A Guiding Hand
A Guiding Hand is a set of cards taken from a book entitled ‘A guiding light’, in which these words and phrases are married together with images of the Northern Lights. These two aids – the set of cards and its sister book – emerged from a 10-year pilgrimage to the Artic Circle where I observed, photographed, and continually marvelled at the wonder that are the the Lights – the Aurora Borealis.
The words on each of the cards felt gifted and came from moments of deep contemplation whilst observing The Lights. I hope you will recognise how these few words and phrases and their associated images, are very pertinent to our present-day challenges and may offer insight and both personal and professional guidance.
My motivation in writing this blog came from a personal wish to further reflect upon and to translate these words and phrases into more practical guidance and so I wanted to deeply mine their value and aspire to discover and reveal their meaning.
I found myself one day deeply reflecting on all our lives as positive psychology practitioners today – and I decided to choose one of the cards – so I drew a single card from the pack – and proceeded then to write my first blog – letting these words inspire and reveal their practical guidance for the coach and coachee.
Having written one blog or conversation, I then decided to draw one card each week and repeat the process and each and every time of drawing the card, I held all of you and also myself in mind.
Maybe never more have we needed or sought a guiding hand, as in our present times in facing a myriad of personal and professional challenges as well as the crises and catastrophes of our times. My single intent and wish is to offer you through these weekly conversations … one such guiding hand.
Guiding Hand Cards
Do We Feed An Insatiable Appetite Or Soothe The Part That Hungers
In drawing this card, you are invited to look a little deeper into yourself. To consider who sits beneath your superficial awareness and how knowing this person may offer insight into what you may truly need. The words of the card talk about ‘feeding an insatiable...
Free From Logic, The Impossible Becomes Quite Plausible
This card invites you to recognise the limitation of overthinking and trying too hard to work things out and the wonderful opportunity that imagination and creativity offer you. The imagination can often be viewed and judged negatively as the ‘softer sister’ of...
Soul – That Which Longs To Live, Unhindered By Must, Should Or Ought
Consider how much the words ‘must, should, and ought’ impact and shape your current life. Do you always do, what you must, should, and ought? Consider this carefully and take time to respond. When we do what we ‘must, should, and ought’, we meet with expectation – the...
The Exit We Seek May Be An Entrance
I have always been interested in the symbolism of doorways. As a photographer, I loved taking photographs of different doorways that I am drawn towards and then I place the completed image on solid walls to create a new aperture, an imaginative way through and beyond...
Might Darkness Lighten Our Way
We often think that being in the dark is scary. As a light seeker, having travelled out and into the night many evenings with the hope of catching sight of the elusive Aurora Borealis, I have learned how to befriend the dark. The night may not be the void that we...
Trying Less, Discovering More
The world can sometimes feel like a real effort as we strive hard to be better. Whether we seek a bigger home, a better job, or to have more for ourselves and or our family. Striving seems to be central to our everyday life and work. Wanting and having seem to be key...
Stillness Moves
All of us want to change and grow, but how do you enable this prospect? What are the times when you have grown the most in your life? Take some moments to name these times if you will… Consider what has been essential to your growth during these times. What vital...
Knowing What Locks, Frees
A Guiding Hand episode In taking this photograph of the Northern Lights I had to scramble in the dark across rocks to get a good shot. Though at first the rocks were an unwanted and challenging obstacle, in the resulting photograph they take their place and are an...
What We Accept In Ourselves, We Accommodate In Others
A Guiding Hand episode Often when we speak about our developmental journey, we refer to the term growth. But, how in fact do we grow? Consider your own growth over time: What is or are your measures and yardsticks? Though it may not be immediately apparent, one of our...
Vulnerability – The Lost Piece That Completes Our Jigsaw
A Guiding Hand episode In the moment I took this photograph, the Northern Lights appeared to adopt an unusual shape in the sky, not unlike that of a jigsaw piece. This left me contemplating what if life were a jigsaw? What would be the ‘picture on the box’ and if and...
Perfection – The Only Goal We Complete After Life
A Guiding Hand episode Let’s start with a question: If, and how well, do you know the perfectionist in you? For many years I have worked as a coach enabling others to deepen knowledge of themselves and to make vital developmental choices fostering growth whilst...
We Live Superficial Lives, Longing For Depth
A Guiding Hand episode How much of our lives do we live on the surface? Presenting only a fraction of who we really are to the world outside and those we meet? When we become busy and feel the pressures of the world, we commonly experience the emotions of anxiety,...
True Power Is Realised In Letting Go Of Control
A Guiding Hand episode When I took this photograph the Northern Lights were strong and powerful and were being brought to earth, or earthed as if there was some huge lightening conductor. I recall musing about power as I took this image and then the phrase of words...
Finding The Answer Be Relinquishing The Search
A Guiding Hand episode Our lives may often feel problematic because we are largely engaged in getting to the answer. The self to which we most commonly revert, especially when under pressure, is an avid problem solver. Rapidly seeking to judge right from wrong, this...
Wisdom – Intelligence Of Whole Unhindered By What We Know In Part
A Guiding Hand episode We all wish to be wise and place enormous value on those around us who show wisdom. But what is wisdom? And are we able to find it? Without doubt, most of us may spend our lives searching. The photograph of the Aurora Borealis shows a vast...
To Quicken, First Slow
A Guiding Hand episode A key theme that may be emerging is How often do we take time to rest in our daily working lives? Do our homes have sanctuary spaces – where we can ‘put up our feet‘– reflect, contemplate, and restore? The little red boat in the associated image...
At The Heart Of Winter The Promise Of Spring
A Guiding Hand episode One of our themes through a ‘Guiding Hand’ is how much we can learn about human nature from Nature herself. And not unlike Nature, we may too experience ‘seasons of self’’. Consider the times when it feels like you are experiencing your own...
Silence Fills As We Empty
A Guiding Hand episode The world in which we live, and work can be a busy and noisy place. This distracts our attention, and we become unfocused, unclear, and dispersed. It’s important to remember that our quality of attention determines how we see, for whatever we...
In The Dark Confines Of The Chrysalis We Hatch Our Wings
A Guiding Hand episode How many times do we find ourselves in the darkness? Statements like ‘I am a little in the dark’, are not uncommon when we are feeling lost and unsure of the way forward. As a ‘Light Seeker’, one wishing to experience and photograph the Northern...