Thursday 13 October 2011

A new take on "A glass half full"

Just a short blog today but something I am inspired to share.  It comes from something I read on facebook that struck a chord.

We all know about the concept of the half full glass; is it half full or half empty?  Whichever we choose shows whether we are naturally negative or positive in life.

What if we look at the glass again....

We have a glass, half of the glass is filled with liquid... but the other half is filled with air.  So, in fact, the glass is full, overflowing even, we just can't see what it is filled with.

So, next time we feel life has given us a short measure, remember, there is more to it, we just can't see it yet.



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Thursday 29 September 2011

Can man better nature?

When we accept the understanding that stones are sentient suddenly we become aware of the awful things some people do to stones.  There are so many stones out there that have been altered in some way by people who feel they can improve on nature.  Stones heated till they crack and then dyed, stones coated in gold or other precious metals, beautiful brown agates dyed bright pink or blue.

To imagine how damaging and disrespectful this is imagine taking a perfect orchid flower and covering it in plasticote, or a stunning magpie feather and bleaching the colour out.  Imagine taking a great oak, an earth elder, and painting it yellow.  How wrong does this feel?  Why is it acceptable to treat stone spirits in the same manner?

Of course the dyed and heat treated stones are often obviously fake so easily avoided; but there are the more subtle examples such as white howlite dyed blue and sold as turquoise, real turquoise ground down and mixed with resin and sold as more expensive turquoise, amethyst heat treated and sold as citrine.   The list of these fake or altered stones is ever growing as more people become interested in working with stones.

When faced with these stones, and with the understanding about stone spirits it is very tempting to want to buy them all and heal these tortured souls, but we must resist.  The more of these we buy the more they will make. 

Whilst talking about this we also have to consider the number of things that are sold as stones but are completely fake.  Goldstone, both in its normal brown form and the recent blue, green and purple versions are simply metal compounds mixed with a glassy substance, and yet sold as a crystal.  The other is the brightly coloured "Cats Eyes" that are coloured in one direction and clear in another.  These are man made and are a by-product of the telecommunications industry.  They are quartz, but they are lab grown quartz and so hold no spirit.

Finally there are the precious stones that are lab grown.  Quartz, Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire are all stones that can be found that have been grown in a laboratory.  They hold the chemical and colour properties of the original stone, but as they have not grown in the womb of mother earth contain no connection to Spirit.

The answer is to select your stones from reputable merchants; people who will either refuse to buy altered or fake stones or will at the very least be honest so we can avoid them. When stones are as stunning as the malachite on the right why do we need them to be faked?

If we already have stone spirits that have been treated in this way it is best to give them as much love as possible.  Mine rest at the base of an old pollarded ash tree in my garden, this is where they asked to be put.  I felt that the tree had suffered at the hand of man so could understand the pain the stone spirits feel.  They seem much happier there.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Sunday 28 August 2011

Working with the stones

When I first came to working with crystals I read the books and talked to people and learnt that stones have energy, that they can help us heal.  This opened up a world to me and I wanted to explore more.  I  listened to teachers and come to see crystals as tools in a toolbox of alternative methods to heal and grow.

After a number of years I was led to a yahoo group run by Fabeku Fatunmise.  He was talking about stones in a way that I had never heard of before.  Stones are spirits!!  Fabeku's philosophies gave me insight into a level of understanding that changed my view on crystals forever.

Animism is a philosophy that believes that all things contain spirit, that non-human entities are spiritual beings.  When I learnt about stone spirits I realised I had been working towards this for some time.  My first real experience of this was when I spent many hours sat lent against a willow tree trying to work through my problems.  I found that thoughts were coming into my head that weren't mine, and they made so much sense!  I realised the willow tree was talking to me.  As soon as I acknowledged and accepted this I spent more hours talking to the tree. So many times I arrived at it's base feeling as if my world was ending and left with a knowing of how to carry on.

So if a willow tree is sentient, why not a stone?

This understanding brings with it a complete shift in the way we view and work with the stones.  This is not a case of owning a tool, like a carpenter owns a saw.  It is more of working in a team and each member of the team brings their own gifts and skills to the table.

We wouldn't consider cleansing a co-worker and we certainly  wouldn't program one.  What we would do though is listen to their wisdom, respect their place in the team and show gratitude for their help.

Stone spirits have come to this reality to help humanity reach it's potential.  They can see us for who we truly are and know exactly what is best for us.  They are, like each of us, multifaceted in their skills.  Just as a person can be a parent, teacher, taxi driver, mechanic, chef, nurse and lover all in one day; each stone spirit has many attributes and abilities.  This means that there is never any way that a stone can be classified or described in a few lines in a book.  As such, I never try to hold on to "knowledge" about a stone.  I will very rarely suggest a stone for a situation based on something I have read in a book.  More likely I will suggest the person sits with a number of stones, with a question held in their mind, and listen to see which stone steps forward to work with them.

When working in a crystal healing environment I never select a stone based on preconceived  ideas or the colour of the stone, I will listen to who steps forward for each task.  I often don't even know what the stone spirit is working on when it steps forward; I simply trust that it will be for the well being of the client.

Of course, this knowledge that the stone spirits have come to help us means that no stone can ever harm us.  There is no "bad combination" of stones or "evil" stones.  Sometimes however you can find that a stone has stepped forward to bring about a great change, a difficult but powerful transition into healing.

Once I brought home a Girasol spirit.  It is a beautifully tactile stone and I was sat for some time, just watching tv, holding it to my solar plexus and it felt soothing and calming for some time.  Suddenly I needed to get it as far away from me as possible and it felt horrible.  At that point I could have thought that the stone was bad or not right for me, but in reality it had gently been coaxing some blocked emotions to the surface, and as soon as I became aware of them I resisted.  That night there was a great shift in me and I was able to express some feelings that I had refused to acknowledge.

Because I trusted the stone I passed through the uncomfortable feeling and gained great healing.

As soon as we open our hearts and minds to the magic of stone spirits we open ourselves to great healing.  Why would we ever want to limit ourselves to the "stones as tools" model ever again?

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Dowsing... How does that work then?

There are a number of different beliefs about how dowsing works.  I have spent time pondering these and have come to my own conclusions.

I believe in the concept of the Higher Self; a part of me that knows all there is to know about me and my needs.  I believe that on a subconscious level we are all connected and beyond that we are also connected to a Divine Spirit.  By accessing my Higher Self I am not only able to contact the Higher Self of my client but also that Divine Spirit that knows all.

Dowsing with a pendulum allows me to access my Higher Self, and therefore all the information I need to work with my client and with the crystals.  With dowsing I am able to bypass my own mind that is, by nature, limited and judgmental; allowing me to work for the greater good of the client.

I personally believe that my Higher Self causes my body to make minute movements, allowing the pendulum to swing in different ways.  I do not believe that the pendulum has power, although it is possible that if it is made of a crystal it can help me contact my Higher Self.

In using a pendulum I am able to ask a series of questions; mostly in a “Yes/No” format, however I can also work with specific patterns and the speed and size of the spin to ascertain other information.

Dowsing is something anyone can do with practice, so long as there is nothing causing the person to resist contacting their Higher Self.  In the past I have taught people to dowse in the pub using beer mats to play Find the Lady with great success.  If you are interested I would be happy to teach you......

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Saturday 6 August 2011

Shouldn't healing be free?

The healing community is divided on this question, and both sides have a very valid argument.

There are those that believe that healing should not be tainted by the exchange of money and that many healers and therapists make personal growth an exclusive thing by pricing it out of the reach of normal people. 

Others believe that they have trained for some time in their chosen therapy and are giving their time and possibly other expenses such as heating and lighting a room to work in.  They also believe that this is their chosen profession, just the same as a hair dresser, accountant or mechanic, so why should they not be paid for doing it?

I can see both sides of the argument.  I believe many people put a value on something that they have had to pay for and will ensure that they get the most from it, whereas something that has come for free can be discarded easily.

I also believe that often we do not value our mental and emotional health as much as we do our physical health and as such do not see why we should pay for something that may cost less than a hair cut or trip to the dentist.

I believe that healing should be available to all, regardless of how much money they have. 

Most therapies in my area cost between £20 and £65 a session depending on what it is. Those at the top end of the price range often work full time in their chosen field and as such have to earn enough to pay their bills.

I personally have chosen to earn my living in the mundane world, allowing me to offer healing to people at a lower cost.  Yes, this limits the amount of clients I can see, but I feel allowing the price to be lower I can help people that may not be able to afford it under normal circumstance.

I do believe there should be an equal exchange of energies between the therapist and the client.   Many people work and as such money has become the result of time and energy.  This means in some circumstances money would be a way of creating an equal exchange.  Due to this i suggest a donation of between £10 and £20 for the session.

However, some people do not have the money to pay for a treatment, but they do have other things that can be offered.  In the past I have traded for tarot readings, cleaning, a healing session from the client in their own chosen style, maybe you could bake a cake, or do some sewing.  This is a very viable option and I am very open to discuss trades.

I don't offer healing to make money, I offer it because I want to help people, but  i strongly believe there should be an equal flow of energy.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice