Category Archives: Musings of the mind

I recognise the huge shifts of energy that are going on around me. I recognise a world in turmoil. Hosts of varying, different opinions as to how what and why. My head, my heart doesn’t align itself with any particular standpoint. My head realises that key to progression is to rise above all of the fighting. The sadness I feel currently is nothing to do with personal events, it is largely due to an empathic nature.

I grieve the loss of common sense in the world. It hurts that there are many different sides in a war and this is a situation that we find ourselves in at the moment. There will be casualties on all sides be it mentally ,physically, spiritually or financially. People will be left behind as it seems there is a sense of survival of the fittest mentality. I consider these thoughts carefully.

My mood lightens as I write or talk to people because there is always hope, my strong belief is that light will always prevail over dark. There will always be springtime moments, where newness is welcomed and we notice shoots of recovery. As with everything there is balance and the darker winter moments of our lives are a reality but consider this things need to die back in order to grow and be resurrected.

The sadness I felt yesterday wasn’t mine to own it was my empathic nature coming to the fore. I had to disassociate from the feelings. Moods ebb and flow like the oceans currents. I know that eventually we will all ascend this current situation and life will continue and we will evolve and make any necessary adjustments.

I realise my words my thoughts my spirituality is a gift that is meant to be shared to a wider audience. I will continue to send out messages of hope and healing energies. My audience may not be huge but if my words reach that one person today who needs to hear that there are people out there who thrive from eclectic thoughts and that you are not on your own then I am very grateful.

Free yourself from these self limiting beliefs, check in with yourself and your inner being regularly. Always live as your one true self and do it for you, do not live your life for anybody else. Change is always possible if we accept what has happened to us put a full stop next to it,then move forward. Some questions my friends do not have answers that are satisfactory and we can waste valuable hours seeking them ultimately knowing we are not going to get that satisfaction. Full stop- acceptance of that which cannot be changed or influenced and then move forward.

In closing today focus on the journey rather than the destination and be the one true you. As usual just my thoughts. Enjoy your day and shine like the stars that you are.

The inspiration for this article came from recent events, a pile of breeze blocks and a programme that I was watching that involved Bruce Lipton’s take on thoughts and manifestation of those thoughts.

Bruce said, “Cells are a data chip. Our memories are stored in the cell membrane and are constantly transmitted to the brain for interpretation. The mind then responds by creating coherence between belief and reality and coordinates your cells to respond to this information.”
This got me thinking about how does any of this relate to my current circumstances.

I have had an exciting couple of weeks presenting me with the opportunity to explore all aspects of my personality. There has been a well-being market. Many clients deliver on different media formats, driving lots of miles and labouring on a couple of practical projects. This is all being mentioned to provide the context of what it is like in any given week. I go from the high of presenting and being the medium to the lower feelings of the mundane to Friday job, which is necessary to provide an income.

To successfully manage all these tasks requires what I call mind management. It is a skill that requires constant development. It helps you convince your mind that doing an incredibly dull and mundane task is actually worthwhile. To help with this, I recommend using your imagination to find any positivity whatsoever. Look for anything that brings in a feel-good factor. I have a very low boredom tolerance, and when I get bored, I tend to lose focus very quickly. I need to realise when this is happening because, as with most things in our adult life’s we have obligations to take care of.

I had a job to do recently. The instruction was quite simply to move as many blocks as I could from one place to another. Let us split the job down to its barest form. It was a tedious and mundane job with little or no personal fulfilment, but quite simply the job needed doing. Mind management was required here. Humans have limited amounts of life hours on this mortal coil, so every thought, deed and action uses those life hours, and they can never be replaced or earned back. I needed to convince my mind that the task was worthwhile in some form or another. The only way I could achieve this was to find my feel-good. For me, that represented the opportunity to earn a day’s wages and the personal pride of getting the job done. This still, however, left me with the “boring” aspect of it to contend with. Boredom can be defined as an ineffectual way of managing your time. This means that boredom is a thought, and the feelings attached to the ideas weren’t pleasant. It came down to this: I either needed to think differently or distract the mind, so I didn’t know the thoughts and experienced the negative feelings.

Strategy decided upon: I started by counting the bricks in the pack while loading up the barrow. There were ninety-six blocks per pack, six blocks per barrow; this equated to sixteen trips with a barrow going from the front driveway to the back garden. This would entail a considerable amount of physical effort and also handling the blocks twice. I needed my distraction, so I imagined myself as a metronome. I would keep up the same methodical pace. I would load up 6 blocks out front and transport them to the back and unload them. I kept up this consistency, only stopping for the odd drink and my lunch break. At the end of the shift, I had successfully moved over three hundred and fifty blocks using a repetitive process. I had achieved what I had set out to do. Let’s review the process: Success is the objective. How do we accomplish that? Think the thought, apply the action, consider the obstacles and proceed. At the end of the process, evaluate the results and see if alterations might be needed in the future.

The part of me that doesn’t like routine needed placating during the process itself, so I needed to distract it. I began to consider other things. Moving the blocks requires physical effort, and the more energy you exert, the more your energy levels deplete. Hence, it is prudent to think about how you invest that power and the results you are getting from it. Using my vibrant imagination, I imagined the blocks I was moving as a thought. The thought would be pretty heavy and would need handling in a certain way to preserve my energy levels. I would, therefore, quickly have to make a decision on how to take that thought. Would I apply an action to the idea and move it on, or would I put it down? If I do something successfully and then act upon it, this would be worthwhile storing the procedure in my subconscious mind because I could use it again. Something worthy of note is that the subconscious mind will hold any and all information as fact; it does not distinguish between fact or fiction. It just takes everything at face value. This means it will also store unsuccessful outcomes if that is the information you present to it.

You become what you think, so mind management is crucial. Learn when sending yourself duff information. Looking at it this way, I think a thought in my conscious mind that I am rubbish, lacking confidence, or other negative emotion. The reason will consider this information and help me create an environment to match my thoughts and focus on the most. Back to the blocks, I pick up my block and hold onto it, it is heavy, and I drop it. I pick it up again and then place it onto the ground in its correct place. I ask myself, is this a successful action, or do I focus on dropping the block before completing the task. I remind myself again of what the subconscious does. It records data at face value.

Let us take a recurring and repetitive thought, I am not good enough, I won’t achieve, I don’t know why I bother etc. I would ask whether this is true or is it just a thought based on no evidence. If this was me as the conscious thinker, I would be saying to the view show me the evidence or bugger off. If I use this way of thinking, can you show me how I will succeed using this information? The answer is it can’t. I now don’t need to exert any effort thinking that thought as it leads nowhere constructive, meaning I can leave that block where it is.
I would remind myself that I only want a thought process present that contributes to a successful outcome. I want to be sure that it ends up in the right place from lifting my heavy block. However, I have managed it. The focus is on the end result. I can adjust the process to allow for dropping the block, but as long as it ends up where it is needed, no over evaluation is required. I can then happily instruct the subconscious mind to record the completion of the task. I can then use that record in the future, and the same results will happen time and again if I follow the procedure.

In closing, every action and thought requires effort. Every effort we exert has an effect on ourselves. This can either be positive or negative. Look carefully at the results you gain from your thoughts and actions. Don’t buy into the idea you are fated with. To do this or that or that or this is all I know. If you do that, you accept the thought. The result will be recorded and repeated until YOU recognise the pattern and make the necessary changes.

Before signing off: ask, have I moved this block before? Did it go well and contribute to something productive, or did I just use a lot of effort and get nowhere near the desired destination.

How many blocks have you moved today? As with all my work, just my thoughts.

Much love, The Waistcoat Man.

I love my morning walk with my dogs, and I am often inspired by nature. I vary my route around the local woods so I can see all aspects of the woods. My focus as I walked around today was on the swans and their habits. Over the years, I have counted many swans. And watched as they go through the changing seasons evolving from signets to the swans that are a beautiful sight to behold. Over the years, it seems there are less and less staying around this area. So it is no real surprise when I counted just two together. This elegant looking pair were out in a freezing environment and were eagerly foraging for food. However, the food was in relatively short supply as much of the lake was iced over, making it difficult to access. I stopped and observed for a while.

There is an adage about swans that I particularly like, and that is the swan is graceful on the top and paddling like mad underneath, how does this translate to everyday life, let me explain. All things being equal a swan has the appearance that everything is gliding along, it doesn’t show the work it is doing to make this appearance a reality. The swans that I was observing were in a relatively small area not precisely by size, but by the obstructions, in their way, they were surrounded by stable icy patches. They couldn’t come and go as they pleased because of these restrictions to access food: plan b was needed. I watched the swan intently as it surveyed its surroundings, there were people on the bank, and they were throwing bread into the water for the swans to feed. However, to access this food, the swan would somehow have to navigate its way over the ice to reach a patch of water to get its reward. Under normal circumstances, it would just glide along a water feed stretch and then return to its normalities. The swan hoisted itself out of the water and onto a patch of ice and warily tested the surface to see if it would support its weight. In some places, it did and in others not so. I could sense the swan’s discomfort as it struggled to get a foothold on the ice, but it managed it all while keeping its focus on the food’s reward. It was nearly there, then the ice broke, and the swan splashed into the water, it was now back in a place of comfort, something it knew, it moved freely in this area. However, progress was being made to reach the food it had to yet again come out of its comfort zone and cross another patch of ice. Having learnt lessons from the previous patch of ice, it began the tentative process of getting out of the water again, this time it slipped and slid towards the next patch of water, finding its food source and claiming its breakfast. After a good feed, it reversed the process and ended up back in its safety zone of the water. The whole process only took a couple of minutes, but it was enough to draw parallels with the human condition.

As a person the majority of the time that we are in our environment or comfort zone, we can set goals and achieve them without really thinking of the effort that has been put in to make these achievements possible. The outer/surface appearance is composed, and together, there is no need to look beyond that. As life has a habit of doing a change of circumstances may well be thrown at us. We are then made to step out of the comfort zone as the natural environment has been changed; we are no longer familiar with our surroundings. Life must carry on, a period of new assessment is needed, now we have to look at the amount of effort we need to make our goals a reality. We need to look below the surface, what it takes to make things look comfortable again, and how we will apply all this whilst being in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable place. I look at this way progress is progress no matter how small the steps so I say keeping the focus on the result is key to making that progress. Look around you, is there anything of familiarity that can help you through this period of change, is there anything that we know we are naturally good. Now we have a starting point, take your first faltering steps, step bravely into the unknown, pause if necessary, reassess things, reassure yourself that you are making progress. Remember that you are continually learning new lessons.

Keeping the end goal in mind should help you start to notice you ARE navigating the icy patches of life. At times know that you may even fall through them, but that’s life. Eventually, we learn, make progress and take the steps towards our rewards. We can then collect our feed, and then it is time to turn back to what we know and reflect on the actions taken to move us forward. The journey itself may well have been challenging, but the destination was the reward.

Worth the Journey

As we look at life, we can take a lot from our journeys if we take the time to look, both successes and the slips through the ice can be equally inspiring. Each journey we take, we return wiser and more prepared for the next one. We can and do adapt to all circumstances, and we will survive. Knowing that the smallest steps can often be the things that make the most significant difference is enough to keep me striving on. My message to you all as I leave these jottings is keep going, keep striving for better, step out of your comfort zone because I believe success is within our grasp if we put in the work. Be graceful on the surface and paddle like buggery underneath. You are your biggest asset, so invest wisely in yourself.

Good luck in your quests and happy gliding:

Rick Paul

Not for the first time, a phone call to Mr Timothy yielded dividends, and our conversation gave me the spark to start writing. The key to these jottings is that you need that spark to produce something of merit or worthy of consideration. Nurture the spark, it becomes a flame, feeds the flame, and become a fire, and the fire becomes a fuel source to produce something. Using another analogy to have a conversation, you need two people. These two people needn’t necessarily agree or share each other’s viewpoints one hundred per cent but at least be open-minded enough to accept another’s opinion. Recently I posted on social media that I was bored: some could have seen this as a throw-away comment. Let’s look into the meaning of boredom a little deeper. Boredom, to me, means an ineffectual means of managing your time. Ask the question, what was I bored with or of, further consideration is needed.

There have been millions of words written and millions more spoken about current circumstances. Arguments, claims, counterclaims, and conspiracy theories have been hotly debated leading to people being divided and taking sides. People are looking for all sorts of evidence to back up their rhetoric: this I found was the source of my boredom, the toing and froing that always leads to a singular destination, right here right now and whatever circumstances you are in at that given moment. Who is right, who is wrong is irrelevant because you are in that moment living through the events as they present themselves.

I am a thinker, and my head presents me with thoughts to consider, then I will think of strategies to make sure these thoughts become a reality or if they need to be discarded. My prevailing thoughts with this current situation are whose side I am on, what do I believe, who do I get behind? My answer is quite simply no one. After lengthy consideration, my conclusion on taking sides is wasting time. I feel I need to be in a position of “then what”. Until I spoke to Ian the other day, nobody had gone beyond the current circumstance and said then what happens. His question brought up a feeling of excitement, to get back to the shows and the wellbeing markets and to go forward: this needed a strategy, reach an audience, find common ground, find a way to promote rational thinking. Help people realise the power of thought and that the actions taken can significantly impact the direction you take in life.

As one person, I cannot dictate anything to anybody, but I can offer up opinions and strategies to help a person move forward and overcome hurdles and obstacles. What happens when I interact with people will bring up options. Follow my advice if it works for you, then make appropriate changes alternatively present a counter-strategy and go with your judgement. Either way sits well with me. It would be best if you always decided what suits you best.

To gain an audience and bring awareness to your work, you need a vehicle, and this is where my relationship with Lizian events prospers. You can offer your services with and alongside like-minded people in a great nurturing environment. It sounds idyllic doesn’t it, but here’s the reality. In life are not always going to agree with everybody; there can and will be personality clashes. Certain people are not my cup of tea, and I am not theirs, but there is one thing I am sure of is that every stallholder that attends a show or wellbeing market is one hundred per cent focused on a common goal and that is well being. This focus is a cornerstone of the community vibe that is present at the shows. My fellow community members are committed to every client/customer, whether physically, spiritually or emotionally, the common goal of wellbeing. Look at it another way a collection of individuals with different opinions and different backgrounds can unite in a place to bring light into a darkened world, tap into this and magic happens. People will like me or not. I cannot control others thoughts, and I wouldn’t want to, but what I do offer is from the heart guidance, a differing perspective, or sometimes just being a sounding board is enough. Hearing yourself speak words you have kept hidden within can often be the catalyst for change.

In closing, accepting what is, is a choice, changing and not accepting things is your choice. And then what happens next? Well for me I look forward to conversing with you all in the future at an event, heed my guidance or not because if I am not the source of potential enlightenment, then there will be many others that can offer a different take on it. Remember fresh beginnings, provide new ways of thinking and the potential for change. 2021 offers 365 daily opportunities for that change if that is what is desired. You can make a difference to yours, and others lives: depending on how you react to the things that are going on around you. Challenge everything, including your thoughts, settle only when you are happy to. When that feeling of boredom settles in, ask yourself: if I accept it or ask the question: ok then what?

This is the fourth year of being promoted by Lizian events and have loved every show that I have attended: the opportunity to advance and promote myself has been freely offered to me by Liz and Ian and fellow community members, this has been enthusiastically taken up. I would encourage all who wish to find success to look seriously at what LizianEvents has to offer by way of promotion. No one ‘tells you what to do’ everything needed for visitor awareness is there for you to take advantage. I would predict this organisation will grow on the internet and social platform visibility and I for one will use every pixel of what is available.

From my perspective, I am open and honest with what I want to achieve and also in the way that I work; so this article as a platform to reiterate what I “do” and how I desire to contribute to peoples “well being”. I am happy to promote and share other people’s stories and work to help Community members progress and succeed. I follow the Lizian ethos of “sharing is caring”, and as Ian has written in previous articles this isn’t just a one day a week thing:  The Lizian Events Well Being Shows needs active and consistent promotion and participation by community members for all of the community to grow in stature.

Remember: In life, everything we nourish, will grow and bear fruit:

This brings me to the crux of these musings, I am a regular contributor to these pages. Writing articles commenting on forums and sharing other articles is essential to me, I am an open book and consider I am following an ever-evolving spiritual learning path. We all know this journey has its highs and lows, celebrations and disappointments. This is the way we become strong and able to enjoy our experiences; whether good or bad.

Recently, my integrity was criticised. All are welcome to critic my work: but never question my integrity I work with the highest of moral and honest ethics. An individual questioned the way that I work and what I do (I hasten to add this was not at a Lizian event) so I thought I would take the opportunity to give the reader an insight into my mind on the build-up to shows and beyond.

The main reason I attend each show is to help people. It is also fair to earn money to continue with my work (it is important to cover our overheads – massive profit is not the priority). Between shows, I spend an immense amount of time thinking about how I can improve myself and my connection to the spirit worlds and this helps me help others.

My spiritual persona is the one who arrives at the shows in the noisy waistcoats he is the part of me that does not worry! He just follows the purpose of the weekend. Now, I have written many words in previous articles about separating my persona to go on the platform or appear at shows all while maintaining a full-time job. The more shows I attend, the more I realise how vital each part of the psyche is, the stronger the realisation the closer to uniting them I come. When I arrive at the venue, and the analytical me sets up the table: The spiritual me is inviting spirit to draw closer in readiness for readings, talks or platform work an this is when he will do the introductions.

Nerves and excitement play a big part in my appearances:

In the talk room, my analytical side takes to the floor and explains that the spiritual me does not have an ego: However, the waistcoat does! And it thrives on the energies generated by the people present, I then explain that I do not guarantee to have a message for every person.  And the messages are the given, I cannot interpret or expand upon the words or symbols which spirit gives.

Allow me to expand:

During talks: I’ll provide insight into my journey so far: after a short while the spiritual me and the energies draw my attention to the fact it is time to stop working so analytically. I gracefully take a step back and allow the energies to come through, and “messages” can then be given.

I give exactly what is received: however,  people have their own perceptions and expectation of what they want to hear and sometimes reject the message because they don’t want to listen to the message: or may not be ready for the information.

People are swift to give labels to individuals and situations. People also can get very hung up on whether you are a medium or a psychic and where the information is coming from. The answer for me is that I “trust” spirit energy and what they are telling me it is not a process that spiritual me needs to take to pieces that’s the other guy’s job. I find that a 90 plus% of feedback received is positive, but like everything you will get the people who just won’t like you or get you and have animosity towards you, they won’t like you psychically reading them, or the mediumistic side of what you give isn’t quite right.

I will address this by saying I start out all of my work by asking for what is for the persons higher and greater good and always, always want to highlight how unique the individual is and to help them towards becoming a “well-being” and hopefully a step towards self-enlightenment.

I don’t really know what I do, I don’t know whether I am a psychic, a medium or any other such label. I only know I work with the highest intent, I work intuitively and give exactly what I get, and I am passionate about what I do. I will not make things fit just to suit a person’s needs as that is not my decision to make. I am empathic and spirit work with me to help people process what is going on around them. I read cards with my own method and also believe angels link with me to bring healing in my words. Please know that when I work the client healing is the most essential part of the connection, when and if spirit come through with a message that is a privilege and a bonus.

Analytical me will sometimes hint that I was lucky and where did that come from? Well, where did it come from? The answer is easy, spirit and the first part if it is luck then I am on one hell of a run, and long may it continue if my words help spark a change or inspire then I am indeed a lucky man. Those few critics or sceptics are entitled to think what they like, but I am steadfast in beliefs that my intentions are for the highest and highest good, and I want the best for my clients and that I work from the heart.

My build-up to the events is like a kid waiting for Christmas I feel the energies starting to swirl, and I ask for the most reliable connections I can get all while analytical me is advising about the practicalities that need to be sorted to get me to the event. Preparing is not just the weekend but answering emails answering feedback thinking about how I can attain better feedback and results than the last one, learning from peers absorbing the energies all while keeping the ego at bay. It takes some balancing, but I know this  I love doing it. I am always happy to talk to anybody about my spirituality and hope to see you at an event soon.

To a supporter or critic, I thank you. To the fan, you are my sources of inspiration and my inspiration: the critic guides me to consider there are things to change or look at: feedback keeps me grounded. I conclude with these thoughts; I am not a label, I am what I am: I do what I do: I am just me.

See you all soon and thank you for reading my article.

Bright blessings,

Rick.

The definition of the word Milliner is somebody who makes hats. The first question that spring’s to mind is how I could translate this knowledge into an article about well-being and mind management. For me to achieve insight into a subject, it is essential to look at a person’s methodology and then consider what results could be achieved by using it. Personally, I look closely at what I am trying to achieve, and I set out my intent which is the desire to inspire. I hope that my words inspire thought or offer a different perspective; this may, in turn, lead to changing the course of one’s life.

My method is simple; I grab the dogs leads and take them for a long walk in nature. I give my active mind permission to wander wherever it likes, and I await the results like a kid waiting for his presents on Christmas morning. There are always surprises to be had. I am a big believer that like making a cake if you put the ingredients in the right order cook at the appropriate amount of time at the correct temperature the vast majority of the time you will get a good cake. You might ask what can we learn from this analogy, well if we apply a consistent methodology every time and it is successful, then use that every time and the results will be the same. That, to me, is a recipe for success.

The foundation of my writing style is based on observation/intuition and consideration of my outer environment; I am guided to write when the time is right. Ian and I spend many hours discussing today’s issues: mostly without opinions being passed: forcing ourselves to accept them as they are, this is the power of flexible thinking and good mind training exercise. One discussion was focussed on throwing a word out into the universal energies and seeing what comes back. This article is in a similar vein: while out walking spirit gave me the word Milliner, I asked for further guidance.

To write as I do there is a process this involves thinking the word through and playing a word association game; this went as follows. Milliner references hats; hats are the plural of a hat, plurals are multiples of an object, I was slightly confused. Let us examine this further; multiple hats would mean many different occasions and many different outfits to wear them with. If I am experiencing another event, then I may well have to wear a different hat, the fog begins to clear the concept becomes more tangible.

I started my research by listing every job role I had since leaving school in 1988. I only had the one plan when I left school, which was to join the Army. The wish was granted and waiting for an enlistment date I worked t stacking supermarket shelves. Sometime after joining, I found it unsuitable and returned home, my career plans in tatters: I have winged it ever since! Recently, with a heavy heart, I entered job role number 28, 32 years on I find myself full circle working in a supermarket stacking shelves. To overcome the depressed state, I found myself in, I have found that I have needed to employ the power of critical thinking.

My friends: we are in unprecedented times. No doubt we see differing opinions of the rights and wrongs of the situation. Ally against an ally. Tribe against tribe. Ten’s of conflicting views and opinions: all leading nowhere. I needed to withdraw my energies for a while and go within, ask questions and wait for guidance.

My inner being indicates: Be in a state of gratitude, live in the moment, times rapidly change. And so far getting through difficult times is 100% successful. I realised I needed to change my way of thinking so metaphorically I looked at my collection of hats. Each one is allocated to a job role: for example, an experience, a training course or some alternate way of thinking changes the current way of thinking by wearing them. The dilemma is always which one to wear. I initially chose my NLP hat to rationalise my thought patterns. Next, was my analytical hypnotherapist hat to remind my subconscious mind it is in charge. Remember, if you think the thought, then the view can be changed.

Now is the time to examine my experiences to date; this meant seeing many hats, many different roles and all are interchangeable. I realised I am in charge, but the saying ‘action shapes destiny’ rings true. We now have a new path to plot, don’t like the thought, change it, don’t like the direction your life is heading change it. These were all words I have uttered to others many times; it was time to take some of my own medicine.

I feel it is essential to remain consistent with your thoughts and test them by application. The message is simple ‘overthink less and act more’! I recently worked with a client who said: ‘I’m slipping back into old ways and not getting the results previously attained’ I asked if he could pinpoint when the reversal started. Soon, we found the point where the old and stale thought patterns had returned. It is madness to expect good results by using a tired format, rather than discouraging the client. I allow him to flip through the limiting thought rather than considering it a problem. He was guided to view it in another way (different hat). Soon, he’d taken the setback from a concern to a reinforcement. It was also important to point out that however many years they had lived, sometimes, a significant issue could not be undone overnight and new ways of thinking require attention, persistence and maintenance if they are to flourish.

My guidance is, never give up, get to know yourself, observe negative thought patterns and notice what they yield ( little in my experience ). Make appropriate, realistic changes to suit your circumstances. Take on board you are the total of life experience. Is there anything within that can be utilised to change the now moment? Don’t be afraid to discard the stale thought patterns that don’t work for you. Focus on the light and your light. Please remember I am always on hand to offer support to those that need it now whether that is guidance, readings or spiritual counselling, please never suffer in silence.

My final words are these, never be afraid to change hats, you might not find the exact match, but then some of us make outfit clashes work.

Stay strong and as always, much love, the WaistCoatMan.

I have over the years read many books, some texts for courses but mostly fiction. There is a thread that links them all: setting out intentions in the first couple of paragraphs. Where did the inspiration come from to write the book? Who inspired? And where the information was discovered. For me, it is simple to answer the questions. The inspiration to write is a result of the enormous changes that have happened around me over the last seven years or so. Who inspired me? Well, that is often inner guidance, and the people met along my life’s path. The answer to the final question is information comes from life, its experiences both good and bad, tried and tested patterns and observations of life. My faith in spirit and universal energies plays a big part in my written and spoken word.

To start a story, you have to start right from the beginning; however, I don’t want to take you on a long historical journey but give you a snapshot and an insight into my mind. I have come a long way from previous mindsets, so this book is about how I came from working as a prison officer on the landings and being the black and white version of me to becoming the full-colour waistcoat man. These days I am more open to the idea that there is more to life than the human eye perceives.

Twelve years in a job is difficult to gloss over. But I have to keep it in perspective. The time and experience formed a massive part of my current thinking. What I’ve discovered is: the times of adversity is when a real character is found. Working in the prison service was traumatic as an empathic individual. It has taken several years to recover from being in that role. Only recently have I seen the valuable lessons. For example, understanding people’s character: I have gained from experience.

I’ll take you to the tail end of my service. My daily commute was an eighty-six-mile round trip, and it was usually full of nervous anticipation, anger and an all-round stressful feeling. One morning as I was driving, I began to smell a strange smell in my car, it took me a good few minutes to establish what it was. The scent was familiar, and it took me back somewhere, it was the smell of cigarette smoke. Having grown up in an environment where both my parents smoked heavily, I am very anti-smoking in my environment. I have never smoked or allowed anybody to smoke in my car. I am a very analytical person at heart: seeking fact and logic in situations. I will do this to see if I can find a process or a pattern, I can then deconstruct it to its parts, and this should give me the reason why something is happening. In this instance, there was no logical explanation, so reluctantly I just had to put it down to one of those things.

Over the next few months, it began to happen more regularly, the sense of smell was heightened, interestingly though it only ever seemed to happen on my way to work. It was almost like somebody or something was assisting and supporting me to get to work. I cannot understate just how low I was at that particular time. I was grateful for the help no matter where its origin was.

Fast forward another year, and I found myself out of the prison service having served 12 years four months and 16 days. I volunteered for redundancy and was very fortunate to get it. I now had freedom but at what price. I had a huge gap to fill both in a financial sense and also the routine that I had followed for the last dozen years. I ended up working on a building site labouring, and it wasn’t an incredibly skilful job it just required a lot of manual labour, I would move things from one place to another and assist the tradesmen. It was reasonably routine steady work, and then a day that had started just like many others became the catalyst to change my life for the better. It set off a chain of events whose effects are still felt to this day. I was clearing out a garage readying it for the next delivery when I turned around and saw my Grandad in full form, he was complete with his trademark cap, and what was known as his cadging bag, that was where he kept things he had managed to scrounge or repurpose. I still to this day have one of his “thing of purpose” boxes, to most people, it would appear as junk to me things that may well have a use in the future. Anyway, I am digressing slightly now typically seeing your Grandad in the workplace is not earth-shattering news however I would like to point out at this time my Grandad had been dead for ten years I know because I went to his funeral. Wait, what he passed away ten years ago, and you have just seen him, I regularly crack the joke during my demonstrations that at that moment I discovered adrenaline has a colour and it is brown ladies and gentlemen. My mind was blown, who on earth could you discuss this with, who could help you process what you have just seen. I have a simplistic view on most things if you have a problem with the car you take it to a mechanic, and he fixes it, a relatively black and white scenario. Who do you go to when you have seen a “ghost” or what I now know as spirit. I had a lot to ponder on.

I mentioned earlier that I had a huge gap to fill, and I have always had a fascination with mediums and psychics and their work. I considered myself as an open-minded sceptic, neither believer nor cynic. I ended up going to a spiritualist church that was set up in a local community centre to get some of my questions answered. I walked through the door and was met with a very welcoming smile and a hug, in a previous job this hug would mean an imminent threat, so it was a strange experience for me to let somebody in that close. I stood there being hugged and found myself having to breathe deeply to steady my nerves. I slowly let out that breath, and then a lovely thing happened. I found an answer, and I found what I needed to fill that gap. I found peace, peace in my mind, peace in my heart. This little place, this sanctuary gave it in abundance and continued to for the next three years. It was also instrumental in me meeting somebody who would provide me with an opportunity of some much-needed work and income. That opportunity was gratefully accepted. A week after week I attended, I was curious but not convinced, and I was able to speak to like-minded people who would listen without judgement to this gobby loud individual and his odd opinions.

Finally, I could be myself, or I could choose not to engage if I didn’t want to, those couple of hours a week proved invaluable, it was a place where for a short while I could escape my troublesome mind. While I was there, I watched many different mediums over the years. Some were great and some not so: it’s all down to personal choice but what did bind them all together was their drive to bring in love light and upliftment to those in need. It was during that time that I received my first prediction by a wonderful lady by the name of Helen, Helen along with Ann, another light in my early days helped nurture me through a lot of my initial hangups with mediumship. Helen said to me I had a future at mediumship. I laughed; she continued that within 18 months, I will be up on platform giving messages. I again laughed and said, highly doubtful. Little did I know.

I was stacking the chairs away one night after the service and heard a lady in the kitchen talking about a message that I had given her during the development circle. She said Rick always provides guidance; it is almost like counselling. That has stayed with me and has also influenced my style of spiritual counselling to this day. I was and to a certain extent still am on a mission to find my purpose so I would always question people with more excellent knowledge about the things that I had experienced, the cigarette smell, the image of Grandad etc. I subsequently found out they were prompts for something bigger. Over the next three or so years, I attended the development group to sharpen my connection with spirit. I am not a religious person, but I love working with the universal energy that surrounds us all.

All of this gave me a thirst for more knowledge, and it was at this point I met my next teacher Simon, he can extract, or coax out talents and skills. My skills were hidden under a layer of insecurity. A distinct lack of confidence, he managed over the number of courses I attended to draw them out, who would have thought the threat of a pointy shoe up my rear end would provide such great motivation. Simon managed to do this work with a twinkle in his eye: but also got you to maintain the discipline that this work requires. Coupled with that, I did a thirty-week development course in Lincoln with another lovely soul who taught me the importance of being yourself and trusting in spirit; it was a great experience. Through the church, I was fortunate enough to work with one of my idols Pat. I can’t speak highly enough of her, she took me to various churches and psychic suppers, giving me the confidence to work the platform and deliver messages. I loved nearly every minute of it, think about the adrenaline from earlier. You will understand why I said almost all of it, damn pesky nerves.

Another turning point for me was Simon’s student fair where you get to experience what it is like to read for the public, wow that was an intense day. Now despite being full of nerves, I had a full booking sheet within minutes of setting up. I had a well-attended demonstration and that for me was the day that the waistcoat man’s persona was born. It triggered the intensity in me, and my love of the work intensified.

It is my firm belief when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I ask spirit for that to happen, and this next teacher was a man who I now see as a dear friend, an ally and a confidant. Ian and partner Liz run Lizian events which is a beautiful community-based business. They introduced me to the professional arena, and I can now sit proudly amongst my peers and teachers and give professional readings. I am honoured to sit amongst so many like-minded people who have people’s wellbeing at heart. I am thrilled when my counsel is sought. I always look to sharpen the sword: so, I’m prepared to learn new skills. Adding neuro-linguistic programming, analytical hypnotherapy and also with the guidance of Ian reiki master to my skill set all with the aim of helping as many people as I can see their true potential.

What you will find out with me is I am blunt and honest but also a great ally and fiercely loyal to my clients. I have no giant ego and am not pretentious, and I coined the phrase I am what I am, I do what I do. I am just me, that sums me up perfectly.

All I ask as you read this book is to realise I desire to inspire! However, none of the information contained instructs how to run your life; free-will must override all thoughts. This book includes personal observations of how my life’s path has opened new horizons and my thoughts at certain stages during my journey. I hope you enjoy the read and maybe you’ll find inspiration or a starting point of change.

Enjoy the journey.

Over the last few years, I have undertaken and passed many courses, my most recent being analytical hypnotherapy. Coupled with the Neuro-linguistic programming practitioners course and you might understand how it has given me an insight into how either myself or another person thinks. Part of what I have learnt is to spot patterns of behaviour and how specific programmes maybe being run based on an individual’s experiences. Part of the process of studying is the ability to self analyse and what I have come to realise is that both courses have a common thread running through them. Both of my tutors said the key to analysis is twofold: one, building rapport so that you can see how a client processes information and two using what the client gives you to work with.

I pondered as I tended to and decided to run a scenario in my mind and this particular scenario, I would play both parts, one being that of the client and the other being the therapist. Preparation for this was relatively simple in its construction, place me in an alien environment, gradually change the stimulus surrounding me and observe and record my findings.

A change in circumstances has disrupted my everyday work life. It is irrelevant what those changes are all I can say is that I am in an enforced change. Now as regular readers will know, I am not a great lover of authority or rules, but I accept that if people are paying you to do a job you have to conform, or you don’t get paid. I will attempt in these next few paragraphs to guide you through my thought processes. I, as the client, will tell you from 48 years of experience don’t do boredom in any form, so over the years, I have developed strategies to help me cope with any perceived boredom. It is merely mind management in my view that gives me a distraction and helps me not to focus on the discomfort of boredom.

For the last few months, I have found myself unloading shipping containers to earn a wage. It is both tedious and repetitive, and I have found it essential to find something to fill my head with rather than to focus on the monotony. This is where intelligent mind management comes in. If I can’t rein in those negative thoughts, I won’t be there very long. Therein lies a problem.

On the one hand, I am grateful that money is coming in and on the other, I have my intense dislike for boredom. In the factory I am at there is or was a big clock on the wall and the time seemingly crawled by if I was facing it so I asked to work in the container so I couldn’t see it, I solved a problem with a straightforward solution. A second problem was not so easily solvable, and that was the monotony of the job, it was the nature of the beast as the task had to be completed. As the therapist in this scenario, I had to look at what the client had presented me with. Doesn’t like boredom or repetitious tasks but accepts the tasks however mundane needed completing. My thoughts were can we use an effective strategy to distract the mind from the tedious task, and a suggestion was formed. I congratulated the client for flexibility of mind and for accepting what can’t be changed. I asked him to look around his environment and tell me what he saw. He says, ” I see a shipping container forty feet long, and it needs emptying and putting onto a conveyor my task is to unload it. Probing further I asked is there anything else yes he replied I am facing the boxes and they are stacked ten feet high, ok, how do you feel, disinterested was the reply. Right, what else can you see? I then let the client take over the narrative ” I know that I am going to be bored. I’m not fond of that feeling at all, and I don’t like dead space in my mind that the subconscious could fill with negative thoughts so I will need a distraction.

I look around my environment, and I see a pigeon who flies out of the warehouse, where did it go, at that point, I didn’t care as I am not a fan of pigeons at all. Over the following hours, days and weeks, I became fascinated by the pigeon’s movements. It seemed that it would make its first flight as I started at 7 am. It would fly out and then return a short time later with a prize of either a twig or some wadding for what I assumed to be for nest building. It would carry on this routine repeatedly during the shifts that I worked. It would fly out, come back, rest a while and then go again. While I observed this routine, I realised that focussing on the pigeon and its movements had helped take my mind off my mundane task. For the first week, the pigeon didn’t go far because there was an abundant supply of materials close to its nest. As time passed, supplies become more scarce. A decision now must be made does it fly out further afield and risk unchartered territories like the busy road or the ferrell cat? I mused that the pigeon would weigh up prize versus potential risk to see if the change was viable or not.

The pigeon’s antics became a staple of my day, and it got me thinking, the only times I saw that pigeon stop flying was when it was resting, or darkness had set in. Was there anything I could take from my observation. Rest is needed after strenuous activity as I have a firm belief that a tired head will tell you tired things. Secondly, will anything come from darkness, will I yield anything productive that will help me achieve success in the future? I reckoned not. I then analyse my current state of mind as I begin emptying the container; it isn’t that good. I find the deeper into the box I go, the more my mood begins to darken, the light starts to fade and becomes darkness, I feel enclosed and trapped; this is not a nice feeling, disturbing memories begin to fill my mind. I recognise this and know I need a distraction, and there are two ways this current mood could play out, one tiptoe towards a low mood that could take some getting out of or two strategise and use the experiences I have had over the years to get me through difficult times. I asked my mind to respond. I began to notice specific steps of my routine took me closer to completion of the tasks set. For instance, the conveyor will only reach so far in so at the halfway point, and it has to be stopped and pushed in that represents progress. At the three-quarter point, the floor in the container changes indicating that we are close to two things, one the back wall and two the completion of the task. It is interesting to note that the darkest point of the journey is the one that is closest to the point of fulfilment and success, it is also the point where I feel closest to giving up as I am physically and mentally exhausted.

I need to see myself through that last line of boxes, and I am over the finish line. I switch off the conveyor and turn round from the dark and see the light streaming in at the other end of the container. I walk towards it with confidence as I realise, despite my doubts, I have achieved my goal. I didn’t give up when I was in my darkest moment. I persevered. The darkness didn’t win, and it didn’t consume me. I arrive back into the daylight and take in deep breaths of fresh air, I take a drink and ready myself for whatever is next.

The moral of the story is I encourage you to take whatever you need from my musings. I guide you to ask yourself questions, am I the pigeon who stays on task flying in and out of a strange environment to collect its bounty all the while assessing whether it is worth the extra risk and the results gained from it. Overthinking gives you the results from the effort expended on it. Consider whether you would be better placed resting and reviewing waiting for the darkness to pass and be ready to go again. Alternatively are you the container unloader who has a task to complete but doesn’t like his lot, am I willing to accept things as they are or can I challenge the status quo. Do you realise that during times of darkness that small changes may well be occurring but are going unnoticed? You may well be in touching distance of the victory or success that you desire if you take time to notice what is going on. Do you realise that at the point of mental and physical exhaustion that it might be a pivotal point in your journey, so keep going? If you hang on just that bit longer, the journey towards the daylight is closer than you think.

I stand after completing my tasks and take in the sunlight and embrace f my surroundings and then prepare to begin again.

I close giving thanks to all involved in this scenario, the pigeon, the container and even my eclectic mind. I used what the client gave me, and I used my experiences, both good and bad, to plot a route to success. I leave you with these thoughts every day that you wake up is a chance to go again, quite simply never give up.

Love and light to you all
Rick Paul.

My friends and readers, do not be put off by the seemingly dark title. If you know me or not please know this all my spiritual work is designed to promote love and light and to bring in upliftment. This article has a two-fold intention. Firstly it conveys what is going on in my head at the time of writing. And secondly is the basis or the foundations for the final chapter of my book.

I have persevered with the book and have had to manage my time effectively so I could allocate slots to ensure progress and ultimately its conclusion. My Dear friend Ian Timothy and I have readily discussed the final chapter being about the final sleep and what that it might mean to me, is it the end definitively or is it just a pause while we wait for the next chapter. I pondered on it lots and then proceeded to have what I can only describe as a block. I didn’t lose any enthusiasm for it, and I just went through a period of disillusionment with people in general. I realised to remove the block I needed to take my mind off the task and find a fresh perspective, so I took solace in my garden and woodwork, and this helped me recharge my batteries.

Over the years, I have learned to manage my thinking. I have built up quite a reference library in what I call my mental Rolodex; repeat scenarios can be calculated as to how they will turn out if repeat strategies are used to solve problems. All are stored in my mind and has been a useful source of information over the years but like with everything things change and evolve, so I have to be ready to develop with it. To give an example of how the mental Rolodex approach works, I will provide you with a scenario, problem, let’s call it writer’s block, who could help me solve this: the first step ask yourself have you ever experienced this experience before. If the answer is yes, then consult the mental Rolodex for solutions as to how the scenario played out. If the answer is no then for me, the next step is to consult those that you trust. My two primary sources are the lovely Mrs P, and one Ian Timothy Esq, both of them have a way of cutting through illusion and helping me see what is there. Myself and Mrs P were talking of a different matter, and she said  do nothing. I placed this in the mental Rolodex for consideration. I turned the thought over and over, to solve a problem do nothing, it sounded strange and felt even more bizarre. I believe in solving a problem, you have to take direct action, but in this case, it yielded nothing. I decided, however, to take the advice on board and do nothing.

I talk a lot about taking personal responsibility for my life, and as we all know, actions have consequences. The new thought process felt alien to me, and my mind needed managing, so I put on you-tube and put on some music. A song came up from a band I have discovered in the last year, namely Pink Floyd. The song was called wish you were here, I listened intently through headphones while scrolling through the comments. A large proportion were people saying that the song’s lyrics reminded them of people that had passed or times from the past. A lot commented that they played it in memoriam to invoke a memory of times in their mind when things appeared to be better. A particular line caught my attention: “did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts” this got me thinking. Remember, life is about perspective, and most likely, my interpretation of the lyrics may differ hugely from that of others, let me explain further.

Heroes to me are present; they are here, they are now, I can if I choose to look up to them or maybe hope to emulate them or at the very least hope to be inspired by them. Ghosts represent the past, people who have passed a memory or a fragment of what once was. If I traded my heroes for ghosts, I have effectively given my present and possible progress to live in the past. What are memories but a perspective of something from your viewpoint? Maybe they are correct but only from your map of the world.

I now had answers for the last chapter; I had indeed done nothing and achieved the breakthrough. My solution was to conjure up an imaginary scenario that was quite simple in its effectiveness. Please indulge me now as I bring the idea to a conclusion: I am approaching the final sleep of death as some people believe. I have been given the date of my passing and fortunately also given the time to tidy up any loose ends. I had much to do and had no time to focus on that which I had lost (the ghosts). I wanted to spend my remaining precious time reflecting on the people that had inspired me (the heroes). People who were my heroes were the ones that spread optimism and promoted self-growth and awareness; people who helped others forward while also learning their lessons. My perception of the final sleep needed to be addressed, as well.

Death or the final sleep is not the total end, for me and my spiritual beliefs it is the shedding of the outer shell and is much like the actor saying the final words of his script in the role that he is playing before moving onto the next project. He stops, says the last lines and once delivered, he becomes himself again and prepares for the upcoming film. I ask myself a question if I knew my role was coming to an end, and I did indeed know my expiry date was what I would want my legacy to be.

I decided to pay tribute to myself. I wanted to be remembered for my smile, my offbeat sense of humour and my loyalty. I wanted it known that I tried my best; I loved hard. I experienced success and difficulties and endured pain but always knew that if I was fortunate enough to open my eyes in the morning, I could change things. My strength, my faith and loyalty to friends and family alike was a constant in my life. I supported people I helped and guided and even sometimes to my detriment I trusted and believed in people who maybe didn’t merit it but do you know what I loved it all.

One of Ian’s Comments then floated into my head “where do you spend your lives hours?” this simple sentence has and had a marked effect on me, and because of its influence I worry less and produce more. Things that I can’t influence aren’t given consideration, anything that won’t help with my life’s journey or impact on the end destination is discarded. The core function of the human being is to find a better feeling if we can’t find it within the way that we feel and act then the time for change is needed.

My imaginary scenario started to fade, and my time was coming to an end. I felt the need for summing up: time is a commodity that cannot be bought or sold. It is precious, yet people can choose how they use it or in many cases waste it thinking about things they can’t influence. My final words were approaching in the role that I had played so well, and I had done the best that I could. I hoped like all good award speeches I had remembered to thank all the people that had contributed. I finished with these words. I, Rick Paul, am ready for the next role I have during this lifetime desired to inspire and hope that when you think of me in the future, you will remember me in all my flawed glory. My thoughts on life are relatively simple; life is life, live it to the max. Love, laugh and enjoy, don’t have any regrets, accept change is sometimes needed for progress. Live in peace and respect yourself as the uniquely talented and priceless person that you are. No need lamenting on your ghosts and don’t focus on loss. Do not trade your present for the past, live in the now. Life is/ was a hell of a journey. I want to thank all of you being on it with me. It is only done once in this costume, so enjoy it till the next act.