Happy Easter!  By tradition, the Easter weekend is held on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox. It is the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover, a celebration of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (the story most closely associated with Moses). The Isrealites were freed from slavery and subjugation. A thousand years later, Christian’s believe that Jesus died to free all of humankind from the perils of evil and sin, and is then resurrected as a powerful symbol of redemption. And so during this Easter Break, over the next few days, it is appropriate to reflect on the themes of liberation, freedom and renewal, especially in our own life.

But above all, I’d like to share my thoughts on one simple, all-encompassing message: the message of hope.

Do you know the feeling when you wish the world would go away and leave you alone? When the future looks bleak and your mind is full of confusion and doubt. When the news is too painful to read, and you can’t even think a positive thought. Most of us have been there. But there are ways to get through these times.

It is not surprising that our lives are full of confusion. By piling on the pressure, creating so much stress and tension, and filling our minds with thousands of decisions, responsibilities and deadlines, we create an existence of turmoil and disharmony. Sit back for a moment and consider which of today’s tasks are truly essential. If you do not complete them all will the moon refuse to shine? Will the sun still set and the tide still turn?  It is the ego that insists on cramming all this non-essential clutter into our lives. The fear of failure, the fear of rejection. None of this is really necessary. There is an easier way.

Give this day’s tasks over in your mind to the angels, to God. Ask for the clarity of purpose of the Divine plan for your life. Ask that all your decisions and actions today are for the greater good of your higher consciousness, and for the highest good of all concerned. As you clarify your actions and prioritise your day to the highest purpose, the angels will have the opportunity to guide and assist. Keep it simple, concentrate your divine light and watch your plan unfold.

In the midst of your gray feelings, try this exercise It is one of the most uplifting I have ever found.

Light a candle to signify the light. Wherever there is a candle the angels are drawn closer.  In the light of the candle bring ten things to mind to be grateful for. Start with the simplest things like the air you are breathing, the ground you are walking on, the sun, the sky, the moonlight and stars. Add ten more, perhaps the people or places you love, and another ten. Before you realize you will have a neverending list. Invite your guardian angel to share these thoughts with you and ask that you be free to find your way back into the light in your own time, in the loving peace of your angel’s sanctuary.

We live in a breathtakingly beautful world, filled with abundance. But sometimes it can look bleak. Please join me over this Easter weekend, and throughout Passover, by lighting a candle and sending prayers of love to all of those who may be suffering. Let us bring light, and with it hope, to the whole of humanity.