The other day, an email appeared in my inbox entitled ‘A message from the Universe.’ It had come via my dear friend Kath Forster in Johannesburg. Every so often she sends out these inspirational words that always hit the spot at just the right time... as you will see as you read on.

“It’s ok to sizzle sometimes It's got nothing to do with being a perfect, goody-goody, selfless, sacrificing, spiritual saint. Blah! That whole characterization was meant for a different audience at a different time, and they really had issues. It's got everything to do with being yourself, trusting the magic, following your heart, dreaming big, and having fun. Hosanna in the highest, The Universe”

As you will know from my last blog post, I’ve found that the image of healing and spirituality can be rather off putting to ‘outsiders’ and almost impossible to live up to. So often those of us on the spiritual path are expected to be ever so goody-goody and frowned upon if we enjoy a good party and a glass or bottle of wine to celebrate over or give in to a moody bad hair day. How on earth can you be pure, a healer or a spiritual inspiration if you don’t fit the mould? Aren’t we meant to spend our time in meditation, shun the joys of life and sail through life’s challenges? Well, I think it is time we all woke up. The time has come to lift ourselves out of this inbred misconception and to let go of our ancestral prejudices and to open our hearts and minds to just being ourselves.

Now this is where it gets fun!

On Sunday it was the Gay Pride parade and party all the way along Copacabana beach. My husband and I went along and it really was the most fantastic party! Oh boy we had such fun! Despite the rain, there was an atmosphere of celebration and openness, excitement and friendliness. For almost 4 hours we danced our way along the beach, passing the different floats with their own music blaring out across Copacabana bay and beating its vibration through us.

What struck me most, was that it wasn’t just the gay communities out on the street, it was a mass gathering of souls, who were open enough to just celebrate their being alongside each other and to revel in their uniqueness. Hundreds of thousands of people dancing in the rain along the beach front and not one whiff of aggression or prejudice. Wonderful. Even the street vendors of drinks and food were dancing and celebrating and enjoying being part of the spectacle.

Of course there were some brilliant characters! An eclectic mix of feathered angel wings and swimming trunks, sparkling spandangled dresses and platform boots, aviator glasses and extrovert make up. How liberating it must be to freely express yourself! Free of inhibitions and standing true to yourself in the face of public scorn, bias and scrutiny.

We have a lot to learn from these wonderful souls!

So why don’t we all take ourselves a step closer to living as a spiritual being. Drop the old fashioned barriers and beliefs and accept and love ourselves for who we are ... and love and accept our neighbours for who they are. It really is that simple. And then we can all live together as one... and happily ever after!

And one step closer to unity is to come and join the movement towards unity by signing Humanity's Team’s Oneness Day petition. There are over 20,000 signatures already, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Yoko Ono. Spreading the message of oneness around the world is only the beginning...

Have a magical week! Sally x

PS: My camera went to sleep before the party even got going... so you'll have to use your imagination.

by Sally Teixeira

Now, in my previous post I was still enjoying the depths of Southern Ireland, but before I move on to my exploits on the Great Wall of China earlier in August, and my upcoming workshop in Falkirk in October, I just want to share the story of the great 24 hours that Chris Stormer-Fryer and I had in Belfast with the lovely Caroline in July. Read On...

Something quite incredible happened yesterday here in Rio de Janeiro. While my husband and I were on our way to our favourite cafe, for our weekend coffee and freshly baked croissants, we passed by an insignificant bed of quite tall yellow flowers, seemingly uncared for at the edge of the patterned pavement.

The streets are always busy with a multitude of cars and people and tranquil is not a word I would use to describe the ambience. But as we were picking our way down the uneven black and white paving something flashed by me. At first I thought it was a large dragonfly and I was curious to try and follow its path and find it in the flowers. Read On...

A warm and Universal welcome to Penni du Plessis! Penni joins us from South Africa and brings the magic and wonder of colour to our pages. Penni is an inspirational speaker and teacher and has an amazing understanding of colour and its benefits on the human psyche as well as the physical and emotional bodies.  She runs regular workshops, does talks or mini workshops in the corporate world and trains therapists. Read On...

As you can see, a great time was had by all! From the left, meet uncle Isvan, my mother-in-law Elisabeth, yes, me and my husband Eloi! Considering this was Caio’s 6th Birthday party (my husband’s nephew) I think us adults had a pretty good time too! It was only when the effects of the copious amounts of beer had worn off that I really saw the photo. And it made me think about a few things. Read On...

There really couldn't be a better example of extremes.  The wintry, frosty chill of the UK and the overwhelming heat and humidity smothering Rio de Janeiro just now.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  North, south, hot, cold, east, west, rain or shine,  there is no separation.  There is only an expression of the same, according to where you are, your belief systems and your personal experiences.  Read On...

Isn't the world an incredible place!  From one day to the next our outer environment can change dramatically as we travel across Mother Earth's deepest oceans and over her highest mountains.  We can wonder at the marvels we see and we can soak up the experiences and sensations along the way. In the run up to Christmas, my husband Eloi and I did just this.  We landed in Bangkok, a city of glittering palaces and temples, with aromatic incense infusing the air around the numerous golden statues of Buddha. Read On...

Tomorrow is a very special date. It’s the 16th of December and it's my mother, Pim Claridge’s birthday… so Happy Birthday Mum! Lots of love winging its way from the sunny beaches of Rio de Janeiro all the way up to the frosted hills of the Scottish Borders. Read On...

Welcome to December, the month of frivolities, material madness and overindulgence… in other words, Christmas! As always at the beginning of the month we have Steve Judd’s comprehensive sun sign forecasts to enlighten you (below), and don’t forget that in the run up to New Year we’ll be featuring a Special Yearly forecast for 2009. Isn’t time just flying by! Read On...

When I lived in the UK, I used to dread Sundays. They seemed to be the longest, most boring day of the week. But it’s a very different story here in Rio. Yesterday, it may have been cloudy, rainy and dare I say it … chilly, but my husband and I still stepped out and headed up to Ipanema for our Sunday cup of coffee and croissant.

On Sundays, the main dual carriageway backing Ipanema and Copacabana beach is closed off to traffic and when the sun shines, it is always teeming with joggers, walkers, skateboarders, roller-bladers and very happy dogs! Everyone is out and about, enjoying the sun and keeping themselves in shape. Today, though, was different. Read On...

Do you remember that famous line from The Wizard of Oz? As Dorothy clicked together the heels of her sparkly red shoes, closed her eyes and wished herself back home, she was transported through the swirling vortex and in the next instant there she was, back in her old familiar bedroom. Well it wasn’t quite as quick a journey for me, but I did finally get home to Rio late on Thursday night! Read On...

So there I was in LA last week with a day to fill. After a productive stint on the internet, I decided to pay a visit to the legendary Queen Mary cruise ship which is moored at Long Beach. It was a beautiful sunny day and as I stepped out on the street the sun’s rays warmed up my chilled air-conditioned body and I congratulated myself on ‘getting up off my backside’ to go and do something. Read On...

Yes they did. When my friend here in Kuala Lumpur asked if I’d like to go the city’s new Kenko Fish Spa I wondered what on earth she was talking about. “It’s a type of reflexology by fish,” she replied with a twinkle in her eye, knowing that as a reflexologist my curiosity would get the better of me. “Well, I’m game if you are!” I said, and there was no turning back. Read On...

Sometimes it’s not until we consciously jump off our roller-coaster rides that we discover we’ve neglected the most important thing in our lives… ourselves.  ‘The early bird gets the worm’ and ‘you snooze you lose’ were part of my upbringing and, being the perfectionist that I am, makes it all the harder to let go and relax.  But I had promised myself to take time out after a very hectic month and this weekend, I did kind of manage it!  Read On...

What a wonderful way to spend an autumnal weekend!  Back in my home city of Edinburgh, I spent Saturday and Sunday with the lovely souls attending my Universal reflexology workshop... you know, the one I might possibly have mentioned once or twice over the last couple of weeks!

Well you can relax now, it was a great success (pics below)... which means I’m now free to mention my forthcoming Belfast Workshop dates on the 31st October, 1st & 2nd November!  In other news... Read On...

Today I’m back in Scotland and preparing to share the Universal Techniques in Reflexology over the weekend.  These techniques are not mine, they come from the Universe (as shared by Chris Stormer) and I am truly honoured to have her blessing and support as I help pass on these healing techniques around the world.  I don’t know if I will sleep much tonight but it’ll be for reasons of excitement and anticipation rather than nerves! Read On...

Blowing in the Wind.

Today I’m on my way back to the UK from Newark, USA, and yet it was only this time last month that I was on the warmer west coast of the States and caught up in the centrifugal energies of Chris Stormer’s wonderful wedding whirlwind in wacky Las Vegas! Read On...