Our  biggest strength is to embrace our biggest weaknesses.

Soulchess, a 3  minute 22 seconds listen to.

Well here it is.I have to admit it. I’m addicted to the chess app on my phone.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed — when the world gets too loud, too close, too much, when there’s too much yet to perfectionate — I reach for the little green icon and disappear.

My chessapp is my hideout.
My digital monastery.
A safe haven from the dreads and threads of daily life.

While I’m playing though, I know deep down inside I’m avoiding..

Something I don’t want to face.
Something I should be doing.
Something inside me still unfinished, unsaid, undone.

I used to scold myself for that:
But then someone — or perhaps I should say something — made me realise:

It’s my Soul who is doing the playing
All my Ego does is move the pieces.

My Ego plays fast.
It defends the familiar, even when it hurts.
It jumps to conclusions. Reacts rather than creates.

It often assumes the worst.
and most of all fears to lose, even when winning means staying stuck.

And my Soul?
My Soul waits.
It plays the long game, without a care about the score or winning

Soul makes its silent  moves without Ego being aware….yet..

Soul watches for openings — not to attack, but to invite.

Soul is not interested in checkmate.
It’s Ego’s Soulmate.
Only there to make Ego aware what on earth it is doing….literally.  It whispers into my subconscious; nudges me into the moves I COULD be making, by making me aware I’m addicted to my chess app.

Sometimes, she lets a piece fall on purpose.
So I’ll notice what I’m clinging to.
What I’m scared to lose.
What I keep guarding, instead of releasing.

And when the board is chaos,
When I don’t know what’s mine or where to go
My soul stays calm.
She stays.
She observes.
and sets the board again.

Soulchess I found is an initiation,
a beginning to insight of who I am.

It isn’t about winning.
It’s about remembering who’s playing.

When you recognize this…
Maybe you’re at a board too.
Or at some other distraction.
Maybe you’re a serial binger.
or workaholic or a diary-filler from dawn to midnight.

If so, know this:

Your Soul is patient.
She bides her time waiting to implement her own purpose.
waiting for you to stop blitzing through your life…
So you start to create and  feel her next move. Until you get bored and delete your chess app to focus on what matters and play your two cents to make this world a better place.

So what’s your vice? What’s your Ego getting at? And what is your Soul secretly making you aware of? What really moves you? What moves did you recently make?  In our Pilgrim gatherings we talk about things like this. In the end we all walk our our path on the same earth. Find out more on the pilgrimpage. energycounseling.nl and the blog Soulchess, the difference between checkmate and soulmate.  Bring your own set of Ego and Soul and let’s play…

The post Soulchess appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Ever find yourself pulling into your driveway and wondering how you got there? Not in an existential way—just literally no memory of the last 15 minutes of driving. Congratulations: you’ve successfully completed autopilot mode. No points deducted.

Posture, Prana, Presence, a 3 minute , 6 seconds listen to…

Or how about that party, where someone is enthusiastically talking at you, you see their lips moving, probably about their new job or a juice cleanse—and you’re nodding, smiling, utterly unaware of the actual topic.
A true masterclass in social camouflage.

And then there’s the Talk. You know the one.
The Important Conversation with a friend or partner where you’re meant to really connect…
But instead, your brain is busy filing taxes, or wondering if you left the stove on, or daydreaming about a slightly better version of this exact conversation.

Being present—it’s hard.
Having your mind and body occupy the same zip code? Practically a superpower.

But here’s the twist: this isn’t your fault.
This beautifully scattered state of being? You came equipped with it.
It’s called Ego—your internal project manager.
Its job? Select, protect, overthink, and occasionally ruin a perfectly good moment with a memory from 2009.
Useful? Absolutely.
Overzealous? Constantly.

And in our era of infinite inputs and existential TikToks, Ego is pulling double shifts.
The cost? Sometimes your soul—spelled S-O-U-L, in case you forgot you had one—gets shoved backstage.

You end up:

• Driving without noticing the trees.
• Partying without seeing the person behind the personality.
• Talking without actually listening.

Posture. Prana. Presence.
It sounds like a yoga poster, but it’s actually the secret handshake for being human.
Stay grounded where you are.
Keep on breathing—not just because it keeps you alive, but because it reminds you that you are alive.
Feel your presence. Seriously. You’re right here. Try not to ghost your own moment.

So here’s the pitch:
Keep your Ego. It’s sharp. It’s efficient. It would make a killing on Wall Street.

Just… don’t let it drive all the time.
Check in. Breathe. Look around. Be in the actual now.

Wishing you a grounded and deep breathing presence in where you are nd what you’re doing right now

Ingrid

To the Body Language of Energy Pilgrim Circle Page 

The post Posture, Prana, Presence appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

a 3 minute and 16 seconds listen to.

Are you truly living life on your own terms?
Or are your choices shaped by habits, trends, and outside influences? Do you follow your own preferences,  buy only what you truly need, eat what genuinely nourishes you? In short: are you truly living the life you choose?

Take a quiet moment and ask yourself who’s really in charge of your life. Grab a pen and write down the first three things you bought, shared, or forwarded lately. Were they your own choices ? Or were they triggered by social media, the news, netflix or a stand up comedian?

Opinions vary of course , but it’s commonly said that we consciously choose only about 5% of our daily actions. The rest? Patterns  and likes we’ve picked up along the way.

In energy medicine, this is called “the habit field”: the things you tend to do; the route you usually take home, the train you always take, the food that is on offer at the supermarket, the clothes that are in season , the (Black Friday) sales you follow; most of it shaped by outside forces—marketeers, trends, influencers (a word I frankly dislike), and societal norms, rather than wat your inner self has to say about it.

Now imagine this: you get a full year away from it all. No ads, no social media, no breaking news, no latest must-haves. Just real, uninterrupted time. What would you do with it?

I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but people who go through a personal crisis often find themselves in exactly that situation, without ever asking for it. And when they look back on this life intervention you’ll ’ll  often hear them say it was a turning point, a wake-up call that made them aware of what truly matters.

So, let’s say you got that clean slate, regardless of your current circumstances. What would you leave behind in your old life? And what would you choose to bring with you in the new?

That question lies at the heart of the Lifestyle Vision Quest I’ll be hosting next Tuesday, the 20th, at the Natural Health Centre in Scheveningen. It’s part of what I call a Pilgrim Circle: a small group of no more than 12 people from all walks of life, coming together to reflect, share, and explore life’s choices in a deeper way.

If that resonates with you as k your search engine to look up thehague-naturalhealthcentre.com , click on the Events page and register for the Lifestyle Vision Quest.

And until then—each time before you go to sleep—ask yourself this:

What choice did my inner me make today that stepped outside the box of habit and expectation?

wishing you a day filled with possibilities,

Ingrid Schippers for Dutchbuzz, the radioprogram for internationals in and around The Hague

The post What to leave behind and what to bring along appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Do you keep a diary on the note worthy moments of insight you gather during your life journey? The intuitions that tell you something is afoot or could be just what you’ve been waiting for? 
The Nan Yar – Who Am I Tarot supports a surprisingly simple method to mirror  the imaginative, intuitive and inspirational inner wisdom that comes natural to you.

What often stays hidden behind the logistics of daily life is known to your personal Storyteller

Let’s look at the 6 of Challenges as an example:

Known in Tarot as the 6 of Swords, the Nan Yar interpretation is titled:  6 of Challenges Vulnerability,

• 6 being the Number of Communication
• Challenges being the suit that asks you to invest in sharpening your mindful senses

In their Nan Yar – Who Am I interpretation – feel free to add whatever the number 6 or theme of mindful development mirrors for you –  the 6 of Challenges refers to the opportunities life brings when you put aside the different masks one tends to wear and reveal your true identity. That might be a daunting prospect at times, but hey …this is the era of transformation and you are the one and only rightful owner of your life journey who can do this for you.

How does vulnerability influence the way I communicate might be a question triggered by this card.

• Do I keep my mouth shut more often than I should to avoid confrontation?
• Do I assert myself peacefully without judgement?
• Where does my way of communicating take me?

As an introduction to the Nan Yar- Who Am I Tarot, I regularly give presentations on how to apply cards as a life journey exploration tool . Click here for more information.

The post The Nan Yar Travel Kit: Vulnerability appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

A locksmith came to my house recently. Using his strong grip, my oldest son  had opened the front door from the outside while it was on its safety lock on the inside. Apparently, when you manage to do that, something shifts within the lock, causing the key to stay stuck in the lock unless the lock is turned back to its safety position; all very complicated.

Fortunately the locksmith quickly came to my aid and turned out to be a jovial man with 20 years of experience in his trade.

‘I still love it’ he said answering my question on how he liked his job. ‘Every day is different and I come across the weirdest situations’.

‘Such as…? I dared.

The answer came swiftly. ‘Once a family called me up in total panic.  The door of the room in which a deceased family member had been laid for the wake, kept opening without apparent reason.  That was scary, especially at night, when the door would unexpectedly open, much like in a horror movie.  The solution, the family felt,  was to place a lock on the door, so they could sleep peacefully. So I placed a lock and yes the door stayed put, unless of course they forgot to lock it.’

‘Did you believe it to be a  supernatural occurrence?’

‘Ofcourse not!’ the lockmaker firmly answered. ‘The coffin is placed on a cooling element and it was a small room. It turns cold quickly.. That triggers a difference in air pressure between the hallway and the small room. At a certain point the door will spontaneously succumb to that, especially at night for then the door stays shut the longest and the little room gets cold easiest.

Now some people might find a story like this disrespectful; but when you think about it, it are exactly these mundaine occurences, the weird happenings, that at times make it easier to talk about death or a wake. In western culture people often still keep their distance from death. We don’t really know what to say about it.  In spite of the big steps being made in making dying and mourning more understandable; it is still often viewed with fear and seen as a difficult subject. It was only a short while ago when people in the end of life phase were separated from the living and when relatives processed their grief alone. Religious people were given a sermon, but everyday life gave little opportunity to show feelings or exchange experiences. ‘What was it like for you to witness the end of a life? What experience did it give you?

Stories like the mysterious opening of the door are in fact portals to expressing emotion. The fear, the confusion en in the end the humor, when it turned out to be a natural phenomenon. Then it becomes a family anecdote; ‘Remember when he had just passed away …’? It enables reminiscing; the good memories, the sad but also the funny ones. Death doesn’t always need to be lofty and solemn. It is ….in the end …pardon the pun ….also part of a lifetime in which funny things happen.

The One of Insights

A fitting card with this experience would be the 1 of insights, as an example of becoming aware that what we think we witness, can differ from what is actually happening. We sometimes lead ourselves to believe in ghost stories that turn out to be way different than expected.

Mind you! This goes the other way around as well, when we discard unexplained experiences and give them a ‘perfectly reasonable explanation’ because to witness them is so outside of our comfort zone that we prefer to look the other way.

Whatever way you look at it; nothing has only one explanation. Everyone experiences life differently and is entitled to that.

Click the card for further explanation or draw your own card at the right of this page; and see which mind jab your inner wisdom has in store for you.

The post The Unexpected Explained appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Recently I was asked to write about  the effect on the local community of the rising number of people being tested positive

Now the fact in itself that I merely have to mention ‘the number of people being tested positive’ for every one to understand what I am talking about is a testimony in itself.  Regrettably the statement excludes the logical math, that when  more people are being tested, in numbers more people will test positive! It is interesting to note however how statistics fail to show the percentage of people tested positive that actually become ill. Compared to March/April/May 2020 the number of people dying have so far remained low.

Perhaps it is time to remind ourselves of how the way we interpret life, in turn affects the way we feel, which ultimately expresses itself in what happens to us physically. Constantly being bombarded with statements that cause fear, undermines the natural human immune system in itself.

Ever since our hunter and gatherer days and beyond, our human immune system has been equipped with an energy system called triple warmer.  Triple warmer is a defense system .  It activates itself when faced with danger enabling the so called fight, flight or freeze respons. In ancient days this was helpful when for instance meeting a sabertooth tiger or hunting down a mammoth. Triple warmer then made sure the bulk of available energy was directed to arms and legs so one could run or fight or stay as still as possible; all systems alert for defense if necessary.

As soon as the sabertooth had passed however or the mammoth was conquered, triple warmer had a chance to calm down, allowing the body to unwind, relax, release the anxiety, take a break, that way  giving  other energy systems, serving other bodily functions a chance to recharge.

With the modern times we live in now, the occasional sabertooth or food-hunt has transformed itself  into financial struggles,  social division, fear of disease,  polluted environments; global warming as well as additives, sugars and dead calories in our foods . As a result triple warmer remains switched on constantly. As such it keeps on drawing energy constantly from other energy systems serving the heart, bladder, gallbladder, lungs and digestive system; (which explains why people have an increased need to go to the toilet when in fear) Eventually, this constant deprivation of energy opens the door to illness in the other systems. As such triple warmer being on the alert all the time causes reactions undermining rather than supporting the immune system

So… maybe it’s time to rethink how to stay safe and stay healthy; see how triple warmer can be put at ease rather than respond to the broadcasts of the number of people being tested positive.

To ease anxiety….you rock

An amazing yet effective movement to ease fear, most likely used since ancient times and still used to this day at least on babies and toddlers, is rocking. Moving the body back and forth or from side to side has a very comforting effect on the flight, fight or freeze response. Interestingly enough the body in its natural wisdom is in the habit of wrapping its arms around itself while rocking in a gesture of self consolation. By doing so the hands ‘by chance’ end up covering liver and liver acupressure points on the right side of the body, as well as spleen acupressure points on left side of the body, both at the height of the bra line at the flanks of the lower ribcage.
Both organs play an important part in recharging the energy of the body (spleen) and letting go of toxins that accumulate under stress (liver).
Just wrap your arms around your upper body and see where they end up.

Another way is to place the palm of the right hand over the left side of the lower rib cage while cupping the right elbow with the left hand. By doing so the right hand again covers spleen acupressure points , while the left hand covers two very important triple warmer acupressure points that ease anxiety.
After a while, switch hands, placing the left hand over the liver, while cupping the left elbow with the right hand, thus again covering triple warmer acupressure points 10 and 11 at the back of the elbow, this time on the other side.

Nourishing foods .

One of the silent killers these days are our eating patterns, causing diabetes and fatty arteries. Strangely enough a lot of what can be bought in supermarkets (on offer) has little nutritional value. Due to overproduction, the use of artificial stimulants and genetic manipulation many fruits and vegetables contain far less nutrients than they used to in the days when we would farm our own greens and meats or at least derive our foods from local farms.
Make sure the vegetables and herbs you buy are fresh and recently harvested. The longer foods are stored, the less nutrients they contain.  Fortunately the trend to work with organic products is rising, thus diminishing the intake of toxins like pesticides and artificial additives.

Stay in touch with nature.

A walk among the trees or along the shoreline is a natural anxiety cure. Nature is filled with positive vibes and will radiate comforting energy in tune with all seasons. Moving the body in these energies stimulates all energy systems in the body. Ever notice how you take a deep breath when something stressful is finally over? The outside air does that for you automatically when you go for a hike in nature.

Stay in touch with yourself

With all the headlines, breaking news, hourly news and thousands of commercial impulses fired away globally each waking moment of the day, the world’s population is drowning in programmed expectations, mostly serving more of Lord Economy’s needs than human requirements. Meanwhile we tend to forget what really matters. Do I really want to eat what is on offer? Do I really want to wear what is in fashion? Why am I binge watching entertainment? What else could I do with that time?
I sometimes can be homesick for the 18th century, when life started at dawn and eased at sunset; when people ate what was in season and available; when time flew by organically organic rather than ruled by a watch.

When you start to think creatively about these things, the number of people infected will have less of a hold over you.

October 2020,

Ingrid Schippers

Click the card for more information,
or draw your own card at the right side of this blog
and see what it triggers in your subconscious

The post Stay Safe, Stay Healthy appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Have you ever noticed how commercials on body creams that supposedly make your skin soft and vibrant, always portray skinny women in their thirties? The ones with straight white teeth and not a zit in sight. It is never a menopausal woman with visibly dry skin, excess facial hair and the infamous 10 kilo overweight build up during mid life transformation.

For men, it is the straight jawline; the kind of hunk  most women swoon for, who advertises the razorblades.
The absolute winner I once saw was a highway billboard advertising “The Car That Will Make Your Boss Notice You In When You Drive It To Work”

Don’t get me wrong. I understand companies need to sell their products and how they would not sell a thing when they add pictures of poverty stricken people to their advertisements.  What I object to however is the enormous gap unaccounted for; the gap between real life and what we are made to believe is real and taught we should strive for.

It makes the world a lonely place for many, when what we are made to believe is real, actually does not exist.
A bigger percentage of the population is not skinny And I don’t know about where you live, but where I live clean shaven hunks with a straight jawline are scarce and I happen to live in one of the most densely populated areas of the world. An area also where many could impossibly afford a “Car Their Boss Would Notice Them In When They Would Drive It To Work.” An area of social housing, with many
women struggling financially, unable to pay tuition fees or clothes for their children because their ex-husbands wont pay alimony. It makes their skin very non-vibrant, even when they are in their thirties and skinny.

Money and its Lord Economy has become sole ruler and global religion of our life styles. What ever happened to the concept of inner values? The ones not advertised on television. What ever happened to the concept of inner knowledge? the commodity not expressed in currency?

The Magician card number in the Nan Yar- Who Am I Personal development game, invites you to pierce through the veil of illusion  and mirror your own inner knowledge on what it has to say.  It invites you to observe how you are tricked into believing you need the same body cream as the woman in her thirties with the straight white teeth and flawless skin; or a certain brand of razorblades will make you look like a hunk with a perfect jawline (no offense meant by the way if that is in fact what you look like).

To read more click the card.

Ingrid Schippers

September 2020

The post Reality versus Make Belief appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

The very first time ever I participated in a Yoga class, I had the surprising experience of ‘recognizing’ the postures and stretches we were shown to do.

“Maybe you were a yogi in a past life” my inner voice joked.

My rational mind however disagreed. In fact what it recognized – even though perhaps not immediately at the time – was that my body has its own lexicon of wisdom with its own tools and own ways of coaching me into my best performance .  The natural mechanisms of our bodies to support us come so natural, we sometimes fail to validate them.

Before studying Yoga and later Energy Medicine it eluded me for the most part that when I put my hand on my painful stomach I am actually using the energy from the palms of my hands to sooth the fire! Or that when I stretch my body after waking up or having sat bend over my laptop for a long time, this is an automated response of my body to prepare itself to be set in motion again; much like a lioness stretching herself and having a good big yawn before going in for the kill.

Now of course Yoga and Energy Medicine, which are similar in many ways, stem from a time period in human evolution when people
were still in a close relationship with their bodies.  They had to! They needed their bodies every moment of the day. Should anything happen to their main tool on earth; the whole basis of their survival would break down!

That’s why creation installed the software of body knowledge, which operates more or less independently from the rational mind. Creation made sure the body knows how to breath, behave and adjust itself to the needs and activities of its rightful owner.  It makes sure that when the pace of life is increased, it knows how to meet the oxygen supply and energy flow. It also knows how to slow down, decrease its activity, give it a rest,  in moments in relaxation.

The main problem in modern day time is that while the human body has more or less stayed the same; the world around us has changed dramatically. We hardly recognize anymore how supportive our bodies are on our personal journeys. For cures we often reach out for chemical relief, rather than looking within to see what our bodies have to say about our behaviors.   A headache is conquered with an painkiller; clogged arteries with blood thinners; inflammations with anti inflammatories. Meanwhile  our bodies are silenced, disabled even to mobilize their own best performance.

Something to think about perhaps next time your body tells you it’s time to take a break….

Click the card to read more on its explanation or draw your own card on the right of this blog and see what it triggers from your inner knowing.

Meanwhile; have a great day and don’t forget to have an understanding talk with your body,

October 2020, Ingrid Schippers

The post The Body Language of Energy appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Ingredients:

* A heart filled with good intention
* A full cup of self-care (combined with some healthy modesty to make it taste even better)
* Two understanding monkeys topping both shoulders (it’s okay if they are a bit cheeky)
* Loads and loads of mindful breathing
* An appreciative smile on your face
* forgiveness, gratitude, compassion to taste

Preparation:

* Create yourself a comfortable environment.
When at home light a candle; maybe burn some incense or scented oil? Make sure the temperature is agreeable.
When outdoors keep yourself comfy and warm; maybe bring what you might need; bottled water, a flask of herbal tea, a nourishing comfort treat.
When in an airplane or crowded space imagine a bubble around you giving it any color spectrum you’d like.
* Sit or lie yourself down.
* Close your eyes for a moment. When it feels better to leave your eyes open, focus your gaze on something calming in front of you (meaning no screens or other otherworldly devises) Focus on a pleasant sound around you or listen to the silence in between sounds

Creation:

* Allow your bodyweight to sink into gravity; Feel which parts of your body are in direct contact with the mothership.
* Feel your mouth curve to a smile and observe the effect this has on your facial features.
* Become aware of the space between your eyebrows and feel the skin loosening around your scalp
* Ask the two positive monkeys to send out compassionate vibes to your shoulder muscles, neck and back.
* Walk along your spine with your awareness.
* Bring warmth to your heart; placing both hands, palms down, over your sternum.
* Feel the palms and the heart connect and meet each other
* Go back to the smile and feel it spread to your inner world. Scan your body with your awareness and see which parts of your body parts youDirect it to any area where you feel could be of use some inner smile. let it rest there for as long as you want
While you are doing so, assemble all forgiveness you can find within you and mix it in with gratitude and self-esteem to taste.
Massage this mixture with as much the love as you like for as long as you like, while holding positive thoughts, rolling them around in your feelings, your fears, your expectations, your grudges and any other human traits that may come to mind.

Remove any grudges or dark thoughts you may find within you.
Be mindful that holding a grudge or being unforgiving, will block the chemistry needed for your recipe to rise.
Place your mixture in a warm place and let it rest for as long as it needs. The further your recipe expands, the more successful your healing.

Then place the mixture in your minds eye while folding both hands over your heart, cupped, your elbows pointing down with the arm and shoulder muscles relaxed.
Soften your facial features, relax the muscles around your jaw, place an inner smile in between your eyebrows and take a nice deep breath in, expanding your belly and chest, inhaling forgiveness, gratitude and self esteem and as you exhale imagine all things you do not want to be part of your life at this point in time, to leave you on the flow of exhalation.

Observe the flavors, scents and changes that come to mind. See where they lead you and most importantly take your time, remembering breath is an automatic response of the body, that does not need to be directed in any way, whether it concerns inhalation or exhalation or the times in between, for breath has four stages:

• Inhalation (Puraka)
• The pause between inhalation and exhalation.(Abhyantara Kumbhaka)
• Exhalation (Rechaka)
• The pause between exhalation and inhalation (Bahya Kumbhaka)

Then on your next inhalation, also keep in mind the people you want to share this with; the practice of sharing, with your loved ones, or people you know of who could need some extra support right now; including people that may have hurt you or you may have hurt, even when you thought it was for the better.

Sprinkle your mixture of gratitude, forgiveness and self esteem over your intentions,while inhaling. Observe a natural pause and on the flow of exhalation, let go of any grudge or discontent that may have peeked around the corner while you were mixing your loving thoughts.

Now…any time you feel fearful, angry at the world, at yourself, at someone who has hurt you or any other situation in your life you wish to heal, prepare this mixture and repeat the above steps.

With Love

Ingrid Schippers

This blog was recorded as weekly end-note of the Dutchbuzz edition of November 24, the radio program for internationals, every Tuesday on The Hague FM from 10 to 11 pm.
All programs are archived at Dutchbuzz.nl.

To read the Dutch translation scroll up and click ‘ne’ in the right upper corner.

The post A Recipe for Healing appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

Spoken version ‘Modern Times'; a 4 minute 35 seconds listen to

Modern Times

Last week I had to drop off something in Benoordenout, an area of The Hague, where I used to live in my married days. Our children, who are now all in their twenties, spent a big portion of their childhood there, going to school, playing their field hockey games, celebrating their birthdays

The particular area I was revisiting holds a small old fashioned shopping mall.  My children spent many a queen’s day there displaying their old puzzles and toys for 50 cents a piece on the free-market.  It was a funny sort of déja vu to be back. I recognized some familiar neighbourhood faces. They’d grown quite a bit older; serving as a mirror for how my own life had gone fast forward.

But there was another group of people too; a younger generation of people mirroring exactly what I used to do 10 – 15 years ago. They were shopping. It was almost as if they were acting out the old days for me. It was weird to see them coming up the escalator of the supermarket, which runs past the street window of the shop, so while standing outside one can see the people being rolled up from the basement to the first floor.I observed them standing behind their shopping carts, neatly separated by 1.5 meters, rolling up the gradient.

The sight reminded me of a conveyer belt. It seemed like the basement area was producing consumers, shipping them towards the till on the first floor. All customers had a  same sort of dis-engaged expression on their faces and they all sort of leaned against their shopping carts, looking around at nothing in particular, waiting to arrive at their destination.

‘Did I do that too?’ I wondered. Was that me 15 years ago? Shopping for family dinners and school lunch-boxes? Did I stand leaning against my shopping cart like that? Was I looking around me at basically nothing waiting to be escalated upstairs? How many times had I stood there in line? How many hours had I spent organizing what I needed to organize in order to get through to the next moment organized? In fact how much of my lifetime have I effectively spent till this very moment, waiting in lines to get to my next point of call, simply killing time as I am waiting;  getting the logistics right, rather than taking in new life experiences.

The image of Charley Chaplin at the conveyer belt in his movie Modern Times comes to my minds eye, going through the same motion every time again, trying to keep up with the pace of production; a job without apparent purpose other than tightening something onto something else, which is part of something bigger that needs to be produced, sold and used.

Do you ever wonder; how much time of your life is taken by treadmills of the system; the wheels of logistics?

The reason I chose the Nan Yar Who Am I interpretation of the Hanged Man to go with this blog, is because he sees the world from a different angle. He in fact goes through the trials and tribulations to gain more experience, rather than stay in line with the logistics of life. We seem to be doing a lot of leaning against our shopping carts, oblivious to what goes on in the rest of the world except when it also concerns us.

Card number XII, The Hanged Man, the card in between the card of The Force (XI) and Transformation (XIII), is part of the second row of 7 cards, depicting the Journey of the Soul while its owner is busy with the logistics of life on earth. The soul does see matters differently; it’s just that we do not always feel it tap on our shoulder…..

Click the card(s) to read more on the meaning….

Ingrid Schippers
22 September 2020

The post Modern Times appeared first on EN Energycounseling.nl.

With the circumstances as they are in the world right now, I find myself thinking a lot of the novel ‘ State of Fear’, published in 2004 written by American author Michael Crichton. You’ve probably heard of Crichton as the creator of Jurassic Park and the television series E.R.

His debut, ‘The Andromeda Strain’, made him famous overnight in 1969.  To this day – and I might add to this day more than ever – the story about an unknown virus threatening humanity  is a constant reminder of our vulnerability. Also the story of Jurassic Park, posing as an adventure park for grown ups, holds a warning not to mess with the genealogy of evolution, as does another of Crichton’s novels, titled Next, discussing Bigpharma’s hunt for power and money rather than cures.

What many may have missed is that ‘State of Fear’  brought Michael Crichton to testify before US congress. Why? Because it deals with a mechanism as old as ancient history where those in power used and to this day use fear as a tool to keep people in check. People who are scared tend to feel powerless and look up to their leaders for a solution, which puts these leaders in control. In the Netherlands we recently saw this happening with the ‘noodwet’, the so called emergency law, giving parlement and city councils more authority to act during times of apparent danger, although in this particular case a group of people also stood up against the measurement.

It is dangerous in itself write about these sort of subjects and bring them to the people’s attention. Crichton knew that. On his website, he talks about his reasons for and the dangers of writing State of Fear and even states :

‘I might get killed for this’

Crichton was indeed threatened as a result of  writing State of Fear; by high up politicians, but also by  followers of these politicians  all because, in State of Fear, Crichton brings a professor Hoffman to the stage; who explains of the ‘Fear’ theory and its mechanism to keep people subservient by pointing out circumstances  to be afraid of.

The novel ‘State of Fear’ contains three appendixes, including an 18 page bibliography, that support the research. I would highly recommend one book mentioned titled  ‘The Skeptical Environmentalist’ written by Bjorn Lomberg, which deals with how statistics shape our view of the world, while in truth, reality may be a whole lot different. Also Lomberg suffered relentless attacks because of writing this book. On this Crichton comments

This can only mean his conclusions are unobjectionable in any serious scientific way.

Food for thought in these questionable times of polarization and the use of propaganda by politicians who want to gain yet even more control.  For those interested in this subject, here are the  links to several articles regarding this subject:

 State of Fear book review explaining the role of Prof. Hoffman

Michael Crichton in his own words State of Fear

Wikipedia on State of Fear.

The Nan Yar – Who Am I card I have chosen to head this blog is the 4 of Tools: Observation,
the number 4 signifying the comfort zone – it being quite easy to follow the opinion of others when confronted with a situation one finds hard to solve oneself (as in people looking to politics to solve the world’s problems rather than picking up their own glove) ;
while the Suit of Tools shows the options earthlings have to use their own spirit rather than simply accept what they read and surrender to the judgment that is implemented by others.
As I said food for thought in these questionable times of polarization and the use of propaganda to gain even more control…

Ingrid Schippers.

September 15 2020

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Friday December 13th, 2019, will probably go down as one of the worst days of modern history, except perhaps for November 8, 2016.

When you’re oblivious to what I am referring to, consider yourself blessed. It means you still believe in a better world; and I simply have to agree. For survival’s sake, I have to believe that what is happening in the world right now is only the darkest hour before dawn; appropriately staged during the darkest days of the year 2019.

I have to believe the tide will turn after the winter solstice around December 21st and that humanity will witness the beginnings of change in 2020. I have to believe that what is happening now, are merely the last convulsions of an old system dying.

The problem humanity has right now, is the grip of greed, ignorance and material blindness. Apparently that’s what it takes to wake up ‘civilization'; lessons to teach the importance of seeing the good in one and other rather than the bad; the comprehension we need to dare to care for one and other rather than live off each other; the understanding that what happens to others happens to us all.

The mindset of the world today seems strangely estranged from reality. I read somewhere the other day how media headlines are designed to be negative so people are attracted to them. People seem very attracted to other people’s misery. Good news is mostly ignored. It says a lot about the state of the human collective. It also reminds me of what the American New Age teacher Wayne Dyer said about how people should use the last minutes before sleep to think about the good things they witnessed; the happenings they are grateful, rather than what many habitually do, which is mope about what lacks in their life.

I often wonder what my grandmother; who was born in 1906 and passed away in 1985, would think when she could return for one single day to December 2019. She lived through two world wars; one as a child; one as a single mother. I think she’d be absolutely shocked about today’s world; unable to comprehend what she is seeing; like so many of us in this day and age.  We seem to constantly oppose each other on a global, national but also personal level; blinded by manipulative media and politics serving the needs of the already privileged (material-wealth-wise that is).

I refuse however to give in to the doom and gloom.  The year to come might provide plenty of Challenges; yet my plea  is to use the Gift every single human being has been given at birth; which is to see and trust the good in one and other, using the power of a mindful heart as a Tool. It’s high time for the Frodo’s of this world to toss the ring into Mount Doom….or was it the creature Gollum who destroyed itself through its own greed? Interesting food for thought.

The card I’ve chosen to go with today’s text, is ‘The World'; the last card of all Archetypal cards, enveloping the 3 worlds that play a part in our lives

• Cards 1-7: The Physical World; our ways of life on earth, represented by 7 Archetypes and all tools and accessories that come with it
• Cards 8-14: The Journey of The Soul during life on Earth: our subconscious knowing; the inner guide that taps on our shoulder every now and again and whispers in our mind’s ear on which way to go next; again with the 7 Archetypes that represent this path.
• Cards 15-21: The Spiritual World: reflecting “All of Everything” all worlds combined, also represented in  7 Archetypes .

We’re often unaware of the World of the Journey of the Soul and the Spiritual World taking part in our lives. Perhaps they do so even more than the  often illusionary Physical World. Yet the simple gesture of thoughtful attendance already has the potential to bring you closer; becoming aware there is more to world than the one we operate in.

With all that being said I wish you a content and insightful December solstice and equally inspiring Christmas and New Year to come.

Ingrid Schippers, December 17 2019

To read more click the card or draw your own card at the righthand side of this page to see what it has to mirror for you.

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Attachment to outcome, a true story on self-fullflilling prophesy, a 3 minutes and 3 second listen to

I once heard a story that came from a 200 year old little booklet , holding records of  real life court cases from the 18th century. The particular story I am going to tell you about, always stayed with me as it so pointedly shows how following predictions made by others – rather than your own sound judgement and free will –  can become an awkward self fulfilling prophesy.

Here’s how it goes:

Somewhere in the seventeen hundreds a young man of reasonable wealthy means goes to a fortuneteller. The fortuneteller tells him his life will be full of pleasures and he will never lack money; however ,….he will die at the age of 32.

Now remember this is a true story based on a true court case.

At first the young man is a little taken aback by the prediction he will die in his early thirties, but according to the court case records, he decides to make the best of the years he has left. Bearing the fortunetellers prediction in mind; he decides to thoroughly enjoy and indulge himself the pleasures of life. And so he does indeed. But then he turns 32 in excellent state of health. No one has challenged him to a duel; all around him everything seems peaceful and quiet; except for the fact he is in severe debt.

Thinking he was  only to live to be 32 years of age the young man spent all his resources And since spending all his own money went a bit quicker than he expected; he also borrowed quite substantial amounts from others; knowing….or should I say thinking….death would be his ally in escaping his debts.

Here’s where the court case comes in. The young man was arrested and imprisoned. In the court case records he explains his misadventures.

The morale of this story it seems to me is to never be guided by what others predict will happen to you, as that has potentially disastrous consequences. Follow your own gut feeling instead, rather than be lured into the temptation that promises you miracles. We all get our challenges, in spite of what other people predict will happen.

The 18th century court case story reminds me a little of our 21st century commercials; where we are promised flawless lives as long as we use the products advertised. Just as with the  young man; they are only temptations that will make you spend your money, rather than invest your own sound judgment.

O and by the way, the prediction came through all the way. After using his lifetime to spend all his money; the young man died at the age of 32; in prison. He hung himself.

The card that goes with this is card number XVI The Tower. People often shy away from this card as in our material world it seems to depict doom and failure; having to give up the riches in life and the hopes of Fate. One of these I will…..

Looked upon from a spiritual point of view however this card from the third row of 7 cards mirroring the prerogatives of the spiritual world; is about letting go of old convictions and patterns that hamper your true destiny in life.  “Come out of the ivory tower” so to speak

To learn more about its meaning, click the card.

The abridged version of this blog, as published below, was written and recorded for ‘Dutchbuzz’, the radioprogram for Internationals on The Hague FM, every Tuesday evening in season from 8 till 9 p.m.

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Throughout the ages, all the way to this very day and age; certain life-stories have proven themselves capable of capturing people’s imagination. Some, like Alexander the Great, were born centuries ago, Some are mythical or legendary figures like Odysseus or King Arthur. Others appear in literary works; Hamlet,Scrooge or Bilbo Baggins. Even in modern day movies know to enthrall their audiences by portraying the quest of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars; Simba in the Lion King; and an impressive number of captains of the Starship Enterprise who go to worlds no man has gone before.

Apparently these characters fill in a desire that exists within modern day civilization. A desire to find answers to some of the biggest questions in life:

Who Am I ?

and

Why am I here?

Especially in this day and age these questions have become more and more important. Only a century ago people were thinking the way their Kings their Queens or their Church wanted them to think. Their ruler’s quest was their quest These days an increasing number of people are looking for their own purpose in life. They value their own thoughts; their own feelings, their own grail; their own meaning of life. The world as it is today is transcending from being followers to individuals, which is causing a lot of turmoil with the people in power who want to stick to the old ways and keep their peoples in check.

I find many people today have a lot in common with the legendary hero’s of the past. Taking a closer look at some of their life stories, I see

• None of them have an easy lifetime.
• All heros travel from the known into the unknown; none of them know what awaits at the other end of the tunnel.
• They all initially resist their apparent fate; yet they all end up following their heart.
• They all have to fight and overcome controversy barring their path in the outside world
• They all struggle with inners demons of their own.
• They are all at some point helped by forces outside of them and have teachers and helpers stepping in when they are about to toss the towel into the ring.
• They all undergo a form of transformation without attachment to outcome
• And in the end, they all accept their fate; embrace the controversy as their teacher and friend and some ….;
• Even forgive their torturers for the pain they inflicted.
• And finally…all Heros find salvation and return back home.

When you look at the stories of all times through this lens; you’ll find they mirror the basic aspects of your own life; unless you desire to stay put and flick through the television channels; binging on the demons of modern day; the series and computergames; where perhaps you can follow the Hero’s journey of others, but certainly escape your own.

The card that goes with this, is without the shadow of a doubt The Storyteller. The ‘fool’ free from prejudice or preconceived convictions. The Hero traveling past the Archetypes
Numbers and Suits of its lifetime, mirroring its Challenges, Insights, Gifts and Tools in the storylines life provides. It’s up to the unknowing ‘Fool” to set himself in motion and as the Storyteller of its own life, write the narrative without attachment to outcome.

To experience your own groundbreaking transformation and enlightenment, put your knapsack over your shoulder; wake up the Hero within and go do your thing….

Wishing you safe Travels

Ingrid

The abridged version of this blog is broadcasted September 10 2019 on Dutchbuzz ; the radio program for internationals on The Hague FM, every Tuesday in Season, from 8 till 9 pm.

3 minute and 4 seconds abridged Dutchbuzz version of ‘What We All Have in Common and Makes Us Unique’

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3 minute (abridged) recording of the end-of-the-season Dutchbuzz blog of June 25th 2019, ‘The treadmill of tweets”

Yeaaah (Kermit style) holiday time is here! I have the honor to speak the famous last words;  of the Dutchbuzz season that is, until it resumes in September. For those who are packing their suitcases to go on a well-deserved break here’s a little holiday tip;

There’s a Buddhist saying that goes:

You are not unhappy because you live in the world; you’re unhappy because the world lives in you.

So my tip is: Take a break from the tweets, mails and social media posts that tend to string our days together. Have a proper look around! Nothing beats being in the moment and enjoying the spot on earth where you are right now. No need to check your phone to see what is happening in the rest of the world.

Constantly checking a cellphone is basically like eating. When you would count the number of calories (or bites) consumed per day; you’d find you’re consuming much more than you think. Remember though that what is in that phone; what you are being fed, is only a small selection from trillions of things you could really choose from if you had a personal overview of everything that is happening in the world this very minute.

The news items are mostly about money anyway; or politicians biting each others heads off or taking the biggest share for themselves. Don’t let it ruin your day. Stay away from the commercials and temptations that urge you to buy, invest or join; thus shaping your understanding of what life outside the cellphone apparently looks like. It’s what you are told, hundreds of times per day and end up talking about with hundreds of other people a day, people you don’t even see or know; while there is so much to be found directly around you; people to talk to; things to talk about.

The information we get on what is happening in the world has shrunk to the size of a cellphone.

Without realizing it we have reached a point in evolution where we are  being mass-managed and manipulated by what a relatively small group of people in power give us to read.  When you start your working day; what you see on your laptop shapes your first thoughts.  We live in a treadmill of tweets, commercials and social media posts and keep on running from one subject to the other.

Instead go birdwatching or go for a bike ride, watch the rabbits hop through the fields. Only use a phone when you have a flat tyre and need help. Write a postcard, letter or in a diary what your day has been like; what you’ve noticed directly around you; what moved you; what you’ve discovered.

I bet you a dollar you’ll find another world out there.

The Archetype to go with this subject is definitely The World’ itself; card number XXI; the last of the 3 rows of  7  to do with 1) life in the physical world; 2) life of the Soul and 3) life in the Spiritual world; the all encompassing Archetype of Life and All It Involves. To read more click the card.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday close to your self; a personal stay-cation

Ingrid Schippers, June 23rd 2019

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