Krish Surroy - The Soul Caller

7 Lessons from Nature on Overcoming Resistance

2012-05-10T10:53:52Z

In my last video, I talked about using the energy of the Spring Equinox to inspire new beginnings, starting or restarting creative projects and taking inspired action towards your dreams, goals and desires.

I don’t know about you but I usually find that just as I get going, I start hitting roadblocks – usually in the form of my own fear and resistance – that can slow me down or stop me altogether.

However, resistance is always part of the creative process, and far from just being a bad thing, it usually indicates we are heading in exactly the right direction.

In this video, I talk about:

how fear and resistance are almost the first things to come up when we start something that takes us into the unknown and out of our comfort zone
that resistance does have a positive benefit and is actually a necessary part of the of the creative process…
resistance isn’t necessarily what it appears
Nature, if we observe it, can inform us exactly what the nature of resistance
Resistance can and does strengthen us for the journey towards our dreams, goals and desires
Understanding the nature of resistance can help us get the good stuff (strength, power, purpose, clarity) succumbing to it!

The Nature of Resistance

2012-04-05T16:36:32Z

Last week I talked about using the energy of the Spring Equinox to inspire new beginnings, starting or restarting creative projects and taking inspired action towards your dreams, goals and desires.

I don’t know about you but I usually find that just as I get going, I start hitting roadblocks – usually in the form of my own fear and resistance – that can slow me down or stop me altogether.

However, resistance is always part of the creative process, and far from just being a bad thing, it usually indicates we are heading in exactly the right direction.

In this video, I talk about:

How fear and resistance are almost the first things to come up when we start something that takes us into the unknown and out of our comfort zone
Resistance does have a positive benefit and is actually a necessary part of the of the creative process…
Resistance isn’t necessarily what it appears
Nature, if we observe it, can inform us exactly what the nature of resistance
Resistance can and does strengthen us for the journey towards our dreams, goals and desires
Understanding the nature of resistance can help us get the good stuff (strength, power, purpose, clarity) succumbing to it!

7 Lessons from Nature on Overcoming Resistance

The REAL New Year – the Spring Equinox…beginnings, creativity, action

2012-04-05T16:39:17Z

I don’t know about you, but when I think of New Year, I think of new beginnings, new starts and all the things I want to do. Creative projects that I want to start, improvements to my life that I want to implement, changes that I want to make. However, in the dingy, dark, cold winter I am never really inspired to get into action and make those changes.

Now, Spring is in the air and today is the Spring Equinox – the time of balance between equal daylight and night time. This is the brief pause before the days start getting longer and it feel much more inspiring to me to think of this time as New Year.

In this video, I talk about:

the energy of Spring and what it inspires
why this is the best time of year to get started on new projects, new beginnings, new starts
the association with Spring and the element of Air – all about new thoughts, new ideas and the wind blowing the cobwebs of winter away
that the Spring Equinox is the start of the cycle of light – the time to get into action, start creative projects and make your ideas manifest into reality
the questions to ask yourself to decide what you authentically want to start and take action on

What is your word of the year? Mine is FIRE!

2012-01-01T19:26:07Z

Here we are on 1st January 2012…the much awaited year in metaphysical and new age circles and of course a huge year for my home city of London with the Olympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee. It feels like a very auspicious year regardless of all the hype and circumstance and it looks like the shake-up that many experienced in 2011 is set to continue…and lead to transformation. The end of the world? Maybe metaphorically, but not actually! As R.E.M. sang in the 1980′s, “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine”.

Anyway, as many of you know, I have a tradition now that I started several years ago or setting a one word intention/theme/quality for the year rather than setting specific resolutions and goals. I started this about 5 years ago and it has amazed me what transitions and transformations have happened as a result.

Why not Goals and Resolutions?

Resolutions usually fail in a cloud of good intention several days into January and even the strongest willed have usually given up by St Patrick’s Day (17th March). Resolutions are usually based on what people feel they should do or are based out of feeling bad about some aspect of themselves…rarely are they based on what people authentically want.

Goals on the other hand for me tend not to work as they are all about maintaining control. They are all about reaching a very specific place at a very specific time and don’t leave a lot of room for maneuvre. They work very well for some people but I am always sure that there is some piece of the picture that I may not have considered or that there is an outcome that is bigger and better than I can imagine right now. Also for me, it is as much about the journey as it is the destination.

Why a single word works for me

Choosing a single word for me seems to work really well as it opens me up to so many things that by myself I might not have considered. Also, as I get older, it is far easier for me to remember a single word than it is a whole bunch of goals! A word for the year is really a seed that I plant at the beginning of the year that allows me to grow, learn and explore and, almost astonishingly, accomplish a fair amount as well. When I get bogged down or things get hard, it is like a mantra that brings me right back to the heart of what and who I am and where I am heading. It also works on a subconscious level to keep my mind and Spirit focused on the big picture and attract in opportunities that carry me to my highest path and purpose.

The key here is choosing a word that is authentic, that truly resonates and brings clarity. In short it should really zing! It is often easy to choose fairly generic qualities such as Creativity or Play or Peace, but unless those words truly have meaning for you, they are unlikely to work as an intention. Pretty soon you will forget what you set. In the past few years I have used Release, Create, Voice and Luminescence. All of these have conjured up very specific feelings or images for me and have grown, changed and brought new awareness throughout the year.

I have even had other words come up during the year to help deepen the original word. For example, in the year of “Create”, the word “Excavate” came up as I needed to dig deep internally to exorcise several internal demons and bugbears. With that done, I was much more free to Create.

My word for 2012

My word for 2012 is FIRE. Nothing was really coming to me as it had in previous years though I know the focus of this year is really focusing and getting into action around my vocation. However, this word has been staring me in the face for weeks and after some soul-searching and muscle testing on the last evening of 2011, Fire emerged…and I couldn’t be more delighted.

For me, Fire is about burning bright, living from my Spirit, blazing through internal barriers, kindling the fire in my heart and spreading the fire to stoke the passion and Spirit in the hearts of others. It really is about getting out there beyond my comfort zone and living my vocation. Fire is one of my main astrological elements and is the element of Spirit and Inspiration in the Tarot. It is also something that can warm, can illuminate and can blaze. It is powerful, passionate and attractive in the deep dark winter nights. Maybe it will lead to a conflagration or a forest fire…but fire is also not something easily controlled…and something that I really need to do is let go of my need to control!

I know that there are many other directions and meanings for this word and I know that it is very significant in this very significant year…and I am looking forward to the adventure that this word will take me on!

Over to you

So there you have it, my word of the year. Now it is your turn. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Sometimes a word comes in and only stays for a while…maybe only 6 months instead of the whole year. Remember the key is that is should be an authentic choice, something that zings and brings clarity for you. Have a go and put it out there. Plant the seed and wait to see what amazing adventure grows for 2012!

What is your one word intention/theme/goal/quality for 2012? Leave a comment below and let us know what word inspires you for this coming year!

Image credit Vibrant Spirit via Creative Commons on Flickr

It is that time again – what is YOUR word of the year for 2010?

How to make peace with 2011!

2011-12-30T18:33:08Z

It is funny how the seeming worst of circumstances can gently (or not so gently) shake us out of our post-holiday malaise and general fog of overcelebration, and wake us up to what really is calling our attention.

This morning I found myself at the Accident and Emergency Department (ER for our North American friends) with a tight clamping pain across my chest that started the night before. Having spent the last 3 weeks going to the very same hospital to visit my father who has been very ill, this was the last place that I wanted to be. However, despite my resistance, even I know that chest pain needs to be checked out.

After bloodwork, an ECG and chest x-ray, it turns out that I have a inflammation of my lung coverings. Some pain killers, anti-inflammatories and some great herbs from the nice people at Neal’s Yard and I am sure that I will be as right as rain in a jiffy!

What does this have to do with letting go of the year?

Let’s face it. 2011 has been a challenging year for many. We know about the larger scale evens to what has been happening – the recession, the near fall of the Eurozone, riots, Occupy, the Arab Spring. However, almost everyone I know has faced significant challenges on a person front. I have heard more than 10 people say, “I will be glad to see the back of 2011″.

Right now it is very easy for us to get focused on the New Year and all that it promises. It is easy to get caught up in the thought of new starts and thinking ahead (yet we all know what happens to resolutions a few days after New Year). What we want to do is get away from what has been and draw a line under it.

It is though, no coincidence that so many people fall victim to coughs and colds, chesty congestion and other similar conditions.

Lungs, grief and blessing your mess!

In eastern medicine and in metaphysics, the lungs correspond to the emotion of grief and let’s face it, we have all experienced loss in one way or another this year. We may well be still feeling this, unable to let go of it and holding onto it with all our might. Or, we might not be that aware of it at all, feeling the pain deep down but glossing over it at the surface.

This year might have been a very hard year and all kinds of crazy things might have happened in our lives, but without being conscious of its impact on us and acknowledging this, all the promise of the new start at New Year is wasted. Aside from a psychological break, the bell striking in the New Year does not magically make the difficulties of the previous year disappear.

We are not quite at the New Year yet, and rather than wishing the hours away, now is a really wonderful time to reflect on the year that has just passed and use the benefit of hindsight. Finding hidden blessings or just getting things our of your system brings things to light…and allows us to let go of what we might otherwise hold onto. Doing this can bring a wonderful sense of peace and closure and allows you to enter into 2012 eyes and heart wide open!

Try this!

There is nothing quite a therapeutic or cathartic for reflection as getting things out on paper, so you will need pen and paper for this exercise. There are 3 parts to this exercise.

1. Look back over the year and write down different events this year that have been particularly difficult or painful.

What actually happened? Write down the specific facts rather than any interpretations about what or why it happened?
What did you feel then? What do you feel now?
What did you learn? What would you do differently next time?
What can you appreciate about this situation? i.e. what are the positives?
Can you release the emotion attached to this situation now? If not now, when?

The final couple of questions can be difficult, but there are almost invariably blessings to the situation which we can often find with the benefit of hindsight.

2. Time to let go of the unfinished business! Write down anything that you would really like to let go of – any negatives, mistakes, regrets, disappoints etc – on small slips of paper. Write as many or as few as you would like. When you have done this, use the Elements to cleanse and clear these. Use fire by burning the slips of paper (doing so in a safe manner). Use water by tearing the strips up and either flushing them or freezing them (stick them in an ice tray with water and stick them in the freezer…it works!). Use earth either by burying them (the ashes of the paper you have burned) or throwing them in the trash. Whichever element you use, make a declaration for yourself that you choose to release the negative and keep only the good!

3. Make a list of all the things that you are grateful for, appreciative of or blessings from 2011. This may be big things or it might be very small things. Make the list as long as you can…at least 30-50 things…and if you can, get to 100!

If you just do one of these parts, you are setting yourself up for a really great start to 2012. Doing all three and you will enter the New Year not only with your energy sky high, but with your heart wide open and more momentum than you can shake a stick at!

Now you are ready to set some really powerful intentions for 2012!

Image credit Snapies ~ hiatus! via Creative Commons on Flickr

Spring fever – time to clear the clutter!

How great leaders inspire action – Simon Sinek on TED.com

2012-04-05T16:37:16Z

This is one of those videos which I watched and had a “duh” moment! Of course, so very simple and exactly right…and something I knew intuitively if not consciously…and speaks to the heart of how to inspire others to your vision. Simple and amazing.

No related posts.

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home

2011-08-11T16:01:58Z

Home. Is where the heart is. Or so they say…

Home has been a subject of much thought and discussion for me recently, both with friends who definitely have a sense of home and others who have a place to live but don’t consider it to be home. I have recently moved to a whole new town and with my partner am starting to look for homes in a whole new area of the country (Somerset!), based purely on a notion of what feels like home to us.

Where I grew up as a boy?

According to the dictionary, the word home means “the place where one lives permanently, esp. as a member of a family or household”. It describes a physical place, with an element of longitude of time. However, surely the concept of home is so much more than this…if it is this, how can someone go somewhere they have never been before, yet still feel like they have “come home”.

If it is purely down to the dictionary definition, I can describe where I grew up as “home” and to some degree it always will be. However, it is not somewhere I identify with and it certainly doesn’t feel like home. It can mean so many different things but usually seems to describe far more of a sense, feeling or knowing than an objective fact.

As I talk to people and reflect myself, there are common elements to what feels like home:

a sense of comfort and relaxation
a sense of feeling safe and secure
a sense of being able to be exactly who you are without excuses or justification
a feeling of sanctuary and being nurtured/nourished
a physicality that appeals to the senses, whether visually, auditorialy or with certain smells or textures

I am sure that there are many other elements, but these seem to come up – often. You have probably noticed though that I haven’t necessarily described a physical space. I have said that there is a sense of physicality but this doesn’t necessarily relate to a location or type of dwelling. Home is definitely where the heart is i.e. it is a felt sense, but it is more literal than that – home is where our physical heart is as well.

Not just a house, a cottage or treehouse…

As I stop and reflect on where I would love to live and what kind of environment I find most nourishing, I have to stop and look at just how at home I feel in my own skin, in my very own body.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience, part of which is the home we have in our body. We are also divine creators who create from the inside out i.e. what we feel and think within become our external reality. This being the case, how can I possibly feel at home anywhere, if I am not feeling comfortable in my own skin?

So often, I look in the mirror and I catch my thoughts which can go along the lines of “way too fat”, “huge gut”, “flabby arse” and so on. Sometimes, much worse. Fortunately, I know that my thoughts are a product of my ego mind rather than the greater me and that helps.

But, as the song says, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home”. Unlike any house, apartment, mansion etc, our body is our home until we pass out of this lifetime so attacking and criticising it doesn’t help matters. This simply begets more attacking and criticising and before much longer, your home-body doesn’t feel like home. Yet you can’t get a bigger mortgage and simply buy a younger model (well, you can get plastic surgery but that usually won’t fix the underlying feeling).

Creating your own home

For me, feeling at home is important. I don’t mean sitting on my laurels or being lazy, but I mean being respectful, loving and compassionate in all that I do (at least I aspire to be!) and feeling those things is how I can feel at home, in my body, in my apartment, in my work.

How I go about creating a home is no different whether I am talking about the gorgeous cottage in the west country or my own body! If I want to feel at home in the former, it will help to be at home in the latter…and at that point, where I live probably doesn’t matter quite so much.

So, next time you are feeling uncomfortable in your own skin (feeling too lazy/fat/lethargic/manic) or in the skin of your dwelling, take time to consider what will bring you home again. After all, if home is where the heart is i.e. it is a feeling, we can feel at home right here, right now. And that has got to be a good thing!

TRY THIS!

In a notebook or journal, take some time to think and feel about what makes “home” for you. You can think about these in relation to home in the dictionary sense i.e. a physical place, or in a greater sense throughout your whole life e.g. in your body, your relationship. As with any kind of creative exercise, having fun conjuring this up, finding joy in it and being compassionate will bring the inspiration flooding in!

ESSENCE – What is the essence of “home” to you? What does “home” mean? Is it just a physical space? Is it a feeling? What does it apply to – your house, your body, your relationship? What are the key ingredients to “home”? What are the non-negotiables i.e. the must haves?
FEELING – What does “feeling at home” feel like? What do you want it to feel like? How do you know when you are not feeling at home – in your house, your body, your relationship? What can you do RIGHT NOW to evoke that feeling of being home?
FORM – what does home look/sound/feel/smell/taste like? (key tip: get as sensual and involved as you can with this!…let your senses run amok and see what inspiration you get!) What is most appropriate for the space? What can you do RIGHT NOW to help the space feel more like home? What small changes can you make over time?

As you consider these questions, remember that this is about being compassionate and sympathetic to the space, whether it is a house or your body or your work! So, for example, trying to turn a little old cottage into a state of the art, uber-modern open plan, probably won’t work. We will always get more inspiration and a sense of home when we love and accept the space for what it is.

As for me, that little cottage in the west country is definitely calling. After that, the little house in the great wild forest (yup, just like the one above!). What is home for you?

No related posts.

Focusing on the good stuff!

2011-04-11T09:10:18Z

You know, it is a beautiful day here in Brighton today and there is nothing I enjoy more than being out in it. This morning I was out of the door early, went to get some coffee and saw the sea shimmering and glistening. What a glorious way to start the day. There is nothing that I love more than being outside on a day like this, savouring the moments of sunshine, warmth and light and not a cloud in the sky.

And today, I can’t be. There are major plumbing issues at home and I have got to wait for the plumber to come around which could be at any time. Gosh darn it. I wanna be outside. I can imagine and relate to all those people stuck in offices who would much rather be outside playing.

I could be sat on the beach with an ice cream. I could be walking on the South Downs taking in the grand vistas that often span 20 miles. I could be having coffee at one of the many cafes in this town (God, I love that!). But instead, I have to wait in. Hmmmmm. Now that could be very frustrating.

Except that it isn’t. The sky is an almost translucent blue outside the window and I am lucky enough to have a wall of windows in the living room. This light is magnificent and is streaming in. Just that alone makes me feel very happy and very lucky to be here. It is all a matter of perspective or focus really isn’t it. I can let my thoughts run away with me about all the other things that I could be doing, or I can focus on what is amazing about here and now.

I get to do some meditation that I have been wanting to do for ages. I can slip out and get a great lunch (the sink is blocked and I can’t do washing up!…woohoo, I can buy my lunch out!). The plumber has my number so I can wander over to the cafe directly opposite and see when he turns up…they have seats outside so I can still bask in the sun. And most of all, I can breathe. I have time unexpectedly on my hand which gives me room to just be….nothing else but be for a while. I love it when this happens (as you can read here)!

This feels like a luxury and yet it is the way we are naturally meant to be. So often in modern life we feel driven, but it is usually something else such as fear or external pressure that is driving us. This is quite different from the magical experience of just showing up for your life, being in the moment and everything just flows almost effortlessly. Even when you are taking action it is usually inspired and often feels more like play than work.

The key for me is actually getting back to a place of clarity in my thinking that allows me to be. Not getting caught in my head about all the things I should be, could be, would be doing if I wasn’t “stuck” here.

It is still glorious out there. There are no clouds in the spring sky and I got to eat my lunch out on the step in the warming glow. Small things but important. And, I’m still smiling

TRY THIS!

Next time you are feeling down/stuck/wanting to be anywhere but where you are, try this.

STOP! – whatever you are doing, you need to break the pattern of what is happening right now. So just stop, sit down and put both feet on the floor. Plant your feet on the floor and feel them there.
Breathe – you can not connect to your Spirit, get inspired or just feel plain happy and present if you don’t breathe. So, take some deep breaths – at least 5 and if not 10. Long and slow.
Look around and notice – see what is actually around you. Place your attention outside of yourself and just look around and see what you actually see. Just pay attention.
Smile – just the very act of smiling engages different muscles and changing our state of being. Strange, but it is hard to feel down/angry/sad/distracted when you make yourself smile. Even if you don’t feel like it, move your face to smile and you soon will feel like it.
Write it out – take a sheet of paper and number is 1-10. Next to no.1, complete the sentence “What I love about right now is……..” and complete the sentence. It might be the bright yellow daffodils near you, the cloudless sky or the ducks on a pond! I might even be the cup of tea that you have to hand. It doesn’t matter. Repeat this again for nos. 2-10.

Give that any one of those steps a whirl and you will be more present and grounded. Try all in sequence and you will be a happy camper wherever you are!

Enjoy the sunshine!

No related posts.

When life gives you lemons…

2011-03-11T11:43:09Z

It’s always amazing how life’s greatest lesson are always here, right under our noses.

I am sat on the train going home from London to Hove and the train has broken down. It has been a great evening with a dear friend and the one hour train journey home can be a wonderful way to relax and catch up with some reading.

Yet it is 10.30, I am getting tired and the train is showing no signs of going anywhere. 45 minutes over schedule and even if we get moving it will be at least another 20 minutes home. Having sat in the dark for 10 minutes without power, I don’t think I will be home in 20 mins!

BUT, when we allow it, life always conspires to bring light to a situation. The conductor, a young likeable guy who obviously is not that long out of school, keeps walking through the train to tell us what is going on. He doesn’t really know himself, but his earnest, sincere nature and the obvious embarrassment at the situation means that everyone in our carriage warms to him, and the banter starts.

There is a great atmosphere in the carriage. Rather than complaining and getting angry, everyone seems to be finding the whole thing quite funny. There is a sense of camaraderie that we are all in this together.

I personally tend to be quite loose around time, but as anyone who knows me will tell you, I can be very impatient. The thing is that there is nothing that I or anyone else can do, and it is a great chance to write one of those opportune blog posts that my busy-ness usually prevents.

Yes, I would like to be home, but I right now – in the moment – I am really quite enjoying it! There is nothing else to be done, nothing to worry about…

Sometimes, life will hand you lemons. There is nothing you can do and you might not have the proverbial sugar to make lemonade, let alone the patience. Being handed lemons can of course make you bitter or sour but where is the logic in that when there is nothing you can do about it. So, just let go and smile about the situation. Smile with every cell of your body. What is the gift of the situation? What are you getting to experience beyond your ordinary everyday experience?

Being handed lemons can jolt us out of our daily trance and give up the opportunity to see and feel some of the magic we often feel is missing. It helps us to get present to our lives right now in the moment. Whether lemons get made into lemonade or not, there is nothing more delicious than the present moment.

So, take a deep breath, relax and smile

[Afternote - I actually got home at 11.45 and was ready for bed at that point!]

No related posts.

Time to slow down – Samhain and the coming of the dark…

2010-10-27T16:01:46Z

The time of darkness is coming upon us. Autumn flows fully and the leaves gradually fall from the trees. The days grow short and the dark evenings draw in ever more. The light and flowing energy of the summer now ebbs and wanes into the introspection and reflection of winter.

One of the things that I adore about being back in the UK is that we get all four seasons so evident in their manifestation. We are past the time of harvest at the Autumn Equinox and well on the descent into the deep winter. On 31st October, All Hallows Eve or Samhain marks the end of the celtic new year and the recommencing of the cycle. It is the day of the dead, the time when the veil between this world and the other is the thinnest, the time when we can most easily contact Spirit in all its forms and honour our ancestors….those who have gone before us.

It is also the marking of the last piece of light energy in the cycle before the deepest dark of the Winter Solstice when the light returns. For me, this period between Samhain and the Winter Solstice is always one of reflection. What has come to pass in the last year? What have I spent my energy on? What are the lessons? What are the learnings? These are the things that I need to reflect upon to draw sustenance as I let the vestiges of this year die….as the leaves from the trees fall and turn to mulch which feeds the earth and spurs the new life into the next year, so it is with the lessons of this year. Before I look ahead, I gain much from looking back, honouring what has happened and taking the learnings from it.

The other signal Samhain brings me is one of rest. The need to draw within as the cold begins to creep in, the reminder that this is not the time of great action in the outer world but one of exploration and rejuvenation in the inner world. In the last month I have expended considerable energy and been in a lot of action. I have run myself ragged and have ended up with a snotty horrible cold! However, this is just my body’s way of saying to me “Slow down, you need to rest and come back to centre, to the moment…take some time out and come back to your place of comfort and joy”. A good message at this time of year and one that goes hand in hand with the energy of reflection, gratitude and honouring the happenings of the cycle.

So, this weekend when the masses are out partying, tricking and treating, treat yourself to something warming and comforting for your body. Breathe deeply and slowly to calm your mind. Reflect on the wonderful happenings that bring warmth to your heart. Feel gratitude for the learnings and the lessons, painful or otherwise. Honour the spirit of your ancestors and most of all your own Spirit. Slowly and consciously embrace the silence that the dark nights bring and revel in the fire in your heart. Then smile.

Image credit all-i-oli ( Jordi@photos ) via Creative Commons on Flickr