning from my upbringing. I had the opportunity to dance with a blindfold on, this weekend. The interesting thing that surfaced for me was homophobia. I felt rather hypocritical as I acknowledged and dragged up the undealt with pain of the deeply entrenched collective ego buried within me.

The blindfold liberated me from the confines of my mind. I found I was connecting with the soul of the person I was dancing with, rather than their outer attributes or packaging. I always thought that I was doing a great job of being equanimous, but my humanness surfaced and revealed deeper layers that still need refining. It was an enlightening and freeing experience, but at the same time I felt humbled and rather disappointed in myself.

Some other incidences of late have mirrored for me just how impulsive, tactless and opinionated I am prone to be. I sometimes exhaust myself trying to reconcile the irreconcilable and fix the unfixable, instead of accepting everything just as it is. Again I was made aware that my opinions are just opinions based upon my individual experiences and that my truth is exactly that, just ‘MY truth’, no one else’s.

I may sound rather negative today, as I haul myself over the coals and address the negative aspects of myself. However uncomfortable it has made me feel, it serves to remind me that I am human and flawed and need to forgive myself wholeheartedly.

Today, I give myself permission to have the experience of unconditional love through experiencing everything that it is not, to act unconsciously, to make choices I will later regret and to dive into each experience with the fearless abandon of a child.

I know as a result, I will frequently get messy, but three quarters of the experience is in the cleaning up.

I believe in second chances. So, when I stumble and fall, I will forgivingly dust myself off and try again.  

So, dear soul, give yourself the grace to be kind to yourself when you mess up, and have a beautiful week!

Love
Nicolette  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sun has Set

Witnessing the breakup of my friends’ marriages has always grieved me deeply. I always felt the loss was far further reaching than the immediate family unit. As each partnership broke up I would feel shattered and torn in my loyalties to the couple, their children, their extended family and the community. I always felt gutted. Each divorce was rather like a death for me. I guess it is a death of the old way and a birth of a whole new paradigm. It’s funny how we cling to familiarity and wanting to keep things the same. I selfishly wished my friends could have found a way to make it work and stay together.

I have always been one who fights and perseveres until I triumph, so committed to my vision and intended outcome. I don’t believe in quitting. I don’t believe in failure. I also don’t believe in relationships being romantic and perfect. I believe relationships are our mirrors testing and challenging us to face our weaknesses and to grow up.

I internalised each divorce and wrestled with questions about whether it is better to sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of your children and the community. I enquired of myself whether the lessons you come together to learn in partnership ever come to an end. I had this nagging notion that divorce is quitting or giving up. I observed the gridlock situation where the two parties no longer chose to co-create and journey side-by-side. I accepted that the subsequent divergence of the two as entirely separate entities was inevitable.

My friends’ divorces challenged me to make the choice to remain equanimous, neither favouring one spouse nor the other. I have always advocated that there are many sides to each separation and that until you have walked each of the warring party’s paths you cannot judge. I always thought I was scrupulously unbiased and non-judgemental in choosing sides, however I am human and obviously did hold an opinion, which I tried to keep under wraps. I tried my best to show my love and support to both parties, even if I didn’t understand the reasons for the breakup.  

So, it is with absolute humility, that I now find myself in the situation I have witnessed from the side lines many times before. I am separating from the man to whom I have been married for over a quarter of a century.

It is a sensitive place of adjustment for myself and for everyone around me. I am acutely aware of the division amongst friends as they wrestle with their own fears and opinions. I feel the victimisation of those who have chosen to blame me for the breakup. I feel sad for the loss of the family unit for my two grown up sons. I feel for our friends and extended family, but I know that I have to be true to myself and my life purpose. I realise that my journey with my former life partner has come to a fork in the road and there is no way of continuing our journey together. One of us would have to sacrifice ourselves to walk the other’s walk and that is just incomprehensible.

As the sun sets on my marriage of 26 and a half years I wish to acknowledge all the good times we shared and pause in gratitude for the lessons that our relationship taught me. I emerge from the separation - stronger, wiser and assured that my choices today are informing my future.

I wish to leave you with this thought -  “In every beginning there is an inherent ending.”

May you be well!

Love

Nicolette

LOVE LIFE

                                                  

Today, let’s take a page out of Rumi’s notebook and define what we love in order to define what and who we are and take ownership of the lives we have created…

I love nature and long walks on the beach. I feel close to my Creator.

I love sunrises and sunsets. They remind me that God is a forgiving God.

I love ALL people. It awakens the knowing in me that my family is Universal.

I love trees. They are so grounded and they symbolise quiet inner strength and control.

I love animals. They teach me unconditional love.

I love ice cream. I always feel young, innocent and childlike when I eat it.

I love kisses and hugs. They make me feel warm and connected.

I love my five senses. They fill me with gratitude for the euphoric experiences they afford me.

I love my inspirational writing and speaking. They infuse me with positive energy and make me happy.

I love the law of giving and receiving. It validates me knowing that we all have valuable gifts for one another.

I love surprises. They give me hope for the future and keep me detached from the past.

I love learning from wise masters. It expands my consciousness.

I love diving into life, getting messy and learning from my mistakes. It reminds me that I am human and am worthy of self-forgiveness.

I love risk. It makes me feel alive.

I love diversity. It keeps me young, intrigued and fascinated by life.

I love the sun. It reminds me of who I am which is love and is everlasting.

I am passionate about life. It is such an experiential adventure.

What do you love? I’d love for you to write and tell me. 

Have an awesome week!

Love

Nicolette

 

Beauty in Ordinary Places

 

I am inspired by this message from Dr Wayne Dyer this morning.

“See beauty in ordinary places.”

This is a reminder to me to stop rushing through life, to slow down to a crawl, to pause and notice my breath, to feel the sensations of the air on my skin, to smell the gorgeous scent of the ‘yesterday, today and tomorrows’, to delight in the carpet of purple flowers shed by the jacaranda trees that are adorning our sidewalks, to have intrigue for the busy little bees as they buzz and flit from bloom to bloom.

Something within me is tickled as I watch the leaves fluttering in the gentle breeze. I am in awe as I draw within to the pauses between my breaths and find the magic in the stillness that resides there.

Beauty is found everywhere in the simplest of things. We are surrounded by it. Just open your eyes in appreciation and soak it up.

Today I would like to gift you with the inspiration I shared with the Seventh Ray Spiritual Church yesterday. The talk was titled, ‘Gratitude’. We kicked off with inspiration by Louie Schwartzberg. Here is the link to the You Tube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4115qFsdWKQ .

Click here to listen to my talk.

Enjoy and have a beautiful, inspired week.

Lots of love

Nicolette

My View – Your View

 

I just love this image I came across whilst reading and completing my latest book by Willem Gous, called ‘Indivineur – Opportunity Accelerator’.

It just demonstrates so succinctly how differently we each see and experience things.

How often have we heard stories of two people being present at the same event and yet reporting completely different experiences? Have you ever wondered why?

Well, aside from the fact that we all have completely different personalities, and a different filter through which we perceive and experience our lives, we also look at a situation from a different view point. We discern and measure each new experience through the collection of our life experiences so far.Now, have you ever met anyone who has exactly the same credentials as you have?There is not another soul on this planet who shares all our same experiences, same parents, same education, same tragedies, same conditioning, same physical assets and disabilities, same I.Q. and so on.

The exciting discovery is that whatever and whoever you are, which is the product of all your life experiences, is truly unique to you. You and your frame of reference is your own particular signature or gift to humanity. Can you see how valuable your interpretation is in terms of the bigger picture, the human tapestry that we all are? There is absolutely no one who will ever come close to seeing through your eyes and having exactly the same reference as you or me.

This simple diagram has cast a whole new perspective on my future going forward. I am in awe of this newly awakened paradigm shift, as I now see the importance of our shared potential when we co-create with one another, bringing all our varied gifts to the table.

Is it not incredible that when we do combine our intriguingly different perspectives, we have the power to create something so much greater and more spectacular than we could ever create individually?

I am now questioning myself around the issue of relationships.How often are we found wanting of that special person who sees and understands us exactly the way we perceive ourselves? We almost wish for a carbon copy of ourselves, someone who sees the world through our own unique lenses.

With my newly adjusted focus I am seeing now what a futile waste of time it has been to pursue that silly fantasy.

This awakened realisation is an invitation to accept our otherness, our differences and our uniqueness in a brand new and appreciative way.

Let’s celebrate our individuality and shower humanity with our gifts.

Have a beautiful and enriched week, savouring with intrigue all the variety and diversity in your midst.

Until next week

Lots of love from the shared heart

Nicolette

Just Do It

Photo by Hollee, HMB Studios

 

“No matter what our potential gifts or talents,

Only action brings them to life

Those of us who think we understand concepts,

Such as commitment, courage and love,

One day discover that we only know when we act;

Doing becomes understanding.”  

Dan Millman

I am really in a place of actioning what I have been preaching and philosophising about for a long, long time now.

I came to the realisation that I had to break my ties with apathy, fear, doubt and lethargy in order to catalyse my true potential.

To get what we want we have to move. It doesn’t matter which direction you move in, as long as you are moving. If you are not moving you cannot be redirected. You can only steer a ship that is already in motion. So, take action. Break the forces of inertia that pin you down.

Take a step, a leap or a crawl. It doesn’t matter how small the step. Just make a movement in the direction of your dreams, goals or aspirations.

Don’t allow fear to paralyse you and extinguish your passion. Ignore the inner voices that pessimistically caution you saying: “What if I fail? I may make a fool of myself. What will others think?”

Think about all you stand to lose by never taking the first step in the direction of your dreams.

 

Fear is not a reason to not do something. The only way for you to show you have courage is to act in spite of your fear. “Fear is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.” Dan Millman

Thomas Edison spent years of his life attempting to invent the light bulb. At the age of 67 when his whole factory burnt down, Edison commented “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Edison never saw his unsuccessful attempts as failure. Unscathed by adversity he immediately stepped up to the plate and started rebuilding his factory and advancing forward. He had no idea how many more steps it would take to reach his goal, but he never quit trying and persevering until his objective was made manifest.

Take the risk. Act in the face of your fear and all the obstacles that lie in your path. Obstacles are just stepping stones to your success. Break out of your cobwebs and take the first step.You can do it. Just put one foot in front of the other. Don’t even think about it. JUST DO IT!

Have a great week

Love
Nicolette
P.S. If you missed my interview on ‘Intuitive U’ you can click on the link below and watch it now.

Taking Back my Power

I have been living in a self-sabotaging state of complacent denial, pretending to myself that I was happy. This past year has been gruelling for me as I have wrestled with my fears and tried to hold them at bay. But, about six weeks ago my intuition, gut or whatever you wish to call it was screaming at me: “Say what you want! Just take a step in the direction of your desires! Trust! Be assertive! Move!

And so I did.

I took the initial leap of faith. I set my intent to fly.

Of course once the initial intent was set, there was a follow through of action and each day has presented its set of challenges – doubt, fear again, guilt, more fear, self-sabotaging thoughts of unworthiness, fear of failure, facing others’ judgement, and so on.

However, there has been one consistent companion by my side. Her name is ‘Intuition’. Each time I have checked in with myself as to the certainty or stupidity of my courageous move, I have felt her strength, her assurance that all I need to do is have faith. I am strong in that one inner calling which anchors me to my Higher Spirit Self. Her message is clear.

“Just keep going forward. Take another small step, no matter how tiny. Each tiny step takes you that bit closer to manifesting the life you intend for yourself.”

It is one thing to hear the voice of intuition, but it is entirely another to have the courage to act on it.

So today, I am stepping out in courage, faith and intent backed by steadfast discipline.

I am saying NO to anything that stands in the way of my flight path.

I am prioritising my needs and focusing on following through on my intuition.

I am putting the desires of my heart before the desires of my flesh. 

I am aligning myself with my Highest good for the true manifestation of my life purpose.

And I am opening myself to all the help that the angelic realm is offering me.

I believe I will soar. I believe I am following my highest chosen path and I believe that victory believes in me.

Nothing stands in the way of our success other than fear. And fear is a grand illusion. Whatever we focus on we give our power to and hence we manifest. So, today I stepped up to the edge of the precipice and with clear vision I took that leap of faith.

Here’s to you taking back your power, by facing your fears and following through on your intuition. If you haven’t as yet signed up for the free ‘Intuition Summit’ which kicks off in two days’ time, then sign up here.

Have a beautiful week.

Lots of love                                                                                                                                                Nicolette

 

Intuition

 

 

During an interview with Abby Gooch for the ‘Intuitive U’ Global Summit that is releasing on the 7 October, I was asked what intuition feels like and thought I would share.

Intuition is something which we are all born with. It is not only gifted to a select few. Every one of us has our own innate knowing, our inner guide or barometer so to speak. We all just have a different experience of it. Some of us experience it physically whilst others may be alerted via the emotions or the mind. Creative people may experience visual pictures or auditory signals. Whichever way the Holy Spirit speaks is unimportant. The only thing of significance is that you persevere with it until you become fully conversant and have a direct line with Spirit/God.

Intuition is God’s messaging centre for lack of a better description.

For me personally, I experience this fluttery, uneasy, anxious feeling in my gut. Initially it feels like I am nervous or fearful and as I cross examine and question myself I uncover that it is not fear but something else. I sense this foreboding or warning from the unseen world.

In the early days when I wasn’t skilled at identifying this special frequency I would brush off the feeling as fear and suppress it. The result was that on two separate occasions I was burgled. Both times thereafter I reprimanded myself for ignoring what I intuitively knew and promised myself to pay closer attention to this voice in the future. I have since become quite skilled at listening to this direct line from God. I have caught my purse mid-air as pick pocketers tried to remove it from my jacket pocket. On one occasion I left a scene moments before a car was stolen outside my friend’s house. There have been numerous times that I have, by following my impulses, averted situations that would have negatively affected me.

What you need to know is that your intuition is still intact, albeit forgotten. Sadly, for most of us who grew up with mainstream parenting, our intuition was conditioned out of us. I believe it began when we started identifying with all kinds of objects like the house is big, the mouse is small, the grass is green, the apple is red. Look Mommy. Look at the fat man. Oh no Johnny! Don’t say that. You are embarrassing me. That was hurtful telling the truth in public. You must hide the truth. Tell white lies. They are not lies at all. It is what civilised people do. This is the correct way humanity communicates….. Hummm….

Can you relate? Oh dear! This is how our intuition has been buried alive under a pile of conditioned lies. And our education systems, our religion and society has continued to reinforce and support this suppression, encouraging us to ignore our truth which lies within. Think about it. “We are so deceived by our conditioning that we murder the innocent because we condemn honesty.”   – FORGIVENESS your gift of love to yourself   

Listen to your intuition. If you do you, will always be guided to make the right decisions.

Take this opportunity to learn how to develop your intuition and join the free ‘Intuitive U’ online summit by signing up here.

You will be gifted with interviews from speakers from all over the world. The summit starts streaming to your inbox from 7 until 20 October. You can check out the speakers’ profiles by clicking on the link above.

I look forward to sharing with you on 10 October when my interview goes live. Be sure not to miss out.

All my love

Nicolette