Universal Travel Angels!

Yesterday, I left my lovely husband and my adopted home of Rio de Janeiro to begin my alternate reality of flying the world's skies. It is never easy to leave and this day was no exception, with it pouring with rain and huge traffic jams on the drive out to the airport. We made it though, and there wasn't time for prolonged goodbyes, which was actually a blessing in disguise.

My subdued mood was reflected in the low cloud and muggy rain and it wasn't until I got through to the departure gates that I found out that all flights had been grounded due to the inclement weather. "No problem," I thought to myself, "I have almost 6 hours till my connecting flight to London leaves from Sao Paulo," and I settled down to read and muse, and text my husband. Time passed and absolutely nothing was happening. But it was ok, I had plenty of time for a little weather delay. But still nothing happened and now they started announcing that nothing would happen. I looked at my watch ... but I still had over 4 hours to get there and its only a hop, skip and a 45 minute flight, so there was nothing to worry about. Finally about an hour and a half hour later a whole host of flights started being called and mine was one of them. "Cool," I thought to myself "I knew I had nothing to worry about" and off I went to board the plane.

But we just sat there. Firstly it was 30 minutes delay ... and then silence ... and then I think they just didn't dare say anything, because I overheard the crew saying in Portugese that we had no departure time at all. Now I began to get worried. I had less 3 hours before check in closed in Sao Paulo. I started to make all the calculations of what time check in would close, how long it would take for my bags to arrive off this flight, how long the flight would actually be to Sao Paulo and when we would have to take off at the very latest for me to be able to catch my flight. Mmmmmm....

But the angels were already looking after me because all of a sudden I saw a lovely lady who had come to me for reflexology and so we passed some time chatting and I was so grateful for her presence. But we were soon dispatched back to our seats as the crew decided to offer us drinks to appease the growing unrest in what felt like an increasingly small cabin. By now well over an hour had passed and it was definately time to ask for some angelic assistance. "Please angels, help this flight leave at 2pm" and I put my heart and soul into my simple request. That gave them a little time to get things going and I thought I handed my fate over to the Universe. Well 2pm came and went and I was surprised that we were still sitting on the tarmac, because I was so sure the angels had heard me. "Ok, if I am still here at 2.45pm then I will offload myself from the flight because there is no way I can make my connection," and I phoned my husband to tell him the story. Only then did I completely let go and give up worrying ... what was the point!

Within 20 minutes the aircraft door had closed and we were pushing back and on our way to Sao Paulo! As I sent up huge amounts of love and gratitude to the angels, they replied with a wonderful loving whooosh of goosebumps and I knew everything was going to be ok.

And so it was ... until I ran up to the check in desk in Sao Paulo, in raptures that I had made it in time, only to find out that the London flight was completely full and my staff ticket just might not get me back into the northern hemisphere afterall...

Tune in again for the next instalment of my adventures with the Universal Travel Angels ... it's not over yet!

Earth Heal Equinox Event

Edna Spennato is facilitating an Earth Heal, Group Distant Healing Event on the 21st March, which is the Equinox and Mayan New Year. People all around the world will be combining their healing energy for the highest good of all. During the treatment process, each participant will be worked on individually and as part of the group, and will assist the planetary healing by anchoring the healing energy in their part of the world, and releasing disharmonic energies no longer needed, on an individual and collective level.

This is an opportunity to harmonise with the solar cycle, and to utilise the powerful incoming energies available for personal and planetary healing on this special day.

New participants will need to get their details and pics to Edna via e-mail before the event, so if you are interested in taking part, please e-mail Edna right away to receive information on how to be included. Email: ednaspennato@gmail.com

For more information visit http://earthheal.blogspot.com/ and Universally Rio's Upcoming Events Page.

We're Live!

I still find it so exciting to send out Universally Rio's latest edition! First there is the flutter of butterflies, then I imagine it winging its way through the internet ether into everyones inbox, waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by all. It usually takes a couple of days for the responses to start coming in, and there is nothing more fulfilling than hearing that we have touched someones heart or ignited a dormant spark of interest through one of our articles.

We have a wonderfully abundant edition for March and April and it has been a delight to put it all together and to get to know our latest family members. Remember this space is for you, so if there is something you would like us to feature, or you would like to share with us, then our door is always open!

And a huge thank you to all this months contributors ... you are amazing!

Lots of love, Sally xx

Email me anytime! sally@universallyrio.com

Sheer Joy!

One thing I was reminded of when I was in Dubai, was how to revel in the joy of the moment!
How often do we let ourselves get bogged down with everyday life and forget to smile, laugh and have fun. There are opportunities within every minute of the day to shrug off our burdens and to let our spirit free to soar ... if only we just remember to do it! You don't have to be out in the Dubai desert, on holiday or in a special place to do it, you can skip down your high street or dance as you do the washing up and there is absolutely nothing to stop you doing it.

So go on, throw yourself into the moment and find the sheer joy of just being alive ... it is there within you, just waiting to be invited out to play! Yipeee!!

Meeting Amy

One of the many highlights of my stay in Dubai, was meeting Amy. On the very first night that I spent in her room, my dreams were filled with images of her as I felt her powerful presence connect with me. Although I rarely saw her move, her energy filled the room and I found myself saying "good morning" and "goodnight" and I always said "hello" whenever I came into the room.

It wasn't until my last night in Dubai that I actually asked if I could take her out. What a truly incredible experience that was. Her seemingly inaminate body became vibrant and strong and I was transfixed by her grace, peace and subtle strength. I couldn't put her down, and I felt my whole energy lift and expand as we interacted. One minute sitting peacefully together, the next minute she was weaving her beautiful body up around mine. It felt like a joining of hearts.

Snakes represent transformation and there is no doubt in my mind that Amy brought about a change in me over that week.

Thank you Amy, it was an honour to meet you!

Universally United through Rei-flexology!

What an amazing 5 days we had as we shared in the wonders of Rei-flexology with Chris Stormer!

Over the short time that we spent together on the seminar in Dubai, we formed a deep bond of friendship that will stand the test of time and distance. We are forever connected by the wonderful experiences we shared in through this powerful and beautiful approach to reflexology.

The great news is that Chris and myself have already been invited to run the Rei-flexology and Language of the Feet course in Egypt and in the meantime I will be teaching a 2-day introductory course to Universal Reflexology in April in Elgin, Scotland.

A huge thank you to our organiser Graça Ward and to the very special souls who made it such a magical experience!

From left to right: Mona, Dawn, Jo, Sue, Chris, Graça and Sally

Lots of love to you all! xx

Chris and Sally in Dubai!

Ah, the Universe has worked its wonders again to bring myself and Chris together in Dubai! We are having such an amazing time and meeting some wonderful people along the way. Every day brings incredible experiences and the special souls who are learning the techniques of Rei-flexology with us this week are blossoming, flourishing, re-discovering their true selves ... and having so much fun! Just as we are too! When we finished our session this afternoon, we headed down to Jumeirah beach and revelled in the joy of feeling the sand between our toes as we paddled in the cooling, clear waters.

Why not come and join us for the Language of the Feet seminar on Saturday and Sunday ... it is going to be an amazing weekend!

Contact Graça Ward: gracaward@yahoo.com or phone: (00 971) 50 5659048

Chris Stormer in Dubai!

Chris is presenting her amazing seminars in Dubai! Do you live in Dubai or have friends or family there? This is an opportunity too good to miss! Come along and be enlightened as to the messages your feet can reveal and discover how your feet can take you towards optimum health, happiness and fulfilment!

REI-FLEXOLOGY – THE UNIVERSAL APPROACH TO MASSAGING THE FEET

Saturday 16th February – Wednesday 20th February

THE LANGUAGE OF THE FEET

Saturday 23rd – Sunday 24th February

For bookings and queries please e-mail Graça Ward: gracaward@yahoo.com

Take care of the most precious gifts you have ... You and Your Health!

Tagged!

Ok, I admit it ... I let myself be tagged in order to go round the aquarium at Atlantis! Truth be known, my Mum and I had great fun as we wandered through the Atlantis underworld experience. Giant mantarays glided past us and shoals of exotic, shiny silver fish caught the sun shining in from the surface. The whole complex was created to feel like the ancient submerged city of Atlantis and there were even clusters of quartz crystals melded into the passageway walls! My favorite part was the surreal beauty of the jellyfish as their ruffles and petticoats gracefully pulsated through the water.

So after my initial horror and embarrassment at having to be tagged with a wristband, I relaxed into the wonders of Mother Nature's marine marvels!

Atlantis!

Love it or hate it ... you just can't help but be in awe of it! The sheer size, scale and opulence is overwhelming! It may not be my cup of tea but for the many hundreds of thousands of people who flock here all year round, it lives up to its name of Paradise Island. Acres of sculpted pools, fake beaches, water slides, row upon row of sunchairs, loudspeaker announcements and the most ginormous chandeliered casino ...

Give me a natural deserted beach any day!!

Lots of love from Nassau xx

You Never Know!

"So, why don't you come with me?" It was an innocent enough question but the Universe knew otherwise! "Well, ok then!" came the reply and before we knew it we were navigating our way through airline website booking systems, phoning dog kennels and madly throwing clothes into suitcases ... and it has to be said that we knocked back a little brandy and ginger ale too!

There is nothing quite like the exhiliaration of a last minute decision and I love the fact that my mother has such a great sense of adventure! Yes, we are off to Nassau and even though I am working on this trip, she is going to escape from the grey, wet UK and revel in a well earned break ... and we are going to have such... fun!!

Watch out Nassau and watch this space!

Animal Magic!

Yvette Eastman sent me some wonderful pictures of 'animal magic' and I just had to share this one with you. In Yvette's words, it really is an "Aaaaaw" moment!

Looking at how comfortable and peaceful the dog and kitten are together it made me realize that we can learn a lot from animals. Cats and dogs are traditionally supposed to be 'enemies' but this photograph shows that it doesn't have to be so. Where there is no ego involved there is no need for conflict or hatred ... love and peace are free to flourish. It really is that simple.

Life in the Laugh Lane

Universally Rio's Healing with Laughter columnist, Terry Anne Scholes, will be speaking at the UK Guild of Hypnotist Examiners Annual Conference at the Palm Court Hotel in Scarborough on Friday 18th January. She is delighted to be the opening speaker and she will be presenting 'Life in the Laugh Lane' to delegates from all around the UK.

We wish her an abundance of success and I am sure she will have everyone revelling in the joy of laughter. What a great way to open a conference!

From out of nowhere ...

Tuesday evening, in Rio de Janeiro ..

All of a sudden the wind picked up and huge forceful gusts blew up the streets from the beach and blasted us with millions of tiny grains of sand. Traffic lights, sign posts, and trees were shuddering under the strain and anything that wasn't securely fixed into the ground, was twirled high into the sky. The sky darkened to an eerie grey and then the rain came. Huge drops that felt as if they were being thrown down from the heavens. Then just as quickly as it started, it stopped. And the eerie clouds lifted to reveal a magnificent golden sky.

There is nothing quite as beautiful as Mother Nature!

On the beach!

Yesterday morning I went down to the beach for my morning walk and it was already buzzing with activity! It is the summer holidays here in Rio and the lifeguards were holding a morning of 'Lifeguard Classes' for the kids. There were separate groups for different ages, from toddlers to teens and each group had about 30 kids, with all of them dressed in flourescent orange. They were having the time of their lives! They ran relay races with seaweed for a baton, they rolled in the sand, they did press ups, raced in and out of the water, and jogged along the beach, singing and clapping along in time. Each group had at least 2 of Rio's finest lifeguards to show them the ropes and they were enjoying themselves just as much as the kids were!

What a wonderful way for the kids to spend their morning and it was a delight for me to watch and feel part of. Oh I love Rio de Janeiro!

London Venue Needed!

Hello!
Do any of you lovely people know of a suitable venue in London for running holistic workshops?
Yvonne Jevons of Rainbow Holistics is looking for a venue to run a training seminar in the Aromatherapy Raindrop technique. If you know of the perfect place or would even like to offer her your own space then please do get in touch with her. She is offering the training for free to the person who helps her bring this seminar into reality.

Many thanks from Yvonne!


Phone: 0131-339-6896
E-Mail: rainbowfeet@btinternet.com
http://www.rainbowholistics.com/

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Welcome to 2008 and the limitless possibilites ahead of us! I saw in the New Year on Copacabana beach with my husband, his family and about another 2 million revellers. It was the most fantastic night, with a combination of Brazilian Umbanda traditions and the wonders of modern day technology and awesome fireworks. The atmosphere was one of pure joy, exhilaration, fun and with people dressed in white as a message for peace.

I look forward to sharing an absolutely wonderful year with you all!

In love and light, Sally xx

PS. The full story will be in this month's edition of Universally Rio!

New Year's almost here!

Copacabana beach is already gearing up for New Year! Saturday night saw the start of the spiritual celebrations with esoteric and Umbanda groups heading down to the beach to leave their offerings, say prayers and connect with their saints. Flowers and candles lit up the beach and the night air was full of anticipation. New Year is also about paying homage to Iemanja, Queen of the Sea and her image is set off to sea in beautiful hand crafted boats.

I will be telling you all about the incredibly special atmosphere here in Rio de Janeiro as the Cidade Maravilhosa welcomes in 2008 with its magical Réveillon celebrations.

What can you see in this picture?

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas everyone!

I wish you all a wonderful day...

with lots of love from Rio de Janeiro

Sally x

Winter Solstice Wishes

This beautiful message is from Naturally U(niversal).

Dearest Friends & Lightworkers,
Wishing you & yours the Brightest of Blessings through this Winter Solstice, the Return of the Sun.x..
In deep thanks to all who have shared, supported & smiled with us. Namaste.x..
At this astronomical moment in time there are Blessings & Openings for us beyond our wildest dreams.
Simply think only upon that which you want, do not dwell one moment on what you don’t want.
Know there is no order of difficulty & all limits are placed upon yourself by what you believe to be so. Focus Create & Know. Let your words & your world reflect that Knowledge.
Hold your Vision & what it is that you Seek & it will be made Manifest to You in the Here & Now.
Time Collapses, Space Expands & so do YOU.x..
Peace, Love & Light to Guide you
Anni & Cindy x

Meet Lua McIlraith!

Universally Rio is delighted to introduce Lua McIlraith!


Lua lives in Dublin, Ireland and I first met her on the Soul Safari in March this year. We shared some amazing experiences out in the bush and I will never forget her beautiful singing voice being carried out across the ocean on the wind as she sang to the dolphins. What a magical time we had!

You can get to know Lua better through her profile in Around the World.

http://www.universallyrio.com/World/Lua%20McIlraith/lua_mcilraith.html

Welcome to Universally Rio Lua!

Christmas treatments!

Ann Ball, founder of Guru Holistics in Durham UK, is offering some special treatments in the run up to Christmas! What a wonderful way to prepare for the festive season!

CHRISTMAS WRAPPING

Algae body wrap with holistic facial 80 mins £30

ALL THAT GLITTERS

Reiki infused with crystals 55 mins £25

HOT TODDY

Reflexology with hot stone foot massage 55 mins £25

CHOCCOLICIOUS

Hot chocolate, mandarin and cinnamon massage 55 mins £25

For more information visit http://www.guruholistics.co.uk/

Where am I?

Where have I been these last few days?

It's called QRS. Quick Response Standby. Holed up in an airport hotel at the mercy of my employer's beeper... which gives me 45 minutes notice of having to be packed, in uniform and ready to join a crew and go to work. So for 2 days I sat on the edge of my chair, paced my room, couldn't sleep for fear that I wouldn't hear it go off, kept checking the screen to make sure it was still working ... and then finally on day 3, I am called out. Agh!

The adrenaline surge was tremendous and as with any mad dash, everything took twice as long and I couldn't get my case shut. A bit of brute force did it. Thrown in at the deep end, into one of 'those' busy, manic, 'don't even think about sitting down' flights, there really wasn't time to let my mind catch up with my body. One minute I was watching Fern and Phillip on This Morning and the next I was counting catering and coping with too much handbaggage for the already bulging overhead lockers.

That was yesterday, and today I wake up and I am in Accra, Ghana.

But do you know what? The Universe has weaved its magic again, because my new roster means I can join my mother and my brothers on her birthday and I will be back with my lovely husband in Rio by next weekend. Fantastic ... thank you!

It's snowing!

The first snow of the year has fallen! The day started off bitterly cold and as I was driving through the Scottish borders later this afternoon, the sky darkened and the snow clouds released their beautiful flakes. The snow instantly transformed the scenic route into a Christmas card and it filled my heart with joy to see the beauty of nature's winter coat. I don't care if it is cold, wet, windy and my fingers and toes are numb ... snow brings magic into our lives.

Embarrassed in Abuja!

So it was supposed to be an uneventful nightstop in Abuja, Nigeria. A shortish six hour overnight flight, a restful day and returning on the daylight flight early the next morning. We stay in a hotel that is notorious for its bright psychedelic colour scheme, and I was allocated a room on the green floor. No problems there, but I am still cringing and laughing at what happened that evening.

After an enjoyable work out at the gym I got back to my room and stood under a very hot shower for a very long time. Oooh, it was lovely! Blissfully high pressure, lots of heat and I was using the water to massage across my shoulders and to create a great little sauna for myself. But my bliss was interupted by a very loud and very persistant intermittent horn. Blaaaaaaaa - Blaaaaaaa - Blaaaaaaa. I tried to ignore it but then I panicked and thought I had better get some clothes on quick because it sounded as if the horn was coming from my room and not the corridor. Imagine my horror when I stepped out of the shower and realized that my lovely sauna had enveloped the whole of my room and that it was my fire alarm that was now alerting the whole hotel to the possibility of smoke and fire. I froze. Then it was even more of a mad panic to pull on clothes, any clothes I could lay my hands on (which turned out to be my pyjama bottoms that I had carelessly dropped on the floor earlier and my uniform jacket that was hanging right beside me) and I launched myself at the phone to try and alert reception to the non-emergency status of my room. Except the line was engaged. I tried the emergency only button but again it was engaged. There was nothing for it but to wait for the knocks at the door, and they didn't disappoint. They banged and shouted and bearing in mind that the alarm was still blaring and only a couple of minutes had actually passed, I was very impressed with their quick response. With my hair still a bedraggled mass full of shampoo, smudges of old mascara blackening my eyes, water dripping everywhere, and my arms clutching my jacket across my chest, I had to open the door to await the reaction of my rescuers. Of course I didn't even need to open my mouth because as soon as I opened my door, the steam billowed out into the corridor and the leader of my emergency response team, just gracefully flashed me a huge white smile and said "Madame was having a shower?" and he carried on grinning. "Yes," I replied, "I'm sorry," and I felt myself shrink into the floor. They were wonderfully polite and probably extremely relieved at the lack of real smoke and they turned on their heels, picked up the big emergency tool box and left me in peace to wallow in my embarrassement.

The spooky thing is that just before the alarm went off, I was thinking "I wonder if I should close the bathroom door" ...

Today!

Today, I had a breakthrough! I didn't have to drag myself out of bed. In fact, today was a very good day indeed.

It was a bright, chilly morning and I drove up to Edinburgh with the windows wide open to blow away any cobwebs and to breathe in the revitalizing and bracing Scottish air. I had an appointment to meet up with Annette who is eagerly offering up her feet to be read by Jane Sheehan for our January edition. Our mission was to take some up close and personal photographs of her feet ... and very interesting feet they are too! Standing up, sitting down, feet together, one foot, two feet, feet on the table, tops of feet, soles of feet and toes alone. Nothing was left to the imagination! It was only a short visit, but it was great fun to meet Annette again and I have to say that she also makes a great gluten free muffin!

Then it was back in the car and I headed off to eh9Design to meet with Marten, Universally Rio's webdesigner, for an afternoon of creative brainstorming. I love going to see him and each time I walk through his door I am welcomed into an atmosphere of relaxed, efficient tranquility and I'm continually impressed by the hugely, massively, awesome computer screen that he creates his magic on. We had a very productive afternoon, interspersed with much laughter as we tried out various special effects to help bring Christmas into UR's pages. But before we knew it, almost four hours and passed and it was time for me to go. My only 'disappointment' of the afternoon was that there were absolutely no biscuits at eh9Design ... but then again it was probably a blessing in disguise!

The Power of Intent

Kath Forster has sent in this fascinating link to the http://www.theintentionexperiment.com/. People from all around the world are participating in large scale experiments to test the power of intent through meditation, to bring about change in the physical world. Future experiments include subjects such as lowering crime rates, helping children to concentrate more and changing the pH of polluted water.

Imagine the amazing possibilities for the whole of mankind and our beautiful planet if we all started fulfilling our true potential and started working together for the greater good. There really is nothing standing in our way except our own limiting beliefs. There is no time like the present to start the tide of change ... so what's stopping you?!