ADD and what does it mean exactly

Found this link via a tweet from a comic artist. Tyler Page is currently creating a comic book online journeying his experience with being diagnosed as ADD from a young age.
As an adult, he finds himself experiencing the same traits of the disorder despite being told that this is something that he'd grow out of.
If you have a few minutes during your lunch hour or in the evening, or just have time right now, go check it out. It is an insightful and interesting read and I found myself just wanting to know more about it. So many kids are diagnosed with it along with additional add ons of HD and autism. It does provoke you to start wondering what types of medications are given as solutions and their long term implications on health.
http://raisedonritalincomic.blogspot.com/2011/08/raised-on-ritalin-chapter-1.html
(the link may not work so please copy and paste it into your browser)

Spiritual Energy of the Year - AWAKEN

(image courtesy of the www.innerexpansionblog.com site)

Over the last number of years I've subscribed to this link from www.innerexpansionblog.com
The Inner Expansion Group have been around for quite a number of years, and I've had the chance to attend some of their workshops when in Dublin. Every time they've been uplifting and particularly helpful in assisting with clearing and focusing energy. Previously they sent a newsletter containing the energy of the day and month, but now they've made it available to a wider audience online.
This is one of those sites that is down to earth, practical and uplifting all at the same time. Understanding how energy works and how you can best use it can be particularly helpful as you can use the energy at the start of the year to get a grip on where you are and what you would like to change in your life.
There are many positive sites out there on the web, but in this case this is one of those sites that I just keep coming back to as it is spiritually uplifting every time.
So this year is all about AWAKEN. Go to the site to get all the info on it and find out what kind of energy the month holds. I hope you get something from it too.

Happy New Year

The end of 2011 is a few hours away and by most counts, reviewing the year has been interesting but 2012 is decidedly something to look forward to.
Most of us will be out partying at some point between now and the next few hours to bring in the new year with a bang. However, it is always worth taking advantage of the energy the beginning of any new journey elicits.
In a quieter moment, take some time to look over the good and bad bits of the last 12 months. Give thanks to the lessons learned and various growth periods that came disguised as testing times. Be grateful for the times when you had peace and bliss and allow those memories to revisit to give you pleasure.
Most of all, remember that the next 12 months for 2012 can hold as much joy or misery as you choose in each moment. It is essentially up to you to stay present in each moment and make the most of it, whatever it is.
Planning, setting goals or winging it, whichever way appeals to you for the next while, just go with it. We're going into a period of new beginnings I reckon, and whether they're good or bad are going to be largely down to how we perceive things and how we choose to act.
It sure as hell won't be a boring year, that much feels certain! :)

Creativity and the power of a belief

This article was found via facebook, and I am simply so in love with this breath of fresh air approach to creativity that it had to go on the blog.

The notion that people are born with talent has often irked me when it comes to art. I have seen clients suffering as a result of disconnecting with their art or creative side simply because they didn't produce a body of work worth noting. The early stages of not being encouraged to simply keep with it led to them discounting their creativity due to 'not being talented'.

It's a crippling form of a belief and it can throw people off for years and stop them from engaging in any form of creativity, thus self realising a belief of a negative nature.

What I really love about this article is the simple approach of recognising that anything you put time and effort into WILL enable you to improve upon that skill. An example of the article is below but please go to - http://www.creativitypost.com/create/twelve_things_you_were_not_taught_in_school_about_creative_thinking

" You are creative. The artist is not a special person, each one of us is a special kind of artist. Every one of us is born a creative, spontaneous thinker. The only difference between people who are creative and people who are not is a simple belief. Creative people believe they are creative.
People who believe they are not creative, are not. Once you have a particular identity and set of beliefs about yourself, you become interested in seeking out the skills needed to express your identity and beliefs. This is why people who believe they are creative become creative. If you believe you are not creative, then there is no need to learn how to become creative and you don't.
The reality is that believing you are not creative excuses you from trying or attempting anything new. When someone tells you that they are not creative, you are talking to someone who has no interest and will make no effort to be a creative thinker."

Being brave enough to walk your own path

(Image by Stephen Mooney - http://halfpastdanger.blogspot.com/2011/09/oh-heavens-no-it-has-to-be-terror-sweat.html)
Found this lovely link via a tweet today, and it really does resonate strongly with me. Even more so at this point in time, when I see so many unhappy people doing jobs they're not satisfied with. They have a yearning to do work that is true to their soul and that calls to them.
It isn't an easy call to answer, but those that do, despite the many, many challenges they face along the way (aside from the obvious financial challenge) find a sense of wholeness from it and find it deeply satisfying.
So to see a well established artist that I admire, being open and honest about the fears of freelancing after a great success rate in his career spanning over 10years so far, is heartening. It's heartening because feeling these fears is healthy, normal and felt by your peers. Healthy because anything that pushes you outside your comfort zone means you're growing and evolving. Normal because no matter what your journey or calling in this life, you are not alone in facing your gremlins.
This is after all, another great example of a personal gremlin...and they come in all shapes and sizes! It's good to know that despite it being there, overcoming resistance and conformity is possible.

Holistic and Craft Fair 25th Sept 2011

It isn't often that you get a mix of events that are relevant, so news of this event reached me and I'm interested!
It approaches therapy and craft as both expressions of holistic healing, and the aim is to promote them to assist with people finding answers to their life by their own means.
Definitely worth checking out and it is Family Friendly and FREE! :)

HOLISTIC & CRAFT SHOW
BRACKEN COURT HOTEL
25TH SEPTEMBER, 2011
12 NOON - 6PM
FREE ADMISSION TO PUBLIC
RAFFLE PROCEEDS TO LOCAL CHARITY

SPECIAL GUEST
PATRICIA BUCKLEY
AUTHOR "MY JOURNEY WITH THE ANGELS"
PATRICIA WILL BE SIGNING HER BOOK ON THE DAY!
AT THE EVENT PUBLIC WILL EXPERIENCE:
Complimentary Therapies at reduced rates
Handmade Crafts on sale
Wellbeing Products & Stands
FREE Information Talks on Therapies etc
FREE Kid's Craft Corner

Free Interactive Demonstrations with Tai Chi & Sacred Circle Dance!

ALL proceeds of Raffle will be donated to Charity
Balbriggan Cancer Support
St. Francis Hospice Raheny

If you are interested in being an exhibitor, you can download Application Form and pay for stand on www.spiritualrays.com.

Letting your Heart look after you

A small passage from a book I'm reading really got me recently so I had to share (taken from The Opening of the Way A practical guide to the wisdom teachings of Egypt, Isha Schwaller de Lubicz 1979):

The kingdom of the heart, including its channels of distribution in the blood vessels, covers the full extent of any living being both in time and space. The heart is engaged in the mysterious work of holding the whole organism in balance, which is more than a matter of blood vessels and changing pressures. To correct the effects of injury or disequilibrium it has remarkable methods of compensation justified by thousands of years of experience. This Wisdom of the Heart has come to us by heredity, as a quality of our species. The heart possesses an ability to repair damage affecting itself without for one moment interrupting the flow of energy it provides. Thus it is rightly a symbol of unfailing generosity. In the practice of cardiology we have had to recognize that the hearts power to maintain life is almost unlimited, so long as it is allowed to use its own methods and has unrestricted access to its natural resources. (Here the author makes a reservation regarding embolism of the pulmonary artery, when the heart fails because the task is practically impossible).
Only too frequently, however, the unfortunate interventions of the psyche, especially in the form of anxiety, turn the course of events into catastrophe. A strong heart, very little damaged, ahs often been known to fail in a few hours under the influence of acute anxiety.
One emotional storm can demolish completely the marvelous structure of homoestatic defenses which, with the Wisdom of the Heart, has come down to us from the depths of time.*

* Dr. Godel, L'Experience liberatrice (Paris: Gallimard, 1952)