How often are we like a Sleeping Beauty, sleepwalking through our days, our duties, our work and relationships, our lives? Put your hand up if you fall victim to dulling yourself, if you fail to notice the lush interesting activities that surround you, or if you forget to enjoy the spiky flora and fauna or admire the chirping birdsong that fills the air.
The first protea I ever grew. Photo by Leanne French
Reawaken.
Seek nature, moonlight and Continue reading
The world is and always has been, filled with good and evil. It is what it is. It’s a kind of wilderness that we need to learn to survive in. We have to find our own way through and manage ourselves down at the waterhole, staying alert to and seeking shelter from giants, angry dwarves, wolves and many bad apples along the way. Even if we don’t bump into trouble personally, disaster, violence, cruelty and horror has a way of bursting into our lives and living rooms, into our newspapers, onto our television screens and into our neighbourhoods more often than any of us would like.
Credit to: Artist Evan Heasman (Soju Shots) This is one of his deliciously dark artworks.
We live in a time where it’s getting harder to screen things out. Over exposure to excessive darkness and real life horror stories (even though they a reality) can cause us to Continue reading
Snippets of Sleeping Beauty moments to bring a sliver of calmness to your world wherever you may be. December can be frantic for many people. I encourage you to slow down, rest when you can and refuse to buy into the bombardment of pre Christmas panic and stress. In a season where there is pressure to give to others and be all things to all people, don’t forget to give to yourself. Breathe low and slow. Sit on a step and sip your favorite drink from a beautiful vessel. Cuddle an animal. Smell the roses. Drink in the beauty that surrounds you.
Golden light fills the clouds and turns them the colour of toffee. I feel a gentle breeze stirring and I’m thankful that for an early evening in autumn it’s still warm enough to sit outside. I catch a glimpse of how the early snow sits, like tears in wrinkles on the blackened mountain ranges that today seem closer. A mower drones on in the yard next door as a plastic bag dances in a unexpected puff of wind marching in from the south.
toffee sunset-photo by Greg Keith
I take a moment to capture the blessings this ever-changing landscape offers. It never fails to entertain and delight me in the simplest of ways.
The scent of a roasting chicken reaches my nostrils and I giggle. It drives our vegetarian son out of the house muttering something about his saliva daring to threaten his new found beliefs.
I place my hand on my heart and take it all in, this richness of color, this Continue reading
For exactly half of my life now, I have devoted a lot of time working with individuals and couples, transforming difficult problems in imaginative ways, so I am a great believer in seeking creative solutions in times of stuckness. Looking outside of yourself and your relationship, sooner rather than later, for someone who uses their magic to coach, advise, counsel and support you, can be the difference between loving forever after and broken dreams.
A fairy & me at my fairy party when I turned 35 – photo by Hayley French
In Fairytales, a Fairy Godmother is a fairy with magical powers that is in charge of mentoring. She is someone who takes a particular interest in the upbringing and personal development of a select group of people that come under her umbrella of care. Times have changed so much. People don’t have or don’t make the time to be really present in that kind of way for others anymore. Our society hollers ‘Stay busy!’ ‘Distraction is good!’ ‘Disconnection is even better! ‘Drink this and all will be well,’ none of which create the space to be Godparent like towards Continue reading
Tower time. An excerpt from my book.
Physical and emotional solitude is splendidly beneficial for the renewal and healing of our minds, hearts and souls. Towers are symbolic places to go to set things right. When we position ourselves aside from dastardly distractions and duties, we reconnect with our essence and helpful, creative ideas bubble up from the serenity and remind us how to re-engage sumptuously with life.
Rapunzel
Take the opportunity freely, rather than have some evil witch throw you in a locked turret, imprisoning you, forcing you to spend time alone.
Silence clears away the rubble, the critic, the negativity and the crushing pressure of an overloaded life. What you do with the peace and serenity is up to you. You could simply Continue reading
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Leanne French Relationship Expert & Counsellor 