How to Tame the ‘Monkey Mind’

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

You’ve heard of the monkey mind, right?

It’s the Buddhist term meaning a restless, unsettled, confused, inconstant, indecisive and somewhat uncontrollable state of mind. It’s when the ego thinks it’s in control and uses the mind (thoughts) as its conduit — a state most of us have found ourselves in from time to time (or, for some, all the time).

Monkey Business

Unfortunately, these ‘thoughts’ think they run the show (from the mind, which is running ape-shit — excuse the phrase but I had to). This impish-rogue, primate mind can only take you so far and no further. That’s why you can reach a stalemate in your life if you’re blocked from your higher states as the egoic mind is only a shadow of the higher mind.

My penny dropped about how I’ve been trying to manifest according to my unconscious (associated with beliefs), subconscious (associated with emotions) limiting beliefs.

Let me explain:

I am certain that reality is an illusion, a kind of virtual reality — a playground for our divine, little souls to run amok. Read related article: The Holographic Universe and The Illusion of Separation
The only thing that is ‘real’ per se is our existence or oversoul/individual soul/higher self. Think of the SIMS game — you, the oversoul, are playing in virtual reality creating families, communities and playing with the concept of individuation, freedom of choice and ‘life’.
Now this ‘higher mind’ is the one with the overview (not the monkey mind or egoic mind — it can’t see further than your nose). Think of the higher self as the one standing on top of a skyscraper looking out on the city below — it can see all the streets and happenings taking place. Think of you, the part of the self in physical matter, as being on the ground — you’re level of perception is looking down an avenue and only seeing what is directly before you. You are not getting the birds eye-view of the higher self up there gazing upon all possibilities below. Say for example (and this is going to be a very simple example but you’ll get the idea): you want a coffee. The monkey mind can smell coffee brewing but takes you on a wild goose chase all over the city thinking it can pinpoint the location. If you had asked the higher self, it could have told you to take a right and a left and…Starbucks. Headquarters or HQ (what I like to call the higher mind) can see the quickest route while monkey mind is still swinging from branch to branch.
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Let go of the monkey mind version of how you want your life to transpire and let in the guidance of the higher mind. The egoic mind can only create from past events. It has no idea of future infinite possibilities because it hasn’t been played out across the minds screen yet, it was not made to do so. That is why when you ask for something you shouldn’t try to conceive of how you’re going to get it — your job is only the asking or the ‘vision’ of what you want not how you’re going to manifest it. Only the higher mind can see the possibilities laid out before you. Have you ever manifested something by letting go of the control aspect? Did you find that you could never have dreamed it possible to show up in the way it did and were fascinated at all the signs and synchronicities (read related article: Why Synchronicity Can Change Your Life) that led you to said manifestation? That’s because your higher self has the overview and not the ego mind.
When you let go and tap into your intuition, cultivating a bond between physical mind and higher mind, you will allow infinite possibilities and realities to flow through you without the resistance and persistence of the monkey mind getting in the way. The ego thinks it knows everything but it doesn’t, it is only necessary to keep you functioning on an individual capacity in physicality (as far as I can tell). This means that we need the ego to keep us engaged on earth or we’d probably want to go back ‘home’ — you get my drift, right?
So, let the higher mind pick out the destination (it knows what you came here to do, so let it do its job), you need to be open to receive the package via the physical mind and then interpret it through the physical experience. It’s really quite simple — law of least effort type stuff, savvy?

I recently applied this monkey mind vs. higher mind stuff to one of my life situations and had to laugh. I was trying to conceive the situation as ‘thus’ (via my chimp noodle) when the situation was ‘this’ (something completely different and couldn’t have possibly conceived through the ego mind until I let HQ speak up). Suffice it to say, I was WAY off course but things slipped into understanding when I got out of my own way.

So, how do you get out of the ego mind and step into the higher mind?

Easy! Have fun…lot’s of it! Follow your bliss. Do what excites you, even if it’s making a tasty sandwich, going for a walk or putting on some music and dancing. Follow your bliss — I can’t say that phrase enough.

The easiest way to a higher vibration (because that is where all the good shit is happening, my friend) is through joy, excitement, love and all the other delicious higher vibrational feelings. I wrote an article recently about tapping into that sweet spot, you can read it here: Find Out How to Tune Into Your Personal Higher Vibration

When you’re in a higher vibe, your soul can easily communicate ideas and thought packages to you.

Enough said, go out and do!

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Thank you!

5 Easy Exercises to Create a Positive Life!

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

If you prefer, you can listen to this article on my podcast HERE. Or click on the picture below.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Who’s in Charge?

You’re probably familiar with the saying ‘what you think you create’ but how can you seriously filter every bad thought? There is a way, I promise. But before we delve into the amazing powers each of us possess, we have to get one thing straight.

There’s only one person responsible for what you think and do and that’s YOU.

If the thought of being the creator of your reality scares the willies out of you, then read on…

The Freedom to Be Happy, to Be You

Can you remember learning how to swim or ride a bike? Can you see how determined you were to succeed because you knew the pay-off was going to be huge?

You may have started off with water-wings, splashing about aimlessly— gulping in water — or peddling your heart out whilst trying to maintain your balance even with the training wheels on! But that child never gave up.

Then what came next once the wheels were removed? Probably scrapes and bruises the first week but did that deter you? Did you give up then? Probably not. You wanted to ride! You were hell-bent on feeling the wind on your face and the freedom that would bring with it.

Same goes for swimming — gliding about in the water refreshes and frees your body of weight. You knew that swimming was going to be the biggest trip ever!

Where am I going with this? Your thoughts need training wheels/water-wings if you want to experience the same freedom from negative thought. And here’s how you’re going to do it…

Getting Real Right NOW

Here are a few things you can start to do today to become more aware and proactive with your thoughts:

Morning Motivation — When you wake up, give yourself 5-10 minutes to think about what how you want to see this day play out. See if you can catch any worrisome or negative thoughts before they take hold of the exercise. Put up a STOP sign in your mind and gently kick those blighters to the curb. Then bring your focus back to visualizing your positive day ahead. Try to smile and see/feel yourself enjoying this bright new day. Emotions back your thoughts into manifestation.
Marrying the Mind — When you start to get a hold on your thought stream and just how much power you DO have over it, you can start to have a better relationship with your thinking. You are now in control and you can focus your inner dialogue on what serves you instead of calling in all the unwanted experiences. Start your affirmations off with a strong ‘I am…’. For example ‘I am going to have a great day today’, ‘I am going to have a safe trip’, etc. Try avoid the phrases ‘I desire’ or ‘I want’ because it only brings more desiring and wanting for the future. When you use ‘I am’ it is in the present tense and is happening right now not in some future timeline.
Mind Mangle Cleanse — During the day (if you are but a mere mortal) you will probably find yourself slipping into worry, blame, anger, despair and an array of other harmful mind banter. You may even find that your head is throbbing because of all the distorted ‘mind mangling’ that’s going on up there. Here’s your chance to hold up that STOP sign again and see if you can look at things from a different perspective. Most of what we worry about never comes to pass and most judgments/situations when seen from a different angle can evoke empathy instead of anger. See if you can alchemize your thinking — in other words, find the treasure in the trash. Read related article: 3 Ways to Alchemize Chaos
Re-Member — We often get lost in ‘doing’ and not ‘being’. Try to remember all the things that make you happy and bring you joy. Start a gratitude journal (see my gratitude journal to your right and you can get yours by clicking on the picture) When you smile the world smiles with you. So, remember to feel gratitude for life, nature and the people that make your world spin. Look at every magnificent dawn or sunset as a blessing, every fragrant flower or birdsong as a gift, every smile or hug as a gesture of love and draw on those experiences when you’re in a negative frame of mind. See if you can remove yourself from a negative situation and sit under a tree or listen to some soothing music. Seek out those small but beautiful moments in your life and embrace them. Hold them close to your chest and bring them out when you need to. It’s bound to make you smile. You can always alter your reality at any time. Don’t forget that. If you choose to stay in the gloom, then just know that ‘this too shall pass’.
Over and Out — At the end of the day, review what happened and see if you can pick out any situations that you have turned around in reality. Did you manage to have a good day? Did things turn out like you affirmed in the morning? Or close to? Or can you do better tomorrow? Keep trying and if you do see results it’s going to make you more determined — just like that little tike on the bicycle, gearing up for the next day’s practice. Because you know that practice makes perfect!

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” — Joyce Meyer

You will get a grip on your oh-so-powerful thought stream and you’ll be able to eventually steer those thoughts to benefit your life in ways that will make your head spin — in a good way!

Now it’s up to you to give yourself a reason to smile every day.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

To date, she has published 3 self-help and motivational books and brings out weekly inspirational blogs at her site www.cherieroedirksen.com. Get stuck into finding your passion, purpose and joy by downloading some of those books gratis when you click HERE.

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6 Reasons to Garden Your Anxiety Away

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“There is an unspoken communication between you and the natural kingdom.”

Lockdown Blues

Yep, we’ve probably all experienced the Groundhog Day phenomenon at some point this year. What comes with boredom, isolation, worry and stress is a copious amount of anxiety, right?

I’ve had my ups and downs during the whole COVID-19 experience.

What kept me sane was (and is) my garden.

Relief is Green

I can’t express enough how therapeutic being in the garden is. If you don’t have a garden, being in a park or in a forest or trail will boost those positive endorphins just as much.

Get out as often as you can.

Gardening Aprons $20

Here’s why:

Fresh air — especially mask-free fresh air. Go somewhere where you can safely breathe as nature intended (preferably where there are lots of oxygen making trees). Oxygen livens the cells in your body, giving you a vital boost.
Exercise — whether you’re gardening or walking in nature, you’re getting the blood flowing. Extremely important for combating depression or a growing couch-potato waistline! Healthy exercise also distracts you from cravings or snacking through boredom.
Well-Being — Communing with nature gives you a much greater sense of aliveness, grounding and vitality. If I’ve been chugging away behind a computer screen for a couple of hours and I go out into my garden for some respite, it only takes a couple of minutes before I feel my stress melting away. If you are working, make sure to take your lunch hour outdoors, even if you sit under a tree for 15 minutes.
Connectivity — when you garden and get your hands in the dirt, you are connecting with the earth, she feels you. There is an unspoken communication between you and the natural kingdom. I talk to the insects, the birds and my plants. You may think I’m crazy but it feels good to me and I feel connected to everything when I’m out there with grit underneath my fingernails. If you don’t have a garden, start a patio garden. If you don’t have a patio, start a windowsill garden. To grow is to believe in the future.
Problem Solving — I often find that when I’m in my garden, solutions arrive as quick as you can blink. Whenever I feel challenged about something, I turn to my garden, or a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing better to clear your mind and let in all the helpful ideas.
Inspiration — then there’s the motivational factor. I don’t have enough hours in the day to get out all the creativity I glean from being outdoors. There is a wealth of ingenuity out there to be plucked from the ether.

Speaking of which, it was a couple of months ago — when I was navel gazing and felt at a loss as to where my career was heading — that I stumbled upon the idea to get designing. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m primarily a paint and canvas type of artist. I’ve not delved into the world of design fully and whole-heartedly, not yet anyway.

I felt now was my chance.

My Little Karoo Garden

My inspiration? You guessed it! My garden.

I’ve been having a ball walking through my garden, getting inspirations for designs. So much so that I even opened a store of my own, especially dedicated to my life in the garden. I’ve called it “My Little Karoo Garden“. It’s got a real ‘African’ edge to it 🙂 Dung beetles et al!

I hope this bloggy blurb has inspired you to get outdoors more often and to even get planting! Gardeners always have something to look forward to. I’d really like to hear your gardening stories — how does being in nature inspire you?

If you want to take a stroll through my store, click the logo to your right 🙂 I’d love to know what you think. It’s still in the beta stage but I’ll be adding new designs as they flow in.

Don’t forget to hit the follow button in the sidebar!

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Baboons: A Thrilling Tale of Chaos and the Art of Alchemy

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Posted on January 6, 2020 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Most of you may know, I live in South Africa where, of course, wildlife is abundant. Especially a particular type of mischievous (as well as dangerous) primate called a baboon.

You may even recall an incident I had many years back which involved me, a tub of butter and an alpha male baboon. You can recap on who won that particular battle here: The Baboon and the Butter — Part 1 .

I moved away from Welcome Glen in Cape Town, where baboons terrorized the locals, to start my sustainable living adventure here in Barrydale. Barrydale didn’t have the baboon problems of where I’d come from. Or so I thought.

Yes, I was insanely wrong about that.

Although we had a peaceful first four years, things started to change rapidly once I started a successful fruit and veg garden.

Utter Ruin

I got hit hard by a solid week of visitations by troops of baboons in December 2019, and the truth hit hard too.

I had beautiful crops of almost ripe onions (which take around 6 months to grow), potatoes, apricots, apples, almonds, peppers and Swiss chard. They didn’t stand a chance. The baboons ravaged my crops in minutes. I was devastated after putting in so much hard work, as you can well imagine.

To add insult to injury, they don’t even eat chard or peppers but they pulled it all out and left it on the ground. Pfft.

Problem vs Solution

Needless to say I was livid and despondent. I don’t wish any animal harm, so I would never hurt them but I couldnt see a way out of this gigantic problem. Someone suggested I give up my dream of an edible garden. No way, Jose. I’m probably a sucker for punishment but I can’t do that either.

After an excessive period of feeling incredibly sorry for myself, I decided to try and find a way to alchemize this situation. Here’s what I came up with:

Baboons aren’t all bad. Yes, they’re smelly, destructive and deadly dangerous with massive fangs and no fear for women (known fact look it up. Utterly sexist little maruading bastards). However, they are very amusing amidst the mayhem. I’ve had many a giggle watching them frolick in their troops, play daredevil on the R62 with oncoming traffic and torment the tourists by grabbing their freshly acquired snacks in an ambush.
Their babies are incredibly cuuuuuuute. Ag vooitog (Afrikaans for ‘Oh bless’ or something like that).
I can’t think of a third plus but let’s just say the world wouldn’t be the same without a bumbling band of baboons!

After my above conclusions I decided to:

Concentrate on growing things they don’t eat like herbs, green spinach, beans, chili’s, peas, lettuce, etc. They seem to prefer root vegetables. They also didn’t touch my grenadillas or my gooseberries, which I found strange but somewhat comforting.
Make myself laugh rather than cry. After reminiscing on all the funny moments they have provided, I came up with ‘ZenBoon’.

The Zenboon Revelation

I’ve decided to put pen to paper, brush to canvas, digipen to screen and I’m drawing my cheeky little friends in an attempt to shed a more humorous light on the whole ordeal. The idea of a Zen baboon is ludicrous and certainly dichotomous (A word that irrelevantly rhymes with hipopotamous). However, these monkeys have gained mastery over mischief. Aka ZenBoon is born, my way of alchemizing my low-lying mood.

So, my lesson in all this is don’t let it (insert your problem here 😉) get you down, let it get you thinking ANEW. You always have a choice.

Here are two designs I have already come up with below, I hope you like them ☺🐒 These crazy fella’s are available on all sorts of products from posters to shower curtains (see below). You can see the full shop scope here and here.

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It’s Colour Therapy Time! Download your FREE Pic Today

Going Large: The Start-to-Finish Photo’s of Painting ‘Woodland Stream Gathering’

Is Assumption Destroying Your Relationship?

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Posted on November 18, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

One of the Most Poignant Taboos

I would like to delve into the ‘spiritual taboos‘ – maybe you’ve heard of them, maybe you haven’t. Either way, they are significant enough to address (or re-address as the case may be).

These are concepts put across through the masterful words and teachings, derived from Toltec wisdom, of Don Miguel Ruiz.

He sweetened them up by calling them the ‘4 Agreements’ whereas I have used the word ‘taboo’ as a mere marketing ploy to attract your attention. As shameful as that is, I did it with the noblest of intentions. We need to hear this – over and over if that be the case.

“To ‘sin’ is to go against your self or to ‘miss the mark’.”

Before we start with these tantalizing taboos, I want to address what it means to sin. To ‘sin’ is to go against your self or to ‘miss the mark’. So, go easy on yourself if you see that you have been performing or have been lured into the web of some of these sticky concepts.

Guidelines Along Your Path

You are on a path to enlightenment (consciously or unconsciously — preferably the former) and when you embark on such a journey you need a basis of comparison.

We have chosen this particular journey into the realms of the soul, so acknowledge your choices and correct them if it suits you. These guidelines are merely a way to steer you to counter balance your integrity if you do ‘miss the mark’.

The key is to be aware at all times and to realign when you need to. Oh and did I forget to say FORGIVE yourself if you slip? These taboos are difficult to master but they can be mastered. When the seed has been planted as to what they are, it will be up to you – consciously or, sometimes, unconsciously – to water them into fruition.

Assumption — A Deal Breaker!

In this article we are going to address the one spiritual taboo called ‘assumption’. It is a much overlooked and yet one of the most predominantly adopted characteristic of modern-day society.

“A more lighthearted look at this word sees the word ‘ass’ ‘u’ and ‘me’…”

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To assume is to not be in full command of truth or fact. When we assume something we try to interpret, through sometimes limited knowledge or resources, what the truth might be. We then run with this perceived outcome, sometimes even starting to believe it to be factual without proof. It sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? It is.

A more lighthearted look at this word sees the word ‘ass’ ‘u’ and ‘me’. How succinct, seeing as assuming does normally make an ass out of one or both parties.

Alas, all humour aside, it is something we do too frequently without much thought of the consequences of our minds presumptuous actions. This is not only dangerous but it is a detrimental factor in limiting us in relationships and with life in general.

Our minds are powerful, this is something most of us know and are starting to quantumly comprehend, so when you mentally construct a truth and play it out over and over in your mind you can either

(a) entirely convince yourself of it’s truth or

(b) bring that scenario into play in reality – in other words, give form to your thought (Law of Attraction).

“When we assume we are potentially shutting a door to further knowledge or clarification.”

Assumptions cloud our discernment and play on our fears. When we assume we are potentially shutting a door to further knowledge or clarification.

Assumption at Work

Let’s say you assume your husband is having an affair because he has lipstick on his collar. You do not confront him, fearing the truth to be what you imagine. You start to treat him differently, as if you are positive that his activities are dubious. He has no idea why you are acting this way.

Cold shoulders and snide remarks rule the roost. This could go on for days, weeks or even, God forbid, turn into years of total distrust if it goes unconfronted. There could be so many reasons and outcomes to this situation but let’s take a look at just three potentials:

He was having an affair
A lady bumped into him whilst he was travelling in a lift leaving a trace of her lipstick on the side of his collar
If the latter was the case – you could have irreparably alienated your husband and driven him into the arms of another through your assumptions and unfounded suspicions. So in this case, you have actually given form or materialized the original fear based on an assumption that was not the truth. You have forced the undesired outcome.

“Any situation can be resolved. You never choose any experience in this life without there being a solution. The only thing standing in your way is your perception of what you want the outcome to look like. “

Don’t assume. You will undoubtedly pay the consequences.

Always ask. Communication is one of the keys to living in your integrity. Always steer yourself towards the light of truth, no matter how hard the truth may be. Burying the truth will always lead to more pain eventually.

Any situation can be resolved.

You never choose any experience in this life without there being a solution. The only thing standing in your way is your perception of what you want the outcome to look like. Sometimes only time can tell whether something serves us or not.

Assumption can lead to a lot of unwarranted unhappiness. Ever heard of ‘stewing in your own juices’? Don’t do it! Rather get to the core of the situation – the source, the truth.

What’s the Alternative then?

An exercise to try out would be to identify and stop yourself when you are assuming something (big or small). See if there are any alternatives to your assumptions. In other words, we often tend to gravitate towards being more negative with our assumptions.

An example would be:

Your friend hasn’t called you in ages, she normally phones you regularly. You assume she no longer likes you or you have said something to offend her when in fact there may be several reasons for her lack of communication – none of them even involve you!

“You form ideas based on it (assumption) and then your neural pathways fix and that idea becomes your ‘reality’.”

So, try to either get the facts or quell the desire to reach an assumed conclusion. When you go into this more deeply you will begin to unravel a lot of ‘baggage’ that your mind sets up through the act of assumption. You form ideas based on it and then your neural pathways fix and that idea becomes your ‘reality’.

Harmful ‘Petty’ Assumptions

Let’s say that you see your neighbour shouting at his children. You assume that he has anger issues and that he is a bad father.

The truth of the matter may be that you have just caught him on an incredibly stressful day – he could be father of the year for all you know – but there you have made a mental construct, not through years of getting to know him, but through a momentary reaction that has now tainted your view of his personality and parental skills.

You may even do further damage and air your opinions about him to others leading to an even greater adverse effect on his reputation based on your unfounded assumptions.

“If you can just come to the realization that you are assuming you can begin to change it…”

Now, how often do we do this? If you can just come to the realization that you are assuming – become conscious of this behavioral pattern in yourself – you can begin to change it and in doing so you can save yourself a lot of anguish that, more often than not, leads to so much heartache and misunderstanding.

What stories of assumption can you identify with and tell us about? Are there any you are making now and don’t know how to stop? Share your experiences and feel free to ask any questions.

If you liked this article and you want to start really anchoring a new positive future, you may consider starting a gratitude journal. Every day write something you are grateful for, no matter how big or small. You’ll see your life start to change when you focus on the positive!

Get your gratitude journal today (click on this link or the picture below) for yourself or for someone you know who’s starting out on a self-empowerment path and could use a bit of motivation!

These gratitude journals can be purchased lined or blank (depending on whether you prefer drawing what you’re grateful for or writing it). They are 13.2cm x 18.6cm – a handy pocket-sized journal!

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Simulation Life on Earth: How to Play the Game

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Posted on September 16, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Let me play devils advocate and say that we’re in a matrix or holographic universe. You can liken this to being in a computer game.

If you’ve ever engaged in a computer game, you know that you’re playing a game.

The only problem with our collective perceived reality is that we’ve forgotten we’re in the ‘game’.

When you’re immersed in a computer game, you’re physical body is the ‘player’ and can be likened to the higher mind (or HQ). Your avatar body (the dude/dudette in the game) is like your physical body in the matrix taking commands from the ‘player’ of the game (or HQ in the spirit realm).

Your physical body in the game conceives of your moves ‘cause it has the ‘birds eye view’. Your avatar body within the game responds to the prompts from the physical body.

I think our HQ — in so called ‘reality’ — can see what’s ahead as it sits on the mountain (or in the etheric plane) and views the quickest route to any destination.

We, in the physical plane, only get to see what’s dead ahead or in our peripherals and therefore can’t conceive (the job of HQ) of how we will get somewhere.

When the HQ sends down its ‘command’, we receive the prompt and take action through perceiving and playing the game.

We need quiet time — or meditation/nature time — because this is when the higher self can communicate the plan to you.

Volunteer or Victim?

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I think we volunteered to play this game of life. Through forgetting we are the players immersed in this virtual reality, we became ‘victims’.

There’s a BBC cult classic comedy called ‘Red Dwarf’ that I absolutely love. There are many didactic and philosophical moments to this series.

One of the best episodes was when they were playing a game called ‘Better Than Life’. They were wired up to the console and the computer read their deepest desires and then produced their realities from that.

Out of the four characters playing the game, one had his subconscious mind sabotage his happiness at every point. He could be likened to the majority of humanity. He believed deep down that he didn’t deserve ‘good things’ so his psyche would initially give him what he wanted but then would take it away in the most heinous and gruesomely inventive ways.

The game played out his every horror while the others were in their own personal heavens.

In conclusion, don’t you think it’s time to stop letting the game play you? Instead, you need to start playing the game!

If you liked this article and you want to start programming your game with positivity, you may want to consider starting a gratitude journal. Every day write something you are grateful for, no matter how big or small. You’ll see your life start to change when you focus on the positive!

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

This article (How to Play the Game) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

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Why Gratitude is Future Projecting a Positive Outcome

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Posted on September 10, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

If worry projects a negative future outcome then I think gratitude is its antithesis.

If you have insane gratitude for what has not even happened in your current NOW, you are investing positive, expectant energy into your future NOW. Read related article: Simply BE in Gratitude

Bursting at the Seams

I recently had my hot water cylinder burst. Instead of having a hab-dab about it — I got on with boiling a kettle and doing the necessaries to carry on with my life (washing the bod and doing the dishes sort-of-thing).

The plumbers could only come out on the Monday and I had the weekend to look forward to with my new kettle-heating regime.

I actually had fun with it. I became outrageously grateful for having a kettle and running water. Even more gratitude flowed at the thought of a new, swanky hot water cylinder that was soon to be mine!

Give Yourself a Reason to be Happy

I also like the adage that things happen for a reason. When the plumbers left, they told us that they had to replace the pipes as they were not up to standard and would have created further problems.

I now have a new and working hot water system and it looks like we dodged a bullet that could’ve been an even bigger headache. I’m as pleased as punch.

No-one likes inconvenience but how about transforming even irritants into solutions and something to be happy about? Future project a positive outcome by being grateful for even those broken hallelujahs (read related article: Why Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” Is The Ultimate Thanksgiving Song (You’ll Be Amazed By Its Meaning!)

If you liked this article, you may consider starting a gratitude journal. Every day write something you are grateful for, no matter how big or small. You’ll see your life start to change when you focus on the positive!

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How to Get Things Done and Create More Space for Things You Do Want

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Posted on August 26, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Just Do It

Apart from the subtitle sounding like a Nike advert, never a truer word was spoken.

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We’re all faced with a pile of stuff from time to time (or all the time) that we just don’t want to face up to. Our back-burners have buckled under the weight of ‘to do’.

Trouble is, it can literally weigh us down (I know this sounds bizarre but as I clear out my sh*t, the more weight drops off) as well as figuratively — causing a weight on our shoulders.

I’m quite a neat person (although my husband would protest) and apart from being one of those anal Virgo’s, I’m also slightly OCD. However, I’m just as guilty as the rest in putting things off.

The other day I really noticed it in myself (the inner sloth). I was watering my garden and every flower bed I hit I found my inner dialogue repeating, ‘I must pull that weed out sometime‘ or ‘I must put that back, the wind blew it over‘ or ‘I need to re-pot that poor, dying plant‘.

This scenario may not seem like the end of the world to most but it’s representational of many little things that stack up to form avalanching mountains in our minds.

Back to the Garden Revelation

So, as I was clocking up a list of ‘to do’s’ in the garden I stopped. The inner voice said, ‘why don’t you do it now?’

What a novel idea!

There was another voice in my head that protested that I didn’t have the time now (that voice crops up a lot). I thought about it for a sec and then just bent down and pulled out a half a meter weed (one of those little ones that I kept on telling myself to pull that grew into a small tree).

And there is my ‘ta-daa’ revelation.

Just do it. Don’t think about it. Just DOOOOO it.

Other Applications

I started trying this ‘just do it‘ approach to many other things and was actually quite startled at how LITTLE time it truly takes. I’ve been putting things ‘straight’ as I see them now and — for goodness sake — why have I not done this before?

It really doesn’t take a lot of time to do smaller chores around the house, garden or office and when you act in the moment you save yourself a lot of time, bother and burden.

Maybe you do this already and I’m just a slow learner — kudos to you. But if you are a procrastinator that always delegates odd jobs to another time — I challenge you to the ‘just do it‘ system, see how it works for you.

The great benefit of this is it’s addictive — the more you ‘clear up’ and see how nice it looks, the more you want to achieve. It also clears space (headspace and clutter) so you can make room for more awesomeness to enter your life.

Go on, just do it!

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Posted on August 12, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

A Trip to the Dentist

The dreaded day was coming, I had a dentist appointment. One of my fillings had chipped as I chewed on a gummy mint and I had no alternative but to pick up the phone and make the call.

Apart from snakes (and I’m alchemizing even my reptile repulsion — I even stroked the head of a snake the other day — woohoo for me!), dentists have always topped my fear list.

The night before my D-Day I decided to put on my metaphorical ‘big girls panties’ and give myself a stern talking to. I told myself that everything was going to be fine; that my procedure will go quickly and effortlessly and that when he (*dread*) checks the rest of my teeth, all will be well.

Confidently Enters The Reception

As I marched into the dentists reception area, I was welcomed by the friendly receptionist. I was then ushered into the room where I was about to be ‘fixed’.

The dentist, as always, was amicable and kind. I just kept on reciting my BGPL (big girl panty lecture) in my head.

I then noticed that the reclinin

g chair I was in was really comfortable. It then struck me that this environment wasn’t so bad after all. The birds were chirping outside, and even though the implements of torture were in my peripherals, I felt a sense of peace.

The Truth Struck

As I sat there, m

outh open with gadgets prodding and poking, I felt a huge sense of gratitude wash over me.

What? I hear you yell!

Gratitude for being in the dentists chair with a scraper going at it hammer and tongs! Bits of tooth being drilled away and a smell of cooking bone dust in the air! Never!

Well, as unlikely as it may be, I felt really thankful. Thankful for:

Having the service of a trained professional
Having the anesthetic (two big thumbs up)
Knowing that after this small inconvenience I will be able to chew on the left side of my mouth again after exhausting the right side for 11 days
Feeling grateful that I can afford the service of a dentist (I have no medical aid but had a good month with my art sales)
Feeling really calm sitting in that chair and not digging my nails into my wrist like I normally do.

Wishes Come True

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After he had patched up the problem (which he said was a minor thing…phew), he told me that the rest of my teeth were in great shape. My internal grin broadened and my big girl panties gave a shimmer of relief.

The whole procedure took 25 minutes! I thought I’d be in there for 45-60 minutes.

As I was paying my bill at the reception, I felt so much gratitude for this man going to medical school to be able to provide this amazing service (in lieu of the outrage I normally feel at being presented with the damage). I thought about how awful it must have been — back in the day — to have had to pull out your tooth with pliers or just let it rot…yikes!

The whole trip was a success! I felt elated (yes, walking out of a dentist room feeling gleeful is one for the books).

The moral of the story: you can alchemize anything and don’t you forget it!!!

Books by this author you may enjoy – click here.

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8 Life Strategies That Playing Chess Has Taught Me

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Posted on June 28, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Being a Rookie

Chess is a game that I love to play with my husband. He is such an enviable strategist. When I first started playing with him, I felt like a complete fool every time he snookered my king and got me into check-mate.

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When I let my pride take the back seat, I discovered a remarkable game that I could undeniably learn from whilst enjoying some quiet, reflective, quality time with my partner.

I found it a relaxing pursuit with red-hot moments of intensive brain-stretching — a great way to quantize your thinking. It not only takes the grey matter for a stroll around the yard but also teaches you valuable lessons in forethought, planning, awareness and defense tactics.

Has Anyone Seen the Bishop?

I started to see more spiritual truths in chess the more we played; in fact it was beginning to be a remarkable representation of life!

It aroused me to apply these teaching to my own life situations and, if not why not, to other people’s life circumstances too. A lot of people are already either inadvertently or deliberately playing chess with their situations and relationships.

It opened my eyes and taught me that there is usually either a way to slip out of trouble or to catch yourself and your opponent by surprise with your brilliant and calm maneuvering capabilities.

Be Your Own Knight in Shining Armor

Just when things start to look hopeless, you view your game from a different angle or perspective and you move to the side and allow danger to pass. What a great allegory for life!

Here are some of the life strategies chess has permitted me to comprehend:

Multi-layers — there is always more than meets the eye in any given situation.
Patience — slow and steady wins the race.
Side-Stepping — there is usually either an evasive move or a counter-action you can take when in the face of danger. Don’t lose hope.
Shifting Views — when things are looking dire for you, all you may need is a shift in perspective that can open up new doorways.
Positive Outlook — always try to stay optimistic and you will habitually figure out a good move to make.
Acknowledgments — congratulate your opponent on good moves — you can learn from them too. Don’t let your pride get in the way of wisdom.
Grace — be a good loser because you never really lose in life, you just start a new game and learn from the previous one. So hone in on your skills by learning from your mistakes — nothing is ever in vain. Be a gracious winner too, there is no room for friends in your life if your big head is taking up all the space!
Always Have Fun — enjoy the process, the game of chess (life) is exciting, invigorating and challenging — all of which keep you feeling alive, vibrant, polished and motivated.

Metaphors and Metamorphosis — from Pawns to Kings

I love painting life experience with intriguing metaphors and feel even more elated when such an analogy becomes a bald-faced truth.

When we can become the observers of life’s smaller things, like an innocent fixture of chess, and transform it into a fresh perspective of life, it changes us. We start looking all over for these spiritual growth sign-posts and we usually find them in the strangest of places.

Chess is the ultimate sport of existence and even though I know the strategies have been used in more negative life experiences, such as war and devious corporate obliteration, it can also be used to your advantage in co-creating your reality.

Give yourself a game plan and be flexible enough to discern inherent dangers whilst on track, this way you will be able to metaphorically duck and dive bullets (just like Neo in The Matrix movie). Be cunning and graceful and you will never be caught off guard. When you are, don’t give up, learn from it and reload your experience as ammunition for the next round.

There is never failure, only feedback.

Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Positively Positive

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Did You Know That ‘Abracadabra’ Really is a Magically Loaded Word?

1 Common Mistake You May Be Making When Using the Law of Attraction

Why Nothing Truly Matters (but in a Good Way)

3 Ways to Alchemize Chaos

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Posted on May 13, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

How to use a Little Spiritual Alchemy

Do you sometimes feel that you are manifesting the good along with the bad? The good manifestations are fantastic but what do you do when you have created a not-so-desirable situation?

The best thing to do is to start to see your potential problems in a new light — what can they teach you?

Once you figure out why they are there and what your lesson is you can turn them around. Does it work? Hell yes!

Here’s some helpful advice:

Accept — when life throws a curve-ball (or 3 or 4 or 12 or whatever your circumstance has chucked at you recently), you need to give yourself some time and space to absorb. To give your acceptance to what cannot change because resisting it will fuel its growth or allow more negativity to enter your slipstream. Acceptance
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can even transmute the problem as you give it no power. You can visualize how you would rather see it and then let it go. I did this with many problems I have recently faced to see those very situations change to positive in a very short time and I did very little (just a bit of positive affirmations and visualizations) to make it happen.
Act — take action with what you can do and don’t stress about what you are not able to do. Simply knocking down one thing after the other gives a great sense of satisfaction even if you have a mountain of things to do. You will conquer Everest one step at a time. Then when you look back, you’ll see just how much you can get done and how powerful a being you are. I felt completely swamped lately with so much to do but little by little I got things done. Most of the ‘struggle’ was actually in my mind. I still have a few things to wrap up but I know I’ll get it all done in divine time!
Trust in the Flow — I find myself surrendering to the present moment a lot and blissing out even amidst the most chaotic times. I just have a knowing that I am in that Universal flow and everything is going to be alright. So exercise that grounding present moment awareness and trust that everything is in divine order. I have literally sat back and watched the most astounding things flow and fit into place like a giant jigsaw puzzle that I could never have orchestrated if I tried to control the outcome.

Try and perceive your problems as learning curves and transmute the bad to good — after all, you’re an alchemist you know?! Read related article: Why Rejection Can Be a Blessing

The Definition of Alchemy

In times bygone, alchemy was turning matter into gold (the short and sweet version :D).

What you are going to achieve with ‘spiritual’ alchemy is turn your ‘matter’ (situations, etc) into ‘gold’ (treasure/abundance/wealth).

To alchemize a situation is to step inside it and transmute it from the inside out. Get into what is bugging you (through meditation or quiet visualization) and start working your magic — find that gem of understanding/learning that the situation has to offer and morph it (through picturing what you want to see in your mind’s eye) into what you do want to see manifest in your life.

Keep on aligning yourself to your ‘new’ vision especially when you feel that sinking feeling in your stomach (solar plexus) when thinking about the distress it may be causing (keep alchemizing it!).

Please let me know if this works for you (leave a comment below). 🙂 I love to hear your feedback.

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Why it Hurts So Much When Someone Lies

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“No legacy is so rich as honesty” — William Shakespeare

What really grates my carrots (and just about any decent, authentic person trying to live their truth) are liars — those truth benders, fibbers, perjurers and yarn spinners.

Since moving to a small town, I have discovered that there are more fabricators in this world than I ever dared believe!

I’ve come to truly grasp that people judge you on their own principles. In other words, if they lack certain morals, they’ll assume you are just as devious as they are.

Trusting People are Honest

I love Nelson Mandela’s take on believing that people have integrity until proven otherwise.

He used to start off with the assumption that you are dealing with him in good faith, in the hope that this will bring out the good in people and improve the chance that they will reveal their better selves.

Some might say it is naive to give others the benefit of the doubt but Mandela believed that, even by making oneself vulnerable by trusting others, we at least give decency and honesty a chance. And in doing that, possibly attract integrity and honor from others.

This is how I’ve tried to live my life but, oh boy, I’ve been challenged lately! How are things your end?

Hitting the Ball Out the Park!

I love how synchronicity works, listen to this: I was pondering all the fibby-fibblers people have told me recently and trying to better understand why they behave in such a way.

I settled down for the evening with my favorite series when one of the characters started lecturing another character about telling the truth and said something in the vein of, ‘when you don’t tell the truth you deny the other of their dignity’.

Whoa! Well, I don’t know about you but I almost fell out of my seat…that really hit home with me. So that’s why it hurts so much!

Why We Feel Deflated with Liars

Dignity can be defined as our magnificence. I don’t truly think anyone can strip us of that but it can really sting us for a while.

In my opinion, the liar’s dignity is more fragmented when trust is broken. So, anyone hatching an equivocation should seriously ponder that one!

When we are the ones on the receiving end of a bald-faced lie, it may hurt our pride/ego/feelings/heart but inevitably we can pick ourselves up and learn from the experience with head held high (don’t be disheartened by the experience! There are plenty of genuine gems in the world.).

However, it hurts when trust is broken, but — as Mandela tried to purvey — your heart is in the right place when you give people the benefit of the doubt.

“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” — George Orwell

Don’t call yourself ‘stupid’ or ‘foolish’ when this happens, call yourself integrous — it’s a good thing! However, you must learn to guard yourself, set boundaries and try to identify the traits of a liar if and when you come up against the universal test again.

The Opposite Side of the Scale ain’t Pretty

The antithesis would be walking around in a world where we are suspicious of everyone — not a very nice projection, wouldn’t you say? You may even start attracting unsavory characters purely through your intention.

I’m not saying that you must just trust willy-nilly — no, you can initially give people the benefit of the doubt but if any of the below traits start red-flagging you are perfectly within your integrity to put a stop to it and walk away or not buy into the BS.

What to do About Liars

Learn to:

Trust your gut instinct (what is your first impression? Your body can pick up on the energy fields of others),
read body signals (especially rapid eye movements and people who can’t stare you in the eyes when talking. There can also be excessive fidgeting),
take note of inconsistency and
rely on your innate wisdom — if alarm bells are going off it’s time to wake up. Some liars are master manipulators and lies can only be detected once you really get to know them. So, your first impression may be positive but, down the line, things may change. Heed those warning signals!

I suppose, more importantly, don’t let it get to you. Don’t let it change your conduct. Don’t let other people’s lack of morality alter your authenticity. Don’t let it change your view on people in general.

Yeah, there are liars out there but there are a lot of good people too. Keep your focus on them. Navigate the minefields of deceivers but keep you eye on the prize — a world where truth is the only way forward.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now to drop the spanner in the works: Try to bear in mind that there are no facts only interpretations. Everyone has their own truth and our job is to find the compassion for the ones whose perspective differs from our own.

We’re all walking a difficult path. Barring the ones who lie for their own ill gain, most people lie because of insecurities or to mask their own pain. Compassion goes a long way.

However, compassion doesn’t mean you put your neck on the chopping block — it merely offers a deeper understanding of why people lie.

“Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.” — Swami Vivekananda

Good luck out there!

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Posted on April 22, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Stewing in Your Juices

I’m normally quite a chilled person. Nothing phases me. Until…

I take on too much work
I get into my ‘yes’ mode and make arrangements and dates that clog my diary
I volunteer my services willy-nilly
My housework starts to mount
My ‘to do’ list grows around the garden (especially as I’m trying to do the whole sustainability thing)
I have awesome ideas but have to implement them (adding to the head clutter and time/schedule disaster)

I’m sure you can probably relate to most of the above. Then what happens is that chilled out person who thought they could take on the world in a heart beat starts to panic.

The Signs of a Meltdown

The walls of my diary close in and anxiety starts to rear its ugly head.

Panic attacks
Sweaty palms
Emotional outbursts (usually involving tears)
Temper whirlwinds
Depression
Feeling defeated and impotent
Losing it over the smallest things

Pink Green Spring Flower Quotes Pinterest Graphic (1)

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We can experience the above on a smaller or larger scale, depending on the level of anxiety and what looms ahead.

Okay, so what can be done?

Anxiety Be Gone!

Well, I’m trying to give myself a well-deserved pep talk here ’cause I suddenly realized the other day that I was slipping off the cliff of the ‘work’ I had piled up.

Amid my darkest moment, I came to the conclusion that it was going to be done whether I fretted about it or not. And what couldn’t be done was just not going to be done. It’s really quite simple.

So, on a practical level, try to:

Get what’s in your head down onto paper (this works a treat!)
Now you can make a priority list
Schedule your time wisely and you’ll find you can fit a lot into your day
Don’t stress about how much you’ve got to do by getting tangled up in the future tasks — concentrate on the task at hand
Read no. 4 again.
Yip…read no. 4 and 5 again!
As Yoda said, ‘Do or do not’ — in this context, do what you must do and stop whinging about it. Have you ever stopped to think how much time we waste worrying or bitching about what we have to do instead of doing it?

Example: I have a mountain of clothes to pack away. Every morning I get up and look at this mountain and feel despair. It affects me greatly. I don’t like a messy bedroom — that’s where I’m supposed to go to relax, not stare at a heap of rags.

What not to do: Whine about the job. Look at the heap in deflated impotence. Complain about how much other stuff you have to do. Sit and have a cup of coffee and catch up on your Facebook feed. Or, in my case, write a blog about it, whilst — out of the corner of my eye — I can see into my bedroom and the washing pile is staring happily back at me.

Solution: Do it. A 5 minute rant could have you half way done by now. You can have that cuppa AND pack the washing away (what a novel idea!).

There is actually plenty of time in a day when you use it wisely. The above example is small fish compared to some of the whoppers we have to face in life and prepare for. However, inevitably, we are remarkable creatures with an ability to squeeze a lot into our lives when our minds are prepared well enough.

Let’s go back to no. 4, 5 and 6 of the tips list. This tip has helped me exponentially over the past few days. I’m a Virgo and a control freak. When my schedule starts mounting up and I feel like I’m losing control — it’s a blood bath! I have the tendency of looking ahead at what I have to do tomorrow, the next day and so on into infinity. This makes matters worse.

All we have to concentrate on is what lays before us today. You can deal with tomorrow, well, tomorrow! If it’s really a pickle, then set aside 10-15 minutes of today to work out a game-plan for tomorrow so you can at least get some sleep.

If there is ever something to remember about anxiety it’s this: one step at a time! You’re amazing and you’ll do it all, only if you tackle what’s in front of you now. As my dear mother used to say, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’.

And now for something completely different…a little humour to liven up your stress monster:

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author and multi-media artist from South Africa. To date, she has published 3 self-help and motivational books and brings out weekly inspirational blogs at her site www.cherieroedirksen.com.

Get stuck into finding your passion, purpose and joy by downloading some of those books gratis when you click HERE. Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can also follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment).

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Why You Need to Pay Attention to Synchronicity Now!

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Posted on April 13, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Synchronicity is Your Ultimate Guide

“According to Vedanta, there are only two symptoms of enlightenment, just two indications that a transformation is taking place within you toward a higher consciousness. The first symptom is that you stop worrying. Things don’t bother you anymore. You become light-hearted and full of joy. The second symptom is that you encounter more and more meaningful coincidences in your life, more and more synchronicities. And this accelerates to the point where you actually experience the miraculous.”

~Deepak Chopra (Synchrodestiny: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence to Create Miracles)

Well, the dictionary states that it is the occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality.

In laymen’s terms, it is simply being in the right place at the right time to receive the right information. Now, why is this important — surely these kinds of events are just coincidences?

Defining Coincidence

Let’s break this word down to better understand it. ‘Co’ means mutual and, of course, ‘incident’ means an event or occurrence. Coincidence is pretty much a dead ringer for synchronicity but why do most people ‘brush’ things of as mere coincidence when, in fact, both coincidence and it’s relative – synchronicity – are profound states of universal flow?

When we are young, magic surrounds us — life is the biggest trip ever! Sadly, as we become adults, we lose that awe for the mysterious and start putting things down to chance or luck and we start to give a rather cynical meaning to a beautiful word: co-incidence.

Should You Read More into Coincidence?

Yes! The statistics of you being at that ‘right place at the right time’ are phenomenally low, so when they occur it is in your best interest to take very serious note of the message behind the encounter. Then act on it.

“All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between an average man and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this, and one of his tasks is to be alert, deliberately waiting, so that when his cubic centimeter pops out he has the necessary speed, the prowess, to pick it up.”

~Carlos Castanada

For example:

You have been thinking of an old childhood friend, even possibly been dreaming of them. Then one day, at the supermarket, your trolley collides with another trolley. You look up to apologize and there is the friend you’ve been thinking of.

So What Does it all Mean?

All meaning could be different according to personal circumstances but let’s take a few possible meanings:

This person may have some valuable information for you. It could be that they know someone who could help you with that project you’re working on.
It could be that your friend may need your expertise with solving a problem.
Or it could simply be that you need to catch up and share some precious life experiences with each other.

The meanings may differ but the little gems that pop up as ‘coincidences’ are rarely of no use. Sometimes we have to pan for gold. It can take days to recognize that little nugget of truth that was meant for you in the synchronous event that took place.

Flex That Synchronous Muscle!

The good news is, the more aware you are of synchronicity and how it breezes in and out of your life to steer you to your greater good, the more you’ll start unraveling the unique tapestry of your life and destiny. This is why Deepak Chopra refers to this phenomenon as ‘Synchrodestiny’.

When you learn to use synchronicity, you’ll start to follow the breadcrumbs to fulfilling your dreams. Be careful of shrugging events off as mere coincidence because that’s exactly what they’ll become. Take joy in uncovering the pearls of wisdom in these packages.

The Fury at Being Robbed Blind!

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Let me give you an example of a huge shift that took place recently in my life thanks to allowing synchronicity to work for me.

I recently had my bank account hacked into and a vast sum of money stolen over a period of 2 days. It was a red-tape nightmare but I eventually got refunded by the bank.

Just last month, the same thing happened with an account I have at a different bank — thankfully, a smaller amount was stolen but the same principle had occurred. I started to get metaphysically suspicious. What was the universe trying to tell me?

Sometimes synchronicity isn’t as pleasant as having a catch-up cuppa with an old friend — it can come as an earthquake to rattle your cage of complacency.

Figuring Out the Puzzle

Suffice to say, I don’t believe in mere coincidence in the dull sense of the word — everything happens for a reason.

I started to pick this puzzle apart. What I found stunned me.

I realized that I had a tremendous ‘painbody’ (a phrase coined by Eckhart Tolle to describe a collective energy within the self that feeds of the pain of a certain incident(s) and affects us subliminally) around money.

I am good at accumulating lump sums but then proceed to either spend, lose or give it away bypassing any form of financial literacy or sustainable income.

The Puzzle Goes Quantum!

A friend of mine also pointed out that money is just energy. If I was having large sums of this ‘energy’ stolen from me it could also be a reflection of my personal life.

She was right. I was also giving away my energy (in the form of attention, in this case) to something that did not serve me.

I started hauling in all this valuable information to analyze. Synchronously, my neighbor gave me a book to read, called ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki, which I devoured. It was as if it was written just for me!

I started to implement some of my findings and got immediate feedback from the universe.

Within days of me making a conscious shift about my attitude towards money, someone accidentally put a large sum of money into my bank account.

Even though, a week later, the sum of money was reversed — my situation had changed! Instead of people taking money out, they were putting it in! That was my confirmation that I had truly shifted my perspective and that things were on a new track.

But You Never Kept the Money!

Carpe Diem or Bust Book by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Books by this author…

In both instances (whether having the money purposefully stolen or accidentally given), a message was being delivered. I always had the money reimbursed by the bank in the case of the theft and my account returned to normal in the case of the deposit. So there was no physical gain of money but the metaphysical message was received.

The message delivered was that there was a problem with my mental attitude towards money and the message was received and acknowledged by the shift in physical occurrence — one could say a wink from the universe.

If I didn’t realize that my money being stolen was no mere coincidence, I would have plodded on feeling like a victim of circumstance instead of seeing the opportunity that was being offered to change my financial attitude.

“Coincidence is the word we use when we can’t see the levers and pulleys.”
~Emma Bull

Keep your eyes peeled for meaningful coincidence and start shaping your destiny through synchronicity today!

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Did You Know That ‘Abracadabra’ Really is a Magically Loaded Word?

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Posted on April 9, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

It is said that the magic word, ‘Abracadabra’ may have Aramaic origins meaning ‘I create as I speak’. Not such a childish word after all, eh?

Law of Attraction fundi’s (a nifty little African word for ‘experts’) will probably resonate with the above definition of this magical incantation — is it ringing a few bells for you?

As you may be aware already, there are 3 fundamental steps to using the LOA:

Ask (formulate the desire or thought then write it down/and or verbalize it)
Believe (embody the feeling of having what you want)
Receive (make believe as if you have it already, act like you have it, speak as if you have it, know that it is coming and…voila!)

Create Your Life Through Magic

Is magic real? The dictionary definition for magic says it all:

“The power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.”

Well, my friend, you are that mysterious force!

Read related article: Do You Believe in Magic?

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What is the difference between prayers, affirmations and spells? In my opinion…nothing. They are just different tools to accomplish the same thing.

We all know that words are powerful. Their very vibration can heal us, build us up, convey our love or sway us to kill each other, tear us down, cast doubt and pain…you get the picture.

How you use the word is your baby — as is using any kind of energy (words are energetic as they carry a frequency). It’s a responsibility in and of itself.

Hate speech or gossip can greatly affect the lives of the people you are casting the words at or about. Speaking positive, loving words can also affect the ones we are directing the energy towards.

Which Team Are You On?

There are pretty much 2 teams that I know of:

Service to self or
Service to others.

If you want to get clearer on the above terms, read this: What is Service to Self (STS) and Service to Others (STO)?

“A person standing in the light has a shadow. A person standing in the dark has none. What does this mean? Even the best of us have shadows.” Read more about the Shadow Self here.

Even Star Wars brings up this concept through the Sith and the Jedi.

The Sith are classically STS and the Jedi are STO. They both know how to use The Force and there is a fine line that separates ‘good’ from ‘evil’ (something we all must discover within — use our intuition/discernment) which is why it is important to work on accepting and understanding your shadow self.

Read related article: Shadow Self: Embracing Your Inner Darkness

Did you know you’re already an all-encompassing magician? Let me explain…

Party Tricks and Life Conundrums

We all use words, don’t we? Every day. For some of us, every second of every day.

On some level, you have been casting spells all the time. Look back at your life and try to see how the words you use — to describe yourself or your body, your partner, your children/family/friends, your colleagues, your job, your finances, your car, your neighborhood — are all what you may be experiencing now.

It’s one thing to know a good card trick or to pull something out of the hat but it’s another thing to consciously realize that every thought you think, every word you utter is a declaration of what you are calling into being.

Makes you think, doesn’t it? It also makes you want to staple your gob shut! Lol. Good news is, you can direct your words through awareness.

Here’s what you CAN do to be more mindful of the words you are speaking and how it can change your life and the lives of those around you:

You can easily catch yourself gossiping and turn it around or just stop, apologize to whomever you are speaking to and explain that this is not serving anyone.
You can undoubtedly stop criticizing yourself, your appearance, your children, your partner or anyone else when you’re alert.
You can assuredly choose better words to describe your situation, whatever it may be, to reflect a proclamation of what you want instead of what you think ‘is’. Life doesn’t have to be what it is right now if that’s not what you want. What you are experiencing now is the magic performed yesterday. You’re not a victim of circumstance — you can participate right now in creating a new life as if by magic (*wink, wink, nudge, nudge*).

Hocus pocus? Well, if you think so then so shall it be. That’s how magical you are, you prestidigitator!

This article was written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Conscious Life News — CLICK HERE to visit their awesome site!

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The Secret Ingredient to Happiness

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Posted on April 1, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

‘Love is what binds us, respect is what unites us. To have love and respect for all life forms guarantees you an excellent quality of life because you will be walking around in sheer reverence to all you come across. There will never be a dull or uninspired moment.’

You want to know what that tangy little secret ingredient is, right? You clicked on this article because you’re itching to find out if you own this substance — if it’s hiding in your pantry waiting to be shaken in to the soup of existence. You want that brilliant and fulfilling life, don’t you?

Well then, you may initially be disappointed to know that the secret is not going to be found in:

great looks (sorry…pouting for the next Instagram selfie just ain’t going to bring you lasting satisfaction),
money (money can’t buy you love — thanks Mr Lennon/McCartney for those words of wisdom),
stardom (celebrity is as celebrity does…you can have fame and be happy — if you possess the ingredient — but fame itself is barren without it),
recognition (it’s nice to be ‘noticed’ for your achievements but that still won’t fill the void).

While all the above attributes may bring temporary satisfaction, none of them will necessarily contribute to lasting joy.

That can only be found in one tasty ingredient.

But first let’s examine what could bring this entire planet into alignment (metaphysically speaking, that is).

What We Can Do NOW to Expedite Love in the World

In Lak’ech Ala K’in is a Mayan saying that simply translated means ‘I am another you‘ or ‘I am you, you are me‘.

This principle begs us to treat each other with appreciation — it asks us to see our sisters/brothers from other mothers as our own kin. It implores us to love all the children of the world as if they emerged from your own womb/seed. We need to rekindle the spark that respects everyone and everything’s right to life and a reverence for existence.

When you are able to love yourself (not to be mistaken with narcissism or selfishness), you naturally begin to love and respect others as well as every other form of life you encounter — including inanimate objects.

Huh?

Everything on this planet has a presence, from the rocks, plants and animals to the soil, worms and the very core of the earth itself.

Imagine a world where everyone had the exact same amount of love and respect for EVERY life form as they do for their own self (assuming that you have mastered the ability of self-love, that is).

‘Self-love is the source of all our other loves.’ — Pierre Corneille

But now we’re encroaching on the nitty-gritty…the ingredient!

Stocking Your Pantry With…*Drumroll*…

The secret ingredient, self love.

‘Respect yourself and others will respect you.’ — Confucius

You can’t possibly expect other people to love you if you don’t love yourself. It may appear as if people love you but if you harbor resentment, self-hate or any kind of negative emotion towards yourself, you’re setting yourself up for huge pitfalls in all your other relationships.

I’ve heard people say that they can’t love themselves because of all their ‘imperfections’.

Just the word ‘imperfect’ states that I’m perfect.

You’ve got to learn to love all the ‘I’m Perfects’ in yourself. I’m not talking about empty affirmations, I’m talking about getting down deep and dirty and dusting out all the corners of your self. Ask yourself:

What is it I don’t like about myself?
Can I do anything about it?
If yes, am I willing to change and start loving myself through the process?
If not, can I learn to love the way I am instead of the way I think I ought to be?
Is it society/family/friends/religion that prevents me from accepting myself?
If none of the above existed would I feel happy with who I am?

‘Know Thyself.’ — Greek Proverb

You’ve got to mine yourself for these answers. Whatever you come up with, then ask yourself:

If this trait was in someone else (preferably someone you love — like your partner/child/favorite celebrity) would you still love them?

The answer, in my experience, is usually an emphatic ‘Yes!’. So, why don’t we give ourselves the same leeway?

Related article: Why Being Weird is Unusually Cool!

IMHO…Weird is Wonderful!

If you don’t love yourself for:

something you’ve done in the past then try to make amends for it and/or forgive yourself. If you find it difficult to forgive others then you may find that it’s because you are not forgiving yourself for something. If you find it easy to forgive others but not yourself, you need to question why you think you’re not worth it. Every single person is a creation of Source and, yes, that includes you! You need to embrace the inner divinity that is craving your love.
the way you look then try to remember that the most intriguing people are beautiful despite not having ‘model’ looks (beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in having moxy!). Sometimes what we consider hideous others consider unique and beguiling. Your personality and integrity is what is most attractive. Get the inside right and the outside will glow — even if you don’t look like J-Lo.
certain traits that you feel you can’t change. Remember that you can completely turn your life around if you think you can. If you feel you can’t change your actions or ways, you’re wrong. When you are aware of something within you that needs to be worked on, you can do or change anything! But remember to love yourself through the process.

Self love will change the world as we know it. Everything I’ve studied to date with regards to the human condition and self development has always led me back to self love. Without it we are lost. With it we are whole. With it, we can change the world.

I love you, you are worth it!

Other articles you may find interesting:

Tchaikovsky: Messages from the Masters (Video and Free Color Therapy Download incl.)

How Good Are You Out of Bed?

How Balanced Are You?

Feature: Odyssey Magazine — Get Your Free Copy NOW

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

4 Nice Ways to Say ‘No’

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Posted on March 24, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Are you the type of person who doesn’t like letting people down even when it doesn’t suit you?
Do you eventually end up letting yourself down — time after time — with your yes’s which should’ve been no’s?

Then this blurb is for YOU!

“Saying no doesn’t make you a horrible person — you are merely a person with healthy boundaries.”

People Pleasing 101

Take it from a people pleaser — it ain’t easy saying no…or is it? In my 40 odd years on this planet, I’ve only recently discovered it’s actually quite easy and painless to say no if a situation doesn’t suit you.

Most times, people move on and ask someone else or respect you for your honesty. Some people (the ones who need to realize the world doesn’t revolve around them and their needs) don’t appreciate no’s (these are the ones people pleaser’s are most afraid of).

Thing is, you don’t have to please everyone. If you are going against your grain in doing something you would rather not do — you have every right to say NO. Please read this article which explains more: Boundary Setting 101 — Target: Empaths

4 Phrases to Commit to Memory!

Without hurting or being unreasonable — you can actually decline a request.

There are 4 easy ways to say your no’s, here they are:

‘I’m sorry but I won’t be able to’ — and you NEVER have to justify why you can’t — you don’t have to give up voluntary disclosure. Don’t fall into the trap of rambling on and on about why you can’t. You simply can’t do it — your reasons are your own. If they ask why not, you can just say you are busy or have too much on your plate right now – finito.
‘I’ll have to think about it, I’ll get back to you’ — this can buy you some time to work out your succinct excuse and bow out without physical confrontation, if needs be.
‘I’m going to have to decline as I have plans for that day/I am busy that day’ — again, as in no. 1 — you don’t have to get graphic.
If it’s about lending money then this one works a treat, ‘I have a strict policy about not lending money’. If they try to twist your arm, you can always say that you have been burnt in the past and will not be swayed. End of story.

Saying no doesn’t make you a horrible person — you are merely a person with healthy boundaries. When you can help someone out, do. Bear in mind that to do something against your true wishes is never going to send out a good vibration — for you or the other person.

Related article: How to Recognize a Dream Thief

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She also has just recently launched her official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates).

Other articles you may enjoy:

Put the HU Back into the Human

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Remedy for Everything at the Tip of Your Tongue

I want to share an ancient mantra/prayer with you and it is simply to sound out the word HU (pronounced like Hugh or hue). It is used to harmonize and retune the very atoms of your body.

First, let’s explore a little bit about this words origins…

Background Credentials

The HU has been used by various different cultures over thousands of years. It is a way to align with God or Source.
HU is actually an ancient name for God and is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word ‘HU’.
Ancient Egyptians and Greeks also referred to the word HU as a refere
nce to G
od. It is interesting to note that we are HUmans — God in the form of (wo)man.
Many different religions, such as Sufism and the Kabbalah, talk about the HU as the original sound of the universe.

Using HU Now

When you sound out the mantra HU (you can also do it silently in the mind but I prefer to chant it out loud) you are aligning with source. I feel it gives one an immense sense of personal power.

The first time I ever heard of it was on an Art Bell show — I, unfortunately, don’t remember the guests names but it was a couple (it could indeed have been this couple: http://www.divinedecisionmaking.com/Just_Say_HU_Technique.html).

I remember them saying that it sealed off your aura. I tried it immediately and I now do it every evening before bed.

So, if during the day, you had any breaks, bleeds or tears in your auric field, the HU makes sure they’re healed.

I do it by:

Taking a deep breath and then
Letting out a long HUUUUUUU until all the air is out of my lungs
I then repeat this 3 times (you can do it as many times as you like).
Make sure you do this as a daily practice for optimum results.

Reasons to start HU-ing today:

Relieves anxiety, fear, tension and depression
Induces joy, love and serenity
Wards of psychic or negative emotional attacks
Tunes you in to your higher ‘God-self’ vibration

So get your HU on and see what it can do for you! Feel free to share your experiences with this mantra by leaving your comments below.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Why You Should Turn Disappointment into Opportunity

How to Create Opportunity

Eco Bricks Just Might Help Save the Planet and YOU Can Start Yours Today!

Comfort Zones: Embracing the Beauty of Awkward and Uncomfortable

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

This article (Putting the HU Back into the Human!) is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

The Art of Getting Out of Your Own Way

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” ~Jim Rohn

Most of us want to achieve ‘success’ whatever that may be. Some of us get there (wherever ‘there’ is) and some get stuck half way, never make it or don’t even try.

Success, in my opinion, is personal. You may think $1 million in the bank is success and your neighbor may think success is having a family and home to call his own, whilst your buddy thinks success is running a small but lucrative business. His daughter may think of success as getting 200 000 likes on instagram and her brother may think success is passing his finals.

Success is relative and liquid — changing as you change. Don’t let other people or, heaven forbid, society dictate what success is. Read related article: 12 Things Conscious Successful People Do To Excel.

Okay, enough of that…what is the art of getting out of your own way?

Many of us don’t realize we are afraid of success. Even more don’t believe that anyone in their right mind could be afraid of success — after all, isn’t that what we strive for?

Step Aside and Let Yourself Pass

Frankly, yes, we can be afraid of success. Here’s a checklist of things to consider on your path to glory or unclogging the drain that may be blocking your victory:

Truth and honesty. You’ve got to get down to brass tacks with yourself — no point deceiving the prime character. We can, on occasion, convince ourselves that we are living our truth but deep down we know when we’re lying to ourselves. Sometimes it’s not even that blatant — it could be a tiny little lie like ‘I’m not worthy‘ that could be stunting your capability for greatness. You may even fear taking the first step towards your desire for fear of failure. You’ve got to realize that everybody fails, success is getting back up and going for it with more gusto!
Belief Assessment. We subconsciously hold onto a lot of limiting beliefs passed down to us from parents, pastors, teachers, friends, siblings or anyone else we looked up to. It’s time to let that sh*t go. No judgment attached — just make sure you’re not holding onto a belief that doesn’t serve you. Some of these could be that ‘you’re not working hard enough’, ‘money is the root of all evil’(well, that will put a quick stop to success!) or ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ (I beg to differ! It’s made of notes, right? Follow the paper trail, dude). If you’re running the program that you could be doing more and working harder, you may be running yourself into the ground trying to do do do (hmmm…that reminds me of a Police song). We are human beings not human doings. We work best when we’re clear headed (especially in our thoughts) of where and what we are heading for. Getting bogged down in excessive doing only clogs the system. I’m not saying you mustn’t take action, of course you must — just keep it real. Read related article about how I got stuck in doing: How to Avoid Quantitative Action Dissatisfaction
Meditation. It’s great to get clear (as previously mentioned) about where you are going and the best way to do this is to devote just 10 minutes a day (in the morning or evening or whenever it feels right) to practice getting quiet. If there is too much mind chatter in the old noggin then that’s really going to hamper your success. Read related article: 5 Easy Steps to Meditating (No Lotus Position Required)
Weeding. Getting real about your beliefs and tuning into how you honestly feel takes a lot of weeding. You’ve got to get rid of the stuff suffocating your dream. Sometimes fear of success is about fearing what success will bring. Sure, it’ll bring more money and prestige but you may deep down feel that the cost of employing a bunch of people may be to irksome. You may think that taking care of a ton of paperwork isn’t fun. You may worry that success will lead to a loss of free time. These are some of the things you have to weed out and alchemize. There’s no doubt that success could bring many, if not all, of these things but you’ll find ways to cope. You can hire people to sort out your books, you can employ a manager to take care of your staff, etc. Sometimes things like this worry us in the recesses of our minds and are not blatantly out in the open.

Getting out of your own way requires bald-faced honesty — mining your psyche for deep-rooted beliefs can be exhausting but, hey, it’s totally worth it! You won’t believe what you’ll find in there that doesn’t belong in your life experience.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Are You Ready to Enjoy Life?

How to Redesign Your-cell-f

Why Patience Truly is a Virtue

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (The Art of Getting Out of Your Own Way) is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen

4 Tibetan Tips for Longevity

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Tibetan Wisdom

Most of us want an abundant, full life. I stumbled across a beautiful Tibetan proverb on my facebook feed that really made sense.

Let me share it with you:

“The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure”

How simple is that?

Eat half — in today’s world, most diets are just too much. A small step you can take to a healthier lifestyle is to lessen your food portions at meal-times. Eat so that you are satiated and not stuffed — take my word for it, it makes you feel much better too! There’s nothing worse than feeling like an overfilled burrito. Read related article: 11 Essential Rules for “Clean,” Healthy Eating
Walk double — I’m a great advocate of walking. It’s free and easy to do. All you have to do is don your sneakers and head out the door — no gym fees required! Not only does it help you to maintain a healthy weight, it helps in the prevention or management of various conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. It also strengthens your bones and muscles. Read related article: Science Proves What You Suspected: Walking in Nature is Good For Your Mental Health
Laugh triple — there are reasons why you should take up laughter today! A good belly wobble decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies. This will improve your resistance to disease. It also triggers the release of those much desired endorphins (your body’s natural feel-fabulous chemicals). Endorphins induce a sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain hence why cancer patients are encouraged to watch copious amounts of comedy. There’s nothing better than laughter on the path to healing emotional or physical conditions. Related article: Use Laughter to De-Stress & Connect With Others (TED Video)
Love without measure — unconditional love does not judge. When you can see the divine in another, you are spreading peace like wildfire. An open heart that has an abundance of love to pour out is the only way we are going to heal not only ourselves but the world. This doesn’t mean you are used as a doormat — some loving is done from a healthy distance. But love and forgiveness can only help heal ourselves and our globe. Read related article: How to Cultivate Unconditional Love and Forgiveness

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant”. — Martin Luther King, Jr

May you live long and prosper.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (4 Tibetan Tips for Longevity) was originally written for and published byConscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons

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Why Not Imprint How You Want to Die?

4 Reasons to Entice You to Quit Drama

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“If everybody minded their own business, the world would go around a great deal faster than it does.” — The Duchess (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

Hmmm, yes. What is it about human nature that keeps our noses continuously stuck in other people’s affairs?

I’m sure we’ve all been lured into, blind-sided or even voluntarily stepped into drama at some stage of our lives but it always tends to leave us feeling mad, depleted, hurt, worn out, angry and a host of other undesirable emotions.

Perhaps you are the director of drama? Do you find yourself thriving on creating new havoc in your life or the lives of others?

Well, the 4 suggestions below might help you to diagnose why we create or involve ourselves in such amateur dramatics and can hopefully tempt you to have a better insight to and possibly disengage in the frivolous activities of other peoples business.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall — Whose Inner Reflection Will Tell All?

The Smoky Mirror — Right in at no. 1 is our behaviors reflected in others. People that volunteer themselves to get entwined in the business of their fellow man, usually have some characteristic of what they are judging about others lurking about in their own foggy behavior. Sometimes we hide these attributes so well, that we can’t seem to see those traits in ourselves. This takes a lot of introspection and complete honesty to weed out. The next time you find yourself judging someone else’s behavior, try to see if there is any essence of ‘you’ in that judgment. The ‘smoky mirror’ (smoky = hard to see through, mirror = others reflected in us) is not going to be the case every time you identify or see a particular unnerving trait in another but the projection of our own inadequacies sure does tend to happen a lot, so be aware and look out for it — best to nip this mannerism in the bud before that bud turns into a fairly peckish venus fly-trap and makes a meal out of you.
Deflecting Attention — Some people classically try to avoid their own perceived short-comings and inadequacies by not taking responsibility and deflecting the attention to make themselves look and feel better. In other words, you know you’re a gossip but you make sure you let the world know what an even bigger tittle-tattle Peggy-Sue is. Or, you feel ugly so you point out all the negative aspects of others constantly and this, somehow, makes you feel a little better. Now you’ve safely fudged over your own issues and redirected attention elsewhere. But how long is this ‘success’ going to last? Not long at all — it’s a hollow place to operate from. You’ve got to face your shadow head-on or you will inevitably suffer and bring others down with you. If you find yourself on the receiving end of an attention deflector just remember to not take it personally. It’s not about you, it’s about them. Leave the drama arena unstirred.
Ego Trappings — Good ‘ol no. 3 is that juicy little sh*t-stirrer — the ego (or more like e-go away!). The ego thrives off drama and misery and putting itself ahead of the pack. Sticking your nose into someone else’s business is ego-fodder. You can make yourself better than, thinner than, prettier/handsomer than, cleverer than, more successful than so-and-so just because it gives your ego those 15 minutes of superiority— even if you don’t say it out loud, you know it’s true! The silent ego is just as dangerous as the overly loquacious e-goo (terribly gooey and all that jazz). Just like the sticky residue in the venus fly-trap — your icky e-goo can get you into some sticky situations if you are not aware it’s rearing that self-important head (down boy!). When the ego has you by the short and curlies, you tend to compare yourself and you’re usually the one that comes out on top. However, don’t be fooled! The ego is cunning and manipulative and can make you feel less than too. Both are a trap and both are easily avoided with the light of your illuminating awareness. Have a good laugh at your ego if you find yourself in its throes — nothing kills the ego more than hilarity and humility. Show the ego who’s boss — they key is to control your and not to let it control you. Read related article: How to Stop the ‘Monkey Mind’ Phenomenon
“The Amateur Dramatics Society — Putting on a Show Near You!” — This is like the smorgasbord of the lot. You can find a little bit of each trait in no. 4 — the drama addict! Have you noticed how some people can’t live without drama? There you are trying to get off the wheel of karma and drop your drama while others are trying to hook you back into the cycle. There are some who will purposefully go out and buy a ravenous venus fly-trap, stick their finger in the jaws of the plant and howl when it clamps down and draws blood (of course, whilst facebooking the entire event post hast!). If you are one of these eager dramatists, I wish you luck on your journey and can’t quite understand the pay off. However, if you are someone who wants to keep a potting shed full of petunias rather than a dangerous carnivorous plant, take my advice and set your boundaries. If someone is trying to lure you into drama, don’t try to run away from them (fence-sitting is just not an option anymore — it’s all about facing your stuff now), don’t confront them with the ego (as in start an argument — you will then have stepped right into the trap and fed the drama) — simply speak your truth and stand firm in your conviction. Walk away if appropriate. Empowerment is always about standing your ground and not letting people overstep your boundaries and doing that in a way that does not provoke aggression or submissiveness. You’ve got to aim straight down the center and tell it like it is — speak your truth straight from the heart. If you offend someone, that is their choice and they will have to deal with it. Remember that taking offence is a choice.

The Long and Short of Your Schnozzle and Where to Put It In Future

So, what’s the moral of this tale? Live and let live.

You can powder your nose, you can blow your nose, heck, you can even pick your nose if that’s your thing — but whatever you do, keep your nose out of other people’s business. If they want your hooter present they’ll ask for it.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Why You Should Turn Disappointment into Opportunity

How to Create Opportunity

Eco Bricks Just Might Help Save the Planet and YOU Can Start Yours Today!

Comfort Zones: Embracing the Beauty of Awkward and Uncomfortable

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

This article (4 Reasons to Entice You to Quit Drama) is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

Why You Should Turn Disappointment into Opportunity

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Posted on February 27, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Disappointment: Your Passport to Greater Things

“Sometimes when you get disappointment it makes you stronger.” — David Rudisa

Don’t forget to pin it!

Some existential theories suggest that the Universe or our current reality is impartial — it’s neutral, like Switzerland. There is no meaning to life except that which we give it.

Now before this article starts to sound like a downer, I want to interject that this is actually an outrageously great opportunity and here’s why:

If life has no meaning (impartial, neutral, etc) and we are the ones giving it meaning (after all, it is our playground — our realm of freedom to choose) then we can change the game at any time which is cause for massive celebration!
If we truly are creating our reality (as states the Law of Attraction — which, coincidentally, is also impartial. Read more about that here in this 4 part Law of Attraction series: LOA – Aligning with How You Are Feeling), then we are endowing meaning to our existence all the time whether we’re conscious of it or not. How about making a conscious decision to make it a good one, eh?
We are at a tipping point when we are faced with disappointment — we can either choose to see it as a negative experience or choose to see it as some kind of Divine timing and fall into the arms of the Universe and Trust (with a big T) that the Universe has our backs no matter what.

Let me explain: When you trust with a figurative big ‘T’ it simply means you know there is a bigger picture than the one you are experiencing. When someone breaks your trust (little ‘t’) you still Trust that there is a greater lesson for your soul in there. When you can do this, you’re going to put a positive spin on your life and all the situations you find yourself in.

Choice — Your Gateway to Opportunity

“Disenchantment, whether it is a minor disappointment or a major shock, is the signal that things are moving into transition in our lives.” — William Throsby Bridges

If life is indeed meaningless and you give it meaning by your choices, you’re in the drivers seat! Every choice you make could be steering you to positive outcomes, if you allow yourself to charge your life in this new way.

My Recent Disappointment

I was recently very let down by someone that I trusted. I thought they were impeccable with their word and — long story short — they weren’t.

At first I vented out my anger and had a good rant. You know the type, ‘how could they do this to me?’, ‘what an asshole!’, ‘why do people act this way — don’t they have any scruples?’. I’m a huge advocate of letting out your emotions. Think of it like a kettle boiling on the burner with the lid on — you’ve got to relieve the lid at some point to let the steam out, right?

When I’d done my venting and had let out of my system all that needed to be — I started to ask myself these 2 important questions:

What was my lesson? I concluded that this person I was dealing with was not impeccable with their word and that I needed to be cautious with them — which is why I got this ‘little burn’. In fact, by heeding the warning signs of this first let down, I may have prevented having a kettle full of hot water poured down my front by their actions. Rather a little burn than being scalded.
Is there perhaps something better around the corner that this fallen through agreement has made space for? Yes! I believe so. I don’t know what it is yet but I’m paving the way to give this situation a positive meaning. I trust that everything happens for a reason and that the Universe has my back (‘big T’ Trust in action). The timing is indeed Divine and I’ll curiously await either a better opportunity than the one on offer or keep my eyes peeled for a crisis I may have averted.

Other articles you may enjoy:

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

How You Can Beat the Matrix

How to Stop the ‘Monkey Mind’ Phenomenon

The art used in this article is called ‘Proliferation’.

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my gallery. The original painting is still for sale (at the time of this article publication).

‘Proliferation’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas

70cm x 80cm x 2cm

$890 (international shipping incl.)

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

How to Create Opportunity

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I have to laugh…whenever I write articles, my first step is to check that I’ve written a kick-ass title. When I typed this title ‘How to Create Opportunity‘ into my headline analyzer it scored 125%. I didn’t even know that was possible! Clearly the Universe wants you to hear this.

Why Do We Have More Opportunity Than Ever?

Here it goes:

I, all too often, hear the same stories of people wallowing in their lives because there is lack of opportunity to get them where they want to be. I’m afraid I don’t buy into that and here’s why:

Never before in the history of civilization (Ancient Alien theorists may suggest otherwise but for the sake of the article, let’s soldier on) have we had something called the World Wide Web!
Never before in the history of civilization (insert Ancient Alien disclaimer here too) have so many people been literally at our fingertips.
Never before has the world been at our feet like it is today (again…insert Ancient Alien blurb here — BTW, I’m a complete Ancient Alien theory freak so I’m totally open to the idea that civilization has risen and fallen many times but — for the sake of this article — let’s say we’re treading new territory here).

Don’t Buy Into Lack

Don’t talk to me about lack of opportunity. The world is literally bulging with opportunities our fore-fathers couldn’t have dreamed about!

So, how do we create opportunity? The answer is simple (and you’re probably not going to like it, or maybe you’ll prove me wrong?).

Take action.

You can make all the vision boards in the world, you can visualize your butt off, you can do mantras and meditations (and all of these things help exponentially) but it is meaningless if you do not TAKE ACTION. Creation itself implies action. No action, no creation.

Read related article: How to Turn Disappointment into Opportunity

What this DOES NOT mean:

You try to control and force something to work
You stop doing things like meditating, visualization and making vision boards

What this DOES mean:

You get your derriere out the door and mingle with REAL people (there is NOTHING that gets you further than speaking and putting your feelers out there). You can meet like-minded people, people who may hold a piece of your puzzle or people who have ideas that you wouldn’t have thought of. Get out there and talk, you may even have some information that will help others. This life is all about us helping each other, right?
When you do something like make a vision board or write down a set of goals — it’s important to stay in that energy and feel what it’s like to have that manifest now but it is just as imperative to let it go. You need to learn to ‘let in’ (things that are representative of your ‘joy’ frequency) and to ‘let go’ (things that don’t feel comfortable or are incompatible to your ‘joy’ frequency). When you let it go and don’t try to control the outcome, you allow the universe to get you there on the quickest slipstream.
Meditate on opportunity, ask the universe for synchronicity and when you get it — take action! It may not come in the shape or form that you think, so keep those eyes peeled. Read related articles How Weird, Little Synchronicities Can Actually Be the Bomb! and Why Synchronicity Can Change Your Life.
Search engines are a great tool to zip you about the globe. You can read up on what you want to achieve. You can see other peoples success stories or read tips and tricks on your given field — go take a look at Pinterest (if you haven’t ventured into the obscenely creative world of Pinterest, I suggest you set aside a good couple of hours and a flask of tea). Don’t forget that it is great to be inspired by others but don’t be a copy-cat — always be authentically YOU. Don’t be afraid of that, that’s where your true power is. Your dream requires WORK (but the nice kind of work). There are so many things I still want to try my hand at and I know it’s going to take strategy, dedication and some serious time-management with copious doses of patience but it doesn’t put me off.

If you truly want what you say you want, you’re going to be driven to try any and every avenue. The world is your oyster, so crack open the Tabasco sauce and start slicing up those lemons!

And, because I want to see you succeed, I’m giving away free copies of my eBook ‘Creative Expression — How to find your inspiration…’ to all who click HERE (or on the pic to your right).

Other articles you may enjoy:

5 Tools to Stop You Worrying

3 Ways to Kick Your Fears to the Curb

It’s Time to Go Beyond Belief — Here’s How…

How to Stop the ‘Monkey Mind’ Phenomenon

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

The art used in this article is called ‘Dancing in the Void’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ‘Rocking Art’.

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my gallery. The original painting is still for sale (at the time of this article publication).

‘Dancing in the Void’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

30″ x 30″ x 1.5″

$1800 (international shipping incl.)

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

Comfort Zones: Embracing the Beauty of Awkward and Uncomfortable

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” — Brian Tracy

The comfort zone, for those who are unfamiliar, is that cozy place where we feel all squishy and safe. Trouble is, the comfort zone is not progressive.

Kicking Butt or Laying Low?

Let’s face it, if everybody was indeed Kung Fu fighting, we’d have a global population of ninja’s urinating all over their comfort zones. Any dedicated activity, drive or passion requires — at some point — the collapse of the comfort zone or pushing yourself beyond what you think you can do or achieve.

No great man or woman became great by not bothering.

“I have stepped outside my comfort zone enough to know that, yes, the world does fall apart, but not in the way that you fear.” — Tan Le

Hence, — if you don’t push yourself past your comfort zone — there will be very little chance of:

Super serious adventure (the type that involve dizzy daydreams and hullabaloo)
Mind-pickling creativity (envelope-pushing, innovative stuff)
Dashing acquaintances (bow-ties, glass slippers…maybe even a hint of Spandex?)
James Bond type action sequences or even those swanky Bond-ish cocktail parties (no, not in your cards if your comfort zone has it’s way — it’ll be Saturday night at the town hall playing Bingo for you!)
Rave reviews, lavish affections and golden opportunities (the kind geese lay with cherries and lashings of champagne on top)
Anything more exciting than fluffy slippers, junk food and watching Netflix…(as lovely as that can be, that isn’t all life has to offer)

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” — Denis Waitley

What Mr Waitley is trying to convey is that an exciting life — injected with passion and pizzazz — is never going to be yours if you’re not willing to dip your toe into the icy waters of liquid potential. Liquid potential can be freezing, dark and wet but it could also hold the treasures of a sunken ship in it’s watery abyss.

If you never try, you’ll never know…sad thing is — if you don’t try you’ll always know. Familiarity breeds contempt. You’re potentially going to lose respect for yourself if you don’t pluck up the courage to venture into the unknown.

“Comedians tend to find a comfort zone and stay there and do lamer versions of themselves for the rest of their career.” — Chris Rock

Heart Wisdom, Feedback and a Gushy Ending

When you fling yourself out the door of familiarity into the wild and exciting wilderness, always remember that there is never failure only feedback. Even if you do stumble out there in the ‘uncomfortable’ zone, don’t give up! The only place you’re going to find wonder and miracles is out there — so dust off and soldier on.

Thing is, IMHO, your comfort zone is in your heart — it should be what you carry around with you on the inside. It’s never going to be ‘out there’. Read related article: How to Use Your Heart Wisdom

If you’re comfortable with change and you’re 100% in your integrity, you can demolish the comfort zone and never look back. All the magic you may be yearning for lies just outside of that comfort zone — the enchantment is just waiting for your leap of faith.

“The further you get away from yourself, the more challenging it is. Not to be in your comfort zone is great fun.” — Benedict Cumberbatch

Other articles you may enjoy:

5 Tools to Stop You Worrying

3 Ways to Kick Your Fears to the Curb

It’s Time to Go Beyond Belief — Here’s How…

How to Stop the ‘Monkey Mind’ Phenomenon

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

Find Out How to Tune Into Your Personal Higher Vibration

Prayer: Where Did it All Go Wrong?

The art used in this article is called ‘Exploding This Reality’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ‘Rocking Art’.

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my gallery. The original painting is still for sale (at the time of this article publication).

‘Exploding This Reality’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

28″ x 28″ x 1.5″

$1645 (international shipping incl.)

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

5 Tools to Stop You Worrying

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Why Do We Worry So?

When it comes to concerns about life’s uneasy or potentially disastrous situations, we start to worry. I don’t think there is a single person in this world that hasn’t experienced a copious bout of the collywobbles in their lifetime — but why do we do this?

There could be a number of reasons, some being:

You feel you need to ‘prepare’ yourself for the worst
You are a ‘glass is half empty’ kind of person and just expect the worst to happen
It is in your experience that disaster always strikes, so worry is a necessary coping mechanism
There are so many things that could go wrong and you feel you need to focus on each one to embody it or try to find a possible solution for it in the event of it happening.

Now, if we actually look at this list from a transpersonal point of view — we take ourselves out of the equation and are impartial — these worries are not only a waste of precious manifesting time but they are a reinforcement of nonconstructive potential timelines.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK

Just remember you bring about what you think about the most. This is not meant to scare you, it’s a preparation tool so that you can steer your thoughts to more positive neurological pathways. When you reinforce encouraging situations in your mind, as opposed to harmful scenarios (aka worrying), you are creating potential for a more fruitful future.

Easier said than done?

Sure, but it is possible.

Answer this: Has worrying ever solved your problems anyway?

I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say ‘no’ it probably hasn’t, right? So, what can you do now to alleviate any future concerns you have?

Eckhart Tolle has pointed out three memorable and straightforward options that you can apply here, either: remove yourself from the situation (in this case, remove the worry), change it (transmute the worrisome thought form), or accept it totally (surrender to any future possibility). But let’s go into it a bit more:

Here are 5 simple techniques you can carry out when you find yourself in a state of worry:

1. Do Something

Swap worrying for doing. Can you actually do something about it now? If the answer is yes, take those first steps and you will begin to lighten the load off your mind. Even if it means writing the problem down. Just getting it out of your head and onto paper can be a relief. You can even then burn the paper or trash it symbolizing your new stance on worry. Tell your troublesome thought who’s the boss! The best thing you can actually do is visualize what you DO want to happen — I can’t stress this enough.

2. Find a Solution

Map out a possible solution. Again, it’s always helpful to write it down so that your mind is free of it. When you can look at some achievable solutions, you may gain a better perspective of how you can change or alter the course of your quandary. Remember to focus on the desired outcome.

3. Acceptance

If there is absolutely nothing you can do, then try acceptance of what is. If you cannot change what is, you need to let it go and find peace within your situation. How has this situation affected your life? Is there any diamond you can mine from it? Hint: there usually always is a positive learning when you can train yourself to see something from an alternative perspective.

4. Meditate

Solutions will present themselves when we quiet the mind. There is a wealth of information just waiting for you to tap into when you are in a meditative state. Clearing your mind of what I like to call ‘mind-static’ (continuous loops of mind chatter — read related article: How to Stop the ‘Monkey Mind’ Phenomenon) will help you to excavate that pearl of truth and gain a lucid perspective. When you step out of the way — solutions can come in. Your higher self never gives you any challenge that you cannot conquer.

5. Positive Reinforcement

Remind yourself that what you think you attract. Do you want to attract more of what you are worrying about? If not, then switch to thinking about what you do want to manifest in your life and let all negative outcomes go — you don’t need them. Capeesh!

“Make sure your thinking is pointing you in the right direction to manifesting your ideal destination”

The mind can be trained to think differently — you are 100% in control of your destiny.

You have a choice to rewire your thought process to align with what you want to manifest — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Don’t fall into the trap of being a ‘victim of circumstance’ — this state doesn’t really exist as you create everything and only you can give it the necessary potency.

Playing any kind of victim role is a disempowering stance that you should avoid at all costs.

You are the powerful creator of your reality and you are in the driver’s seat — where are you going? Where do you want to go? Wherever you see yourself in the future just remember, worrying never got anyone anywhere — so…

Hakuna Matata* all the way!

*a Swahili phrase that is literally translated as “There are no worries”

This was a guest article originally written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Purpose Fairy. It has been updated and republished here by the author.

Other articles you may enjoy:

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

Satisfying Simplicity — My Latest Article in Odyssey Magazine

The art used in this article is called ‘Gilted’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ’42’ (you can download the FREE book of art and poems HERE).

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my gallery. The original painting is still for sale (at the time of this article publication).

‘Gilted’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

92cm x 61cm x 2cm

$2000 (shipping incl.)

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

How to Stop the ‘Monkey Mind’ Phenomenon

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Posted on January 23, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

You’ve heard of the monkey mind, right?

It’s the Buddhist term meaning a restless; unsettled; confused; inconstant; indecisive and somewhat uncontrollable state of mind. It’s when the ego thinks it’s in control and uses the mind (thoughts) as its conduit — a state most of us have found ourselves in from time to time (or, for some, all the time).

Monkey Business

My penny just dropped about how I’ve been trying to manifest according to my unconscious (associated with beliefs), subconscious (associated with emotions) limiting beliefs.

Let me explain:

I am more convinced than ever that reality is an illusion — a playground for our divine, little souls to run amok. Read related article: The Holographic Universe and The Illusion of Separation
The only thing that is ‘real’ per se is our existence or oversoul/individual soul/higher self. Think of the SIMS game — you, the oversoul, are playing in virtual reality creating families, communities and playing with the concept of individuation, freedom of choice and ‘life’.
Now this ‘higher mind’ is the one with the overview (not the monkey mind or egoic mind — it can’t see further than your nose). Think of the higher self as the one standing on top of a skyscraper looking out on the city below — it can see all the streets and happenings taking place. Think of you, the part of the self in physical matter, as being on the ground — you’re level of perception is looking down an avenue and only seeing what is directly before you. You are not getting the birds eye view of the higher self up there gazing upon all possibilities below. Say for example (and this is going to be a very primitive example but you’ll get the idea): you want a coffee. The monkey mind can smell coffee brewing but takes you on a wild goose chase all over the city thinking it can pin point the location. If you had asked the higher self, it could have told you to take a right and a left and…Starbucks. Headquarters (what I like to call the higher mind) can see the quickest route while monkey mind is still swinging from branch to branch.
Let go of the monkey mind version of how you want your life to transpire and let in the guidance of the higher mind. The egoic mind can only create from past events. It has no idea of future infinite possibilities because it hasn’t been played out across the minds screen yet. That is why when you ask for something you shouldn’t try to conceive of how you’re going to get it — your job is only the asking or the ‘vision’ of what you want not how you’re going to manifest it. Only the higher mind can see the possibilities laid out before you. Have you ever manifested something by letting go of the control aspect? Did you find that you could never have dreamed it possible to show up in the way it did and were fascinated at all the signs and synchronicities (read related article: Why Synchronicity Can Change Your Life) that led you to said manifestation? That’s because your higher self has the overview and not the ego mind.
When you let go and tap into your intuition, cultivating a bond between physical mind and higher mind, you will allow infinite possibilities and realities to flow through you without the resistance and persistence of the monkey mind getting in the way. The ego thinks it knows everything but it doesn’t, it is only necessary to keep you in physicality (as far as I can tell). This means that we need the ego to keep us on earth or we’d probably want to go back ‘home’ — you get my drift, right?
So, let the higher mind pick out the destination (it knows what you came here to do, so let it do its job), you need to be open to receive the package via the physical mind and then interpret it through the physical experience. It’s really quite simple — law of least effort type stuff, savvy?

So, how do you get out of the ego mind and step into the higher mind?

Easy! Have fun…lot’s of it!

When you’re in a higher vibe, your soul can easily communicate ideas and thought packages to you.

Enough said, go out and do!

The art used in this article is called ‘Cosmic Dementia’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ’42’ (you can download the FREE book of art and poems HERE).

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my print store. The original painting is sold.

‘Cosmic Dementia’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

36″ x 10″ x 1.5″

$690 (SOLD)

Other articles you may enjoy:

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

How You Can Beat the Matrix

7 Things Every Teenager Should Know About Life

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

3 Ways to Kick Your Fears to the Curb

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Creeping in Through the Cracks

Fear is an almighty strong emotion. It could be said to be the driving force behind our collective impotence.

Why does it have so much force in our lives?

It get’s flung at us constantly via the media — TV, movies, adverts, the general public, etc.

And when we’re not ‘out in the world’ overhearing all the crime statistics and getting fed bad news from people on the street, we rush home to fall into the escapism of our daily Facebook feed because there’s nothing there to be fearful of, right?

Wrong! We get a slipstream of everything that’s messed up in the world (barring, of course, those sweet little kitty meme’s and quirky quote feeds — although even those are starting to take their toll on social media addicts).

One has even come to fear the next ‘Be Like Bob’ post or cradle in terror at the thought of another cat in a pot photo. All jokes aside…

Getting Down and Dirty

We need to take responsibility for what we give our attention to and for how we allow, yes allow, the media to manipulate our emotions and pervade the airwaves with such repugnant negativity.

We are the ones giving credence to and creating our own fears — we can literally asphyxiate ourselves with things to fret or find fear about.

Every time you give into fear you feed negativity and give it more power. Fear is a choice, like it or not.

Related article: How To Deal With Your Fear of the Unknown

The Different Types of Fear

There are, of course, many different types of fear but they are all grounded in the act of giving your power away.

When we come up against fear, we are presented with a chance to be aware, brave and face up to it. Get to the nitty-gritty and uncover the truth about why we are so afraid or uncomfortable (i.e. the fear of heights/snakes/natural disasters/terrorism/clowns/Uncle Sam/Aunt Betty/’fill in the blank’).

When we mine ourselves for the ‘why’s’ and ‘what-have-you’s’ of our own fears, we can face them and move through them.

If there is nothing we can do but send our love, compassion, empathy or prayers to a fearful situation, then do that! Stop giving rise to a tidal wave of negative emotions.

Either do something about your fear (fight or flight), make an effort to get to the bottom of why you feel a certain way (be it through meditation, inner-examination, therapy, etc) or stop thinking about it — turn your thoughts around!

What you think about you bring about. Your attention, good or bad, always feeds the probability giving it more gusto. So, stop gusting away at those fearful ruminations!

Incapacitating Fear

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

In order to work fear back into the light, we need to find its polar opposite — LOVE. When you inject love into fear it evaporates — it has no stronghold in the presence of love.

But how does one start projecting love when ones knees are knocking?

Well, let’s address what is called heart-centered living — I’m sure you’ve all probably heard that word by now. People are throwing it about a lot these days (including me — guilty as charged!). As airy-fairy and lace-clad as heart-centered living may seem — there is a nugget of gold in the finding!

Related article: How to Use Your Heart Wisdom

Quickening the Heart

When you work through your heart, based primarily upon how you are feeling about something (as opposed to working through your mind and how you think about something), you are guided by a more truthful resonance of picking up subtle nuances from your surroundings rather than being directed by what reason dictates.

So even though we are in need of our minds and pensiveness, we have been dominated by left-brain thinking for centuries. A shift is occurring, not to totally disregard our thoughts but to channel through the heart and then process through the mind. In other words, not just to go straight to the head and bypass our hearts or how we are feeling intuitively.

Rationality can be useful but it has, in some cases, left our instinctive abilities to wither in its stoic presence. Sometimes our ‘logic’ has actually hindered our bliss. This could be because ‘society dictates otherwise’ or ‘the norm is to be…’ — well, be careful of whose ‘norm’ you are conceding to.

It’s that age old conflict between science and spirituality (left-brain versus right-brain) — the solution to which is using both in balance.

“Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.” — Dorothy Thompson

3 Key factors to transmute your fears are remembering to:

1. Spend Your Emotions Wisely

Don’t buy into fear. Think of all the things you have feared in the past — did any of those worries come true? If yes, did you survive it? I take it you did if you are reading this. The energy or vibration of fear draws that which you worry about into your life. Have you ever been with someone who is not afraid of dogs but you are. When a dog comes running at you both, it goes for you, my sweaty-palmed friend, not your companion! Why? Animals, as you probably know, can sense fear — so can the universe and the universe is impartial. It acquiesces to what it thinks you desire via your frequency output. If your emotions are dialed into fear, expect life to become frightening. The only thing you should fear is fear itself (thanks, President Roosevelt!).

2. Know That Love Conquers All

Get used to being tuned into your feelings and steering them to safer shores. When you are in fear, inject some love into your aura by thinking of someone you love, your favorite pet, the infectious chuckle of your child or grandchild or a blissful memory. Change your vibration! This is how you get to expand on the feeling of love in the face of fear. Show fear that you have too much love in your heart. Fear is a mental construct in the absence of love. Trust your instincts and obey your heart. Send love and compassion to all those who suffer or who are in situations you fear to be in. Even send love to the perpetrators of heinous crimes. Why? Because you won’t solve hate by chucking more venom at a situation. When you can send love to the victims and perpetrators alike, you are diffusing the energy and making a space for healing and learning to occur. The perpetrators of violent crimes will not ‘get better’ with negativity, hateful thoughts or jail sentences (that is not to say that they shouldn’t have to ‘pay’ for their crimes — we all have to face the music for our actions) but, in sending love and compassion, there may be a glimmer of hope that they will have a true awakening to spirit and show remorse or have a change of heart.

3. Take Control

Short, sweet and to the point. If you want to be self-empowered then the first things you need are awareness and the ability to take responsibility for your actions. These two fundamental principles are gateways for you to realize your inherent potential. You are a co-creator, take responsibility for that and take control from this point onwards.

The art used in this article is called ‘Kom Ombo’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ’42’ (you can download the FREE book of art and poems HERE).

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my gallery at Saatchi Art. The original painting (as of the date of article publication) is still available for $690 (which includes worldwide shipping).

‘Kom Ombo’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

36″ x 10″ x 1.5″

$690 (incl. worldwide shipping)

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She also has just recently launched her official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates).

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (3 Ways to Kick Your Fear to the Curb) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.

Other blogs you may enjoy:

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

How You Can Beat the Matrix

2 Damn Good Reasons Why You Need to Love Yourself!

Future Projecting a Positive

Satisfying Simplicity

It’s Time to Go Beyond Belief — Here’s How…

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Posted on January 9, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Stepping out of the matrix (our perceived reality) and becoming the ‘watcher’ brings a whole new dimension to life on this plane of existence. When we can observe ourselves in the game of life, we can start to transcend the limitations of belief, purpose and meaning altogether.

Don’t forget to pin it!

Belief, purpose and meaning all hold limitation and keep us locked in details – tethered to the ‘fine print’ and keeping us from experiencing true joy as we constantly try to justify, improve or ‘work on’ ourselves and our lives instead of being happy….like as in ‘right now’.

Playing with belief, purpose and meaning can be gratifying but will only lead you to a certain point in your evolution of consciousness. There is no judgment in having fun with these concepts if that is truly what you are doing – more often than not, we aren’t having fun with them and I think they can be rendered completely redundant.

Cinematic Triumphs

Think back to the Matrix movies – when a person was freed from the matrix, they were able to see that their reality was a construct within which one could manipulate and control circumstances to their advantage. This was clearly demonstrated in the famous scenes of the characters dodging bullets in the most precarious ways, jumping large distances from one building to another and so on and so forth.

As fantastic as this seems, they were still operating in a matrix – a confined reality with rules and regulations.

Saviors in the System

Then came Neo – the chosen one – who transcended the whole matrix program and instead of dodging bullets defied them by seeing through the illusion. The illusion, of course, was that the bullets weren’t real. Why dodge something that doesn’t exist? Neo was merely using the law of least effort and quite rightly so.

Think of the SIMS computer game – there may come a time when one of those characters reaches sentience and realizes that their whole life is merely an illusion

Neo didn’t need to work within the construct of the program referred to as the matrix – he went beyond it to realize that it was an illusion and that he was infinite possibility in that reality (he even managed to come to this realization out of the program). He therefore did not limit himself to any belief within the matrix.

Banning Belief

Belief, after all, is just limitation through judging one thing as good and another as bad.

For example: I believe to see that life is fair. If I see life as being unfair I am in a negative framework, if I see it as being fair I am in a positive framework (both are polarized and put you in a box). The ‘Neo’ way is to see that life just is. It is impartial. Judging anything as good or bad is just keeping you tethered to the system. Your natural preference system will guide you to choosing what works best for you without judgment.

Aligning with Source

Neo embodied the premise that he was connected with Source and that he had only to think his will into creation and it became so. Without judgments. Ergo without limitation or any kind of belief structure.

It’s the knowing that the Universe or Creation has your back and everything is as it should be – your only job is to keep expressing joy and love and you will constantly ascend to abundant new heights without even trying. Your inner radar is always wanting to point you to the highest vibration, it’s your natural magnetic north.

Your job is to allow it to do Its job without your constant interference.

Ponder for a moment: are your beliefs holding you back? Are your thoughts aligned with your heart (innate) or your head (ego).

For example: Heart may be urging you to play the piano again and compose beautiful music whilst head is saying, ‘I need to make money from this – how am I going to do that? Maybe I should make a CD and charge $10 then if I sell 100 000 I will finally be happy and rich’. If you let heart win, then you will let go of trying to control the gift and there’ll be no anxiety or high expectations only joy, satisfaction and contentment (which will inevitably bring you into a higher frequency and you will manifest abundance without limitation) as you become fully immersed in the moment in expressing your creativity. Head wants to control how you manifest wealth and it will drive you crazy for the rest of your life as it whines on and on about how you need to manipulate the process. It will keep telling you you need more and you’ll never be satisfied.

One path leads to joy and the other leads to frustration.

The law of attraction is simple cause and effect – you keep on thinking and feeling a certain way and you will cause an effect in your reality (everything you have in your life is a manifestation of the LOA). Using the LOA to effect your life in a more positive manner is a great tool (it’s like those training wheels on a bicycle) but it can also only get you so far before we use it as a belief system and put ourselves (and the LOA) very neatly into another box.

In my most humble opinion, if you want to take the LOA to a new level we are going to have to stop ‘using’ it and simply ‘be’ it. Transcend all the tools and training wheels and start to get that we ARE the law of attraction – we are infinite possibility.

Be like Neo and let it all go so you can rocket and soar above the clouds.

The art used in this article is called ‘The Trickster’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ’42’ (you can download the FREE book of art and poems HERE).

Click on the picture of the painting to your right to take you to my gallery at Saatchi Art. The original painting (as of the date of article publication) is still available for $270 (which includes worldwide shipping).

‘The Trickster’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas

40cm x 40cm x 2cm

$270 (incl. worldwide shipping)

Other articles you may enjoy:

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your thoughts, actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She also has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates) and her band’s Facebook page is Templeton Universe.

This article was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

How to Redesign Yourself From the Cellular Level and Beyond!

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Posted on January 2, 2019 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Viewing the HTML/WYSIWYG Code

I’m going to play devils advocate and suggest that we are, indeed, living in a construct matrix or hologram (keep in mind that these are just words to be used as ‘training wheels’ for the analogy or concept) and it may be entirely possible for us to change our very own DNA.

“What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” ~Morpheus (The Matrix)

Just imagine a computer programmer writing a code for a client. The client asks if the code can be slightly altered here and there to accommodate his/her needs and the programmer obliges.

Now let’s take our own DNA — which I believe is our pre-programmed and programmable ‘code’. Some have suggested that we inherit certain characteristics from our ancestors, some even suggest we have an akashic record written into our DNA code (which is past life experiences).

If we run on autopilot, we’ll most likely experience this pre-programmed code in the form of anger issues, pain-bodies (the triggering of certain deep, seemingly uncontrollable emotions like sexism, racism, xenophobia, etc), following disease patterns from parents/grandparents/family or any other set of predesignated rules.

Although I’m not disputing that we do inherit certain genes or even past-life encryption, I think it absolutely possible to override the program.

“I’m just a floundering pup in a quantum puddle of potentials and possibilities”

Clearing the Cache

They say that awareness is 50% of the problem solved — so, when you can become aware that reality may actually be the ultimate illusion, it’s a game changer.

Think of reality as more of a lucid dream. What is a lucid dream? A PROGRAMMABLE dream — one where you get to know you’re dreaming and can then start manipulating the dream to reflect what you want instead of always being afraid of the bogeyman in the closet.

How to work the other half of the 50% — in my very fresh and new experience (i.e. I’m just a floundering pup in a quantum puddle of potentials and possibilities) — is to use your thoughts as the keyboard (typing out the commands to HQ and the body template). Your thoughts are the tool to affect and redesign within the illusion.

That’s why the first leg of our journey into awareness was learning about the Law of Attraction (which is somewhat of a dichotomous title as everything you ever want or needed is with you — no need to attract it — and every moment is NOW so it cannot be coming from some place other than where you are NOW but that’s another wormhole for another day).

Clearing your cache is more about letting go of what you DON’T want so that what you DO want remains. This day is the first day of the rest of your life — leave all prior bullsh*t at the door, please!

Time to Hit the Publish Button

I’m not saying that Rome was built in a day. Unless you’re some wunderkind, most of us take a bit of time to reach this stage of lucid dream/reality manipulation.

Believability is key, so ask for signs and synchronicities (read more here: Why Synchronicity Can Change Your Life) that you are a divine being having a jolly good time in a construct reality (’cause like in theStar Trek holodeck — it’s supposed to be fun, functional, recreational and/or informational). Remember that your soul/existence is the only reality.

Level Up

What works for me is simply starting my day off, as soon as I open my eyes, with the thought that it’s going to be a great day and I am 100% healthy from top to toe. Go on to list what you want to see happen and keep close check on your emotional output throughout the day.

Don’t say you want financial freedom and then keep talking about and feeling lack — don’t say you want the perfect mate and then project how inadequate, unlovable and lonely you feel (remember that any relationship starts with YOU — you’ve got to have healthy self love to be in any successful coupling. Read more here: Do You Feel Worthless? 2 Reasons Why You Need to Love YOU).

Emotional outbursts alter our moods and manifesting prowess, so, if you do get sucked into a downer — realign as quickly as possible.

Try building a catch phrase to keep your head above water (a kind of mental flashcard app). Something like, ‘All is perfectly well in my world’ or ‘I create abundance all the time ’cause I’m the shiz niz’.

Make it funny, make it you, make it work! Being light-hearted is a fast-track to personal freedom.

Other articles you may enjoy:

How to Turn Disappointment into Opportunity

Why Patience Truly is a Virtue

How to Avoid Quantitative Action Dissatisfaction

The art used in this article is called ‘The Phoenix’ and was part of my solo exhibition called ’42’ (you can download the FREE book of art and poems HERE).

‘The Phoenix’ by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Boxed Canvas

36″ x 10″ x 1.5″

$690 (incl. worldwide shipping)

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

Get Your Joy on This Festive Season!

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Plug in, Baby

I have a WordPress site and I think they’re pretty user friendly. However, my IT-challenged brain just can’t handle all these new appy, gizmo-type thingy-ma-jigs.

Let’s take plugins — God bless them for what they do, unbeknownst to me.

It took me about 30 minutes to realize that figuring out how to use one of these ‘plugins’ just wasn’t going to happen. The pitbull in me (the one that doesn’t usually give up, starts yelling and shouting and banging fists against the table, then bursts into tears) decided to let it go.

Bear With, There is a Point…

Before I get to this enigmatic point about joy, I have to carry on with my story.

So, feeling like a champ for walking away, I went to take a break on the couch, smartphone in hand. Now I’m scrolling down my facebook feed.

Why, oh why!!?!

I give myself about 5 minutes to do this but, in light of recent events, I think I might curb it to like 2 minutes or even 0.

My whole feed was taken up by

a) Mindless pap (‘look what I’m eating’, gym sessions, my feet at the beach).
b) Horrific, graphic content either about abuse, ‘scene of the crime’ photo’s or cruelty to animals (you know what I’m talking about, right?).
c) Well-tailored, fear-based world events (usually ‘sponsored’).
d) Selfies…loads and loads — no wait — TONS of selfies. Taking ‘Face’ book to new levels.
e) Quotes that either mean nothing but have been glazed over with sprinkles to look like they might be profound or quotes that really tell me you need to see a professional. Or even better, quotes used or made up by people accompanied by d). — a selfie of a prophet in the making. I’ve got a slight feeling that the quote is a by-product of the need to post a selfie disguised as ‘information’. Some people even use religious quotes accompanied by selfies…Jesus would be pleased.

Nature Quote by Cherie Roe Dirksen I’m so relieved to be updated every hour or two with a new profile pic of any said person because, really, I might have forgotten in the last 59 minutes what they looked like! Phew.

Rant over…point coming.

After swiftly realizing that my mind was turning to moosh and I was feeling really overwhelmed and agitated, I closed my phone cover. I looked outside — there was my garden. Oh joy! Bursts of colour winked at me, green grass tempted me for a quick roll down the hill, sunlight beckoned me for a warm taste of its rays.

Enough Already, I’m Outta Here

I know for a fact that too much time spent on devices and looking at a computer screen rots my brain. I feel nauseous, disorientated, joyless and tired. I need to use computers because I do most of my work online but I’ve drastically curbed the time spent doing this. I get on and get off as quickly as I can.

The point of this whole article was to say that if you’re feeling the way I do (drained to the core after being bombarded with all this cr@p), go spend time in nature. I know I bang on and on about this but it just SO works.

The day I described above saw me playing out the rest of the twilight hours pottering in my garden — watering, planting and just admiring natures beauty. The birds were singing, my cats were following me around — purring and weaving between my legs — and life felt GOOD, the absolute antithesis of what it feels like to be computer-bound.

The JOY was sweet.

I can’t help but feel like the conspiracy theorists are right and our tech age is robbing us of our innate, earthly experience. It’s turning us into zombies who are overloaded with stuff we don’t need to know about.

Don’t get me wrong, having the internet has been a huge blessing — having people at your fingertips, community pages, valuable information, etc — it’s all great. But, as with everything, balance is essential (read related article: How to Hold Your Equilibrium). And let’s face it, most of us aren’t balancing this new found delight.

Thunder…Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah

Yesterday we had a massive thunder and lighting storm accompanied by huge droplets of rain — it was fabulous! I went and stood out in the garden getting pelted and loving it. I felt refreshed and my bare feet were sucking in the mighty Gaia goodness of the ground.

Yeah, I’m a hippy but at least I’m a joyful hippy.

In all seriousness, it was awesome. I felt refreshed and renewed. Our connection with nature is a beautiful, symbiotic relationship and with any relationship it needs to be nurtured. Don’t go sit under a tree once a month and expect to be rejuvenated. As with any healthy practice, you’ve got to do it daily for maximum benefit.

Please take a leaf (yip…very punny) out of my book and spend as much time as you can taking in the great outdoors. Balance out your life and use the internet/computers sparingly. If you can’t help it and work long hours at the computer — take regular breaks (try and get outside if you can, even if you have to pretend to be a smoker in order to escape the building).

Nature is the best medicine, especially for a world-weary heart.

You may enjoy these related articles: Homeless Activists Go Organic and Feed an Entire Shelter With Rooftop Garden

Tobacco Doesn’t Just Kill Smokers; It Kills the Environment

The art used in this article is taken from my solo exhibition, ’42’, and is called ‘Literally Popping’. You can buy the original or a print HERE.

You can view my online gallery at Saatchi HERE.

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

How You Can Beat the Matrix

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Posted on December 19, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Only Way is Up

I was watching a very interesting YouTube video with Dr. Joe Dispenza and Lynne McTaggart (you can watch it HERE). Something struck a chord with me when Dr. Dispenza said that working with the heart center moves us away from the particle state and into the wave state (as in the wave-particle duality of quantum mechanics — an object can behave as either particle or wave or both in some cases).

This makes sense in a very woo-woo way to me.

Let me explain:

The fundamental principle of this life seems to work on fear (particle state) or love (wave state).

The Fixed State of Fear

Don’t you find that when you are in fear — which is primal, fight or flight kind of stuff — it hard-wires you to feel ‘heavy’ and fixed in this reality. We use terminology like ‘the weight of the world’ and things/situations ‘weighing us down’.

It’s a feeling of helplessness and burden, load or pressure. It’s what fixes us to a state of physical matter or materialism and keeps us in that ‘particle’ form.

There’s no doubt we need both to ‘survive’ in this matrix system. However, having an awareness of the decisive action you need to take for self-preservation (fight or flight) doesn’t require we stay in a permanent state of fear.

Unfortunately, this current world system seems to be pumping the fear-factor at us — it feels that that’s all they want you to be focused on. This doesn’t have to be your truth.

If you can cultivate a healthy awareness and can become the ‘observer’ of your reality, you can face your fear and transmute it into valuable data that can keep you safe and sane in an insane society.

The Freedom of Love

When we are in the state of unconditional love, we feel elated. It made so much sense to me when Dr. Joe Dispenza said that love puts us in a wave state. We become a frequency and ‘rise above’ so to speak. This is the vibration that keeps us connected to each other and ‘tuned in’.

If we are in a hologram/matrix/dream/illusionary world, then it makes perfect sense that our ‘controllers’ want us stuck in matter-based fear. But if we can transcend this illusion and realize that we are the programmers of our reality, we can shift into the frequency of love and ‘ascend’.

As Lynne McTaggart suggests with her altruistic mass consciousness experiments — when we give freely and from our hearts, we are not only benefiting the target of our well-wishes but we improve the very fabric of our own lives in the process.

How can you change the world?

Filter everything through your heart. Ask yourself every second of every day; ‘how can I spread more love?’, ‘how can I transmute this difficult situation into love?’, ‘how can I love and accept myself more?’ and ‘how can I see my brothers and sisters of the world as extensions of my self?’

Ride that wave of love until we beat the system.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKL5vJ38_ho%5B/embedyt%5D

If you enjoyed this article you may also enjoy How to Stop Monkey Mind Manifesting

The art used in this article is a piece from my Rocking Art Exhbition — a painting called, ‘Raw’.

You can view it HERE to buy the original and prints or click on the photo to your right.

You can view my full gallery at Saatchi by clicking HERE.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebookpage (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

Art Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

How to Keep Zen with Your Family this Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Baby, You’re a Firework!

‘Tis the season to be jolly — people all over the globe are dusting off the mistletoe, donning the lip-gloss and puckering up for the long line of friends and family just waiting to be welcomed inside cozy, fire-lit domiciles.

“Christmas is a time when you get homesick, even when you’re home.”
– Carol Nelson

However, there is a darker side to the holidays (ho ho…eh? Bah humbug!).

Being within close proximity to certain near and dear ones — over vast periods of celebratory time — can lead to some harrowing gas-lighting, festering underlying issues (especially as we’ve just come out of Mercury Retrograde and may still be feeling its keen sting hampering our effective communique), compounding anxieties and stresses and — let’s face it — emotional outbursts.

Invariably, some wild and uncouth words could get slung about the Christmas dining table this year!

We’ve all probably experienced our fair share of family squabbling during holiday gatherings but how can you ride out the storm without having a huge blow-out before you’ve even got to sample that hot, steamy Christmas pudding?

Santa’s Watching — Are You Going to be Naughty or Nice?

“A Christmas miracle is when your family doesn’t get into a single argument all day.”
– Melanie White

Remaining calm and peaceful at family reunions is no small feat — it requires a lot of awareness, internal reflection and non-reaction.

The button-pushers will always try to work their Christmas magic but you’re going to have a Santa sack full of antidotes. Below you’ll find zap-it-in-the-butt recipes to counteract disaster:

Reign (deer) It In — if someone is working on your last nerve ask yourself if you really need to react and cause a potential argument. Can you simply smile and walk away? See if you can be the still presence and avoid a hot chestnut from slipping down your trousers. It’s a great test to be non-reactive — can you pour ice over the coals this Christmas? Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed by chaotic vibes I go and take 5 in the bathroom — just sit and take 3 long deep breaths and restore your essential energy/chi/sanity/will-to-live. Walking away and creating space or a break in a quarrel can be the very thing needed to diffuse it.
Root (beer) Yourself — ground yourself wherever possible. Take deep breaths and root yourself into the present moment. When you are quiet, calm and centered, you move into the space of still presence where you can become the observer and this can be a very illuminating place to be (read related article: How to Hold Your Equilibrium). You might even get some clarity on certain behavioral patterns in others which may lead to a better understanding. When we are being seduced to the dark side of arguments it’s better to keep shtum unless you have something incredibly significant to say — otherwise, you will only be adding fuel to the yule logs. Remember that most of what you say — in these heated situations — isn’t being heard because there is too much tumult around and ears tend to close whilst mouths tend to flap. Being the still observer offers you a way to stay in control of your emotions and gauge what needs to be said, done or to identify if this is your cue to take a stroll around the garden or build a snowman.
Spread Good Cheer(s) — we all love our family and friends, but if you find yourself in a situation where you truly cannot contribute anything but loving them unconditionally, then do just that and send them love. Remain calm and balanced and focus on the love you have for them. Build on that and project it towards them. Remove yourself from the room if needs be and then do it in privacy — even if it means locking yourself in that bathroom again for a few minutes to gather/center yourself. I guarantee you will have helped them more by doing this then by rising to the bait of drama and argumentative behavior.

Good luck and may the force be with you. Happy Holidays everyone! Keep it zen, keep it sane.

Other articles you may enjoy:

How to Stop Monkey Mind Manifesting

How to Avoid Misunderstanding Forgiveness

Comfort Zones: The Beauty of Awkward and Uncomfortable

The art used in this article is taken from a digital art drawing I did called ‘Cat and Bird Christmas’.

You can get all sorts of cards, prints, gifts and paraphernalia HERE or by clicking the picture to your right.

You can check out my entire art portfolio by clicking HERE.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook (The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebookpage (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

Art Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

7 Things Every Teenager Should Know About Life

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Posted on December 5, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.~Douglas Adams

Don’t you sometimes wish you could hijack the DeLorean from ‘Back to the Future’ and go back in time to give the younger you some meaningful and helpful lessons in life (never mind a sharp upper cuff)?

Well, you’re here now — older and wiser with experience under your belt — and the pipeline dream of procuring time machines probably just isn’t going to happen.

The brighter side is that we can enlighten future generations of the deeper meanings behind some really profound truths.

Here’s a list of things I wish I knew when I was a little know-it-all:

1. Thoughts Create Things

Yes, if only I knew about the Law of Attraction at 16 years of age — all the mischief I could have wrought. Well, maybe it was for the best. Seriously though, how cool would it have been to know — back then — that your thoughts are prerequisite to actually manifesting whatever you want in your life!?!

2. You Can Do or Be Anything

Yup, some of you may have had hippie parents telling you this but for some of us it just wasn’t the case. You needed good grades and to get a job that pays well — you know, the 9-5 job and the white picket fence deal?

My parents, God bless them, probably were only handing down what they believed to be precious information that they had learned from their parents. ‘Get a steady job that pays the bills, there is no money to be made in mucking about with paint or playing the guitar’. Oh, how wrong they were! The sky is the limit with your dreams — go for it, guns blazing into the setting sun shouting ‘Yeehaw!’.

3. You Always have a Choice

Life is all about choices, we make them to get in and out of trouble (scrap trouble — challenges is a better word). You never set yourself up with anything you can’t get yourself out of — within reason, of course. So, a message for mini-me would have been: Try to view things from a different perspective, there is always a solution to a problem if you are quiet enough to hear the inner wisdom that is always inherent. Life doesn’t just randomly happen to you if you take responsibility for your choices.

4. To Forgive is Divine

If only I had known back then that to hold a grudge means extra baggage for you. This can even, in some cases, manifest as physical weight. Forgiving, contrary to the saying, doesn’t always mean you forget — if the lesson taught you anything, don’t make yourself vulnerable or open to certain situations again. Always be mindful of your lessons but learn how to forgive and walk away too.

5. Taking Things Personally is Disempowering

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and tastes but there is no ‘blanket’ rule over what is the truth as there are almost 8 billion different perspectives on earth right now.

I was told, in my younger years, not to listen to peoples opinions of me, especially if they caused me any distress. I didn’t truly get that when I am insulted I am actually agreeing with what has been flung on my doorstep. If only I learned to dodge those landmines sooner, I would have a lot less BS to scrape off my boots later on down the line!

6. Conforming is Boring

I wish I could seriously implant this into the brains of the youth of today, it’s just that important — especially with the crap that’s being pumped at them through social media! Don’t try to be who you are not (and please don’t try to mimic a Kardashian). Everyone wants an original not a copy. Duh! Thinking out of the box is not even an option — burn the box! No more boxes, boxes are for things not ideas or people (just ask Schrodinger’s cat).

7. Being Weird is just so Damn Cool

Well, this one just flows so nicely from being a non-conformist. It’s just completely stimulating being different. I mean, come on, look at all those Barbie’s and Ken’s out there — yeah, it’s a nice bit of eye-candy, but really? For real?

Nah, I prefer someone with a bit more kick, vooma and soul — even if the facial features are slightly askew, hell, isn’t that what makes people intriguing? Give me a David Bowie or a Thom Yorke any day — talent is my sexiness barometer.

So, little Cherie from the past, this is what I would have loved to have been able to time travel to tell you about.

Other articles you may enjoy:

How to Get Things Done and Make a Huge Difference in Your Life (Especially if You’re a Procrastinator)

How To Sink Your Teeth Into Molding Your Reality

How to Hold Your Equilibrium

Why You Should Always Try Your Patience

Your Solar Plexus: First Impressions are Usually Right

Self-Empowerment Books by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

Table Books of Art and Inspirational Teachings by Cherie Roe Dirksen:

How To Sink Your Teeth Into Molding Your Reality

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

A Trip to the Dentist

The dreaded day was coming, I had a dentist appointment. One of my fillings had chipped as I chewed on a gummy mint and I had no alternative but to pick up the phone and make the call.

Apart from snakes (and I’m alchemizing even my reptile repulsion — I even stroked the head of a snake the other day — woohoo for me!), dentists have always topped my fear list.

Confidently Enters The Reception

As I marched into the dentists reception area, I was welcomed by the friendly receptionist. I was then ushered into the room where I was about to be ‘fixed’.

The dentist, as always, was amicable and kind. I just kept on reciting my BGPL (big girl panty lecture) in my head.

I then noticed that the reclining chair I was in was really comfortable. It then struck me that this environment wasn’t so bad after all. The birds were chirping outside, and even though the implements of torture were in my peripherals, I felt a sense of peace.

The Truth Struck

As I sat there, mouth open with gadgets prodding and poking, I felt a huge sense of gratitude wash over me.

What? I hear you yell!

Gratitude for being in the dentists chair with a scraper going at it hammer and tongs! Bits of tooth being drilled away and a smell of cooking bone dust in the air! Never!

Well, as unlikely as it may be, I felt really thankful. Thankful for:

Having the service of a trained professional
Having the anesthetic (two big thumbs up)
Knowing that after this small inconvenience I will be able to chew on the left side of my mouth again after exhausting the right side for 11 days
Feeling grateful that I can afford the service of a dentist (I have no medical aid but had a good month with my art sales)
Feeling really calm sitting in that chair and not digging my nails into my wrist like I normally do.

Wishes Come True

The whole procedure took 25 minutes! I thought I’d be in there for 45-60 minutes.

The whole trip was a success! I felt elated (yes, walking out of a dentist room feeling gleeful is one for the books).

The moral of the story: you can alchemize anything and don’t you forget it!!!

Other articles you may find interesting:

Go Slow to Speed Things Up

This is Why You Are Amazing

Got Blocks? This May Be Why…

How to Cope With the Knowledge of Pure Evil

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

How to Become More Balanced (and Happy!)

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.” ― Lao Tzu, Te Tao Ching

How Doth Your Pendulum Swingeth?

The dictionary definition of the word ‘equilibrium‘ is a state of physical balance and/or a calm state of mind.

It’s when opposing forces are in balance.

It’s great when we find ourselves on a high — experiencing supreme joy, love, happiness and elation. It’s really shitty when we hit rock bottom — experiencing doubt, anger, pain and fear.

The key to true happiness is somewhere in the middle.

An Uncomplicated Truth

Both states of joy or anguish are temporary. As Eckhart Tolle pointed out, ‘this too shall pass‘ — that phrase goes for anything you are experiencing the good along with the bad.

As much as we want something good to last or something horrible to pass, it’s soothing to know that the ‘normal’ or most frequent state of our being is always found in the middle — balance.

Happiness — that sometimes elusive emotion — is yours in that balanced state. You’ll also find peace, clarity and calmness hanging out there.

Read related article: Why a 10 Minute Meditation Could Mean Everything

A quote for your to pin 🙂

Last week I wrote about patience (you can read that here: Why You Should Always Try Your Patience) — balance and patience go hand in hand. You can even enjoy patience because it’s the place you hang out when you are expecting your miracle to manifest. Being in equilibrium is much the same — it’s the space to be when you are just soaking up being an eternal spirit having a corporeal experience 😉

Learn to love and be comfortable in balance and you will master the art of true contentment — nothing will be able to sway your pendulum but you.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Go Slow to Speed Things Up

This is Why You Are Amazing

Got Blocks? This May Be Why…

How to Cope With the Knowledge of Pure Evil

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

About the Artwork

The art used in this article is taken from my painting ‘Escapism’ — you can get the original and prints HERE or you can get all sorts of products, clothing and prints HERE.

You can read about the inspiration behind this piece here:

What Radiohead Looks Like Through The End of my Brush

Why You Should Always Try Your Patience

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Ultimate Test of Patience

“Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

I love that last bit — ‘allow the mud to settle‘. How many of us allow our challenges to abate before we act?

Ever got a stinking e-mail from someone and you reacted to it immediately only to smack yourself on the forehead the next day, wondering why you didn’t just sleep on it?

“I see patience as a little breather in between manifestations”

It’s always a good idea to give yourself time, space and patience to see things with greater clarity and to react out of a calm and clear frame of mind. Read related article: Why a 10 Minute Meditation Could Mean Everything

I’ve got to admit that I was one of the most impatient people I know. It took me all of about 8 years of self discovery to find out what an important little gem patience really is. I see patience as a little breather in between manifestations.

Let’s Look at the Word Re-Solution

When we get whipped up in a world full of chaos and madness, it’s very hard to remain calm. However, it is essential to be the calm in the storm if you are going to be the purveyor of change. Try daily doses of meditation (you only need about 10-20 minutes).

We all have our moments when life throws that curve ball and it is our responsibility to alchemize anything that is tossed our way.

This simply means to stop, take a knee and ask yourself, ‘how do I want this to resolve or play out?’. When you can see the resolution (look at that word ‘re’ ‘solution’ — you are literally making a new solution to the challenge laid out before you), you begin to change the timeline.

Your job is to hold the vision of how you want the outcome to look. Oh…and to have patience. Sometimes things happen quickly and other times we need that awesome little alchemizer called patience.

Your solution doesn’t come a moment too soon or too late — remember that!

Other articles you may enjoy:

Go Slow to Speed Things Up

This is Why You Are Amazing

Got Blocks? This May Be Why…

How to Cope With the Knowledge of Pure Evil

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

Your Solar Plexus: First Impressions are Usually Right

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

We have an unnatural amount of data to process than that of the average human being, say just 30 years ago let alone a century back. We have social media and most of us get swept away in superfluous cr@p on our newsfeeds — we see the daily activities of people we don’t even know.

We subscribe to pages that feed us information on celebrities, sports stars, politicians, gurus — you name it!

We have so many faces, characters and perceived personalities to sift through every day that it is no wonder we have become numb to our own perceptions and impressions of people. We have forgotten that we have a superpower — we have inner radar.

WTF Happened to Freedom of Thought and Freedom of Speech!

I have noticed — with greater severity of late — that people (or sheeple in this case) seem to be following a cut and dry ‘herd’ mentality. A way of thinking that leaves no room for grey area or much-needed debate or alternative perspective.

I get that it’s hard to see — when we’re in the thick of it — that we’re being ushered into thinking left or right (or whatever the case may be).

I have noticed — with growing concern — that people seem to be choosing sides without much thought, reacting out of emotional pain-bodies with little contemplation to evidence, condemning without patience or research of an alternative point of view, having a do or die mentality and completely sh*tting on another persons right to have a competing perception or opinion for him/herself.

If an opinion differs from mainstream it is literally taken down or you are ‘unfriended’ or persecuted or trolled into submission.

Welcome to the United States of Eurasia!

This is not a democratic society we are living in, it’s turning into that insidious Orwellian society we were warned about. I saw something the other day that made me laugh although it’s not really funny: (paraphrasing) “1984 was supposed to be a fictional novel and not a governmental instruction manual”

The media is whipping people into a galvanized frenzy and we need to be extremely careful!

The best thing you can pray for right now is clarity of mind (see my article: ) and the ability to be able to allow someone else a contrary opinion. It’s the ‘my God is the true God and your God sucks’ mentality.

We need to honour the opinions, religions, political views of others and not tell them how they should think. It’s just plain childish to bulldoze someone else to have your line of thinking. It certainly doesn’t get anybody anywhere and only creates greater division (which is a win for the ‘Powers that Were’).

There’s only one rule in the Wiccan tradition and that is ‘do what you want as long as it harms none’. Well that pretty much covers it all, doesn’t it?

If other people don’t abide by this, know that karma is a bitch. All you can do is live in your integrity and help others who may not have the rights or ability to make condoning decisions if need be (as in children, animals, the Earth).

Judging Books by Content Not Covers

I wanted to end this off with saying that we, as a species, have a wonderful ability to sense or ‘read’ energy — it’s that gut instinct (solar plexus). You have a chakra located in your belly area that has an innate intelligence. If you take the time out to actually feel or listen to what it is telling you, you will greatly benefit from the experience.

First impressions are usually accurate because your energy field is picking up on the other energy fields emissions and doing a quick and smart analysis of intent. When you get an uneasy feeling — it’s a sure sign that although the persons smile, words, resume and actions might be polished (and completely fake), their inherent nature is lacking somehow.

We know that white toothy grins do not the trustworthy politician make, so we need to start looking past peoples faces and words and tune into the frequency they are emitting.

Trust your gut — it’s usually never wrong. It’s a super-power worth developing — you’re going to need it!

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (Your Solar Plexus: First Impressions are Usually Right) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

Don’t Let Control Issues Ruin Your Life

How to Play the Game

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

Why a 10 Minute Meditation Could Mean Everything

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I was at my monthly Power of 8 group and one of the members suggested our intention should be clarity and focus. She said she had seen a meme on some social platform that read (and I paraphrase):

“My mind is like my internet browser, I have 13 tabs open, 3 are frozen and I don’t know where the music is coming from.”

Her intention was perfect as I was feeling like my noodle was a trio of scrambled eggs. I’ve got so much going on at the moment (haven’t we all?) that I could feel my circuits crashing.

Read related article: The Art of Getting Out of Your Own Way

I have a nightly ‘mantra’ that I got from a Barbara Marciniak Pleiadian channel that states: I pray for greater clarity of mind and peace in my heart.

I really love that mantra and it does imply so much. To have a clear mind, focus and peace are attributes most would clamber for. And it can be yours.

During our 10 minute intention — I realized that just repeating this mantra at night before I hopped into bed was not half as powerful as it could be. I really felt into it in the 10 minute group affirmation and promised myself — if I do nothing else — to set aside 10 minutes a day for this specific intention.

Read related article: Gardening Your Way to Zen

We especially seem to need an affirmation of this kind in our current world climate. We are being bombarded with chaos for the mind and fear for the heart, so, what better way to balance this than by truly feeling into the Pleiadian intention?

I pray that you will always be blessed with clarity of mind and peace in your heart ❤

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (Why a 10 Minute Meditation Could Mean Everything) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

Don’t Let Control Issues Ruin Your Life

How to Play the Game

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

Got Blocks? This May Be Why…

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

Let’s talk about blockages — no not the physical kind (although…there is something later on about the physical manifestation). I’m talking about energetic flow kind of blocks — we all hit them at some point.

You’re cruising through life manifesting like a pro and then…voila! You hit a wall. The wall seems insurmountable — there’s no door, window, Easter egg or anything to point you in the direction of getting over this newfound hurdle, in fact the wall just seems to solidify. Your car has derailed and you are left feeling deflated and confused. Where did you go wrong?

I can only speak from personal experience, so here’s my take on it:

I’m going to be talking about hitting a ‘control’ blockage here. There are many speed-bumps on our path to awakening to our true power that pop up but the one I hit most often (and it could be through my anal Virgoic nature) is control. Yip, I’ve got control issues (join the queue).

Control is not a bad thing — it’s a grand discipline in most cases. However, to try and control everything in ones life is a dead-sure way to create a clog in that drain. Nothing blocks the flow of Universal abundant energy than your ego’s need to control every circumstance.

So, here’s my Einstein-esque formula: control=blockage.

Simple. But boy, do I have to keep on reminding myself of this.

The moment I try to manipulate and figure out my every move of how I’m going to get from point A to point B, I seize up. And not meaning to be graphic but I’m going to say it anyway…yes, I even have physical blockages. Constipation is a sure sign that you’re rigidly holding onto something.

As the Disney song states, ‘let it go‘. And make sure you’re cupboards are well stocked with toilet tissue.

Your HQ (higher self) knows how to get you what you want if it’s what your soul truly wants, so chill. If it doesn’t happen the way you wanted it to, chill. If it doesn’t happen at all, it wasn’t for you — know that you have potentially dodged a bullet, chill. Hakuna Matata.

Other articles you may enjoy:

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

Don’t Let Control Issues Ruin Your Life

How to Play the Game

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.

She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (Got Blocks? This May Be Why…) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.</

How to Cope With the Knowledge of Pure Evil

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I write this article with a heavy heart. I felt the urge to acknowledge this in the only way I know how — to write about it.

“The idea of evil is always subject to denial as a coping mechanism” ~John Bradshaw

I was a person who preferred not to see the evil in the world. After all, I consider myself an enlightened new-ager who needs to superglue those rose-coloured glasses to her face. I still inherently do believe in positive energy/vibes and my path is that of sticking to the light and my integrity.

The truth (my truth) about this is I simply can’t not acknowledge the dark side exists. There has to be a dark side for there to be contrast. It’s a fundamental principle in our current duality reality (yip, noetic and poetic).

Why Is There Dark?

If you can stomach it, I read a series of articles relating to the concept of Luciferianism and I recommend you have a read with an open mind — it helped me get a broader understanding of what we are dealing with: Who Lucifer Actually Is & Why They Are Here (Part 1)

After reading the content above, I had a great sense of sorrow, empathy and compassion (actually, no words can describe the feeling) for all those who have suffered and lost their lives to the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. However, I also had a sense of empowerment — now I feel I have a better understanding adn I feel it easier to cope with moving forward.

We really can’t deny the dark any longer. Look at the news. I need not remind you of the #metoo movement, continuous warring, paedophilia rings emerging in the political and ‘celebrity’/Hollywood arena and the recent spate of sexual abuse cases hidden by the Roman Catholic Church.

And there’s a lot more to come, people, so fasten your seat-belts! It’s all coming to the surface and we need to be emotionally prepared so we can face it head on. If you can’t deal with it, you can’t move through it to the other side.

Respect

To all those who survived such abuse, I would like to acknowledge your suffering and my heart goes out to you — living or deceased.

What grates me is that so many people are still burying their heads in disbelief that these things can happen and don’t seem to understand the pain they are inflicting by their indifference on the victims of such crimes.

It’s time to stop sweeping things under the rug because we can’t handle them. We need to be brave and courageous, we need to LOOK at what has happened for a healing to take place.

It is our duty as human beings to listen to and acknowledge the suffering and pain of our brothers and sisters all over the globe who have experienced horrors at the hands of those in power.

It is just plain disrespectful to not acknowledge their stories.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the whistle-blowers, truth-seekers, courageous journalists and all those exceptionally brave men and women who risk their lives (and many have died in the process!) to bring us the truth. So much love and gratitude to you.

God bless us all in these tumultuous times.

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.
She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (How to Cope With the Knowledge of Pure Evil) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

Other articles you may enjoy:

The Truth About Being All Stirred Up

Go Slow to Speed Things Up

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

Go Slow to Speed Things Up

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.” ~Viggo Mortensen

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Stress is one of the biggest killers of our time. The worst part is, it’s so unnecessary.

We think we don’t have enough hours in the day, we con ourselves into thinking that we need to do, do, do and — when the day is done — we worry about what tomorrow may bring.

Any alien looking down on our world would think we’re loopier than a slinky — one nut short of a complete fruit cake.

Life Experience of the Old and Crusty

I would like to think, now at the ripe old age of 43, that I have a bit of life experience under my belt. I was a chaser, a go-getter, a ‘seeker’ — now that I’m older and, I’d like to think, wiser — I’m a go-slower.

If we are to take it from the mouth of Viggo Mortensen — true success is to go slow to go fast (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to take it slow and steady with Viggo?).

The Advantages of Life in the Slow Lane

Taking life a little easier helps us to:

see with greater clarity of mind (so much better for making life’s important decisions)
to stop and smell those proverbial roses (and they are so sweet smelling in the springtime) — it’s our excuse to be like Ferdinand (watch video below if you don’t know this bullish yet delightful tale)
connect with ourselves in ways we almost never allow ourselves to (as in taking long, hot baths, strolls in the countryside, watering the garden or just staring at a wall for a couple of hours)
connect with others in more meaningful, whole ways (how many of us are guilty of not listening properly or having our minds wander when we should be focused on others?)
savour the passion of what we love to do no matter what that is
engage in true inner peace.

Slow down, life is too short to get yourself all twisted in a knot. Say no if you’d rather not. Put your sanity first before clogging up that diary. Learn how to decline gracefully and start human being instead of human doing.

Now, it’s time to sit back and tap into the inner bull:

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (Go Slow to Speed Things Up) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

Other articles you may enjoy:

3 Valuable Understandings to Help You Kick Fear Addiction

Why You Should Ask Only Once

The Scary Truth About Our Subconscious Programming

Save the Date! My Solo Exhibition ’42’ is Happening This October!

Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen

When Life Gives You Lemons…

I would like to give you a recipe for the best darn lemonade ever — it’s about community, asking, giving and thriving.

4 years ago I moved to a remote little village in the klein Karoo, South Africa. I soon learnt that there was a really great switched on bunch of people staying here (with exception to the local loons, drama queens and negative nellies — if you’ve ever had a taste of remote country living, you’ll know what I mean).

I soon felt very at home in this quaint little outback town.

Recently I started my very own ‘Power of 8’ meditation group — the original concept brought to us by Lynne McTaggart (read more here:Are You Ready For Peace? Join Lynne McTaggart For the Largest Group Intention in the History of Mankind!).

We meet once a month and each member gets a turn to set an intention (which could be to lower the crime in the village, sending healing energy to abundance for all — the sky is the limit and we’ve been fairly successful!).

Our meetings bring much joy to us all and we have a safe place to discuss things that are a little ‘off the wall’. There is a sense of trust and sisterhood/brotherhood.

Yes Cherie, but what about the lemonade?

Hang on a tick…

The Secret Ingredient

After one of these meetings, I decided to pour myself a glass of lemon water.

I suddenly realized I had forgotten to get lemon juice from the store. I decided to put out a distress call to my neighbourhood whatsapp group (btw — I strongly suggest you create a neighbourhood whatsapp group, it’s really useful as long as you keep it light and friendly) asking if anyone perhaps had a lemon tree and lemons to sell me — cause, frankly, why not?

Within an hour I had a BIG bag of the juiciest, organic lemons from my neighbour a couple of houses up. She wouldn’t even hear of accepting payment for them. It was a good thing I had just celebrated my birthday and had brought her a couple of pieces of chocolate cake to compensate for such anticipated generosity!

She reminded me that I gave her apricots last season from my overburdened tree to which I replied that she was always more than welcome every season to come and fill a box.

She said I was welcome to her lemons any time.

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside as I’m writing this ’cause this is just the life, isn’t it — straight out of a Waltons episode!

Living the Dream

It’s what I’ve always wanted — a sense of true community. It overwhelms me how generous and delightful people can be in a world where everything seems to be collapsing in chaos and tumult, we can actually take back control by looking out for each other.

We have the power to create community wherever we are.

The ingredient to making the best lemonade on the planet is to reach out to people on your doorstep. The only positive change we can be sure of creating is the way we live, communicate with and help each other out from the small things to the larger things — to respect each others differences and to look out for each other.

If everyone can do this and create peace neighbourhood by neighbourhood — we most certainly will have the ability to thrive.

You can now hear Cherie Roe Dirksen on Big Indie Giant radio as she reads out select articles on air.
She also gives weekly news headline updates taken directly from the Conscious Life News site, so be sure to tune in.

Cherie Roe Dirksen is a self-empowerment author/columnist/radio presenter, multi-media artist and musician from South Africa.

Her ambition is to help you to connect with your innate gift of creativity and living the life you came here to experience by taking responsibility for your actions and becoming the co-creator of your reality. You can follow Cherie on Facebook(The Art of Empowerment — for article updates). She has an official art Facebook page (Cherie Roe Dirksen – for new art updates). You can also check out her Facebook band page at Templeton Universe.

Cherie posts a new article on CLN every Thursday. To view her articles, click HERE.

This article (Rekindling the Human Spirit with Lemons) was originally written for and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author Cherie Roe Dirksen and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons.

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3 Valuable Understandings to Help You Kick Fear Addiction

Why You Should Ask Only Once

The Scary Truth About Our Subconscious Programming

Save the Date! My Solo Exhibition ’42’ is Happening This October!

How to Play the Game

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Cherie Roe Dirksen