Month: October 2014

Recently, a dear friend, Dr Chris Millar, died. Yesterday was his funeral.

He’s going into the unknown.

My heart is with him and his loved ones.

 

Even in life we are going into the unknown.

We don’t really know what the next step brings.

We can plan, structure, have visions and goals – have a clear map laid out in front of us.

In the end it’s only a map – the terrain we are walking, the reality, is much more than that.

This is what can happen:

We are walking on our path, with a map in our hands – maybe we have some directions too.

Something unexpected happens – we take a different turn than planned.

Maybe things get turned upside down – that’s possible.

 

An opposite approach to going into the unknown – going with the flow:

Particularly after a big unexpected turn, we might be tempted to throw the plans away, let the structures dissolve, think it’s not worth having a vision.

This is not right either. We will drift aimlessly, like a sailing boat without a keel or a rudder on the ocean.

We need direction and purpose – be able to go on shore and feel solid ground beneath our feet.

Then we can be open to go into the unknown again – accept what life brings and it won’t rock us to the core.

Life’s a dance between the unknown and solidity.

 

Wonder how to find the right balance for yourself

There are guides out there that can help you along the way for a while. Maybe it’s me? – You know what to do then.

Preeti

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”  C.G. Jung

I came across this quote the other day – in Facebook of all places.

Then again, a lot of quotes fly about in there. Being sick with the flu I didn’t have energy for much else than browsing through Facebook.

People don’t bother posting their own thinking, and only re-share what’s already on there. I am wondering what that’s about?

Anyway, Jung’s quote caught my eye that day: It says so much in such few words – and describes our psyche so well.

Our life is largely run by our unconscious – unless we make it conscious.

It makes sense; much more space is allocated to the unconscious stuff in our brains than to our conscious thoughts. All that information stored in there, without words – it’s staggering.

Occasionally an image pops into our conscious mind. Seemingly coming from nowhere, we struggle to place it. Where did it come from?

So, going back to Jung’s quote. He’s right – but how can we make the unconscious conscious?

There are methods out there that help. Jung, for example, worked a lot with dreams.

I have another method. I call it OCEAN because our unconscious is wide and deep and has waves going up and down, just like the big pond out there.

OCEAN gives quick results, too.

A 90 minute session can give you a solution to a sticky issue you have been struggling with, without success. A solution you would have never thought of.

It’s because the process is visual – and kinaesthetic. It helps externalise the inner image stored in your unconscious. By rearranging the elements of this picture, your view of the issue changes – your world changes.

Another great thing about OCEAN is that it’s non-confrontational. You don’t have to confront those demons you have been battling with for far too long. OCEAN is powerful and yet safe.

Want to know more?

The best way to find out what OCEAN can do for you, and how it can help you with the issue you’re struggling with, is to book a session with me – over Skype.

Reply to this email to experience for yourself how it works.

Preeti

I find human beings so interesting.

Observing how we think, how we do things, and respond to our environment is one of my favourite pastimes. There is much learning to be found.

One morning I was riding my bicycle to a daily acupuncture appointment. I left a bit late and was zipping through the traffic.

Suddenly it occurred to me that I am in Shenzhen, and have only been here a week.

Humans can adapt to almost anything, and so quickly too!

How amazing is that?

When people come to a new place and don’t know how it works, a lot of things can seem scary, or even feel threatening.

Just a week ago I was totally new here. Going somewhere alone was not on my list of things to do. Luckily there were a few people giving us a helping hand.

Within a day of arrival I had a Chinese mobile phone, a bicycle, a map of the metro system and another one of the local area, with both Chinese and English scripts.

Most importantly however, I had a piece of paper with my address – in Chinese.

Confidence rose day-by-day, and with it, the adventurer’s spirit.

We had a strange visa situation in China, and had to get a new one every five days, hence the ‘visa run’. With a stay of 11 days, this meant two ‘visa runs’ involving long train trips.

The second trip was due soon.

Could this be done easier?

“Having a couple of days left on the current visa there is no harm in trying something new, is there?” I told my husband.

The adventurer’s spirit had spoken. Travel Wiki showed a check point closer-by, Futian Checkpoint.

Off we went.

The train ride went smoothly, so did exiting China. Entering Hong Kong was all right.

Planning to walk out of the building and back in through another door to depart Hong Kong was the other expected great time saver.

A clever one, we thought.

Leaving Hong Kong went smoothly. Walking across the river on a broad, air-conditioned, marble-clad bridge with panoramic views of Shenzhen and the river below was a novelty.

Chinese customs, a large, almost vacant hall awaited, but… where was the Chinese visa application office?

“No office here” and “go to Lo Hou” we were told by Chinese custom officials.

“Just go back and take the train to Lo Hou” they said.

This is easier said than done when you’re in no-man’s land, between two countries.

‘No harm to try’, we thought by way of convincing ourselves, and started walking back, against the busy foot traffic and prominent ’No Return’ signage. Nobody seemed to mind.

At the other side of the river a vigilant Hong Kong official jumped from her post. “No visa? Going back to Hong Kong? Follow me!” and “we need to cancel your departure” she said.

Another official awaited us “this will take a while” he said, slightly hesitantly, and promptly walked away with our passports.

Oh oh – will the passports come back?

Luckily they did.

Following what was actually a brief wait, another official guided us back into the Hong Kong departure hall. From there it was a short walk out of the building and an elevator ride to the arrival hall.

From there we took the train towards Hong Kong – just as a massive storm with lightning and thunder and torrential rain hit…

Not too much harm done. After one stop we had to change train – however now on known territory, we were just one more stop away from the very familiar immigration process at Lo Hou.

It was strangely comforting.

People adapt – they deal with what is.

So, I’d like to invite you to be adventurous, push your boundaries.

You will be able to deal with what comes your way – and you will grow from the experience.

Then, you might like to send me an email and tell me how it went.

Preeti

Today I am writing about traffic in China, or, more precisely, cycling in Shenzhen.

To be fair, on that trip I only saw a few suburbs of a huge city with ‘special economic status’. This is only a tiny, tiny bit of China. So, I’ll write about cycling in Shekou, the expat suburb of Shenzhen.

From what I saw, and what other people have told me, there are rules and no-rules for the traffic there. For a start, China is a righthand driving country, like mainland Europe and the USA. Lefthand driving applies in Australia, India, UK and Hong Kong.

If you come from a lefthand driving country you need to be exceptionally alert when you cross the road when in China. It’s best to get into habit of looking both ways.

This is a great awareness exercise.

Nothing is easier for building consciousness than removing yourself from familiar surroundings and plonking yourself into a new environment.

Anyway, back to cycling. So, coming from Australia, the traffic is on the other side of the road. This also means that the brake leavers on the handle bar are reversed. Again, it is best to use both brakes at the same time. You can’t go wrong then.

Ok. Let’s assume you organised yourself a bike in Shenzhen and are fairly confident riding one. Onto the road it goes.

Now, while the traffic is generally on the right side of the roads, bikes can go anywhere, pavement and road, even against the traffic.

There are also special bike lanes on the pavements. However foot and two wheel traffic mix freely there too. This can be a bit tricky, because there are a lot of electric bikes, travelling at quite high speeds.

You don’t hear them because they are quiet. In fact, there are no motorbikes running on petrol in Shenzhen. They are all battery powered, which has a very positive impact onto the air in Shenzhen, but that is another story.

Back to cycling. You can go anywhere with it, as long as you stay alert. Crossing roads, intersections and roundabouts need special attention, as everybody else can go anywhere at any time too – and generally do.

Queueing is not practiced by the Chinese – it’s not even a concept .

Cars and buses stop at red lights. That’s it.

For the rest it is a question of who is faster.

Right of way doesn’t work. So, if you’re on a roundabout and a bus approaches, you’d better wait for it to pass. Or, if you have a green light to cross an intersection, and there is a car to the left of you wanting to go right, you better let it go too.

Often it is easier to cross with the foot traffic, although even there you have to watch out for approaching cars and bikes.

Amazingly though, the traffic flows well. If you can let yourself merge into it with alertness, you’ll be fine.

Another thing too helps. Watch how other people do it – and imitate. That’s how children learn, don’t they?

Now, I would like to invite you to place yourself into unfamiliar environment and watch yourself how you deal with it.

Does your alertness and awareness get heightened?

If so. Well done!

Too scary? I can help you find the courage.

Preeti