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The Truth about Happily Ever After.

Posted on by angelillumination

The run-up to my birthday this year has brought on some serious self-reflection. I am about to become 37. Another three years and I will be 40. I never thought my age would bother me, but I have come to the realization that somewhere, in the back of my mind, 40 is my adult number. The age at which I am to have it all together, to have achieved my success, whatever that would look like. When I realized I had three more years to reach this age, I started to realize that maybe, just maybe, I won’t live forever. I started to see my life as a timeline. Going back to the beginning and reliving moments, reliving times when I was just existing, relaxing, playing. Reliving times when I limited myself, not realizing my right to be here, my right to be happy in my own way. Living a life of people-pleasing and thinking that other people knew more than me and I was obligated to listen to their advice more than my own.

My exact thought was, shouldn’t I be well on my way to my own Happily Ever After by now? Shouldn’t I be sorted? We live a life of expecting this state of being sorted – knowing who we are, the perfect relationship, career, family, home so that we don’t have to worry about it anymore. A stage of stasis is perpetuated by children’s fairy tales, by the movies, and cartoons. Happily Ever After, and that is where the story ends.

What happened to Snow White, Sleeping Beauty – after the wedding? After the story ends? Is that the end of their yearning? Their sole purpose in life?

You might think I’m being cynical, but in this earthly life, in our time here, there is no happy ever after. There might be happier ever after, or pretending to be happy after. But things don’t just stop once you find the perfect career, the perfect home, the perfect family, friends, or social status. Well, – correction, for some people it does stop there, but not just because of some unforeseen illness or sudden death, but because they hold on to that space in time in a death grip that prevents them from growing and learning.

The truth is, Sleeping Beauty, five years into her relationship with the prince, probably discovered that her relationship needed work and went into journalling to or therapy, in order to learn how to communicate with him better. I mean, after sleeping all of those years, one would think that she needed space to find herself, to find out who she really is, and what she wants to do with her life. The prince may have though, goodness, who is this person that I woke up with a kiss? I love her dearly but I do long for another adventure – I want to rescue someone. You see?

The truth is, we are here to evolve and learn throughout our lives. Yes it feels great to reach a goal. Yes it feels great to reach a clearer understanding of yourself and life so far. But no, it doesn’t you mean you should risk changing everything you have accomplished for the chance of something that could be even more fulfilling for you. That you shouldn’t leave your place and level of learning, you shouldn’t challenge your outlook and ideals of life again. Life without change, life without growth, is stagnation. Is death. Slow, painful, soul-destroying death.

As we learn, as we grow, we change. We understand ourselves better. We get Divine guidance to work on new projects, meet new people. These yearnings, though they might feel scary, should be tested out and considered, not just ignored so we can stay in our comfort zone.

Please always stay open and listen to those beautiful inner whisperings, calling you to learn something new. Some new skills, some different ways of being, or a new healthier habit. Be open to the new friends that come your way, the new experiences, and opportunities that the universe brings to you. If you listen to your inner voice, and check it with common sense and a good plan, setting your intention and taking daily action, you will be living a life, not just an existing one.

So, why don’t you write a list of all of the ideas and thoughts of your inner whisperings? Write a journal, draw pictures or talk to a trusted friend about the new things you are learning about yourself, and choose which actions you feel would be the best to take on next.

Love and Blessings,
Lucy Loizou.

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Meditation

Posted on by angelillumination

Well, I haven’t written anything new for a while. Sometimes, you need to stop doing and go into peaceful isolation with your maker and rest your spirit a while. I guess this is what I have been doing. Recharging my batteries, shoring up my meditation routine and developing the spiritual and mental fortitude for the next stage of my life journey, whatever that may involve.

Another aspect would be that sometimes you need to help by helping and giving time in a physical sense rather than just writing about helping in a way that will inspire others to help themselves. I do love writing in the hope that my journey, my learning, will inspire, help, and give hope to others who may be going through similar experiences and feelings. Sometimes, though, people need real-time help and strength that is specific for them and their situation.

If life is a balance between giving and receiving, it also a balance between doing and being. Both are important. During my recent time out from writing I have been working on developing a more regular meditation practise. The ideal, I believe, is 10 – 20 minutes in the morning, and the same again in the evening. This is like a daily snapshot of the bigger picture in life. You start the day in communing with the Divine, this is the receiving part. The being part. You temporarily let go of the perception of separation from all that is, you just are. You are soaked up in the Divine energies and learn to just listen to that still quiet voice within. This then sets you up for a day of doing and giving. Of creating and learning and practising what you have learned. Then, before we go to bed into that unconscious state of dreamland, another stage of just being, communing, receiving, and showing gratitude.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t easy to start with. For ages I have listened to guided meditations because the instructions and the music helped to stop my mind from wondering. I still use them through the day or as I am going to sleep. But if you think about, they still involve doing. You encouraged to use imagination and visualise, which is helpful in itself. But I felt called to breathing meditation. Twenty minutes when you pay attention to the ebb and flow of your breath. You become aware of your heartbeat. You become aware of how many thoughts run through your mind in a dizzying minute, and imagine them as if they are on a stage or on a boat drifting by. You don’t settle on them. You recognise them, let them go and take your next breath. You become more aware of your body, it’s heaviness on the bed. The sensation of sheets or the air in the room on your skin. The birds tweeting outside your window. And you let it go on. Around you. You let it go – you are of it – of the same star-dust, and yet you are not. You may become aware of feelings you didn’t know you had. You feel them bubble up through your heart, through your throat, up into your head. Maybe your eyes release the tear drops, and through it all, you keep your focus on your breath. Every time your mind wonders, you smile lovingly and bring your attention back.

You may find that you have received inspiration and solutions to situations you felt were impossible to resolve, and in gratitude, you release them for the time being, in joy as well, and bring your attention back to your breath.

And then your calming and gentle mobile phone alarm goes off, informing you that you accomplished your intention of twenty minutes of meditation. You say a prayer of gratitude to the Divine for it’s presence, take a final deep breath, and gently, slowly open your eyes. You put your feet to the ground, and imagine roots going deep into the Earth, planting you firmly in the Earthly Mother and her amazing strength. You stretch your arms up over your head to the heavens, and branches go up – way, way up into the sky, connecting you to the Heavenly Father, to Divine guidance through the day.

Now you are all set. The smile on your face is connected to the smile in your heart and the smile in your soul and the smile your eyes.

You affirm: “I am a Child of God. I am His”

And then you have a Blessed day.

Love and blessings,

Lucy Loizou xx

Angelina’s Story

Posted on by angelillumination

There once was a little girl,

who felt lonely and afraid.

She wanted to be strong,

She wanted to be brave.

She went for a little walk,

to see what she could see.

Looked up into the sky,

there was a figure in a tree.

Beautiful and bright,

surrounded by light;

the girl was quite surprised,

when she looked into its eyes.

A feeling of great love,

and lots of peace besides.

“Hello there, do I know you?”

The girl spoke from her heart.

“I am your guardian angel,

we have never been apart”

The girl stood rooted to the spot,

her eyes did let go little drops,

of tears so crystalline, so pure,

her heart did open like a door.

“I feel so afraid and lonely,

so different then the rest,

I try so hard to get along,

I really do my best”

“Don’t be afraid,”

The angel then replied,

“I am always with you,

right here by your side.

Remember you are not alone,

not even for a day,

God is always in your heart,

and that is where he’ll stay.”

The angel came down from the tree,

so beautiful and bright.

Huge feathery wings she had,

and dressed up all in white.

The girl just stood there, mesmerised,

as she hovered in the light.

“Whenever you feel lost or scared,

just draw yourself within.

I tell you, you will find God there,

you’ll find Him, there in”

The girl then thanked the angel,

as she was covered with its wings.

Wrapped in its embrace she was,

her soul began to sing.

As she made her way back home,

she looked down to the ground,

and saw a big white feather there,

just waiting to be found.

She picked it up and kept it,

as a gift from up above.

It was to be her reminder,

of the angel’s deep felt love.

Whenever she felt lonely,

lost scared or afraid,

she went in to her private place,

and their in deeply prayed.

She grew up strong and healthful,

a kind and gentle being.

Who shared her wondrous talents,

and helped those who had trouble seeing.

She helped them to realise,

to truly see the light,

that they had an angel,

strong and true,

watching over them,

day and night.

 

Love, peace and angel blessings,

Lucy Loizou.

Eternal Happiness

Posted on by angelillumination

“For to weigh thy happiness according to that which may befall thee is to live as a slave. And to live according to the Angels which speak within thee, is to be free”

(Szekely, p80)

This is Jesus, speaking about happiness as an inside job, according to the dead sea scrolls. From the Gospel of the Essenes. I have been writing a lot about happiness recently, and personal power is a favourite topic of mine also.

In this passage I feel like Jesus is really speaking of personal power. It is straight after the passage about serving two masters.

Religion and spirituality are indeed two separate things. Religion suggests adherence to certain laws and dogmas whereas spirituality suggests a search for the truth and the meaning of life. Many times both words are used interchangeably. I come from a religious background but I steered away from it some time ago for personal reasons, but I have come to realise that some things are true no matter how you look at them, but they are expressed in different ways from different histories and congregations.

Money, possessions, the quest for self-improvement and self  – actualization, these are not in themselves bad things that take one away from God or the Kingdom of Heaven. I don’t think that this is what the teachings mean. It is the attachment to these things above all else that is the problem. Selling yourself out for the sake of these things is the problem.

We all develop a set of values over time. Some were given to us as children or through experiences growing up – some belong to other people and we eventually let them go when we realise that they don’t resonate with us after some time. Some we keep because after all is said and done, they still add value and meaning to our lives.

There is also intuition – the quiet voice within that speaks from our highest self, from spirit, or even the Angels as Jesus mentions above.

When we are willing to go against all of these voices for the sake of the things we think we want, that is when we are divided against ourselves. This is when we lose our sense of self, our sense of peace and oneness and we become slaves. We are no longer able to ask questions about the rightness of the people we work for, about the justness and integrity of the status quo. We follow blindly, and land the blame on our circumstances.

I believe that it is right and just to look upon all that we achieved on this Earth, everything we have earned, our homes, sacred memories, our favourite clothes and the food we eat, our friends and family, and the ability to speak our minds freely without persecution, with gratitude.

What scripture and the ancient writings warn against is becoming dependant on these things for our happiness and sense of self-worth. It in the nature of the universe for things to come and go, to ebb and flow.

And then there is Karma and the lessons we agreed to learn before we born into this world.There are also the reactions and the choices we make that effect our quality of life. The lesson is to have gratitude without attachment.

If you get a bowl of water right now – or go to the tap. Try and clench the water with your hands – what happens? The water flows away. However, if your open your hands up into a cup, you are ready to receive that which the universe wishes to give you. That which is for your highest good.

Let go. Trust.

Sit in gratitude for all that you have and more will come to you. The best things. That which is for your highest good. If something refuses to come, perhaps it is not for you. Let it go and do something else. It may not be the right time. Follow the still, quiet inner voice. That is where the Divine speaks to you.

The power of your ultimate happiness lies not in external things. It is in your perspective. When you are in touch with your inner world, no matter happens, the world can do to you whatever it wants, you will always know yourself. You will begin again and be stronger. Nothing can take your inner world away from you. That is your strength. That is your power.

“Ye cannot serve God and also serve the world. Perchance thy well goeth dry, precious oil is spilled, thy house burneth, thy crops wither: but thou dost treat what may befall thee with wisdom and love. Rains again shall fill the well, houses again can be built, new seeds can be sown: all these things shall pass away. But the Kingdom of Heaven is eternal, and shall not pass away. Do ye not, then, barter that which is eternal, for that which dieth in an hour.” ( Szekely, p81).

Wishing you peace, love and blessings,

Lucy Loizou.

E.B Szekely (1987): “The Gospel Of The Essenes”; 5th impression; C.W. Daniel CO, Ltd, Essex, England.

Flow

Posted on by angelillumination

In my last blog, I wrote about my newfound search for happiness and I mentioned that I would be getting back to you all and reporting on what I find. I’ve been using several techniques, but the most difference has occurred by my epiphany in my last blog that we are built to be happy, and that it is just and right to seek happiness.

I was sat in bed (my office – as those of you who know me well will know) and was thinking about the days when I am tired – or just after work when I am tired. Or when I have a large amount of time off work, and I feel like I should be resting, but I end up watching so much TV or playing so many computer games that I feel stuck in a rut. There are other times when I feel like a week’s holiday from work is so precious – that I can’t decide what to do with it. There are so many options for me – so much that I really want to achieve in my life, that I feel overwhelmed. I end up worrying that I would be enjoying something else more and so don’t relax into the task or pass – time that I am currently doing.

Does any of this sound familiar?

It doesn’t really sound very present or mindful does it?

There is this thing called “Flow” – I’m sure you’ve experienced it. You’re in the middle of a piece of writing or a consultation with a customer, for example, and time just seems to disappear. It’s as if you lose all traces of self-consciousness and your totally engrossed in the task or project in hand. You forget what day it is, what time it is, the rest of the world, and you feel at peace. Fully in the present moment. You feel great during and after this session – a feeling of satisfaction and then, you’re ready to let it go, and do something else.

“Attention is like energy in that without it no work can be done, and in doing work is dissipated. We create ourselves by how we use this energy. Memories, thoughts and feelings are all shaped by how use it. And it is an energy under control, to do with as we please; hence attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience.”
― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Doesn’t this feel like the perfect antidote to my experiences above?

What makes you feel like this? What kind of things bring about this feeling for you? I would like to invite you to write a list of them now. Go on, this blog will still be here when you get back.

There are moments when I’m at work or at home and I feel like I want to work on something, but i can’t quite put my finger on what I want to spend my time doing. Not even necessarily a project, just lacking some inspiration about how to spend my time. I have a feeling it may be because I don’t often get a day or a whole weekend to myself – having two teenagers at home. It’s quite a stuck murky feeling – and these are the times when I end up procrastinating and watching telly all day – but if i’m honest I’m not really enjoying it after the first movie or program, or after the first 45 minutes of gaming.

This morning – I wrote a list like the one I asked you to write above. Now, we are going to take a few moments to think of other projects that are important to us as well, that perhaps we have been putting off, but that we know – once we start them, we’ll get into flow and won’t want to stop. Redecorating anyone? Or how about clearing out that anything and everything draw? Add these to the list too.
It would be good for us as well to add important things like rest, play time, fun, and exercise to this list too.

Is your list ready?

Stick it up somewhere that is easily accessible (don’t worry – you can keep it private if you want to. But make sure you can get to it easily).

In our day-to-day lives, we are going to start connecting to ourselves more. Our emotions, and the physical sensations of our bodies. Are we tired? Hungry? Full of energy? Stressed? I usually pray, but you can do whatever process you feel comfortable using to get in touch with yourself – to find that place of calm in your centre. Ask yourself “what do I really want to do right now?”.
We may find that we get an immediate answer and don’t need to check our list, but if we don’t, we’ll go and look at our list and see which item draws our attention or inspires us, energizes us, the most.

Now we are going to devote at least half an hour to this item.

Don’t worry – if we get so engrossed and in the flow we can keep going with it until it no longer interests us or for up to a full hour.

Notice that I switched to using the word “we”? That was on purpose, because we are in this together. Rising tides lift all boats – not sure who first used that phrase – but it’s true. This is how I experience my flow and joy. What energizes me – inspiring myself and the people around me to live happier, more fulfilled lives,

So what do you think? Are you with me?

As always, I welcome your experiences, thoughts and feedback.

Peace, love and blessings,

Lucy Loizou

 

Happiness

Posted on by angelillumination

Something has switched in me recently. I am beginning to crave true and lasting change. Too long have I remained attached to my past and the feelings of unworthiness that beset me too regularly from my negative experiences. I thought I had dealt with them all but in the end I feel I may have got stuck in rumination. Have you ever experienced this? Where you feel that you won’t have moved on from something unless you have fully analysed the situation and yourself? It is possible to get stuck in this phase and then it blocks you from truly moving on – rehashing the old wounds and keeping you stuck in a cycle of sadness and grief.

Once the lessons have been learned it is time to move on and actively engage in life again – in the things that bring you joy. As some of you may know, I am an avid reader, and my passion lies in what makes us tick. Why are we here? How are we here? How to make the most of our sojourn on Earth? I have come to realise through my reading sessions that we are here to be happy. We are built to be happy. Happiness isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity and the key to our well being.

In William Bloom’s book – The Endorphin Effect (2011) – he describes how our bodies are built to receive hormones that induce inherent feel – good. Feelings of wellness and joy. indeed, not just us, but even single celled organisms contain these receptors. He goes on to say:

“That tiny single – celled creatures posses endorphins is a profoundly optimistic piece of information. It means that every cell of our multi – celled body is capable of experiencing endorphins and that the propensity to experience happiness and euphoria is biologically built in to each of us. This allows us to put forward an unexpected but exact scientific statement: Happiness and pleasure are built in to the biological foundation of the human body.” (p24, Bloom, 2011).

This, to me, is good news indeed. I have always believed in a higher power, and knowing that there is the built in capacity for joy and happiness leads me to believe that happiness is a natural part of our make up. We are supposed to be happy.

So why is it harder for some of us than for others? Well, many of us are waiting for outside circumstances to change before we allow ourselves to be happy. Many feel we are born with a tendency to low mood and depression. many of us that we have no right to do things that induce happiness until we have completed the many goals and tasks in our life plan, that never seem to get completed. Some of us feel guilty when we feel happy.

Did you know that there is now scientific evidence that proves how our happiness levels are affected? In her book, The How of Happiness (2010), Sonja Lyubomirsky explains how our levels of happiness are made up. 50% of our happiness is controlled by our genetic make up – we each have a built in happiness set point which is controlled by our genes. So if our parents suffered low mood and depression there is an increased likelihood that we will as well. From her research, it was discovered that only 10% of our happiness levels are affected by outside circumstances, such as bereavement, promotion, an increase in wealth etc. This leaves us with 40% being affected by our day to day choices and behaviours. This means we have a whole 40% of control in which happiness is an inside job. In which it is our responsibility and choice to determine how happy we are.

This, to me, is extremely good news and I am currently experimenting with myself as to which behaviours, changes and attitudes I can adopt because I now believe that is it inherently my right to be happy most of the time!
I will be sharing my adventures in happiness, so please stay tuned, and feel free to share with me your views and opinions and any interesting experiences on this topic.

If you feel stuck and could do with a gentle nudge in the right direction from your angels, please feel free to get in touch with me and book a session for an angel card reading. It might just give you the next steps you need to take to find your happiness.
Much love and many blessings,

Lucy Loizou

William Bloom, 2011; The Endorphin Effect; Piatkus; London.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, 2010; The How Of Happiness; Piatkus; London

New Beginnings

Posted on by angelillumination

 

I am sat on my bed, with the blinds and window open. Incense lit. Sun streaming through the window. Ladies and Gentlemen, Spring is here! I absolutely adore this time of year. It contains so much promise – and the longer days and lighter feel puts a spring in my step. I feel like I can breathe again.

The last couple of years have been very difficult for me. Oh I’ve had some good times – some very good times in fact. Times that I am very grateful for. But it has also involved many changes, and much letting go. I have been going through a process of grieving and healing – and as such, had very little energy left for Angel Illumination. I dug deep and made life simple so that I could focus on my day job and healing – learning about myself.

Now I am on the path of making true and lasting changes. I feel better and stronger in myself, and feel ready to start helping those who need me, those who would benefit, to start on their own journey of self realisation. I’m ready to begin my work of service.

So how can I help you? At the moment, to begin with, I feel ready to offer you my time. I am a Certified Angel Card Reader (TM) through Doreen Virtue, Radleigh Valentine and Hay House, a mother of two, with a background in Therapeutic Humanistic Counselling. I have been through a very robust journey of self healing and understanding in my own life. I have battled with low self esteem, depression and anxiety. Been through failed and painful relationships, childhood learning difficulties, and being a single mother to two teenage boys and not only surviving, but thriving whilst sticking to my values. The journey still lays ahead of me, and my learning will be lifelong, but I am ready now to offer others a helping hand while I learn. You can do this too.

Counselling training began my emancipation towards self belief and autonomy, and an angel card reading began my exploration into the spiritual. It started me on a path of questioning which led me to where I am now. An open minded Christian who doesn’t have all the answers but trusts herself to follow her intuition to guide her to her truth – to her highest good.

So what is an Angel Card Reading you may ask?

Well, in my experience it can be used in two ways.

1- As a divination tool. A deck of angel cards will harness the law of attraction so that when you ask the Divine a question it answers with the cards – you attract the cards with the answer to your question. They are similar to Tarot cards, apart from the fact that instead of asking spirit for the answers, it asks angels, who are messengers of God. For more information about angels, there are a variety of sources online. Please click here http://www.angeltherapy.com/meet-the-angels for one of my favourite sources of information on this topic. I feel more comfortable with Angel cards because angels have a higher perspective – and when you see physical answers in the cards it can be easier to accept than your own thoughts and feelings even though it may confirm them. Also, the messengers and imagery on angel cards are beautiful, loving and kind., whereas the imagery on Tarot to the uninitiated can appear scary and off putting. When you are at the early stages of your spiritual journey this can be very helpful – this is why an angel card reading had a very profound effect on me right at the beginning.
Now I focus more on listening to my inner guidance, but still use cards every morning for an affirmation and to set me up with right thinking for the day.
The most basic angel card reading involves creating a sacred space through prayer and mediation, asking the cards a question, and pulling three cards, signifying past, present and future.
I am not a medium and I don’t always get visions, but it’s the angels who will give you the message anyway. I am however, a sensitive empath, and have told been told by many people that I say the exact words they needed to hear at the right time.

2 – As a tool to challenge yourself and understand where you are at. What thoughts do the cards pull up for you? How do you feel about them? What could it mean about your current state of mind? I won’t be counselling you during our work together, but I can use my background and knowledge to help you to understand yourself and offer the safe space to explore in a helping relationship. I can also direct you to sources of support if you feel you need further help and other services.

So, if you want some gentle loving guidance from the angels or to understand yourself a bit better for your own personal, spring time new beginning, send me a message on my Facebook page, Angel Illumination.

Much love, and many blessings,

Lucy Loizou xxx

Love

Posted on by angelillumination

It’s taken me a long time to realise this, but love is not “nice”. Love is strong, dynamic, gut wrenchingly honest and fully present. Niceness doesn’t cut it anymore.

It finally hit home while I was sat watching Netflix all day. I decided to watch a Tony Robbins documentary – “I Am Not Your Guru”. I thoroughly recommend it for a form of entertainment while you learn about yourself at the same time. Anyway, he was trying to help a mother who had been letting her daughter be in control of the whole family, and she said to him that she was trying to bring peace to the family. He grabbed her on the top of the head and shouted, in true Tony Robbins style, that there is no peace in family. This, along with all the quiet reflective time I have taken of late, trying to understand my life lessons, really struck a chord with me.

Many people confuse niceness with kindness. However, if you look deep inside, niceness really implies that you want something from someone. You want to be liked – which is natural – we would all like to be liked. But doesn’t it feel incongruent? You are not being genuine when you are being nice. it is like a manipulation tactic, probably derived from child hood – if you are being “nice” you are following the rules and so your parents will love you and thus you will survive into adulthood.
It is bland. If someone tells me I am “nice” as a compliment, it doesn’t really feel like a compliment.

Kindness, on the other hand, comes from the heart. It is about easing the other persons suffering in a genuine way. This is what love is.

When you love someone, it is dynamic. You are invested in their highest good, and thus you are willing to let them feel uncomfortable for a while and hold them in that space if it means that they will come to a place of understanding and learn about themselves. If it will lead to their highest good, their living from their authentic self.

It means being blatantly honest with the people around you, and expecting them to be honest with you, because you are invested in them. It’s not about you anymore – it’s about both of you in relationship to each other.

If you are both living and loving from your authentic selves – you grow. You model healthy relationships to the world. You model genuineness, empathy, strength, unconditional positive regard. These are the core conditions for growth and healing that Carl Rogers posits – the father of person centred therapy.

To truly love someone, including yourself, you have to be strong. You have to risk not being liked for a while. You have to be honest about where you are at, what you feel about a certain situation, where your boundaries are, so the relationship – either with others or with yourself, can flourish and grow. So that you can be loved for who you genuinely are, and so that you can love the other person for who they genuinely are.

Being “nice” doesn’t even begin to cover this.

Here is to an amazing adventure through life where we all learn to love each other more and live from our authentic selves.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please do get in touch.

Wishing you all love and many blessings,

Lucy Loizou xxx

Self -Acceptance

Posted on by angelillumination

Ok, so I have spent so long these past few months learning what makes me an intuitive sensitive, an empath, and developing my self awareness even further. I am now more aware of all my weak points, where I trip up with negative or even obsessive thinking. Where I give my power away to others. Why I do it.

Facebook and social media at the moment is rife with memes and posts about introverts, empaths, intuitive sensitives – 10 ways to be in a relationship with one, ways they behave, how they struggle. But the overall feeling that i get from them (I have actually read them as they come up. I’ve done my research – both lived it and read it) is a kind of learned helplessness about the whole thing. As if it is a fixed state.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is strength in being an intuitive sensitive. There is strength in being an empath. There is strength in being an introvert. Whoever you are, whatever box you feel you belong in the most, you are here for a reason. You are not an accident or a freak of nature. You are here on purpose and perfect, beautiful, just the way you are.

Yes, it is important to know yourselves. Good ways to get better acquainted with your truest self include personal therapy; meditation; journaling or a chat room filled with like minded people. Even artwork or some kind of creative endeavour can help you to delve within. There are courses all over the internet that can support you in finding yourself.

If you understand your blind spots, your wounds and your learned behaviour patterns which don’t necessarily serve you anymore, then you can act instead of react in any given situation. You can respond from your wisdom and strength. You will know all your secrets already so that people will not be able to manipulate you or press your buttons. Unfortunately, people like this do exist – but they don’t always know or understand their own behaviour. they are coming from a wounded place, and some might have mental health concerns – and personality disorders. Our job is not to hate them, not to resent. But to recognise them and stay away. Nobody will change unless they want to and are invested. Those of us who are sensitives, intuitive and empaths are like walking targets to these kinds of people. Because we are caring – we are here to heal and serve and we can sense what people want and need and feel drawn to help. Send them love, send them healing if you can. Forgive them.

It is a fact that you will come home feeling drained and exhausted, that you will be unsure if you’re feelings and what you’re working towards, your goals, are your own. This is why it’s important to engage in self care. I challenge you now to think of five of your favourite ways to relax and unwind. To let go of the day and find space to understand yourself! One of my ways is to draw a lovely luxurious bath and sit in their for as long as I need, letting the thoughts roll ahead my head until I find some clarity and peace.

Please do not drop anchor in the place where you feel you have an illness, a pathology or that your sensitivity is a weakness. You are strong. You are beautiful. You are a warrior of light and caring. You are a king or a queen. It’s time to embrace yourself and enjoy a fulfilled life.

I love you.

Please love yourself.

Wishing you peace, love and many blessings,

Lucy Loizou.

A Shout Out To All The Messengers

Posted on by angelillumination

We all have them, those people that come into our lives and change it forever. The ones that stay and somehow, you can’t remember how and when you met them. When they became a permanent member of your tribe. Somehow it feels like you’ve just always had them around. They teach you and learn from you constantly. You have fun and share common ideas and interests and love you when you can’t love yourself – unconditionally.
It is often much easier to recognise the messages and the blessings these people give you and be grateful for them every day.

How about the people though, that come into your life and then disappear somehow? The complete strangers – sometimes their messages can be more difficult to recognise because they seem out of context and you don’t recognise the message until later. The tipsy ladies you chat to in the toilets on your night out, advising you to enjoy yourself but to take things slow with the man you’re dating. The lady dancing next to you that reminds you and. your date that you have natural beauty and that he/she’s lucky to be with you. The customer that you serve that innocently says just the right thing you needed to hear. These things can easily be taken for granted – not recognised as Divine guidance but rather as coincidence. It takes someone open to hearing their guidance in any possible way – open to surprises and listening to their intuition to guide them along their path. When you ask for guidance – be open to hearing it in any way possible – you can even ask for the guidance to be given in a way that is unique to you – in a way that is unmistakeable.

So, what about those people that come into your life that you invest in and feel hurt when you find out that they can’t/won’t stay? What about them? We often feel sad when they leave our sides and can feel disappointed, angry, rejected. As always, my advice is always to allow yourself those feelings. Your feelings are neither right nor wrong – they just are. Allow yourself to grieve the relationship in whatever form it was. Be kind to yourself – and then in true alchemist fashion – mine the experience for gold. For the lessons that the situation gave you. Sometimes the situation gave you the lesson and you will have learnt about yourself and the way you interact with others. Sometimes people come into our lives to teach us something practical – such as a skill, or to deliver a message in a way that we are able to hear it. Such as the boyfriend that guides you and encourages you to apply for that life changing job, or the date that reminds you how to eat healthily and to take your fitness seriously as they are experts in that field. The friend that stays with you until a particular life situation is resolved and then somehow dissipates and you both go your separate ways.

Yes, it easy to feel resentful and bitter and blame these people, wondering why you wasted your time and energy. Even the most “spiritual” people out there go through these feelings – it’s called being human. But if, once you’ve given yourself some time out, some time to grieve and process the experience, you might change your perspective. You might start to see them as angels in disguise, or people that God has used to put you back on the right path.

You might start, in time, to feel grateful for each and every person you meet and come across.

I certainly am. This missive is dedicated and in gratitude to all of the messengers of the world.

Thank you. I offer you blessings and every happiness, and hope for you to easily hear your messages also.

Lucy Loizou.