On our window sill at home we have what we call ‘spinning sparklies’. These are very fragile metallic objects that spin gently in heat, such as with a tealight underneath them. They produce lovely reflections on the walls and ceiling as they gently rotate.

Recently I noticed something remarkable about them. When I’m sat on a chair so that my eyesight is directly level with them, I cannot tell whether they are rotating clockwise or anti-clockwise. Even whilst staring directly at them, they can seem to slow down and change direction. But if I change position, they seem to stay rotating in one direction.

It tells me that we can’t trust what we see. It also tells me that simply by changing how I look at something, my whole perception of it alters. This is actually an incredibly profound discovery and I realise that it affects every single one of us and how we view the world. We can’t trust what we see, and by changing how we look at something, our perception of it changes.

Try it the next time you are sure about something. Look at it from a different angle, either in someone else’s shoes, or as if you lived at a different time in history, or as if you were looking back on it a few years from now, and see if your opinion of it changes.

Another thing I noticed about the sparklies is that they only rotate and produce their loveliness when they are in balance. They are finely-tuned objects, so if they are slightly off their natural position, they get stuck and don’t move. 

I also see this in the world around me. When we are off-balance and not being true to ourselves, we are likely to be more prone to anger, upset, bitterness and other negative feelings. But when we feel good and things seem to be going well for us, we can exude our natural loveliness and provide a happy calm atmosphere to those around us.

I’ve created a ritual based on the spinning sparklies. I feel negative emotions as a sensation inside me, like butterflies in the stomach. When I experience this, I place my hand between my belly and chest and think of the lessons of the spinning sparklies for a few moments. I remember that I need to find balance and that changing how I view the world will alter how I experience it. A minute can be long enough to bring me back to balance and peace again.

Try it and see if it works for you.