There is a special, almost spiritual, relationship that exists between humans and dolphins. This month on the Fairy Godmother Adventure to Mozambique, I had the priviledge of swimming with wild dolphins and truly experiencing their beauty, playfulness, sensitivity and compassion in the midst of the warm Indian Ocean.

After this magical experience of swimming with Dolphins, which had a profound effect on all 18 of us in the group, I have no doubt that Dolphins have so much to teach humans. Below are some of their wonderful teachings that I took away with me from these beautiful teachers.

1. Be playful and have fun

Dolphins spend a large amount of their time in joyous exploration of the sea and their surroundings. Whether it is playing in the back-line of the surf or swirling and twirling around each other, they spend most of their days in their element and having fun and being playful.

2. Be curious

When interacting with our group the Dolphins were very curious, particularly if we did interesting things like diving down and whirling and swirling. They came close ot us to look at us and really ‘check us out’. When they are fascinated by something they follow it and I know that I have had the deepest satisfaction during times in my life when I have followed the things that fascinate me. When I am in a state of fascination, I am truly in the joy, magic, wonder and delight of life.

3. The Power of Community

Dolphin pods are true communities, they stick together and while swimming with them I had a sense of strong community and love for each other between these animals. In our fast-paced, often crazy lives we forget the importance and strength of being part of a community. During the 4 days spent with the Dolphins their lessons in community certainly permeated into the group of 18 that was on the Fairy Godmother Adventure. So the question is – who is in your pod?

4. The importance of intimacy and touch to show caring

Dolphins love to touch each other as a display of affection and caring. The mamas often hold their babies underneath them with the tips of their side fins. We witnessed dolphins rubbing up against each other and playing and touching beautifully together to show their affection and caring.

5. A deep sense of compassion

The greatest impact for me after swimming with Dolphins was the deep sense of peace, calm and compassion that I felt as I sat on the boat as we headed to shore and I was left with the feeling that if we as human beings could bring this depth of compassion into our lives and into our communities then all would be perfect in our already perfect world.

(Note: The photos in this blog post were those taken on our trip!)

We all know how fun a party can be! Add to that some great South African Bands, free beer and a PURPOSE and some real magic happens

On Saturday I waved my wand by MC’ing the Pinkie Fest 2008 with Kevin Fine from 5fm. The Pinkie Organisers had teamed up with Heart of Healing and Concerts for A Cause to put on one of their fabulous Pinkie Festivals. This time however, instead of all the profits going into the organisers’ pockets they have donated all of the party profits to a specific cause. So not only did the ‘kick-ass’ Bands rock the crowds – Evolver, Plush, Flat Stanley, Voodoo Child and Prime Circle;

not only did the revellers get dressed to the nines in PINK;

but the party furthered the cause of The Power of One.
The Power of One is a phenomenal initiative and campaign to spread awareness amongst all South Africans that there is something that each individual can do to ensure that South Africa has a continuous supply of electricity. During the electricity crisis in January – most people threw up their hands in despair, mumbled and grumbled and blamed Eskom, the Government and apart from a lot of complaining and sending around some Eskom joke mails, did very little else. The Power of One is about taking responsibility for what YOU can do….

So what can you do?

SWITCH OFF

• Switch off unnecessary lights,
• Unplug your cellphone charger when your cellphone is charged
• Switch off your Geyser during the day
• Switch off plugs at the wall

You get the message…. Switch off

We all know how irritating the loadsheds are so go to the website www.powerofone.org.za and plug in by signing up and see more ways you can help South Africa to avoid more costly load-shedding exercises and save yourself some of your hard earned cash at the same time.

It is that time of year when Mother Nature begins to paint her canvas with delicate blossoms, warmer days and a tinge of crisp freshness and new beginnings.  Our energy is naturally in rhythm with the waxing and waning of the seasons and now after the cozy-up, hibernating feeling of winter, the beginning of Spring brings with it excitement and energy, a time for reflection and a sense of new life, a FRESH START.

So how can you use the natural energy of the Spring season to get your body, mind and spirit back into shape?

Here are five tips and tricks from the Fairy Godmother to use this Spring-time energy to its full advantage.

1.    Clean Up Your Space

By this I mean all space that you are in and that you take up – clean up space within yourself spiritually, mentally, emotionally and clean up space that you use on a physical day to day basis, at home, work, in the car and in the traffic.

It may seem fairly obvious to “Spring Clean” by cleaning and tidying up space – but apart from getting out your feather duster and clearing out your wardrobe – there are a few less obvious parts of your life that may need a spring clean too.

The concept of Spring cleaning is to get rid of the things in your life that are “weighing you down”, the dead-clutter from winter (or the past) that needs to be swept away to make space for the new feeling that Spring brings.

You will be amazed at how much of your energy is invested in the stuff that is “lying” around in your life and when you get to clean out all those things, there’s a sense of release, relief and a notable shift in your energy.

So make a commitment to yourself to clean out the places in your life that are clogged up with things – it may be your wardrobe, your office desk, your car, a shelf in your garage, your e mail inbox.

The key rule for a Spring Clean is: “When in Doubt, Throw it away”

The things that you think you should keep for a “I might need this at sometime” moment are things that actually need to be thrown away.  Be ruthless, clutter just complicates life.  If you haven’t used it in the last 4 months, throw it away.

Don’t be fearful of throwing office work and papers etc away, because in reality, we can source, research and find anything again with the Internet, the Google era is upon us and is very useful indeed.

2.    Cut out the “Deadwood”

A few years ago I bought a pretty Bonsai and an instruction manual on how to create this tree into a magnificent natural art – the trick with Bonsai is time and care taken to continually prune the little tree and shape it into a beautiful Bonsai.
Taking the time to nurture my Bonsai has taught me many things about patience, care and art it has also given me something to share with you about Spring cleaning your life!

When you prune a Bonsai you remove any non-productive and unwanted portions of the plant in order to maintain the health of the miniature tree and increase the yield of its flowers and fruit.

We can relate on some level to how pruning is required in our own lives sometimes, instead of branches and leaves, we sometimes need to cut away negative influences that affect us in our lives. As tough as it is to be brutally honest, these negative influences often come in the form of people who are around us all the time. Some friends or neighbours or the grocery store clerk who are negative can make others around them feel low and unhappy.

By “pruning” and clearing out some of these people in our lives, we are merely looking after ourselves and reducing feelings of anxiety, stress and negativity. To some, it may sound a little callous to just “remove” people from your life, however, the reality is that life is too short to engage with people who don’t add value to your life and you will be greatly surprised at how fewer, healthy relationships with friends, acquaintances will improve the quality of your life.

Just like the Bonsai when you reduce the foliage that the little tree has, you are also reducing the strain on its roots. In other words, the less leaves there are, the less work the roots have to do to keep them alive.

3.    Climb into Your Body

After the “warm-me-up eating urges” of winter, Spring is the best time to “climb back into your body”.  This is like reminding yourself of what and who you are, detoxing your body and mind, becoming aware of your body and its everyday workings. However, be gentle with getting back into your body.  Just as blossoms gently bloom on the trees now is not the time to work off all that winter excess in one week!

In the 00’s we are so caught up in the rat-race, technology, information-overload era that most of the time we are completely disconnected from our bodies.  We stop listening to our bodies and stop hearing the cries for help that manifest as stress, illness or little aches and pains.   We live in a time that is becoming so cerebral that most people are walking around with disembodied minds -  where the mind is so in control that the needs of the body are completely disregarded.

Why not treat yourself to a “Spring Ceremony” for your body that will help you reconnect with your body and its needs?

Run a warm bath and throw in some Epsom Salts (which help to detox and also cleanse the energy fields around the body), light some candles, put on some soothing music and relax in the bath, close your eyes and just become aware of your body.  Check your body for any feelings of stress or tension and see that tension dissolve like bath salts into the water.  While quieting your mind, move each part of your body and imagine yourself fitting back into your own skin. Become a part of your body again.

Give honour to your body for the incredible vehicle it is that houses your mind and spirit and allows you to exist in this world.  Most of the time, we concentrate on the media-created flaws of our bodies, instead of rejoicing in the beauty and splendour of the miracle that our bodies represent.

During your bath, as you enjoy relaxing and keeping a still mind, tell each area of your body why you are grateful for it.   And remind yourself of the amazing organs and powerhouses we have within our compact system we know as the body.

Thank your ears for the richness of sound that they bring to the world, thank your legs for their support as you move around the world, thank your heart for it’s consistent beat that keeps you alive, thank your toes for their ability to curl in delight – whatever you are grateful for with each body part, say it out loud – it creates an incredible energy within.

4.    Massage your Mind

Your mind is the most powerful piece of technology that you own and when last did you take it in for a service?   Spring is a great time for massaging the mind and increasing it’s worth, which can be done in a number of different ways.

My first recommendation is to learn how to meditate.   Meditation is an incredible tool for going beyond the conditioned, “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness.   Getting into a regular meditation practice of as little as ten minutes per day will generate incredible benefits such as greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or just simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

As the days get longer and you feel more energy returning, why not sign up for a course in something new and creative to try – like sculpting, playing a musical instrument or learning a new language.

Learning new things, particularly a language or skill, increases the brain’s plasticity and there is growing evidence in Neuroscience that the brain is structurally altered when learning occurs, this is something I concentrate on and explain in further detail during workshops and talks.

5.    Connect to Spirit

There is a quote that completely delights my Fairy Godmother soul and that is:

“You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience.” - Teilhard de Chardin

Connecting to Spirit means different things to different people but whatever it may mean to you, begin a daily practice of getting in touch with your soul. It may be a 3km run, swimming, or other activity, maybe making yourself a great cup of tea and sitting in your garden, or watching the sun rise.

In my morning routine I include meditation and yoga as means of connecting to Spirit.  I also go out into nature as often as possible to just allow myself to gaze at the magnificence of this world, phase out noise and bother of everyday stresses and to get in tune with my soul.

Whatever it is that lights your Soul up – begin to do it this spring!

I travel often and find myself in OR Tambo Airport a few times a month and I normally can’t resist going to the Kauai store to buy myself something delicious instead of settling for nasty, bland aeroplane food.

About a year ago I met Lerato, a woman who works at Kauai and would always greet me with a friendly ‘aloha’ and beautiful smile and she would always be cheerful and vivacious – that was until November last year. I walked up to the Kauai counter expecting my usual fun interaction with Lerato (which of corse includes sprinklings of Fairy Dust) but this time I was greeted by a long, sullen face and a bad attitude. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she wasn’t enjoying her job, she was hating it in fact and wanted to find something else. I suggested to her that while she may start looking for another job, in the meantime she should start getting GRATEFUL for everything that she has now, she should look at her life and then take a piece of paper and write down all the things that she is grateful for and see how her life suddenly gets transformed.

She didn’t quite believe me, but she agreed to do the “Gratitude List” anyway… and a few months later I was back in the airport and popped past the Kauai and there she was, back to her bubbly, happy self…. take a look at what she has to say about what she has learned about the power of gratitude.

What have you got to be grateful for?

How has being grateful transformed thngs in your life?

Post your comments…

So what happens when the clock strikes 12 and you seem to leave the ball and while you were having an incredible time in your dream, experiencing synchronicities, feeling that things were manifesting – something sends you straight back to your previous reality with a Bump?!! It could have been something someone said, a circumstance or a problem that triggers a shift back to your old reality and your way of being. But, because you have begun to experience the power of dreaming, this shift back to a previous state may feel highly uncomfortable and depressing and in this space negative thoughts can overwhelm you.

This is the breeding ground for the inner critic….. he is in his death throes, trying desperately to cling on the past identities in order to remain alive and in the inner critic’s fight for survival he will get nasty and will throw up each of your fears to challenge and confront you. These can be everything from

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