Hi- a bit of an epistle

[enlighteneduk]

I would never have found this site had it not been for the very synchronicity James writes about in his books. I have always been aware of coincidences in my life, which seemed almost too amazing to have been merely chance. But it took many years, and many tragedies in my life, euphoric highs, and depths of despair, before I started on the path to personal development which led me here.

I am well known internationally in my career as an equestrian trainer, teacher, author and designer, but in my personal life, I have lost so many of those close to me, my husband, my only child, five of my closest friends with cancer, lost everything materially, having to start over again twice after my husband became a paranoid schizophrenic and having to be sectioned, eventually losing him to cancer as well. I had sunk into a victim mentality, and from which I felt unable to escape. I spent every New Year's Eve dreading what the next year would bring.

It took the breakup with my partner three years ago, to make me realise that I had to do something to break the spiral of negativity which had engulfed me, sucking me into an ever increasing vortex.

I read a book entitled 'Secret of the People Whisperers', written by an old friend, Perry Wood, who is also a well known equestrian trainer, but had expanded into personal development, his work with training horses, leading him into also working with people.

This started me off on a search for a way out. I read another book by NLP guru, Jonathan Clark. In the book, although I hadnt realised at the time, he spoke about the Law of Attraction, and implied that we attract everything to us, good or bad. I was outraged!! How on earth could I have attracted the deaths of so many of those closest to me, how could I have caused the financial disasters which had been caused, first by my husband's illness, and latterly, due to an entirely unjust patent suit. Jonathan had given a free half hour telephone consultation with the book, and I rang him, blowing the poor man off the phone for the entire half hour, in my indignation at being made to feel to blame for any of the bad stuff that had happened to me!

It wasnt until I was led to watch the DVD' The Secret' that I began to understand. Even this had been a synchronistic event, someone on my own forum had brought the subject up- remember, this is an equestrian discussion group- and had been so influenced by the film that she wanted to share it with other members.

I bought the DVD, and as I watched it, a huge weight fell off my shoulders, I sobbed as I began to realise the truth in the message, and knew that I had to learn to think positively. I still have a problem with the notion of manifesting money!- but maybe one day, I will get my head round that one too.

The Secret led me to read many other books, Jack Canfield's Chicken Soup books, Neal Donald Walsch's Conversations with God, most of Deepak Chopra's- his 'Synchrodestiny struck a particular chord- and many others, all leading me to investigate more fully, this path that we are on, and beginning to make sense of the tragedies in my past. I even began to see how I could have avoided some of them, if I had listened to the inner voices that I had always heard, and always, until now, largely ignored.

I learned to see the lessons in the things that had happened to me in the past and make peace with it. I learned especially, the lessons of forgiveness- I have never been one to bear a grudge, but forgiving even those who have hurt you most, releases, and allows one to move on.

I learned lessons even from the negative things that still happen to me, and see the silver linings that can be gleaned from them. One of these incidents led me to a website, which had popped up in an advert on my own website homepage. I had been feeling particularly down, as financial success, despite my eminence at the top of my career, was still eluding me, and at my age, now 55, I havent long to make up the losses of the past. I had also an incident on my own forum, a very rare occurrence as it is an amazing place, unique in the horseworld, of caring, wonderful people. But two people tried to spoil it, and caused me a great deal of hurt. Ordinarily, I would have sunk low again, but I hit on this website, intent on also making some money outside of the horseworld, one of the most difficult places to even make a good living, no matter how well known you are.

The website claimed to be an LOA based business model, and I engaged in some correspondence with the site owner. Initially she seemed very genuine, and advised me to read a book called 'Secrets of the Millionaire Mind' , by US multi millionaire, T. Harve Eker. I ordered the book immediately from Amazon, slightly sceptically, thinking that it would just be another 'Get rich quick' book, but how wrong I was!! The website turned out to be a vehicle for a thinly disguised pyramid selling ripoff, but the book was a revelation! I thumped my forehead so many times reading the first few chapters that I gave myself a headache! I began to understand why I hadnt been as successful financially, and wished fervently I could have read it 20 years earlier! But it was also the way in which it was written, ethically, not from any sense of greed, that impressed me so much.

Harve's book also contained references to a book by Marianne Williamson. I bought two of her books, and read them at a time when I had a terrible family problem with a bi polar sibling, who was making some very frightening threats. Marianne's books focus entirely on how love can change the world, and I realised how I needed to not react in anger or fear to my brother's threats, but to react only with love. The books saw me through the whole episode and out into the light again beyond.

Harve's book also led me to a website which gave me further inspiration for business ideas outside of the horseworld, www.geniustypes.com, a fantastic site, again not developed from a sense of greed, but with concern for the world too.

I was about to go on holiday to stay with friends in Portugal, and went into a local charity shop to take some books in, and buy a few more to read whilst away. One book jumped out of the shelves at me 'A Celestine Vision' by James Redfield. I bought it. So many of the missing pieces of my quest were contained within its pages. I bought the 'Celestine Prophecy' and 'Tenth Insight' as soon as I got home again, and am about to order the rest of the books.

I, like James, was brought up, not in a Methodist, but Baptist/Evangelical family, but my Father was, still is, entrapped in a religion based on fear and control. Even as a child I could not see that God meant for us to live in fear. I rebelled in my teens, and lost my faith for a very long time. It is only now that I am beginning to find it again, and I thank James from the bottom of my heart, for the clarity and distillation his books have brought to my continuing quest for enlightenment. My own equestrian organisation is called 'Enlightened Equitation', a title that jumped into my head many years ago, when I was asked by the editor of the magazine for which I had written my first ever series on riding. I hadnt even thought of a title, but there it was, popped out of my mouth without a single moment's hesitation. It went on to become the title of my best selling book, and eventually an organisation devoted to the humane treatment and training of the horse.

And now, I seek 'enlightenment' for all other areas of my life. I truly believe that the visions of the 'Celestine Prophecy' and other books of this ilk, are what those of us, who are thinking individuals and want the true peace of mind and happiness, that only a deeper spiritual connection can give, will now strive to bring about.


Heather

[truth]

Hi Heather,

Welcome! It's always good to see a fellow Brit here. I'll expand on that: spiritual and British and willing to talk about it - a rarity indeed!

I believe us Brits, with our relatively humble and patient hearts and being relatively free of religious dogma, are well positioned to learn that which gets us out of bed in the morning is our faith in ourselves; to believe that we can make life better... for all!

There's much to learn and much to do - with faith in our hearts, our dreams come true.

Enjoy! (You more than deserve it)
Pat

[michellepetkus]

Wow Heather, quite a story. I very warm welcome to you.

Love,
Michelle

[Lyndell]

Hello Heather,
Epistle us, again...........anytime!
Welcome, welcome.
Lyndell

[GeneHrsy]

Hi Heather,

Great that you are here too! Most of the horse people I know have a very straight from the hip, no beating around the bushes approach to interactions ... there's the stereotype that I am guessing about you. I have a very close friend here who does Quantum Touch and Myofascial Release on horses - particularly those hard working horses of the Amish.

I have the same problem with money ... I learn see it as a tool, not the object of greed or root of evil ... maybe the change needed is in how we think about it.

Eckhart Tolle (ET) has another great series of teachings that I have found invaluable; in particular The Power of Now, and A New Earth. We (some of us here) are studying A Course In Miracles which is a very deep look into the nature of reality and the relationship to God/Universal Mind, and extremely uplifting to me.

One thing that we all have in common here, is how James' "story" has touched our lives and brought us to seek more knowledge of the simple truth that he touches upon in it. And we all feel this site is a blessing that is helping work changes in our being ... we all share the awareness and learn from each other's experiences. You may find, as I have, that you have strong psychic connections with some here and others that will help you affirm your own strengths and caring.

I have a feeling that you have a lot of insight to share.
Glad you are here!

Namaste
Gene
_________________
It Just Keeps Getting Better
Time is the measurement of humanity's Awakening to the True nature of Now.
Ever wonder what would happen if the whole world farted, then smiled at the same time??

[enlighteneduk]

Well, thanks so much for the warm welcome, folks!!!

Just back from a 350 mile drive home, so too knackered to reply in depth, but am also interested in ACIM, and have the course, but trying to get my head round reading it! Have so little time and it seems to very difficult to decipher without extensive study.

I read Marianne Williamson's books to give me an insight into it, but guess there is no substitute for reading it.

Gene, nice to see a fellow horseman here, and clearly a thinking one. So many horses are abused through ignorance and often, traditional thinking that the horse has to be controlledf through violence and force, when nothing could be further from the truth! It has long been my vocation to teach 'A kinder way to ride and train'.

Nice to meet a fellow Brit here too, Pat!! You are right -so many of our nation are too buttoned up and unable to talk about their experiences, but being able to share the things that happen to us, and how we rise above them and learn from them, hopefully can help others too. Coming from 'the Alternative Capital', as it is known!- Totnes, in Devon, personal development and spiritual stuff is the norm here, so it is one place you might feel well at home!

Heather

[Ziggy]

And now, I seek 'enlightenment' for all other areas of my life. Its so nice when the light shines and we see how much there is to life, welcome and thanks for the story, Heather I am sure you will find this a very healing place to see the light, hugs
Z
_________________
Touch Everything
Attach to Nothing
Shaman Ziggy
C.E.O. (Concerned Environmental Officer)
H.E.A.L. (Heal Earth and Life)

[enlighteneduk]

Thanks Ziggy-

Trying to get my own site ready to go up too - ww.enlightenedminds.net, also starting a dating site for those on the enlightened path, www.enlightenedminds-dating.com- so difficult to meet anyone on the same wavelength on normal dating sites, thought it might be an idea to start my own!

Heather