Here I am pictured (below) on New Year's morning - the first day of 2007 - on the top of Mount Abu in Rajastan, India. I thought I'd send this image to wish you a wonderful new year. If you are a recipient of my Women's News or Healthy Home newsletters you might have noticed that I have not been in communication for some time. I had some major changes in my life last autumn so I decided to take time out and think - not in my own retreat home - but at the other side of the world! For the last 2 months I have been on a journey of reinvention and personal discovery, passing through Singapore then a month in Australia (my first visit) followed by Christmas and New Year in India. It has been an incredible, life-changing trip and I'd love to share with you the many insights I have had. That's going to take some time as I have collected several interesting newspaper cuttings that need to be sorted through, not to mention the 1000 photographs I have taken and the hundreds of lovely people I met!

For now I wanted to share the helpful messages given to me on New Year's Eve. I have been very blessed to have had the opportunity of spending this special time of year at the Brahma Kumaris world headquarters on Mt Abu. Spending time not only with Dadi Janki but also the other two joint heads of this spiritual university, Dadi Gulzar and Dadi Prakashmani who between them have clocked up over 200 years of world service and meditation practice. Awesome (as they say in the USA). On new year's eve, I joined 18,000 others in the Brahma Kumaris family to hear a special new year teaching. I'd like to offer you some of these thoughts and ideas as you might find it helpful when you look ahead at what 2007 could mean for you.

Synopsis: As we welcome in the new year let's recognise that we are also welcoming in the new age with that new year. We are being encouraged to become World Transformers (because that is what the world needs most from us right now) and like charity beginning at home, transformation starts with the self. And as we transform ourselves and reveal that transformation to others, the world will start to transform. We are being encouraged to be strong and to know that when we take one step of courage forwards, God will take 1000 steps to meet us. We do not need to work alone. Have the power of determination to banish negative thoughts. Don't be careless with your mind. Decide to leave all negativity behind in 2006 and maintain a state of mind throughout 2007 where you give good wishes to others and not negative judgements. Be a benefactor to the world and have a cooperative mindset. In whatever you do, make sure you help others to fly.

I am deeply moved as I read these messages again and I hope that there is one in there for you too. I'll be in touch over the next week or so with a newsletter (and website updates) sharing what I have been learning. What I can say is that it doesn't matter where you go in the world the human family shares the same hopes and fears, has a huge capacity for love and we all experience the same challenges around health, energy and well-being. Om Shanti

Good wishes of peace and prosperity for 2007