Looking Back at 2016 and Releasing it with Love

2016 can certainly be described as a year of surprises. Think of the unusually high number of celebrities who died this year, followed by the shock referendum result regarding Brexit, then the alarm and concern the new president elect of America has created. Not to mention the ongoing crises in Syria and the Middle East which no-one seems able to resolve. This has definitely been a tumultuous year and one which many people will no doubt be glad to see the back of.

 

Those who didn’t vote for Brexit, myself included, or the new president elect of America, are faced with having to learn acceptance. My personal ethos is to value unity over division: this goes to the core of who I am. I think one of the reasons why the referendum result was so emotive is that for many people it goes to the core of who they are – their own personal values, ideology and belief systems were brought fully into the spotlight.  So much anger has been expressed over the result but, from a spiritual perspective, this highlights that there is anger in us that needs healing. After all Brexit is only something to focus our anger on. The anger comes from us. There is concern that our country is becoming more insular in its way of thinking and concern too that some people are projecting their fears and insecurities onto ‘foreigners’ (sadly a human failing the world over). Now as 2016 draws to a close, some who voted for Brexit are frustrated with the length of time it is taking to push it forward as well as the possibility that it might never happen. One way or another, we will all be given the opportunity to learn acceptance this year.

 

Times of major change always bring opportunities to learn the spiritual lessons we need to learn. Every challenge presents an opportunity for growth and this, I feel, is the over-riding message of 2016. Whether we like it or not, change happens, and we must all find acceptance within ourselves, make peace within ourselves for the sake of our own wellbeing and sanity.  If we can make peace within ourselves, we can make peace in our communities and in the world. It is far better to focus on healing rifts in our communities. Time to stop arguing and fighting; time to find acceptance and make peace.

 

Hidden Blessings

 

Times of uncertainty bring us all the opportunity to:-

 

• find calm and peace in the middle of change and turmoil
• develop faith that things can still work out satisfactorily
• trust in the divine plan that everything is unfolding exactly as it is meant to.
   

We can send light and positive energy to any situation of concern. We can ask God and/or the angels to resolve the situation for the greatest good of all concerned.

 

Global Change and Global Healing

 

Our greatest challenges bring the greatest opportunities to heal what needs healing. Whatever emotions this year’s events have thrown up – anger, frustration, disillusionment, despair, shock, disappointment, sadness, powerlessness, fear – use this opportunity to gather up that emotion in your heart centre and breathe it out into a container such as a pure white orb at your heart centre. See it fill with the dark cloudy energy you are breathing out. When it is all gathered there, ask your angels and guides, or God or Spirit if you prefer, to take it away. Now breathe pure white light into your heart centre and on the out breath let it fill your body. Replace pain with light; replace anger with love.

 

Major events bring the opportunity for healing to many people at once. They are not the usual personal challenges that affect us individually. Global change creates opportunities for global healing. If enough people release their anger and fear at this time, it will create a massive vibrational shift that will let in a large amount of light to the planet and humankind, thereby raising the vibration of the planet as a whole. This is why chaos ultimately always precedes peace.

 

Finding Peace

 

On the morning I started writing this blog, the message for the day on my angel calendar was “Messages from Heaven are mostly profound in their simplicity”. The message I am receiving as I write this blog is “Love one another”, repeated over and over again. This profoundly simple message is what Spirit wants us to focus on at this uncertain time.

 

In times of change we must come back to what is constant within, and what is constant within is our eternal soul – our source of love. When you feel love, you cannot feel anger or fear. So let’s take the time now to come back into our hearts and release the events of 2016 with thanks for the teachings it has brought:-

 

Hold your hands together in prayer position at chest height (over the heart chakra). Close your eyes but keep your focus on the place where the tips of the middle two fingers meet. Let go of whatever may be on your mind. Let your mind become clear. Whenever thoughts arise, just let them go and keep returning to the place where the tips of the two middle fingers meet. If it is uncomfortable to hold your hands at chest height, let them sink down to a comfortable position in our lap (keeping them together) and continue the meditation.

 

This meditation technique is called ‘Gassho’ and is the first of the Three Pillars of Reiki which are taught in the Reiki Master Healer level course. Holding the hands together in prayer position acknowledges and honours the spirit within. This position makes an energy circuit between the arms, hands at the chest and the heart chakra. With practice you will feel energy flowing in a circuit around your chest, arms and hands. The heart chakra is the 4^th chakra, situated mid-way between the root and crown chakras. It is therefore our spiritual centre, at the centre point of the chakra system. Holding our hands here calms, centres and refocuses; it brings us back into our hearts.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy and Fairy Blessing Guided Journey, as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or visit and ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Enchantment.

 

Reiki Precept No. 3: Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.

In our modern society it is all too easy to focus on what we don't have. There are basic needs that certainly must be met but beyond that is it really serving your soul to crave more and more? In the media we are constantly being fed messages of what we should have in order to feel happy and successful. For many people the idea that we must 'have it all' just leads to constant dissatisfaction. Even when we get what we want, many of us still feel an emptiness inside - because a physical object rarely enriches our soul or spirit.


On our journey through life one of the greatest discoveries we can make is that it is the little things that matter, not the latest smartphone or the biggest television. Maybe we should all go back to basics and start feeling thankful for what we do have, such as the roof over our heads, food to eat, friendships and companionship. There is always something we can find to feel thankful for. There may be one part of your life that is going well, such as a group of supportive friends, and other areas which are not going so well. If you focus on feeling blessed to have such good friends, you will find even more reasons to feel thankful for your friendships. What you focus on will magnify so your feelings will magnify. Eventually just by being thankful for all the friends you have, this feeling of being blessed will extend to other areas of your life and begin to manifest positive changes there.


Focusing on how blessed we are brings us peace, not dissatisfaction. Everyone will go through difficult times at some stage in their life but at least you can send positive healing energy to situations and feel more empowered to overcome them. Everyone can do this, regardless of whether you have been attuned to Reiki or not. (A Reiki attunement just enables you to hold and channel a greater amount of life force energy which you can direct towards your goals.)


When we feel blessed we are rich in spirit. We are rich in the heart. Material things really don't matter. What is important is how we have loved, how we have made a difference, how we have inspired and helped others, how we have matured as a person and the spiritual lessons we learned along the way. We learn what matters and what does not matter. Judgements, grudges and negativity don't serve us. What matters is what enriches the spirit - the feeling of being alive that love brings, the kindness of a stranger, a beautiful view of nature, the support and companionship of those we hold dear.

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Healer/Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen offers several healing treatments such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Faery Reiki, Angel Therapy and Fairy Blessing Guided Journey, as well as Usui Reiki and Faery Reiki training courses. She has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses, therapies and workshops, please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or visit and ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics & Enchantment.