I stand tall and proud as I say out loud “I am a self confessed book-a-holic. I have a habit of buying more than one book at a time and then stock piling them in the corner, gathering dust while they wait patiently for me to read them.”
I love books and it doesn’t really matter what type either… I have a range of books from business, education, self-help, alternative therapies, spiritual, crime novels and true stories. I’m not sure where my love of books came from but I’m grateful for it because reading has not only helped me develop personally and spiritually, it’s also connected me to many gorgeous women who share my passion.
In saying that, I belong to two book clubs; one in Hong Kong and the other online.
I belong to a Book Club (come Champagne Club) here in Hong Kong. We always ensure our tummies and champagne glasses are full before discussing the books we’ve recently read. We don’t read the same book at the same time; we read different books and then tell each other about them. Based on what others are saying, we can ask to read the book or be put on the list to read it in the future. Lucky for me the “Book Club Girls” are just as obsessed as I am, with three of us planning on having a book or two published within the next 5 years.
The other book club is over at She-essence, an online forum for women. This book club is still being formed with the idea of reading the same book at the same time, and then discussing the chapters as we go along. The aim is to read one book every two months, and we get to choose between two books. I love the idea of discussing a particular book with other women at the same time.
So as you can see, I am definitely getting my book fix… I think I’ll need to give up my day job just to keep up with all the reading. (wink, wink)
So with all this talk about books, I thought it was about time I added a Book Review category to my blog. Expect to see books that open your heart and mind to the endless possibilities the Universe grants us, whether that be a self-help book, a spiritual book or a book about the Goddess.
Tell me… do you like to read?
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Once upon a time there were a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.
On the day of the race a big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. Ready? Set? Go!
The race began…
No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You could hear statements such as “Oh, WAY too difficult!”, “They will NEVER make it to the top.” or “Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high.”.
The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one, except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher… The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult. No one will make it.”.
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up…. But ONE continued higher and higher and higher. This one wouldn’t give up! At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top.
Natually the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it? A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?
It turned out that the winner was deaf.
The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people’s tendencies to be negative or pessimistic, because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you — the ones you have in your heart.
Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions.
Therefore: Always be positive! And above all, be deaf when people tell you that you cannot fulfill your dreams.
Always think: I can do this!
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This month I am holding a competition for members of She-essence to win a Goddess Reading to the value of $350.00 HKD or $57.00 AUD or $45.00 USD.
Our Goddess reading is a 6 card spread with the first 3 cards the major influences in your life. The Goddess Tarot deck is used to identify those major influences and The Goddess Guidance Oracle deck is then consulted to identify the Goddess advice for the major influences.
To enter the draw you must be a She-essence member and be able to tell me two (2) goddesses from Roman and/or Greek mythology. Please send me a private message through She-essence, with each goddess listed, as an example: Guan Yin, Chinese Goddess of Compassion and Mercy.
The competition closes on 28th February.
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They are not just pretty to look at… did you know that gemstones and crystals have an amazing ability to provide healing, assist with diseases and body functioning as well as help develop spiritually?
Personally, put me in a gemstone/crystal store and you will have a hard time getting me out of there. I love to pick them up and touch them, I love to look at their features and I love being able to close my eyes and feel their energy.
In saying all that I’ve decided to introduce a new category where I will profile different gemstones and their powers. I already have a page dedicated to Gemstone Care which is a very important aspect when you own gemstones. Please take the time to read up on how you can care for your gemstones as well as cleanse and program them.
I have recently cleansed my gemstones and have re-programmed some of them. I programmed my Gold Calcite (which sits on my desk) to help with concentration as I write and work from my computer. I programmed a Amethyst cluster (which sits on my side table beside my bed) to help with my sleeping as I sometimes find I can’t shut down my thinking. I have also programmed my Clear Quartz wand (that sits on my shelf in my lounge room) for regulating the energy in our home.
I still have a few others to program but in the meantime they sit on my bookshelf, in a soft bag for protection.
What crystals do you have? And what have you programmed yours for?
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A friend of mine has been creating jewellery based on inspiration in her life and she uses photos to inspire the colour of her jewellery and the healing abilities of the gemstones. My friend, Juria Maree has gorgeous images of her customised pieces. Visit her at Scarlet Tartlet.
Inspiration for me comes from many areas in my life such as people, things and nature. For the last two days the skies have been blue and the temperature 20 degrees (who would have thought we were in winter). The sunsets off our balcony have been amazing, actually inspirational. I look forward to attending a photography course in March and better develop my photography skills.
I would love to show you more of where I get my inspiration from. In the meantime… what inspires you?
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I’m very excited to announce the launch of our e-magazine. It should have hit all our member’s inboxes this morning.
If you are one of our members, please visit our e-magazine blog page to provide us with feedback or suggestions. If you are not a member and would like to view our e-magazine, please click visit the modern goddess e-magazine.
Enjoy!
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As Chinese New Year approaches people are cleaning their walls, windows and floors. It’s time to spring clean the house, decorate with red lanterns and prepare for the festivities. Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the 18th February, this is the first day of the new year, and ends on the full moon, 15 days later.
In the Western culture, the New Year brings new resolutions and do I have resolution for you. This year let’s celebrate this Chinese New Year by bringing more more compassion into your world as well as the world around you. So, with that in mind, I felt it appropriate to tell you more about Guan Yin, Chinese Goddess of Compassion and Healing.
Herstory
As one of the most beloved Goddesses in China, her name in Chinese roughly translates as ‘The One who hears the cries of the world’. On the day of her birth it is said that the earth trembled and wonderful fragrances, and flower blossoms sprang up around the land. Many of the local people said that they saw the signs of a holy incarnation.
She was born as Miao-Shan and one of three daughters to a Chinese King. As she grew up her family did not see the value of her being pure and kind. Her father was not happy that she wanted to devote her life to helping other people, so he made her slave at menial tasks and sent her to a monastry where the nuns were told to treat her badly. In the end he ordered her to be killed.
When his men went to kill her a spirit came out of the fog and took her away to an island where she was safe. For many years she lived by herself, pursuing a life of religious dedication.
After several years the King became ill and needed medicine to recover. A monk knew of a Bodhisttva who would sacrificed herself by cutting out her eyes and severing her arms to make the medicine for the King. That Bodhisttva (an enlightened being) was Miao-Shan, the King’s daughter. It is said that when Miao-Shan died she became Goddess Guan Yin and she returned to earth to help anyone in need.
When do you call upon Guan Yin? Ask her to help you with healing, physically or spiritually for yourself or others.
Her image: There are many images of Kwan Yin however in most cases she is either standing or sitting on a lotus blossom, usually in one hand she holds a willow branch.
In Buddhist mythology: It is believe she has vowed to remain in the earthly realms and not enter the heavenly worlds until all other living things have completed their own enlightenment and thus become liberated from the pain-filled cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Pronounciation: Gwahn-yin
Alternative Names: Kwan Yin, Kuan Yin, Quan Yin, Quan’Am (Vietnam), Kannon (Japan), and Kanin (Bali).
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The Modern Goddess keeps evolving and I am trying to go where the energy is taking me, but this can be a little difficult for me at times because secretly I’m a control freak.
Anyway, while chatting with Kylie Rayner over at http://www.oz-e-wham.com/blog she pointed out that “often when we start a website we think that catering for a wide a market as possible surely has to be the best way to go, but often this can actually work against you”.
Bells and whistle went off in my head… The Modern Goddess is trying to cater for women in Hong Kong as well as women online all around the world. There is so much going on here that some days it’s hard for me to keep up, I can only imagine what others think when they see the website.
After talking some more with Kylie, who’s been studying Online and Internet Marketing, she explained that “the more focus or tighter the niche, the better results”.
So with a better understanding of how a website should be focused, I decided that The Modern Goddess is getting a makeover. Every women deserves a makeover at least once in her lifetime.
Our Modern Goddess is getting two; we will have two websites - one that focuses on what we do in Hong Kong, and the other focuses on what we offer online. How refreshing! And we’ll all be feeling like new women by the end of the week.
If you are looking to hire someone to help with your internet marketing, chat to Kylie at http://www.oz-e-wham she’ll definitely move you in the right direction. She’s definitely done that for me. Thanks Kylie.
In the meantime, enjoy the blog and I’ll let you know when we’re ready to reveal the results of our makeover.