A Leap of Faith

During a long car journey through the countryside today I conceived an exciting idea. I was thinking about putting together a list of services that I would exchange with at the time and the idea of a Trade Network suddenly grew out of that. Rather than define it to perfection before putting it out into the public domain I decided to throw it out there and see what happens.

A trade network isn’t a new idea in itself, many communities and co-operatives have been working in this way for years - swapping time and skills without money changing hands. I’ve worked with a few clients on an exchange basis and liked the way it worked, however there’s a limit between what two people can provide each other.

It feels like time to start setting up easy and effective schemes that connect together a wide range of skilled people and bypass the need for money. I know many people to be keen on this way of working, so I assume it’s just the set up and running of it that stands in the way. Often these networks form naturally, but I believe with a little help a small community within a village, town or city could end up with a wide-ranging portfolio of services available to them in exchange for their own time and skills.

This post has been created just to put the idea out there in order to provoke thought and interest. So bear in mind this is quick and easy communication of information as opposed to a formal and edited proposal!

It’s based on idea of swaps or exchanges between two people where no money changes hands, but extending it out so you have any number of people in the network. The network would grow from referrals so you’d have a good basis of trust there and the system would be underpinned by certain values, and a philosophy of abundance, creating a strong resonant community of traders.

There’s a system in existence that operates in certain towns/cities called time-bank which works on a pure time exchange. This Trade Network idea would use certain aspects of that system but traders would still be free to set their price for their time/skills - as they do normally.

The system would work with simple processes and be co-ordinated by a central administrator. The investment of their time and skills being their form of trade within the network. With a clearly defined administrative role and responsibilities, processes, and strong value system, this scheme would practically manage itself.

As businesses start off small and evolve, so would a network of this kind. As more people become involved, the energy, time and skills multiply, meaning there is much scope for development. And none of it requiring finance. For example, if a network became very established the administration could be managed electronically. All investments made in a network’s growth being made by traders within the network for the benefit of the whole. In terms of abundance theory the positive effects for individuals, and the whole, could have a large and very tangible impact.

In some ways this is a new paradigm way of working, and I’m particularly interested in seeing if this idea could fly. Therefore I’m looking for people who are interested in trying it out - groups as small as 3 or 4 are feasible. If enough interest is generated then I will invest more energy in the set up - the structure/processes etc. - which could be rolled out to groups in different geographical areas.

All I would need from participants is a desire to trade with others without any money changing hands, the currency being time, energy and skills only. If the scheme goes ahead each person would be required to document their skills and set a ‘price’ for their time/energy. As in the normal way of working that figure can be per hour, or for a scoped piece of work, and can be open to negotiation if the trader prefers. Some individuals may have a variety of skills and things to trade, maybe at different prices, so bear this in mind also.

To help get your minds working, here are some ideas of who/what maybe useful in a trade network:

• All types of complementary therapies
• Personal Assistant duties
• Social media work
• Accounting & bookkeeping
• Coaching
• Counselling
• Web design
• Administration
• Web content
• Email management
• Marketing
• Business development / consultancy
• Personal development
• Computer services - ie. fixing problems
• Hairdressing
• Massage & beauty services
• Mechanic
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Cleaner
• Childminding
• Dressmaking / Tailoring
• Image consultant
• Personal trainer
• Legal advice
• Gardening
• Removal services
• Music lessons
• Space to hire

…

So if you’re interested in the idea and maybe participating in a scheme then drop me a line at abundantia@ymail.com or text/call me on 07739 567670 - providing your name, contact details, location, and job title/skillset. 

The first thing I set out to do with this experiment was to learn to take guidance from my intuition. Not only that, but to do so in the face of opposing logic. I believed in infinite possibilities and I wanted to explore them. Logic stemmed from my conditioned/limited beliefs about what was possible, so logic wasn’t going to support my question. But imagination would. The key to an expanded life experience was going to be in the practice of hearing, trusting, and acting upon my intuition. As a priority.

Intuition would arrive in the form of a vision to go somewhere, the most notable example being to visit the Caribbean for an unknown period of time. Logic steamed in with reasoning against the idea – that it was an expensive destination and I had insufficient funds. An opinion, not fact. It was a scary experience in putting all my trust in the vision, and the universe to provide the resources I needed in a way that flowed easily. It worked though, no surprise, I experienced a chain of events beyond what my imagination could’ve conjured up in my previous state of mind.

Although logic seems the stronger force, especially where money is concerned, it actually operates on a lower dimension than intuition. Just a couple of hours ago I came across the following words:

Logic takes you from A to B. Imagination can take you everywhere.

I discovered it as I was following the flow of a compelling thought trail, seeking more information about the 3rd, 4th & 5th dimensions and aiming to marry them up against the Hermetic definition of the 3 Great Planes of Correspondence.

During my research I encountered another level of clarity about intuition and logic… that logic was part of 3rd dimensional consciousness (our ‘normal’ world view experienced through the 5 physical senses) and intuition is part of 4th dimensional consciousness (introducing the 6th sense). The higher dimensions are home to greater powers, expansive experiences, not to mention a higher vibrational frequency, which means more love, bliss, peace…

No wonder life feels richer and more ecstatic living by intuition – by following what I feel drawn to regardless of what I ‘think’ I should do, I’m accessing more possibilities and enjoying more profound experiences than ever before.

Intuition allows me to access the higher powers and atunes me to Spirit and universe, providing me with meaningful connections and easy ways forward. It is the path of least resistance, where accomplishing anything in line with a worthy vision flows so naturally and without effort. It also promotes love and courage as motivating forces, meaning fear and loathing dissolve into the background…

Choose to follow the heart by intuition, rather than the head by logic, and you’ll find you have access to a realm of possibilities that will blow your mind…

It’s interesting that since I’ve really hit my stride with the Creating Desired Reality phase of this manifesting adventure I’ve felt less inclined to write the blog. It’s not that there’s been nothing to share, more that the time and energy required to write a worthwhile piece is better spent on getting the most important information down in a book.

I’ve begun writing a few pieces in the last few weeks and each time I saw it either turning into hours of work or a load of useless drivel. Or indeed, a combination of the two. And let’s face it, there’s plenty of drivel out there already without me wasting my time and yours creating more.

I’ve found it much easier to share brief, but reasonably meaningful, updates on my facebook page - Kirsten J Deacon - and this is what feels most appropriate for now. It’s always felt best to only share when it comes easily and from the heart, when it’s forced, or I write a piece because I feel I should, it never feels quite as potent. So if you’re on facebook and you want to keep in touch with progress then please join me on there. I will continue this blog of course, I just don’t follow blogger rules of writing regularly and frequently… kind of goes against my philosophy of being free to follow intuition and divine guidance, which often tell me to do otherwise.

Speaking of divine, I decided my 11.11.11/11:11 moment would be a very personal one of connecting with the Divine at a special place in nature near where I’m currently living in Cornwall. I chose this over being part of a flashmob in Totnes Market Square (actually happening about now as I write this) which I was really looking forward to yet not feeling well enough to go due to a virus. Silently & simply connecting with the Divine seemed very symbolic in terms of what I’m currently working on, more so than singing my heart out with community, so I easily made peace with not being able to make it there.

So at 11:11 I stood with my favourite tree and thought about making that connection. As I stood there I wondered why feeling Source, or Spirit, didn’t always come easy. Most often this was because I was trying, putting in effort, instead of allowing. The other thing that came to mind was where I look to connect - I always look ‘out there’, to the sky, to the empty space, and that’s where I feel it. And suddenly, words that I’ve heard spoken many times washed over me consuming my entire being…

The Divine, Spirit, Source is IN EVERYTHING… it IS everything. I was already connected -through all that my eyes could take in, through every particle of air I was breathing, through the bark of the tree I was touching… I was already connecting by default anyway, always have been, for eternity. All I needed to do was remove the blindfold of social conditioning to recognise that.

Yes, I know it’s obvious in words. But sometimes words don’t seem to be enough to allow something to be fully and truly experienced. There can be an intellectual knowing that is so strong it fools you into believing you really know what something feels like.

Aaaaah… these are exciting times indeed! Right now I’m almost entirely focused on what it is to practice unconditional love and acceptance. And I don’t mean knowing that’s what to aim for, or talking about the importance of it, or practicing it on occasion and intending to more frequently. I’m talking about practicing it by default, all the time, and how this may be possible whilst living in the material world and facing the constant, potent, brain-washing that we aren’t and never will be good enough.

A new way of manifesting has presented itself to me. Factually nothing new, but some fundamental reconditioning is needed if I’m going to successfully test it out. It does feel like taking another risk, because it’s quite a significant change to techniques I’d been using. I may have to invest several days or weeks in meditation, but it feels like the final key and if I don’t go with it now I sense I’ll just return to this point in weeks, months or years to come, having wasted time manifesting situations that aren’t quite right.

This morning a piece of channelled guidance received 18mths ago finally fell into place, feeling like a scientific breakthrough… It appears the student is now ready to receive the full teaching. I can’t wait to share more detail, but as with the whole premise of Leap of Faith I’m more interested in sharing proof from my own experience than talking theory. And that, I feel, is where the real value is.

The 21 day period is drawing to a close. I thought I’d be writing like a demon morning, noon and night, but I haven’t.

A few days in I hit a bit of a crisis point. It was a moment when deepest feeling suggested nothing was going the way I wanted it to and yet intellectually I knew it wasn’t all bad. I followed the feeling anyway, and in a moment of despair silently urged the universe to throw me a lifeline…

Within 2 hours a relatively new acquaintance popped up online and I entered into a general conversation with him. Within another hour I received an unprompted, spontaneous offer of help with the book. I now feel I have someone to work with, who can be sounding board, offer publishing support and advice, help me keep focused and establish useful connections.

So my focus switched as a result of that new connection. I wrote a status report on the project and my intentions with the book, along with things I was currently finding challenging. Panning back to look at the bigger picture I could become more business like again, and in turn feel more solid and comfortable with the value of the Leap project and how I’m investing my time.

One of the things I realised, despite the amount of work I’ve done, I’m still hampered by self-doubt and perhaps fear of failure. I do believe that if you do what you love the money will follow. And to a certain extent I’ve already proven that to myself, although not in the way of a solid income. And to live in this world in the way I desire, that is what I need to do.

Also, despite knowing that my best inspiration and creativity flows out of stillness, I still wake up with a gnawing sense that immediate action is needed, that I need to be productive every waking moment. And any writing I do feels effortful.

So today I decided to embrace nothingness, to allow my mind to drift and imagine how I want things to turn out. Investing time in picturing the end result  and allowing inspired action to flow out of that. And that if I was to actually ‘do’ anything, that it would only be because I was drawn to. In other words, stepping into flow where everything is natural and effortless. This is the state I’m most likely to receive insights about steps to take now or in the future.

I picked up a 2007 edition of Puzzler that was lying around and took it outside to sit in the sun and do a crossword or two. Feeling quite pleased with myself for electing to do ‘nothing of value’ at a time when I’m feeling the pressure, every hour of every day, to earn an income. Must be something to do with being back in the UK…

The first page I turned to was called double cross. You complete one grid with answers to clues and then transfer the letters into another grid to reveal a quotation. I only filled in a few answers before having a bash at the quotation. The first word of the quote came out as ‘Nollow’ – strongly suggesting something was a bit awry with my answers. It was enough however for me to work out the proper answers, and reveal possibly the best synchronistic message I could’ve received today:

“Follow your dreams, believe in yourself and don’t give up and you will achieve success in what you set out to do.”

A few days ago I drove a stake into the ground, with force and conviction, and marked it as the time to finally take action in relation to career and earnings. First I must pour my energy into writing the books and then find contract work to cover basic living expenses and continue funding the project.

For the writing part, the tarot deck offered clear guidance in The World card – this showing me a bubble that I would exist within for a period of 21 days. With the outer world safely outside the wreath, just one item in each hand, and plenty of space around me, this would be my opportunity to rediscover the delicious glide of creative flow.

It just so happened that the 21 days fitted perfectly between breaking the fast and an event I want to attend at the end of the month. On the day of entering the bubble I decided to do a walking meditation in part of the gardens here at the cottage, before I sat down to begin.

As I descended the steps to the garden I discovered it was elliptic shape, just like the area depicted on the card. I took off my shoes, stepped into the ellipse and onto the wet grass. To symbolise a transition into a more focused space I then circled the garden 3 times before returning indoors to begin.

I’ve now commandeered a small lounge room at one end of the cottage to be my creative space for this period. The table I sit at looks out onto the gardens, it’s blissfully quiet and there’s an open fireplace in the room that I can use. On paper, it really is the most idyllic setting I can imagine for the purpose of writing a book. The only thing I need now for all to fall into place is that wonderful, magical flow… 

Detoxing can be great for clearing body and mind of blocks, for emotional release and spiritual opening, as well as the obvious physical benefits. So it felt like a great way to prepare to knuckle-down to writing, to re-generate the magical creative flow I had some weeks ago, so I can finally make some decent headway on the What Happened..? series and accompanying book Discovering the Heart.

As I write I’ve just entered day 6. Each day has consisted of making 3 fresh juices, a broth for the evening, and administering a litre of warm coffee as an enema twice a day. (By the way for many reasons it’s best to do a detox of this kind under the instruction of a professional, so the above is not an instruction!) The week has been really interesting so far. Have felt much elation, incredible lightness, and emotional states have come and gone in a very fluid and undistruptive way. It’s been one of my best experiences so far, perhaps the 6th or 7th time I’ve gone through the process.

Yesterday, whilst alone at my parents’ house dog sitting, I finally took out my Tarot and Goddess Oracle cards to get some guidance on my financial and career situation. And with this I really began to open up, the insights there have been fantastic, encouraging and very clear. Towards the end of this session I received a voice text on the landline from my sister.

It said, ‘Raht meht, whasson.’

This directly translates to ‘Alright mate, what’s on?’ and in the Queen’s english, ‘Hello, how are you? What are you doing at the moment?’

Over the years we’ve developed a written language between us that relates to the Devonshire dialect where we grew up, and supposes how those words should be spelt. And there’s something really satisfying about using it.

Also, I just love voicetexts. Going back about 5 years I actually made a short film based on an audio soundtrack using a voicetext dialogue between Tom Baker (who actually was the authentic voice at times back then) and the posh woman you generally get. It involved footage of a kids football team and was rather obscure, but a brilliant creative journey and one that was so fulfilling. Sadly it didn’t get completed due to technical difficulties (downloading voicetext to computer) and by the time I got equipment that might work Tom had disappeared for good.

The combination of receiving that text, and being very open, led to an unexpected surge of creativity in a way I’d never quite experienced and had no idea existed. It was like reawakening a dormant passion with low investment and high reward, in terms of very quick and simple entertainment.

The flow of words that came out of me was instant and surprising, like I was channelling an MC or rapper. I’ve never written like that, or ever felt inclined, in a humorous or serious way. At the start it was just funny, imagining how certain lines would sound and eventually testing it out. But there was something about the instantaneousness of the prose, and the rhyming, that was such pure flow it left me absolutely ecstatic – not unlike the flow I dropped into a couple of months back with the book.

I’m so excited to be back in touch with this part of my mind that’s alert and fluid with effortless prose. As I tried to sleep last night, line after line was rolling off my mind, for 2 hours the light was going on and off as I wrote and attempted to sleep. And this is how the flow is when I really get going. It’s so nourishing and energising, but nothing else much gets a look in, including food and sleep!

So yeah, amazing things can happen when fasting. I’ve discovered my alter-ego, the voicetext rapper - I wonder if he’ll still exist when I start eating again. I can imagine sitting around with my family with him in play, the humour fits perfectly with our collective dynamic. Not sure about any of my other friends. It seems to fit more with a younger generation, hanging out at a mate’s house getting stoned, talking crap, passing time in a haze of bliss and humour. I don’t tend to move (or shake) in those circles any more. Far too grown up for that malarky!

Anyway, I hope he is still around when I break the fast. Apart from the entertainment, it could be a method of tapping into creative flow I can use for something more worthy. I hope his existence is more to do with the clearing of blocks and high intake of vitamins, than the litre of coffee I’ve been firing up my backside twice a day. And nothing to do with the fact that fasting has made me go a bit la la. I mean, I do feel slightly cuckoo, but in an entirely delightful way. But just in case, now that I’ve finished my dog sitting duties, I think I’d better head back to the cottage before my parents call the men in white coats…

There’s loads to share and yet for some reason I haven’t been in the space to sit down and write, even the daily journalling has fallen by the wayside. Part of this could be because I haven’t actually ‘settled’ yet, even though I’ve fully acclimatised to being back in the UK. In truth a lot has happened during the last 5 weeks, most of it wonderful…

As soon as I landed in the UK I went straight to Cornwall to be with family. The first week was spent sleeping a lot, being cooked for, and slowly adapting to TV, multiple conversations, and being surrounded by clutter. Sensory overload or what? A rural retreat was calling and I was feeling self-imposed pressure to write, so I was soon off to view accommodation in a village that seemed it could be rather special. All too soon I committed to moving in, planning to first go to Puravida at Osho Leela following the Osho link.

The second week I started to feel the magic of synchronicity again as I returned to Bristol to take care of practical matters, face yet more belongings, dance & then unexpectedly rediscover my singing voice. The latter led me to hear about a singing camp - something I never knew existed and felt undeniably drawn to. It conflicted with my prior decisions and commitments but upon reading the flyer ‘you don’t need to be a singer, just come if your heart calls you’ I felt strongly I had to go.

During the third week I agonised about having made decisions ahead of time knowing deep down that I still needed to relax, go moment by moment, and trust I’d soon come across a great place to live. Money worries were up in my face again because I’d thrown away a week’s rent to put up a tent and join a community of 90 singers on Dartmoor. I realised I was experiencing a conflict of interests - wanting to rent space in a rural retreat to focus on writing, but also be free to run around visiting friends and having fun, without working or earning at the same time. After a couple of days the anguish melted away and was in no doubt I’d made the best decision to attend the singing camp.

Going into week four I was half way through the camp. I was absolutely loving the daily harmonies and bathing in the fresh water plunge pool, feeling a wonderful sense of belonging and feeling my whole body raise in vibrations, my heart open and sing. Since the first 12 months was all about uncovering my heart’s desire and the focus has now shifted to creating a life with what I’ve discovered, I wasn’t expecting another new passion to emerge. As well as reminding me again how important a sense of belonging and community is, the experience showed me how I’d dismissed singing for the last 20yrs as some form of melodic shouting that I did for my own entertainment in the car or shower. I shan’t be queueing up for X-Factor but I do intend to take my voice somewhere, first stop is a local choir group. 

Since returning from the camp just over a week ago I’ve spent much of my time drifting around in a state of bliss. So many wonderful connections were made, some very special, and I’m taking time to see how certain elements of the experience can exist in my situation ongoing.

I finally moved into the cottage I committed to earlier and it’s really beautiful here, very idyllic. The urge to go off and do other things still exists and as of yesterday I’ve booked a place at the tantra festival at Osho Leela, working a 4hr day to reduce cost and allow me to do one of two workshops each day. So I will get my dose of Osho after all.

The Swedish link is also still alive and well. I’ve since heard from another old friend there from another era, so reasons to go seem to be mounting. Not for a while though. I must at least finish the What Happened series before I go overseas again, the one thing I’m passionate about that can be a channel for financial abundance to flow.

Even though I know I can live in abundance without pursuing an income I’m growing a little tired of not having one. And perhaps one of the reasons why there isn’t one is because I believe, think, and say things like that! With the absence of a mentor one must facilitate oneself mustn’t one…?!

So what I meant to say was: I’ve really loved the freedom of investing in such an enjoyable and rewarding project, choosing to only do what I love and trusting that the money I need to continue living a fulfilling life will follow. I’m curious to know how that will manifest and I’m enjoying exploring the unknown with an open mind and heart, letting it all unfold in it’s own sweet time and seeing what magic the universe will weave next…  

Last night, as I was talking to the friend in Sweden, the topic of coincidences came up. Coincidences is a popular word, but for what it represents I think it appears too dismissive. It rather brushes off the potential meaning behind the connection of people and events. Synchronicity is a much better word I feel, for it accepts and embraces the truth that everything is connected, leading the way for magic and miracles to happen.

Once I set out on the road 9 months ago to put theory to the test, and was able to be open and sense some trust in the universe, I found some really mind-blowing things occurred. Some things have been written about already, but I felt compelled to share a few samples here of naturally occurring opportunities during a 3 month period last year.

In St Lucia I received a personal invite to Balenbouche estate, the place on the top of my list to visit, because my trip around the island went ‘wrong’ and I ended up stranded in the south. I ended up living there for a month.

My first connection to the sailing world, and sailing opportunity, happened as a result of a raw chocolate dessert made by a friend on my last night in Bristol.

A seemingly impossible rendevous came together because of a conversation with the security guard at a hotel I chose to stay in, after hours of internet research had turned up nothing.

An all expenses paid trip from one end of the caribbean to the other emerged as a result of registering on a networking website for sailors. No requests to travel in that direction had been posted.

I was offered a luxury yacht to stay on for a few days at christmas, simply from a passing conversation with a stranger about hotels in the area.

This is just a brief description of what the universe provided during the first year of experimentation. All were delivered as part of a chain of events triggered by an intuitive pull to visit the Caribbean. There was no plan, since I had no idea why I was going there. I just went, trusting that all would work out and I wouldn’t have to return after 2 or 3 weeks when my money ran out.

Full details are being documented in a series called What Happened  – a set of 7-8 stories that form a cross between a tale of spiritual development, a travel log, and an adventure story. The book previously mentioned, called Leap of Faith: Discovering the Heart, is likely to contain an abridged version of all stories.

Meanwhile, the story continues.