Being Open and Letting Love In...

"The love you seek is hidden deep inside you

And you alone have the power to set it free

You gotta learn to love you each and every moment

Love to love the you that’s there inside"

 I've been on an incredibly interesting, illuminating and intriguing journey in the last year. It's been a mixture of pleasure and pain, high's and low's, enlightening moments and moments of shere frustration. It has culminated this December in a much deeper understanding of just how important it is to be open and to truly understand just what it means to love and to let love in...

I was having a conversation with a beautiful friend this week about values that we hold most closely to us. One of mine has always been about being open, transparent if you will. Before I continue... let me ask you - what value or values do you hold above all others. If you are not sure how to answer this... make a list of about ten, that may include things like courage, justice, honesty, freedom and then see which of those you would be prepared to trade and the one or two you would not give up for any price. Once you have answered this, I want you to be very, very honest with yourself.  How much do you live this value authentically in your life? 


I ask this question because it became apparent to me recently that whilst I have always thought of myself as being very open and true to this esteemed value of mine, it was actually the value that I needed to work on the most. Through this year, a series of events and situations have called for me to stand in my power and stand in my truth and I have chosen to be more open and more transparent than ever before. It hasn't necessarily been that comfortable but out of allowing myself to be vulnerable, I have gained greater riches than I could have dared to hope for. 

People around me are more open, I am attracting more open people into my life. I am finding myself having ever more open conversations and my heart feels more fulfilled. I am starting to truly understand what happens when you start to let love in.... Every moment, every conversation can be an experience of love when you are open. A friend shared this quote with me this week; 

"Sometimes it's a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence......"

Every moment has the potential to be magical.


Life and people are simply a mirror of who we are and how we feel about ourselves.... so I urge you to take the time to recognise those values that you hold dear. See where you could shine a light on your highest values and allow yourself to go within and ask the question, are you truly honouring that value in all that you are, do and speak?! If not, then try it out... allow yourself to be vulnerable and live this value moment by moment and await the rewards that the Universe will bring to you.


In Openness and Love, 
Nikola xx

Magic Mirror Girl

Written following my participation in the Finding Grace Project....

Part of finding grace for me has been about opening up to my creativity and not only that but being willing to share.... enjoy. xx

Magic Mirror Girl

She said

Why don’t you come on in?

Sit right down

And make yourself at home

Let’s simply talk for a while

About who you are, how things seem and where you’d like to be

And as the story started to unfold

The tears began to roll

The picture I was painting was of a little girl

Who’d forgotten how to love and let love in

She said

Why don’t you come on over here?

And sit yourself right down

Don’t think too much about the pose

Just let your feelings show

About who you are, how things seem and where you’d like to be

And as the camera started shooting

The tears began to roll

The picture being captured was of that little girl

Who’d forgotten how to love and let love in

She said

Take a look in the mirror

Tell me what you see…..

I held my breath and opened my eyes

And for the first time in a long time

I saw a soul who knows no fear

I saw magic in the mirror

And a heart about to soar

She said

Why don’t you come on over here?

And make yourself at home

Let’s simply talk for a while

For who you are and what you see

Are captured in this photograph

What I see are truth, love and beauty

Its time you let yourself believe

And as I looked into that photograph

The tears began to roll

The picture looking back at me

Was of a little girl remembering

How to love and how to let love in

She said

Take a look in the mirror

Tell me what you see…..

I held my breath and opened my eyes

And for the first time in a long time

I saw a soul who knows no fear

I saw magic in the mirror

And a heart about to soar

There was magic in the mirror

And love in my eyes

There was magic in the mirror

And love in my eyes

There was magic in the mirror

And love within my eyes

The Diamond Within...

"Diamonds are Forever... Forever.... Forever....."

You might be forgiven for thinking that I'm waivering from my spiritual journey and desire for non-attachment to the material world and instead opting for a life of glamour and glitz whilst manifesting for one of the most precious stones on the planet.... Not quite.

A very dear friend of mine used the metaphor recently of our being similar (does that make it a simile, rather than a metaphor... I digress) to a diamond. Being an Aries, with my birthstone being that of a diamond (sorry guys) and with a love of metaphors for life, this was one that I wanted to explore further and to share with you.

Diamonds are formed deep within the Earth:between 100 and 200km beneath the Earth's surface. They come into form under the most remarkable of conditions.They form at temperatures of around 900-1300 degrees celcius and are carried to the surface by volcanic eruptions. To ensure they are not converted to graphite, diamonds must be transported extremely rapidly to the Earth's surface. All natural diamonds are at least 990,000,000 years old. Many are 3,200,000,000 years old (3.2 billion years). A true diamond is known to be the hardest, strongest and most durable of all gemstones. In its natural state it is perfect in every way. A true representation of nature at its finest and most equisite.

So how does this relate to us as planetary beings?! We are at our very centre and in our natural state conected to the Earth in much the same way as the diamond. Our roots go far and beyond our comprehension and our inner essence is connected to the very core of this planet. We are born out of the very miracle of nature. A new-born child is akin to a diamond that has been pushed to the surface. Perfect and equisite. 

Diamonds, have been revered for hundreds of years by jewellers because of their equisite nature. Some are able to retain the essence of the diamond and keep it in as natural a state as possible and others play around with it so much that some of its natural beauty is lost. Whilst diamonds remain strong ... we are not always aware of their amazing brilliance or indeed where they came from.

When we enter this world our essence, our core, is incredibly strong, resilient, brilliant and full of light...  over the first seven years of our life we adapt to family, society, peer groups and we can start to lose a sense of our own strength and brightness.

So, what can we learn from an untouched diamond.... simply, that we have the ability to realign ourselves and our essence to re-connect with the core of who we are. Light, Bright, Clear, Strong and Resilient and Equisitely Beautiful in our natural state. We are always a Diamond within, we have just lost sight of it.

On a spiritual level, like many crystals and gemstones, diamonds are used for their healing properties. The Diamond is a symbol of the richness of the Self. As the hardest mineral of all, it is especially esteemed owing to its beauty, purity, and ability to reflect light in such a special way. It is believed that Diamonds bring purity, clarity and love to all situations.

When we are in alignment, such as a natural diamond, we are rich, strong and full of beauty. We resonate pure love and give off a brilliant light that has the capacity to strengthen and heal those around us. We have the ability to bring purity, clarity and love to all situations...

If you can, spend some time in stillness, reconnecting to your diamond within... notice where the clarity of your diamond may not be as clear as it needs to be. Notice where the light reflecting properties of your diamond are somewhat subdued. Notice if the heart of your diamond is full of colour and vitality....

Diamonds really are a girls best friend......

With love, light and clarity,

Nikola xxx

Attachments - Letting Go... Being in the Moment

"Grasping at things can only yield one of two results:
Either the thing you are grasping at disappears, or you yourself disappear.
It is only a matter of which occurs first."
Goenka

I have noticed myself reading much recently about the idea of 'letting go'. I have been conscious of hearing various people talk about the concept of letting go and that this does not mean giving up. It, therefore, seemed, timely to write a blog on this idea.

It seems that those things to which we are 'attached' can ultimately lead us to feeling out of control, feeling down or stressed, even cause us to behave in ways that is out of character, or hilights that part of our character that we do not like. And yet, letting go can be one of the hardest lessons that we learn in life. For in many ways it is through having attachments that we come to define ourselves. Attachment can be defined by an exaggerated not wanting to let go of something or someone.

It is through this exaggerated not wanting to let go of something or someone that we start to feel out of control.... this is ultimately because nothing actual belongs to us and certainly no other person belongs to us. At some point, all situations and people in our lives will change, whether that be today, tomorrow or in a few months or years.

In life, there's many things that we have to learn to let go of. We have to let go of situations, things, memories, people and even ourselves.  Whilst attachments do include the materialistic things in life these are not the attachments that I would like to focus on. For, in my experience, it is the attachments to other people or situations that bring about the greatest imbalance in our lives.

When we form an attachment to another person or to a particular situation, we are ulitmately giving away our power. You have heard me say before that noone can make us feel anything... how we feel in any given momen is our choice. It is our choice as to how we react to a person or a situation. Noone can make us feel sad, happy, ecstatic, angry, elated. When we form an attachment, in particular to another person, our behaviour becomes determined by whether that person is behaving in the way that we want them to. When we are attached to a particular person and situation, it can be extremely painful when we realise that the situation has to change and we have to let that person go. It may be possible that, that person was never "ours" in the first place. We've simply created an attachment in our minds. This can only and will inevitably lead to disappointment to one degree or another.

In order not to become attached, we have to learn to be in the moment. To live only in the present moment. For it is only in the present moment that we can notice what is real and true in any moment. 

If a butterfly were to alight on our hand... the pleasure would be in experiencing that moment. In allowing the butterfly to remain there for as long is wishes. The moment we go to hold onto that butterfly by trying to take it within our grasp, we either cause the butterfly to take flight or we crush it within our grasp... by not allowing the moments to unfold moment by moment, we have destroyed beauty in our desire to "own" the butterfly.

Take a moment to reflect on the people or the situations in your life where you are holding on so tight that the mere fact of it not showing up in your life the way you want it to, shows that you are not experiencing that person or situation in the present. Take time to see where you are projecting your thoughts... projecting thoughts of desire or wanting something to be different. All the time that you are attached to the outcome of this situation, you are not present and not experiencing joy in the moment. It may be that you are unable to see the opportunities that are in front of you simply because you are so attached to something or someone else.

Take some time over the next few days to notice where you are attached to your thoughts, feelings or actions about a situation or person. We realise that we are "attached" when negative feelings arise. Be that frustration, anger, sadness, confusion to name a few. Notice when you have these emotions. Take a deep breath and in that moment ask yourself how it would feel to let go of the emotion and to let go of the attachment to whatever it may be. If you are truly in the moment, then you will notice that you have a choice to allow the negative feelings to continue or do you choose to let go and let the Universe decide. 

"Do what you can, with what you've been given, in the place where you are, with the time that you
have." This quote was written by a South African boy who died of Aids at the Age of 12.

Whilst we continue to attach ourselves to people and to situations, life is passing us by....

Whilst we continue to attach ourselves to people and to situations, we spend time experiencing negative emotions.

Try letting go and see how empowered you feel... practice it in each moment... let go of the past and let go of the future... see how it feels to experience each moment... for that is all we have.

Love and blessings, always

Nikola x

Let go of the story - a lesson learned.

In my last blog I wrote the following:

"I have tried to find balance for others as well as myself, at times to the detriment of my own health and peace. 

I have been a warrior in life, fighting hard for what I believe in and I have retreated into a shell not allowing the world to touch me in any way. Much of my life has been filled with drama and confusion and pain but this is illusory..... it is just a story. I am not that story"

Interestingly in the last couple of weeks, I have allowed myself to subconsciously get caught up in my own story again. The story that it is better to be shy and reserved than confident and powerful. The story that it is better to serve than to lead.  The story that happiness can be found in giving all to others and not taking care to look out for the person who matters the most. Namely "Me" or if you are reading this, "You."

You see, what happens when you set store by doing everything for everyone else whilst playing out certain stories in your life, such as those above... people, arguably quite rightly, question your authenticity. 

If I am not the shy, reserved person of my story and I come across as powerful but dont stand true in that power, people get mixed messages about who I really am?! The trouble with human nature is that we are then very quick to judge and make assumptions.

My question to you then is, what stories are you playing out in your life because you feel it makes people more comfortable around you?

What stories are you playing out in your life because it feels safe, even though at the same time it might feel uncomfortable?

What parts of you are trying to be authentic but you're still dancing to other people's tunes and not your own?!

If, like me, you put other people's thoughts and feelings before your own. STOP AND THINK. Who is that serving? Is it serving you if people are getting the wrong impression? Is it serving them if they don't believe your actions are genuine?

The greatest gift you can give to yourself and to them is to put yourself first. Trust your instincts and do what you need to do for you. Stand in your Power and your Truth. Be the amazing, authentic human being that you know you can be. In doing so, you show up in your truth and power and they see you for who you truly are and not the story that you think will make them feel comfortable.

That way, everyone wins and noone loses......

Love and blessings, 

Nikola xx

Finding Grace.... My Story

Finding Grace has had a profound impact on how I now choose to tell and to share my story. Finding Grace, in its very essence, has held a mirror up and asked me to look within and to find the Grace within myself. 

My life is about balance. This has manifested in many different ways throughout my life and I have tipped the scales of emotion in my life to the very extremes of sheer desperation and to the highs of ecstasy. I have tried to find balance for others as well as myself, at times to the detriment of my own health and peace. 

I have been a warrior in life, fighting hard for what I believe in and I have retreated into a shell not allowing the world to touch me in any way. Much of my life has been filled with drama and confusion and pain but this is illusory..... it is just a story. I am not that story.

Finding Grace, for me, is about recognising the truth of who we are in a world that is perfectly balanced. And if what we are is a reflection of this world, then we have it within our power to be truly balanced.

We are all connected in a world of duality. Light and Dark. Ying and Yang. Fire and Water. Earth and Sky. Finding Grace, finding balance is about allowing my life to flow, to truly connect to the energies of this amazing planet we live on. If I can do this for just one minute of every day, then my heart will continue to open and to be nourished and natural balance will find me. I will no longer find myself being buffeted around by the life that I have created but will find myself making choices from a place of heart-centred openness.

Finding Grace is about relinquishing control and flowing. 

I may not know what the butterfly will look like or even when she will emerge but what I do know is that when she does she will be beautiful and full of Grace.

My heartfelt thanks to Lynda and The Finding Grace Project.

Love and Blessings,

Nikola xxx

Finding Grace....

Finding Grace is a beautiful project - the inspiration of a Very Beautiful Soul who also happens to be a good friend of mine.

Lynda Kelly has a dream.

Lynda is a very talented photographer, who is taking her passion for photography, and with it, choosing to change the lives of others. This year Lynda hopes to take 1,000 portrait photographs of women, who are prepared to share their story and the money raised will go straight to The Rainbow Trust. A charity who provide emotional and practical support to families whose children have life threatening or terminal illnesses.

Lynda is also an extremely intuitive coach and in the telling of your story through the medium of photographs, you will discover even more about your self and your story and you will have a beautiful portrait photograph of yourself to treasure.

Take a look at the attached link and if you would like to be a part of this amazing project then please contact me.... www.findinggraceportraits.co.uk

I am in the process of writing my own story of Finding Grace in my life as I had my photographs taken just a couple of days ago... I will share both the photographs and my story in my next blog post.

The project is magical so why not get involved, making one very special lady's dream come true and helping to support and enrich the lives of the children and families of The Rainbow Trust.

With love and blessings,

Nikola x