When we embrace a life of self-love and take full responsibility for ourselves, this cannot help but overflow into every area of our lives.  One area for me that was ignored and avoided for most of my adult life….is in the area of finances.

Like with most subjects, how we think and feel about our financial situation has the greatest impact on it.  If you are familiar with beliefs like ‘I never have enough’ or ‘I can’t manage my money’, then all that seems to occur is that situations arise that keep reinforcing those beliefs.  I realised after many years that I had a deeply ingrained belief that ‘money is a responsibility’ and so of course I made sure I never held onto it for long. Problem solved. Right?

Money is a neutral form of energy and only has the meaning that we attach to it.

We hear frequently about how being in a state of gratitude allows more abundance to flow.  When we appreciate what we have, then the universe sends us more of it as we are in an open and receptive state.  Dr John Demartini believes that we all have equal wealth but it is often in a format that we are not recognising or appreciating. People who have financial wealth usually do so because it’s high on their list of values and so they put time and energy onto managing and building it.  Others may have a wealth of good health, friends or family and make these areas an important priority in their life and yet not recognise that this is another form of abundance.

Maybe we only have issues with money when we are avoiding or ignoring it?

Consider for a moment the areas in your life where you are ‘wealthy’ that you may not be acknowledging.  Now ask yourself if there is any gift you have that you could share with the world that could bring wealth to yourself and others.  Is there a service you could offer for the highest good of all?  Take your time to ponder these questions and see what arises.

I have learnt that what I spend my money on is a reflection of where I am at, mentally or emotionally and a direct result of what I am placing value upon.  So if I’m drawn to buy comfort food, maybe I am in need of some emotional support.  If I’m feeling like ‘getting away from it all’ and splurging on a trip, maybe there is an area of my life where I am feeling trapped or stuck.   I have never been someone who spends money on ‘things’.  Most of my money has been spent on travel, education and learning, experiences or more recently into my business.  This is because one of my most important values is ‘freedom’ and so on an unconscious level I associate those experiences with my perception of freedom.

How do you value yourself  financially?  How much are you worth to you?

If you are someone who has amassed many assets and wealth, which value do you feel this is reflecting for you? You could be financially poor and yet have an attitude of abundance.  In the same way, a rich man could still have a poverty consciousness mentality because of his poor upbringing, even though there is no longer a rational reason for it.  Consider your financial position and what values you feel this is reflecting. Do you feel you are paid what you are worth?

Are you happy with your current situation? If yes, fantastic. If no, then what small step can you take right now to improve it?  

How does the way you spend your money reflect how you love and value you?

I find it interesting to notice how some people have no problem dropping hundreds of dollars on clothes, shoes, jewellery or anything externally focussed – and yet would never spend a cent on something like a massage or something that may help them feel good ‘on the inside’.  It’s an observation of how we all have different values and of course these change all the time.  Are you aware of what yours are?

Do you save regularly but feel guilty when you treat yourself?

Some people save religiously for a ‘rainy day’ but then feel guilty when they buy something ‘frivolous’.  Debt is a tricky area for most and let’s face it, no-one feels good about it but sometimes situations seem to snowball and before you know it, your credit card is maxed out.  If you have debts, consider what need you were trying to address.  This is not an opportunity to beat yourself up about, but to develop a deeper awareness about a part of you that is crying out for your attention in this way….

Start to take charge of your finances and notice how much more empowered you feel.  If you have bills piling up, consider sending gratitude to these providers of services and goods that you have already received.  I know that can feel difficult if you stressed about your situation – but is feeling anxious helping you feel more able to deal with it?

Starting to become more aware of how you spend your finances will give you insights into another way of how you are valuing you.  This is an extremely important step on your journey of self-love.

For more about this topic, check out our “7 ways to love yourself” ebook and read the section about “Loving yourself financially“

Trust – I trust myself and listen to my intuition more.  No-one knows me, better than me – so now I realise this more deeply, I trust my heart’s voice.  The more I listen, the louder its voice is growing. This gives me such a sense of relief. I can relax more.

I can say NO without any guilt.  As stated in the self-love cards, sometimes saying ‘no‘ to others is a ‘yes‘ to me. I no longer see people or go to events if I don’t feel like it.  Of course, I don’t let people down at the last minute but I don’t overcommit myself like I did before.  No-one wins when we’re feeling obligated to do something or resentful.

I am more discerning about with whom I spend my time. As I have learnt to take responsibility for my life and my own needs, certain co-dependent friendships have fallen away naturally. We all have different cycles in our life and sometimes these do not coincide with those closest to us, which can be tricky. As I come into an increasingly healthier space, I see this reflected in those around me. Do you need to do a relationship audit of who you are spending your time with and how you feel in their company?

I am more mindful of how I spend my money. I am increasingly conscious that where I’m drawn to spend cash is a reflection of where I’m at mentally and emotionally. Debts keep us stuck in the past and tied to experiences that may not be relevant in this present moment. If you have debts then consider which need you were addressing with these debts and if there is another way these needs can be resolved.

A romantic relationship is NOT the answer to my insecurities. So often we seek validation in our relationships, deeming this as ‘proof’ of our worth and level of attractiveness. It’s crazy to believe that if a person no longer wants to be with me, there must be something wrong with me.  Have you ever felt like that?  Don’t allow your worth to be measured by someone else’s feelings.

I have stopped valuing everyone’s opinion more than my own.  I am no longer confused, seeking others opinions because I intend to do what’s right for me.  We all have times in our lives when we need support and that is healthy.  What is not healthy is when we start to become dependent on others advice and allow it to drown out our own inner voice.  Sometimes if we just take 5 minutes of silence, close our eyes and breathe deeply into our bodies, the answers will come – because they were there the whole time.

I love my own company.  I have learnt to value time to myself and relish the quiet moments where I can daydream, snooze, read and soak in the bath.  These moments are where magic lies waiting for me, surprising me with sparks of inspiration.  Give yourself this gift. Who knows what gem of an idea may be lying in wait for you to discover….?

If you enjoyed this post you may enjoy our ebook “7 Ways to Love Yourself”.

It can seem trite when we hear the words ‘just love yourself’. How would you suggest that someone does this if they don’t know where to start?

So true! I feel we’re only just beginning to understand the importance of self-love. I mean let’s face it, most of us were not taught to love ourselves intrinsically. And as a society we’ve been conditioned mostly by the media and beauty industry that the extrinsic holds greater value and worth.

Self-love for me starts from the inside-out. It’s about taking responsibility for our life; including our thoughts, language and the choices we make.  A good place to start is to become mindful of your inner and outer dialogue (language). You can do this with journaling which uncovers our thoughts and feelings pretty quickly.  Becoming aware of the inner critic offers us the opportunity to change the way we think and feel about ourselves and the way we interact with others.  The key is being kind to yourself working out what makes you smile and happy, as simple as enjoying a moment in the sunshine, going for a run and then building on that. This not only has a significant impact on your relationship with yourself but overflows to others and to taking greater care of our planet.  Peace begins on the inside!

As well as the above, nurturing an attitude of gratitude is paramount.  Every night just before bed, make it a ritual to reflect on the three best things that happened to you that day.  Create a gratitude journal and write them down.  This most definitely fast tracks greater happiness and inner peace which ultimately translates to self-love. If you’d like a kick start … http://www.consciousplanetlove.com/gratitude/

Last but not least, I suggest limiting TV viewing, particularly the news and move on or discard any beauty magazines or stop buying them and spend more time doing the things that you love to do.  If you’re not sure what you love to do, write a list of the top 10 things you like doing, such as walking, reading, cooking etc.  De-cluttering our minds and focussing on the things we love to do, opens us up to life’s magnificence. (Totally agree with this – I’ve not had a tv for 6 years and I honestly don’t know how people find the time to watch it!)

What’s the best self-love tip you have ever heard?

Besides the gratitude principle which I love, I would have to say Louise Hay’s tip of looking in the mirror every day and saying ‘I love you’! How cool is that!! It certainly deflects looking in the mirror and finding faults! My 6 year old daughter and I practise this most mornings…if we’re not running too late for school.

How do you bring yourself back into your heart when you are feeling down on yourself?

I love to walk on the beach and connect with Mother Earth, allow the water to wash over my feet which I find washes away those down feelings.  It’s my sacred place to download, connect and recalibrate. I also try to focus on all the good things in my life and importantly give thanks for my blessed life and for being fortunate enough to be living in one of the most majestic countries in the world…despite life’s challenges from time to time, living in Australia is a reality check of just how lucky I truly am… I must have done something right in a past life!

Thank you so much for sharing your insights Megan.  I look forward to seeing how the Love Matters series develops and also what’s lined up for the 2012 Love Summit. 

One lucky person (in Sydney, Australia) will win a ticket to the June 14th Love Matters Event where two fabulous women will be speaking.  The inspiring Julie Parker (one of my favourite ladies), one of Australia’s foremost body image experts of the extremely popular Beautiful You, will present Loving your Body. Living your Song.  Kelly Lynch of Natural State Living will also be speaking about  Natural State Living – Living from the core of who you are.  Her very raw and real speaking style is sure to create an impression and open your heart & mind!  It will be a fantastic and inspiring evening with likehearted souls.

Simply tell us why you would love to attend in 30 words or less by 25th May 2012 and you could be joining us for the evening (I look forward to seeing you there ).  Good luck!

1  Sometimes your heart has to break, so that it can become bigger, stronger and able to give and receive even more love…….seems incomprehensible at the time, I know….

2  Everyone feels vulnerable – but some people are just better at hiding it than others.  Let’s start a revolution to encourage each other to embrace our vulnerability.  To me, there is nothing more appealing or attractive than someone who courageously reveals this quality……so why do I hide it so much?

3  I am capable of so much more than I realise – and so are YOU.  We really underestimate our capacity for EVERYTHING….why do we do this? It’s of no possible benefit to anyone….

4  This too will pass.  When it feels like the pain is unbearable and you can’t go on….you can and you will.

5  Something that seems so intense and difficult now – but in a week, a month or a year I will wonder “Why was I so worried about that? Does it really matter? What was that all about?”

6  Silence is sometimes the best response.  This has been one of the hardest lessons I have learnt. I am a natural communicator and overcompensate when others don’t communicate…..it frustrates me and it prevents them from stepping into their power…..it’s taken me 40 years to be able to just say nothing….let them have the last word… So what?

7  You can’t make someone love you….if they’re not feeling it, they’re just not feeling it.  That’s all.  Move on….good night.

8  We can only love others to the depth we are able to accept and love ourselves….If only I had known this 20 years ago…it would have saved me a lot of heartache and a lot of time….but such is life..

9  The more we let go of attachment, the more able we are to receive what we want….what a great cosmic joke that one is……Only in that final moment of surrender when we’ve given up hope does a lightbulb go off and we get it.

10  Limitations only exist in my head.…as does everything else…When I let go of judgements about myself and my situation, a whole new world of possibilities opens up.   How many times do I need to experience that lovely life lesson?

It can seem trite when we hear the words ‘just love yourself’. How would you suggest that someone does this if they don’t know where to start?

This is one of my favorite questions because what I’ve learned in both my personal experience and in my coaching practice is that for some, the usual “trite” sort of advice can do more harm than good. The reason for that is because when someone hears  “just love yourself” and they don’t know what that means or how to do it, it just perpetuates the negative self-talk cycle that causes self-hate in the first place.

Which leads me to where I think it is most important to start:  awareness of the beliefs, thoughts and emotions that are driving the “pain” is the foundation of creating any kind of change. Whether that is body hatred, your relationship with food, your job, your personal relationships – whatever you want to change.  You can’t change something you are not aware of.

I like to encourage people to start by carrying around a small notebook and simply make note of what thoughts they are thinking and what emotions they are experiencing. Sometimes, just noticing the thoughts are enough to release them, other times, it takes more deliberate work to let them go. Nonetheless, just noticing is the first step.

What’s the best self-love tip you have ever heard?

I’m not really into “tips”.  Like I said above, for some, those tips can create a cycle of compare and despair that isn’t truly in service to overcoming the real problem. But, of all the things I’ve learned, the most valuable thing I learned along the way is that I am not my thoughts and my thoughts aren’t concrete. I can change them if they aren’t in service to my highest good.

How do you come back into your heart when you are feeling down on yourself?

You are probably noticing a pattern, but I look at the thoughts that are creating the down feeling. I allow myself to feel my feelings and learn from them rather than resist them, fight them or convince myself that I shouldn’t feel a certain way.

Feelings are just feelings and are our most valuable tool for creating a better life. When I am feeling “bad”, I take it as an opportunity to get to the root of the issue and then make changes that feel better.

Thank you so much for that Christie. I totally agree that everything begins and starts with our thoughts.  We can make the mistake of believing them to our detriment.  If you would like to experience more of Christie’s insights and guidance in how to listen to your body more, tell us below “what part of your body would you like to be more loving towards?” by 15th April 2012.  One lucky reader will win 1 month’s membership to the Bodylove Alchemy Community.  Good luck!

I remembered reading about an exercise where you stare at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself ‘I love you‘.  A great idea in theory but maybe too big a jump if self-love is a new concept to consider.  I tried this a few times when I was in self-love preschool and I responded in one of two ways.  1) I would giggle hysterically, feel ridiculously self-conscious and scan the bathroom for a hidden camera.

Or 2) I felt much sadness come up to the surface as I knew it wasn’t true and I felt like a fraud…then furious with myself for getting worked up about doing this stupid cheesy exercise!   Bingo.   I guess that’s the whole point…to bring into awareness how we feel about directing that statement to ourselves. Ok maybe it wasn’t such a dumb exercise after all…

Those three words…that can seem SO important to say or not to say in any of our significant relationships.  Who should it say first?  Should I wait until he’s told me?  If I say it first, will it make me appear needy?  Will he now feel pressured into saying it back, when he’s not ready?  Do I want to hear that if he’s not being genuine?  Is he only saying it because he thinks it’s obligatory as we’re being intimate? On and on it goes…..

Yet the person we should be making a commitment to love, the one whose wellbeing should be of the utmost importance – is the one we often completely ignore… So tell me again why it’s so hard to say those three words to ourselves and feel like we really mean it?

Now I understand what self-love means for me – it’s self-responsibility.   This is vital.  Accepting and acknowledging that only I can be responsible for my own happiness and fulfillment.  No-one else can do that for me.  No-one.  It’s up to me.  And you.   Are you ready to make a commitment to yourself to take care of your needs?  The most important step on our self-love journey.

What would a little self-love look like for you? One of my favourite ways is to light a candle and soak in the bath. Myself in the bath, not the candle.  What do you love to do for you?  What symbolises you giving to yourself in a sacred loving way?

Take a few moments now to go inside and consider what feels right for you.  What part of you would really love some nurturing right now?  Your own heart will tell you…..

Let’s take a moment to embrace how much the same we all are.  We ALL want to be loved – that is a given.  So let’s do ourselves (and everyone else) a favour and commit to learning to love ourselves, moment by moment.

It must be wonderful to look in the mirror and say “I LOVE YOU” without giggling hysterically, bursting into tears or feeling angry.  How freeing must it be to just see that face smiling back at you, nodding in agreement because you know it’s finally true.

After a two and a half hour flight from Sydney to Queenstown in the South Island, I spent the first two nights at the gorgeous Arrowtown House Hotel, a boutique B&B, then Murrells Guest House at Manapouri, the stunning Milford Lodge and then my lakeside paradise Oaks Resort.   It was interesting to note the reaction from other guests (who were all couples) when they realised that yes I’m single and staying in this gorgeous place on my own. I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t triggered me a tad…and to one overly inquisitive gentleman I felt like asking ‘so should I not have holidays because I’m no longer married? Or should I just stay in crap places? Hmmmm.  Of course it would be lovely to be here with a gorgeous man.  Que sera.  However….it’s not going to stop me from enjoying travel, which is one of my passions.

How do you feel about travelling solo?  Is it something that you enjoy?  I’ve always found it particularly freeing. It’s the first time that I have felt a bit self-conscious about it, after having been interrogated repeatedly.   Milford Sound, Lord of the Rings Country, really should be renamed ‘Honeymoon Heaven‘.   The landscape is so dramatically surreal that I felt like I was dreaming most of the time.  I succumbed to a nightly candlelit bath with a great novel, indulged in comfort food, the best Sav Blanc in the world and then rolled into a King-sized bed.  A blissful combination for me.

One of my ongoing self-love support tools is the use of vibrational essences, which I absolutely love and find so effective with various emotional states. I have long been a huge fan of Bach Flower essences, the Alaskan gem and flower essences and Humanifest essences.  However, whilst in NZ I thought it would be very fitting to try out this fantastic essence from Azura Creations, which is the The New Zealand Waterways Elixir, which assists in deepening the experience of love, openness, purity, beauty and joy – seeing yourself as these qualities and owning them fully in all parts of your being.  Sounds like the perfect self-love essence to me!  I certainly was in awe of the staggering beauty around me and my commitment is to own and accept all parts of myself, so it was an ideal accompaniment to my self-love holiday.

As I drove from one paradise to the next, I contemplated how lucky I am to have such freedom to travel as I please and feel completely safe.  It made me appreciate that I’m a woman who has been born into a culture where I have the opportunity to have these experiences.  So many women don’t have this chance and it’s really beyond my limited, spoilt Western comprehension.  I felt a lot of gratitude to be able to experience such natural beauty and have this special time to myself.  How blessed to be able to do this!

Where is your favourite place to go for a holiday on your own?  When was the last time you took a little ‘time out’ trip just for you?  Ok you may not be able to just disappear for a week. But what about a day?  Or even an afternoon…something to consider…

—–

Similarly, RULERSHIP will determine the strength of the luminaries.  For example, the Moon rules Cancer.  So a person with the Moon natally in Cancer will have a naturally strong Moon – while a person with the Moon in Capricorn, the opposite sign to Cancer, will have a naturally weakened Moon, as she is sitting in the sign opposite the one which she rules.  So here we have another potential for strong emotional foundation – and therefore liking who you are – versus a somewhat weakened emotional foundation, perhaps prone to self doubt or self criticism.

Then, taking it a step further, I’d also be looking at how these three pivotal chart characters are interacting with each other.  A healthy relationship between Sun and Ascendant is likely to show someone who truly likes who they are … a difficult aspect between Sun and Moon could show someone who is often at odds with themselves, as their two core selves are coming from different sides of the same story.

And then there’s the rest of the chatter that’s going on in the chart – how the other planets are interacting with the core three, and whether it’s a pleasant and easy-going conversation (trines and sextiles) or whether there is a hard focus, disagreement and major themes to be worked on (squares and often conjunctions).

And yes, there are some planets whose life it would seem is to just make us work hard for the money.  Or self-image.  They are the ones that will try us, push us, prod us, poke us – and funnily enough, they are the ones from whom we are going to get the greatest growth and the greatest development.  Usually after the fact – and assuming we take on the challenge.

Two such planets are Saturn and Chiron.  There’s a good reason as to why Saturn is known as the Great Teacher, and Chiron, technically an asteroid, the Wounded Healer.

And it is from these two planets that much of our self-love story – how much we are capable of loving ourselves – might unfold.

Let’s take Saturn as an example.  A hard aspect from Saturn to a natal Sun can feel restrictive, bound by rules, even a little cold.  And given the Sun is such a monumental force on the chart, unless there is plenty of strength elsewhere to counter the heavy Saturn influence, an emerging story may be one of a lot of hard work to get to a place where the Sun is seen for the loving, life-giving influence it is.  And that hard work may leave little room for self-love or self-appreciation.

Similarly with Chiron in difficult aspect – square and sometimes conjunction – this asteroid may not be showing its healing qualities, but rather its wounded/wounding qualities.  Chiron shows where we are hurt or capable of being hurt – and so an afflicted Sun or Ascendant for example – one which has a hard aspect to Chiron – may be suffering an injury.  Physically or otherwise.  Which may cause issues around self-image, and how one is perceived.  Which in turn could lead to confidence issues – and potential for a lack of self-love.

Sounding familiar?  Seen some of these hurdles in your own life or the lives of loved ones?  Then you’ll know it’s also possible to overcome these hurdles – once you’ve had a chance to recognize, understand, analyze, work with – and claim them as your own.

Every chart is unique.  Each has its own challenges – and each has its blessings.  It’s about recognizing the obstacles and opportunities within the chart – and where one needs to grow – and finding a way to make the difficult conversations more palatable, more rewarding.  More loveable.

And once you unravel the mysteries of the basic you – your Sun, Moon and Ascendant – you are well on your way to a better relationship with yourself.  Take it from me.  I may have a difficult Sun/Chiron signature in my chart .. but in recognizing it, have learned from it, and with a very strong Moon in Taurus, and an easy sextile between my Sun and my Ascendant, I often find the time to wink at myself in the mirror, rather than asking if my bum looks big in this.

Remember – before you can love someone else, you must first learn to love and respect yourself.  And much of that comes down to understanding who you are, why you are – and learning how to make it all work most positively for YOU.

Wise words indeedy from Astrosparkles.  Thank you so much for that great overview of the areas to explore in our birth charts to get a bit more insight into why we may sometimes struggle with self-love and self-acceptance. The more we can understand ourselves, the more we can address our own needs. I know I had a few a-ha moments reading this article. How about you? Have a great self-loving day!

Today we have a real treat – a combo of two of my favourite subjects – self-love and astrology.  I asked one of my favourite astrologers, Rozanna Bozabalian of the twinkly Astrosparkles for her take on this subject close to my heart.  I find astrology a fascinating tool to understand ourselves more deeply.  Read part 1 of this intriguing post

Self Love.  Ask an astrologer to explain those two words and whatever way they tackle it, it’s likely to come back to revolve around a few common words.  Sun.  Moon.  Ascendant.  And then a few more .. like Chiron.  Saturn.  Maybe even Venus.

How these planets and chart points interact – or talk to one another – in your birth chart, will often indicate issues around self-confidence, self-esteem, self-love.  Or in fact whether there are any issues at all.

Posed another way, I might ask how often you look at yourself in the mirror?  Because looking into your natal chart is not just an exercise in self-discovery – it’s looking into a mirror. Do you like what you see?  What’s your perception – wrinkle or laugh line?  Are you likely to scowl at your reflection – or wink at it? Do you actually take just a cursory glance – or do you really look deep?

We’re all born with the same set of planets, asteroids, fixed stars and other chart points which spell out who we are going to be, what we are going to do, where we are going to go – and how we’re going to get there – the differences are that these players are scattered and sprinkled in different formations and settings for each of us, dependent on birth time, day and location.  And what our life journey is about. Just as our fingerprint is unique, so is our astrological print and flavour.

So back to that extremely important question of self-love.  What is it that makes one person confident and another less so?  Why is one person capable of loving who they are but another not?  What makes someone happy and content with being who they are?

Delving into a birth chart and from a basic view, three natal points hold the key to self-love – or in other words, how much we might like ourselves.  The two luminaries (often referred to as planets) – the Sun and the Moon – are big keys in deciphering the puzzle.  The SUN, which is all about core self and ego, the MOON, which is the emotional self.  And then there’s the ASCENDANT or Rising Sign –  which is who we show to the world.

In looking at a birth chart, look to these three players first, because in and of themselves, they speak volumes.  Even without looking at anything else, a person’s flavouring is going to be evident by the sign and house that their Sun, Moon and Ascendant occupy.  And then the delving begins.  Hard aspects to a natal Sun, easy aspects to a natal Moon, or mixed aspects to an Ascendant are contributors to who we are and why we do the things we do – and why we are all so very different from – or similar to – one another.

So what determines how much self-love, self appreciation and confidence you might – or might not – have?

Like an onion, there are just SO many layers.  We’ll take a look at a few possibilities on a VERY general level – and please remember I said VERY general level – so don’t panic!  Yes, a lot more does go into your make-up, but we have to start somewhere – and even with this general overview, you may still find yourself nodding your head as lightbulbs go off.

For starters, look to the CONDITION of the planet itself.  Planets are considered strengthened or weakened on a number of factors, depending on where they are found in your chart.  Planets in angular houses for example – the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses – are said to be stronger – or accidentally dignified – because they find themselves in what are considered strong houses.   So a Sun or a Moon sitting in one of these houses is strengthened by its positioning.  And in looking at this as a stand alone feature for example (ie without considering aspects), an accidentally dignified – or strong – Sun is likely to show a healthy ego.  One quite capable of liking itself.

To be continued….

Hmmm intriguing. Makes sense to me with my Sun and Moon, both in the 9th house…obviously not the strongest position for them.  Meanwhile check out your chart for free at www.astro.com and see where those important planets are. Have a look at Astrosparkles popular Facebook page for more astrology news!  Have a very self-loving day and we will discover more tomorrow.

I had already decided I was going to Europe to visit my family in the UK so I decided to check and see if would be possible for me to fit in a chocolate-making course somewhere fantastic.  I chose Rococo Chocolates in London as I knew the company well and some of their organic chocolate bars also combined another passion of mine – aromatherapy essential oils. HEAVEN!   I contacted them to book a place and was told ‘sorry, we’re fully booked’.  Disappointed, I said a heartfelt prayer to the chocolate angels asking to please remove any obstacles to my year of exploring my passion and then just let it go.

The next morning I had a call from Rococo informing me that someone had just cancelled and so there was now a place for me. Yay!  My Mum and I had discussed going back to Belgium together to revisit a place we had lived in when I was a baby.   All I could think of was ‘what better place than Belgium to continue exploring my passion for chocolate?’  So after a fabulous day at Rococo Chocolates, where I learnt to temper chocolate and make bars and truffles, we flew to Belgium. My Mum and I consumed our bodyweight in chocolate in Brussels and Brugge and had the most divine time.

There are literally chocolate shops on every corner.   Did I decide after that trip that I wanted to move back to Europe, become a chocolatier and find my Johnny Depp lookalike?   Well maybe yes…   (I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for Johnny and if the rumours are true, he may well be single).

The point I’m trying to make in a longwinded way, is that I just allowed myself to explore it purely for the enjoyment.  I also managed to do this whilst including another passion of mine – travel – whilst having quality time with my Mum.

What do you associate with the word ‘passion‘ and how can you explore what lights you up from the inside more deeply?  Tell me which passion are you exploring this year before Friday 17th February and I will send a bottle of “Passion” Alchemical oil to one reader. Come on, oh passionate ones