Taylor Swift (Image: 63998659 = Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com)

In the current economic climate you could be forgiven for thinking that people might be calling about money worries, concerns about their jobs or their businesses. But in fact the majority of callers are still calling about relationship problems. Perhaps it is not surprising that above all else we value having someone special in our lives and what bothers us most in life is when these relationships are not running smoothly – this is something that binds us together as a universe – our desire to be happy and in love!

So then you might ask why have I chosen to talk about relationships after all Taylor Swift is only the tender age of 22 what can she possibly know about love – well actually quite a lot!

For those of you that don’t know Taylor Swift, she is an American country pop singer, songwriter and actress. Her debut single titled ‘Tim McGraw came out in 2006, followed by an album of her own name (which in March 2011 had sold over 5.5 million copies). In 2008 she released her second album ‘Fearless’ as of Jan 2012 it has sold over 8.6 million copies. Her third album ‘Speak Now’ has also sold over 5 million copies.

 The 2012 Billboard Money Makers poll has her grossing $35,719,902 in the last year finishing ahead of perennial cash spinners U2.She made the cash after grossing $88m in the US alone, with her Speak Now tour making an impressive $29.8m.The pop country star’s money making spree was further aided by US album sales of 1.8 million, and digital single track sales of 7.8 million.And as the talented singer wrote all of the tune’s for her hit album herself, she made even more thanks to songwriting royalties. She has also won countless awards – Album of the Year, Grammy Awards, Artist of the Year and so on.

So what has this all got to do with love – well Country & Western Music has its roots in telling narratives about love. With characters, a plot and normally a twist. Normally the verse sets up a part of the story and the chorus is a summary of the experience. The story is sometimes told from a first person perspective and sometimes the story is told about another person be it a real or fictional character – the song overall reveals an important lesson about life and often about love.

It is this part where Taylor has excelled; many of her songs are autobiographical – a kind of song diary. Although she is quite shy about talking in interviews who the songs are about, she has left clues for her fans to figure it out. If you look at the lyric books for her albums she will randomly capitalise certain letters, fans will put these letters together to find a clue about who the song is about.

From July to October 2008 Taylor dated Joe Jonas, he famously ended their relationship in a 26 second phone call after he met an actress he was interested in – Camilla Belle. It is thought that her songs ‘Forever and Always’ and ‘Last Kiss’ and ‘Better than Revenge’ were inspired by her relationship with Jonas.

Then she casually dated Taylor Lautner late in 2009 and the song ‘Back to December’ is believed to be addressed to him.

This was followed by a relationship lasting until June 2010 with John Mayer; they had met in 2008 and in 2009 they recorded a duet together ‘Half of My Heart’. Following their break up she penned two songs – ‘Dear John’ (that people easily attributed to the relationship) and ‘The Story of Us’ – that took people longer to figure out.

Then for a few months at the end of 2010 she dated Jake Gyllenhaal and Taylor has already indicated that her fourth album will be about that relationship. In a recent Vogue article she said, “There’s just been this earth-shattering, not recent, but absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak” she says, “and that will turn out to be what the next album is about. The only way that I can feel better about myself—pull myself out of that awful pain of losing someone—is writing songs about it to get some sort of clarity”.

The intensely personal nature of the songs has drawn her attention in the music industry. Swift once said, “I thought people might find them hard to relate to, but it turned out that the more personal my songs were, the more closely people could relate to them.” Again in Vogue she said, “I think I am smart unless I am really, really in love, and then I am ridiculously stupid”. Something that I think we can all relate to!

According to research carried out by TNS for Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) in 2010 one in twoUKhouseholds owns a pet representing about 24 million animals excluding fish. Dogs and cats top the list with about 8 million each owned by families around the country. Companionship and Love were among the top reasons for keeping a pet at 27% and 31% respectively.

So it comes as no surprise that it is an extremely sad and distressing time when one of your beloved pet goes missing. Generally, the most common domestic pet to go AWOL is a cat, largely due to the nature of how a cat lives. Easily coming and going from their owner’s house, it is simple to see how so many do go missing each year. This is not to say it makes it any easier when it does happen. Any family pet becomes a member of the family, often becoming increasingly close to the children in the family. This makes it even harder if the pet goes missing. How do you explain this to young children and how can you possibly sit by and let go without doing anything?

Cats can wonder off, but many get stolen, especially if they are pedigree. The same can also be said for dogs. If they are stolen then who knows where they will end up. Searching the local vicinity, knocking on neighbours doors, putting ‘missing’ signs up can only get you so far, especially if your pet has been stolen, it could be 200 miles away…

In these instances, police have very little impact and more and more people are finding the help of a Psychic beneficial. Often giving valuable insight into where the pet may be and how it has got there, the owners feel a little reassured and have some direction to take the search. The Psychic will keep the owner informed of any development they feel through Psychic Clairvoyant Readings and other abilities and often will be pivotal in the retrieval of the missing pet.

Most pet owners have a very strong rapport with their pets, if you need help with your pet ask for angelic help; Archangel Raphael has a speciality in finding lost pets and you could also ask your pets guardian angel to intervene and send them home to you

We are lucky enough to have a number of readers at Best Mediums that are particularly in tune with the animal kingdom, if you are experiencing difficulties with your pet, your animal has gone missing or your pet has gone onto the afterlife why not get in touch with one of these readers and talk things through:

Hope, PIN: 3203

When it comes to our life, partners, children, home life, pets, our careers, talents and finance, spirit are very practical and can give assistance on many levels, all designed to help and to heal, and even let us know that life carries on beyond this world into the next.

Ellie, PIN: 1180

I have a great understanding for our animal kingdom. I myself have: dogs, cats, chickens, roosters, turtles, hamsters, goats and lambs. Humans need animals and animals need humans and that’s why we live in this world together. We can learn a lot from the animal kingdom.

 Bryony, PIN: 2727

She is a very creative and caring person who has a great empathy towards animals. Love is all around you just have to embrace it.

Martyn, PIN: 3322

Martyn is a natural medium, clairvoyant and is always keen to pass a message from a loved one who has passed over into the spirit world, including our beloved pets.

Mary, Pin: 5055

I have a natural ability of making people feel calm and relaxed. I work with spirit, angel and animal guides and can connect with loved ones if requested. I am direct and honest. I do not predict as it is both controlling and limiting on the client. I also work with Tarot cards.

You may also find these websites helpful, providing information on how to keep your pet safe, for example through micro chipping and registering them:

http://www.nationalpetregister.org/

http://www.rspca.org.uk/home

Not so long ago Buddha statues would only have been found in the homes of well-travelled people or in places of worship. But now you will find them readily available to buy for the home and garden in shops and garden centres. And according to these retail outlets their popularity has grown; perhaps this is not totally surprising as in times of recession and financial hardship we look for more spirituality in our lives.

What you might not realise is that there are over 100 different statue poses; all meaning slightly different things. Each will also have a specific hand gesture called a mudra that reflects the different aspects of the Buddha’s life. Placing a Buddha in your home will encourage prosperity, good luck and serenity, but this can be enhanced by having the right statue in the right place. Obviously it is also important that you like the look of the statue – particularly as it is customary to rub the belly each day which brings added fortune. There are also some things that you don’t do, for example do not put a Buddhaon the floor as this is seen as a sign of disrespect and do not place in a bathroom as this is seen as undignified. Facing the main door is always a good location as it will soak up good chi and neutralise any bad energies.

Mudras

These well-defined gestures have a fixed meaning throughout all styles and periods of Buddha images.

Mudra diagrams courtesy of http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/mudra.html

The older I get the more certain I am that our life here is a school, and our lessons come in the form of experiences, by which we learn to grow spiritually and to love one another – we are students of life! These lessons I feel, are given to us by way of synchronistic events that are spiritually induced.

Think of a time you were going through deep despair, and you could not see your way out of it, then quite by ‘coincidence’ someone appeared whose words were exactly what you needed to hear, or maybe their actions showed you what you needed to see, or their kindness came at a time you were so lost and numb, touched your heart so deeply you could once again feel.

Remember the dream you had, that was so symbolic and gave you the solution to a problem you had worried over for weeks. Or the book you opened, or the voice on the radio, that amazingly had a profound message that would help your life situation at that moment.

These happenings are not just chance occurrences or coincidence; they are synchronicities, the universes way of supporting you on your life journey. So let us remind ourselves often to be more mindful and consciously aware of spiritual guidance being shown to us in this way. To help this process you could introduce the crystal Moonstone in to your lives; which is used to open up our minds to serendipity and synchronicity.

To benefit from more of Rachel’s insight why not have a telephone reading with her; this is how she describes her gift:

There was never a magic moment that I suddenly became psychic. This ability to hear, see, and sense was always there. What I do recall vividly is an enlightened moment that I realised no one else could hear, see, or sense what I was being given. My mother and her mother both really practised the arts. There were always people at the house having their palms read, tarot or tealeaves, even phrenology. I tend to simply tune into my sixth sense, and open up to my clairaudient and clairsentient abilities after connecting with my client. I am also a qualified counsellor and Reiki Master. My reading style is not going to be sugar-coated; my aim is to give you the spiritual guidance that will show you the way forward. My readings will always be given with empathy. They will be positive and reassuring and therefore healing.

“I have been contacting Rachel for over two years and every time I do so I am astounded, uplifted and consoled by her level of accuracy as well as her compassion and understanding. The number of incidences which Rachel predicted to happen and even on precise days is far beyond anything like chance. She amazes with the specific details she is able to foresee and I remain always grateful for the support and kindness she brings to the reading.”

Catherine

About 70 years ago author – Napoleon Hill coined the phrase “that the mind can conceive, the will can achieve”. This statement is just as true today, and is the foundation of positive mental attitude or positive thinking.

Psychologists say that we tend to act out our attitudes, for example a hospital patient that spent all day worrying about their condition would recover more slowly than a patient who focuses on what is right with them and the good progress that are making.

This thought process goes further to say you will attract what you expect, so if you think the best will happen to you – it will, but if you anticipate the worst – you will be right. Look at this scenario, a young child carrying a tray of soft drinks is managing just fine, until a well meaning adult says “don’t drop it”. The child immediately picks up on the word “drop”, and the inevitable happens.

Sometimes Positive Mental Attitude is referred to as “Self Talk” It identifies that our perceptions of ourselves are based on what we tell ourselves or put more simply – our attitudes determine our behaviours.

Research suggests that the amount of negative feedback we receive is twice that of any positive feedback.

To counteract these thoughts, we should challenge our thoughts each day. So you might have said, “I can’t do that”, whereas now you would say “I choose not to do that right now”.

• Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.
• Easter eggs are used in the celebration because they are a symbol of rebirth.
• The first Easter baskets were made to look like birds nests.
• Chocolate eggs were first produced in Europe.
• Each year, 90 million chocolate rabbits are produced and sold.
• Easter egg painting has a term associated with it. It is officially called pysanka.
• Painted eggs were originally left in fields as an offering to bring about fertility.
• 78% of people prefer to eat the ears off of their chocolate rabbit first.
• In medieval times an Easter egg throwing festival was celebrated by priests and choir boys. Whoever held the egg at the strike of 12 won the festival.
• The most famous created Faberge eggs were commissioned by CsarAlexander III of Russia as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Fyodorovna.
• The most expensive Easter egg costs £50,000 and is a Stella egg encrusted with more than 100 0.5 carat diamonds.
• The world’s largest Easter egg is located is in Vegreville, Canada and is 31.6 feet tall and took 12,000 man hours to build.

Before you in indulge in any chocolate Easter eggs you may want to look up some of the calorie details of your favourite treats! Visit http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/calorie_counter/easter_eggs.htm

Buttons Easter Egg, Cadbury’s

Per Cadbury’s Buttons Medium Easter Egg (162g)

Calories – 858.6, ½ egg shell = 429 calories

Cadbury’s Creme Egg

Per Cadbury’s Creme Egg (39g)

Calories – 180

Dark Chocolate Easter Egg (70%), Green & Black’s

Per Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate Medium Easter Egg (180g)

Calories – 991.8, ½ egg shell = 496 calories

Mini Eggs, Cadbury’s

Per Cadburys Mini Egg (3.3g)

Calories – 16

Some people remember their dreams so vividly that what happens can feel very real whilst others only manage vague recollections. Whilst everyone dreams, there are conflicting theories as to why; but one thing that is agreed is that dreams occur whilst we are in the stages of Rapid Eye Movement (REM). It is at this time our body muscles go into temporary paralysis and our brain activity heightens. We have the ability to dream about an infinite amount of subjects but there are some subjects likely to occur more often than others.

‘Falling’ dreams have a tendency to reoccur for many people and this can mean the dreamer is experiencing financial difficulties or is in fear of losing respect or status, conversely, if you dream of flying then good things could be happening to you and can symbolize great fortune in your life and a feeling of liberation from recent events.

Dreaming that your teeth are falling out can often be very distressful and mean you are going through some sort of transitional period in your life. If you consider that when you lost your milk teeth you were maturing and leaving behind your childhood, it is not hard to see this dream symbolizes making a transition into a different period in your life.

Being chased is another common dream and this tends to signify a feeling of entrapment or anxiety and has led the dreamer to the ‘Fight or Flight’ situation. The dreamer is literally trying to run away from situations or people they are not happy with in their life.

Dreaming that you are back at school, even if you left 30 years ago can often relate to your job and the pressures you may be under, just like pressures you may have faced at school.

It is often quite easy to interpret a dream if you relate it to other known factors in life. Another common dream is that your partner or spouse is cheating on you, and whilst this could be the case, in a dream it is often far more likely to be that he or she is spending too much time and attention on something else, like a job or friend and you are feeling neglected. Next time you are fortunate enough to remember a dream, try and interpret what it could mean. There is a whole host of websites and services online now that can also offer assistance in finding out the true meaning.

There is a great deal of talk today about the power of the mind, how we can influence things around us and so on. There are also a lot of people who do not believe and many who find it hard to believe enough to actually put things into action. We know that if we think positive, various situations will improve, but doing this sometimes seems impossible. The aim of the Intention Experiment is to prove scientifically that many people thinking positively, or praying about the same issue can indeed have a positive effect. They unite people across the world to take part in specific projects which are studied by leading scientists.

The projects are very positive issues, the most recent one being the Peace Intention Experiment. This was started on 14^th September and involved over 7000 people worldwide sending positive thoughts to the particular area where peace is required. This impetus for this research was the results of various Transcendental Meditation studies which showed that meditating on specific areas lowered the crime rate. The details of the area is currently only available to people who have registered to take part. Positive thoughts were sent for 10 minutes at the same time every day for a week and the results will be studied and analysed. Immediately after, those involved are asked to log in to the forum and give their opinions on what happened. The plan is to follow this with similar positive thoughts about other troubled places across the world.

The Intention Experiment was founded by Lynne McTaggart an award winning journalist and author who is best known for producing the magazine, What Doctors’ Don’t Tell You and their related range of publications. She is also a keen worker in the area of freedom of choice in natural medicine.

I would also recommend Lynne McTaggart’s book of the same name which is very comprehensive in explaining the theories and the current research that has proved the power of thoughts and intentions. They have many further plans including lowering the temperature of an ecosphere which has had its temperature artificially raised, changing the pH of polluted water, how people feel when the positive intentions are focused on them, improving the death rate in hospitals and helping children with Attention Deficit Disorder.

We all know there are twelve signs of the western zodiac, and that these are said to represent twelve personality types or character modes of personality. Each sign has an element attached to it; each element therefore has three star signs attached to it.

Fire signs consist of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. These signs are thought to exhibit righteousness. They are fair, truthful, just, upright and straight forward. They are true warriors showing courage at all times. They have mental and moral strength which stands them in good stead persevering into unknown territories and braving the unknown. They have strong principles and will fight for these to their death. They can be aggressive and love a good challenge. Highly competitive they like to win. Their essential character traits are liveliness, ardour, enthusiasm, courage and action. There is nothing more stimulating than for them to win and they strive to be the centre of attention. Their main virtue is being just and right.

Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Earth signs show propriety. Conventional and proper is a fitting description for them. They like material or tangible commodities and will gain great pleasure from sensory stimulation such as taste, smell and feel. They will be the ones with the nice home, meticulously decorated. They have good taste in clothing as well as a great love for good food and drink. They make very good business people and are at their best buying or selling things. They are polite and prudent with a strong belief for conventional rules of behaviour.

Gemini, Libra and Aquarius make up the Air elements. These are the signs that possess virtue of knowledge. This is not to say they are more intelligent, just that they are well rounded and informed. They are generally well read and know a little something about everything. They have good personalities and are easy to get to know. They are curious, original, well disciplined, possess initiative and are quick thinkers. They set themselves the highest standards and are quick to express their opinion. They can carry a grudge and their mood can change with the wind.

Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are Water elements. They feel things very deeply although they are always emotionally reserved. They reveal themselves slowly so it takes time to get to know them. The phrase still waters run deep certainly go for this group of signs. They will become withdrawn and quiet when they are trying to sort their feelings out. When they fall in love they love with their whole hearts and all of their devotion. This is a highly imaginative group of people and they are often said to have very good intuition.

Julianna Margulies charges back onto our TV screens in the third season of The Good Wife. If you have not yet tuned in to the show then here is a synopsis of what has happened so far…

Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) is a wife and mother who boldly assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband’s very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Pushing aside the betrayal and crushing public humiliation caused by her husband – Peter (Chris Noth). Alicia starts over by pursuing her original career as a defence attorney, as a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm; she joins her long-time friend, former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who is interested in rekindling their former relationship. Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician’s scorned wife to resilient career woman, especially for the sake of providing a stable home for her children, 14-year-old Zach and 13-year-old Grace. Alicia finds an ally and a friend in Kalinda, the firm’s tough and mysterious in-house investigator; that is until she discovers she betrayed her as well. Alicia makes an enemy out of Cary Agos beating him to the junior associate’s position following a trial period. As a clever young attorney he takes a job in the state’s attorney’s office – now bitter and vengeful he ends up working for Alicia’s husband when he wins back the States Attorney position. By the beginning of season 3 real changes have been made. Alicia has separated from her husband after finally throwing him out of her apartment. He is so say running a clean states attorney’s office – but only time will tell. Will and Alicia have begun a secret affair; but if push comes to shove it seems the firm will take priority over her and their relationship. 

In real life Julianna in an ironic twist of fate is married to a lawyer – Keith Lieberthal. They married in November 2007 and had their son Kieran in January 2008. So having played the woman scorned you might be surprised about Julianna’s take on infidelity and what it can do for a marriage or relationship. In an interview with Emma Brockes for Psychologies magazine some time ago she said the following:

Q. Do you have a policy on infidelity?

A.“Working on The Good Wife has actually changed my judgmental ways. Portraying this woman has been interesting to me psychologically as a female, and as someone who takes relationships seriously. You never know until you’re in their shoes. I have absolutely no idea what I would do. Here’s the thing: relationships can endure a lot, and sometimes – I know this to be true because it happened to a dear friend of mine – there was an infidelity and they said let’s figure this out. They have children, so they went to therapy. And they’re better for it. They reconnected in a way they hadn’t been after a long marriage and it sparked something. So infidelity can work to an advantage. That said, I never think cheating is the way to go because ultimately you’re lying and that’s not a healthy way to live. But who am I to say? I can’t imagine it happening to me, but I’m a newlywed, and we met later in life so we got our ya-yas out of the way.”

Of course there are examples of celebrities that have been accused of infidelity or admitted to cheating and yet have put their relationships back together and equally there are those relationships that have not been able to weather the storm. In terms of The Good Wife we will just have to keep on tuning in to see how the love triangle between Alicia, Will and Peter works out!