THE CRYSTAL CASTLE

A beautiful space and place to think, to breathe, to be inspired

I'd like to share a post I wrote and shared in my beautiful Facebook group - Personal Development for Women

I could post blog after blog, article after article, 
Read, read, read... then read some more....
Which ofcourse I encourage, I’m an advocate for growth, reading & learning. For pushing ourselves to greater heights, for pursuing our desires free from guilt, for not settling. For discovering who we truly are, what brings us to life, what connects us & drives us to give more, love more. On how we can become more; individually & collectively. For this I believe is our journey. To contribute, to be authentic & to ultimately learn to love beyond fear.

In this world, this life, we struggle too much, we spend way to much time in the perils & pitfalls of our minds. Sometimes so dark, so consumed we can loose hours, days, weeks or worse our lifetime. Never truly living, growing, being & experiencing life, love & happiness.

I have spent this glorious day at the Crystal Castle up north to be alone, to be amongst nature, to breathe... to remind myself of the grandness but also the simplicity & beauty of life. To re-evaluate, renew & replenish.

It is truly beautiful, I am in awe of the magnificence of nature. Both rustic & raw & that which man/woman has so cleverly created, designed & built for many to enjoy. (I’ve attached as many photos as I could, although they do not do it justice)

I began this particular blog stating I could post hundreds of articles on how to... in the areas of relationships, self-love, self-confidence, health, dreams, goals & the pursuit of happiness, and I have & will continue to do so as we travel along. But with the greatest of love, humility & honesty I wonder how many truly read them?

Our Facebook pages alone are filled to the brim with fantastic ‘how to’ articles & blog posts. We can as they say run from shiny object to shiny object (here the shiny objects being articles, how too’s & the latest fads) easily distracted by the next one, the next thing, the latest movement & post on ‘how to’ & never actually achieve much as our attention goes from one thing to another. How can we take it all in, then apply with such vigour & determination the words, tools & resources available to us so freely to actually achieve the results we want. For many of those who actually do stop & read them, with the greatest intention & loving hearts will feel inspired, determined till they wake up the next morning and life, its obligations, the worries of what was, what might be, will consume them again. The inspiration fades, the energy required to push through, to do the work required dwindles. And suddenly so much time has passed & all is what it was with the thoughts of wanting more resurfacing, the need to do something, read more, learn more, rising up to press repeat.

What I find more effective, productive & one of my goals for our group is to post constant reminders of the simple little things that shift your thinking, raise your energy & create a more positive mindset. A greater state of being.

When your living in a better state of mind you not only attract, see & feel more beauty, love & joy, you are more inclined to do the deeper work, to be focused rather than running from one thing to another. Or as many do one form of therapy & healing to another. In this greater state of being you begin to experience & see the momentum, the positive results as your thoughts are slowly but surely reprogrammed to focus on the things that do promote growth & healing. That promote love, joy & meaning in life. That inspire you on a daily basis to take action, to rise above the pettiness, & the things that would once have dragged you down & kept you stuck. Along with the things that fill you with such excitement, curiosity, courage & determination to dream bigger, to believe so deeply that life, your life & your very being are a magnificent gift. That you are capable beyond your wildest dreams to live the life you desire & experience the pure happiness that dwells within you & has always been there.

These simple reminders are first & foremost raising our awareness of our thoughts. knowing where your mind goes, what you focus on, so that you can begin the process of change if what you think about & focus on doesn’t bring you joy.

They also include;
- Focusing on gratitude, every single day. Ultimately creating an attitude of gratitude. A beautiful habit. As far as energy goes Gratitude is right there under the banner of love, the most powerful energy in the Universe.

- The simple act of smiling, as much as you can, to as many people as you can as you go about your day.

- Building the belief that everything is solvable, changeable, fixable, removable. Even if your not sure how - the how is there when you look for it. It can come through meditation, spending time with positive uplifting people, reading books, watching videos or listening to podcasts of your mentors. Those that have been there & walk their talk sharing many paths to get to the result you want.

- Again with awareness; training your mind to shift your focus when any thoughts (from pesky, negative to self-sabotage) drag you down. Whether it’s about your personal dreams and goals, your relationships, self-esteem, self-worth, your career, past experiences, family, no matter what they are but catching these thoughts & shifting your focus from stagnation & fear to this is how it is, this is what I want it to be - now how do I get there? (By researching & discovering as many possibilities & paths as possible) But most importantly believing that you can, you can get there, you can do it. Even if then & there you don’t know how, you can find it, discover it, apply it, achieve it. Whatever ‘it’ is for you. If you believe you can’t, start reading the many biographies of those that have, of those that have risen from the deepest & darkest depths of pain & fear. They would tell you “if I can, you can. And the truth is deep down we know we can but the work required, the fear of what may also come up, the fear of risking vulnerability & the negative opinions of others stops us. Because as humans we choose pleasure over pain & in many cases the pain from doing the work, facing our fears & getting to that point where we know life will be joyful, we will be free, is far greater than the pain of what we’re stuck in, what we’re familiar with.

- It includes pinning up those beautiful reminders (quotes, phrases, images) that trigger thoughts of gratitude, positivity & the direction you want to go. So that you see them every day & take action.

- And last but not least, constantly reminding ourselves we have choices. Yes you can choose Joy, you can choose love, you can choose you. If your choosing from a place of love you cannot go wrong. Yes you may step on a few toes, you may get criticism, but you must remember that its not you, it is a reflection of them, their choices. Their fear, doubt, unwillingness, own past experiences & trauma, it is not yours to carry or bare. For those people If I am unable to help (as we cannot be everyone’s teacher or saviour) I send them loving energy & go on my way (even family).

There are some things in this life that don’t come with a Manuel, there is no specific tool or resource that can get you there it is simply a choice. Like forgiveness. There is no magic wand to erase the past, to forgive someone who has wronged you or hurt you, we must choose to let go, to move forward, to send love, to be love. What benefit or good comes from holding onto & dwelling on our past pain, on not forgiving, especially ourselves for taking what ever happened to us to such a dark place that it shut us down. There is no benefit, no good that can come from holding onto these things. Not one.

Just as we must choose to learn, be it new skills that improve our life, enhance our talents and gifts, our careers, become more confident, improve our communication skills, relationship skills we must no matter what - choose.

So many people chose to visit the Crystal Castle today there were people every where, women, friends, couples, families, sharing this wonderful experience, but this visit I choose to come alone. I am happy, so very happy to feel confident, calm & peaceful as I sat in many beautiful spots within the Crystal Castle to write or wander around the grounds. It took many years to love my own company, to enjoy being alone, excited to use that time so well to just be, breathe, take photos to capture magnificent moments, read, write or what ever I chose to do in those moments. This all came about because I choose to work on my greatest relationship, the one I have with myself. That would be my wish for every member here, to discover the greatest relationship you’ll ever have - the one you have with yourself, along with knowing how beautiful, capable, amazing & worthy you are.

Over the years of my study & personal development it has become clear that life doesn’t have to be complicated, it is certainly at times challenging and requires moments of the utmost determination, courage & drawing on every bit of energy & strength you have to get through some days, it’s not all fluffy, but we do make life more complicated by not applying the simple little things, consistently, with the belief & conviction that we are able to freely choose & that we are able to create & live a meaningful, joyful, loving life beyond our wildest dreams.


So to wrap up, the purpose of this post (which has become much longer than I intended) is to never underestimate the power of simplicity & consistent little actions. To know we have choices & to not be afraid to spend time alone, to discover who you are, what you love, what lights you up & what you want to experience in this magnificent journey we call life..

› › The Crystal Castle