Saturday 8 December 2012

Things are not what they seem - animal cruelty

Once again today I was exposed to the reality of dog fighting.  Recently it has become a hot topic in social media and it has cropped up a couple of times in tv dramas that we have been watching.  My initial response is to recoil into hate and disgust for these people and anger that once again I am having to think about such terrible things.  However, I knew that wouldn't help.  Instead I took myself off for a little chat with Spirit to understand why these things are in my face so much at the moment.

A few months ago I was given a directive from Spirit; a vision on what I could do to help animals that suffer at the hands of humanity beyond striving to be cruelty free in all the products I purchase and removing fish from my already meat free diet.

I was shown a woman standing on a hill holding a spear.  She was looking over the earth and above her was a deep dark cloud.  I became aware that the cloud was the group consciousness, all of the souls of humanity were plugged into and made up this cloud.  As I looked at it the end of my spear began to shine brightly and I was instructed to thrust this spear into the cloud, bringing light to the whole of humanity.

The purpose of this was not to punish humanity for those that hurt animals, as to do this would hurt animal lovers too, including myself.  I was also not change specific people but, instead, to simply bring light to the hearts of the whole of our species so we could make new choices in situations involving animals.

So, back to today.  While I was going through the process of lighting that cloud I asked why dog fighting had become more prevalent? Spirit had a surprising response that also tied in with all the child abuse scandals that are going on at the moment.

The media generally implies that humanity is a lost cause and is getting worse.  There is more violence, more abuse, more hurt and pain and that those of us who are not party to it should fear the rest of the populace because they must be terrible people.  Seeing more dog fighting on the tv and in social media could easily imply that it is more common now.  But flip the coin and think about it differently.

These terrible things have been happening for decades.  The child abuse scandals show this; they are going back 30 or more years finding more and more people who have done terrible things.  This isn't now, this is decades ago.  The difference is people are standing up and saying that it happened.  People are realising that the public are on their side more and they will get the belief that they have craved since they suffered the abuse.

This can be applied to cruelty to animals. Seeing more and more of it on the tv and in social media just means people are bringing it into the light, people are realising that it cannot continue to happen.

As with many things that need to go through a healing process it has to appear to get worse before it gets better.  Seeing it so much just means more people are forced to form an opinion and there is a good chance that they will take the side of compassion, with peer pressure this could lead to a change in the more hard core people.

So, when I see something like that I am going to try not to recoil into hate but instead send love and light into that cloud and hope that we are seeing signs of change.



Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Friday 7 December 2012

Seasonal Affective Disorder - it's that time of year

Over the last 5 or 6 years I have found winter hitting harder than it ever did before.  It took me a few years to work it out but now I fully realise that I experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and I have spent some time both researching and listening to what I need to make winters easier.  I hope my experience can help others.

Firstly, what is SAD?
There is a multitude of websites out there that tell you about it.  I have read a few and come up with my own interpretation.  This relates only to me but may resonate with others.

SAD, for me, starts around the autumn equinox which is a point in September where the day and night length are equal, after that days get shorter and nights lengthen.  I feel the shift but at that point is isn't affecting me very much.  However, as the nights get longer I find myself wanting to start the hibernation process.  The scientists will say that this is to do with the circadian rhythm which is the sleep cycle triggered by the release of melatonin in the brain.  This cycle is aligned with the sunrise and sunset times and as it gets dark earlier and light later in the mornings we want to sleep more.  Couple this with the reduction in sunlight that is important in the process of creating serotonin in the brain and depression and anxiety set in.

There are methods of dealing with these very 3-dimensional symptoms, but I believe there is so much more to it than this, particularly for people who consider the changing of the seasons as very important in their lives.

The deeper causes of SAD
Think back to a time when we were more aligned with nature and the seasons.  More often than not people in those times rose with the sunrise and retired to bed with the sunset.  Bring into this the fact that there was less to do out in the fields in the winter meant we slept more.  Think now about what there was to eat; in the summer there were fresh fruits and vegetables but in the winter diet was restricted to what could be stored over winter and animals that could be butchered.  This means that the diet was higher in carbohydrates and protein and lower in fresh fruit and veg; explaining why SAD often brings on carb craving, binge eating and weight gain.  We are preparing for harsh weather and possibly hibernation.

Unfortunately we don't live in that world any more.  Society insists that we continue with the same pace of life that we have in the summer.  It insists that we continue to get up at the same time in the morning, stay slim and force ourselves to exercise when deep in our souls the more natural part of us is screaming to stop, rest, conserve energy and prepare for winter.

On a spiritual level we work on our growth through the summer and the winter is a time of quiet reflection and solitude just at a time when the party season is getting into full swing.  We are deeply craving time for time to assimilate what we have learned in the year rather than partying, and this can cause anxiety as we fight our body's need for peace.

If you want to take it to an even deeper spiritual level, I am starting to wonder about it's connection with the concept that human evolution leads us to being able to metabolise sunlight.  At the moment we eat food to sustain us.  I see food as sunlight frequency energy that has been slowed down so we can access it.  Plants need sunlight to grow, we eat the plants for energy.  The plant has transmuted the sunlight energy into a form that we can digest.  At an even denser level the plant needs sunlight to grow, a cow eats the plant and we eat the cow (if we are meat eaters).

So, if we raise our vibration enough we should be able to cut out the middle man and access the energy of the sun ourselves.  Applying this hypothesis to SAD we find that maybe there are some of us that are at a stage where we are starting to metabolise light and when we get less sunlight we crave denser foods.

So, how do we deal with SAD on an holistic level?
I am still in the process of putting together my own regime but I am finding some success with what I have so far.  Please remember I am not a doctor, nor do I have ANY training in human physiology beyond knowing roughly where the major organs are.  All of the information I share is what I have found on the internet and is readily available to all.  Do your own research and I urge to you speak to your GP before starting anything.

For me it is important to look at all the aspects of SAD.  Although we may have worked to align ourselves with the seasons we live in a modern world and, unless we are lucky enough to be able to choose our daily routine, we have to function in the modern world.

Of course, the simplest way to combat SAD is to get as much sunlight as possible, for some that is winter holidays, for others it is long walks in nature when the sun is out, but there is more that can be done.

The Mind - Brain Chemistry 
There is a lot of information on brain chemistry on the internet but the majority of it points to Vitamin D as being necessary in the production of serotonin.  This vitamin can be found in oily fish and eggs but we get the majority of what we need from sunlight hitting the skin.  A lack of vitamin D has become a serious problem in modern society where we are encouraged to cover up and use sunblock all year round.  Couple that with working in offices and we find that we get very little sunlight all year round, when winter comes it gets even worse.

Vitamin D3 can be taken as a supplement and there are various other supplements that can help the absorption of D3.  I urge you to do your research but I will say that I have found taking this very effective.

It is also suggested that Omega oils are helpful in attaining healthy brain chemistry.  As a non meat eater I take Flax Seed oil and add linseed to my oatmeal in the mornings.  Again, I have found this very effective.

There are a number of other options on the market such as 5-HTP, melatonin and some swear by St John's Wort however there are a number of contraindications that lead me to decide not to take it.  There is also some information that B vitamins, magnesium and zinc are useful too.  Again, do your own research.

Another very simple way to raise your serotonin levels is through exercise, however as SAD sets in deeper you may find it hard to motivate yourself, if you can you will find it very effective.


The Body - Circadian Rhythms
Due to the change in sunrise and sunset times we produce melatonin earlier in the day and for longer making us feel tired earlier and wanting to sleep for longer.  The way to combat this is to fool our brains into thinking it is still summer.  For this we use light therapy.

I use 3 different lights through the day.   
  • I have a sunrise lamp that helps me get out of bed in the morning.  This light creates a false sunrise by slowly getting brighter over the 30 minutes before I need to get out of bed.  It also has a gentle alarm.  This means I wake gently and naturally rather than being jolted out of deep sleep by a obnoxious buzzer.
  • Once I am up I use a big 10,000 lux full spectrum lamp at 6am in the morning for around 30 minutes.  Because my rhythm is slightly retarded I need a pulse of bright light in the morning to wake me up.  I have set this lamp up so it is on the windowsill in the kitchen so I can stand in front of it while I do the dishes from the night before. 
  • When I get to work I turn on my small light pod on my desk.  This is a full spectrum lamp but is not as bright as my big lamp.  This gives me a brighter working environment during the day and keeps my brain alert.  This light gets turned off at 3pm as having it on any later would delay the production of melatonin later in the evening and make falling asleep harder.
To get the best out of light therapy it is important to research circadian rhythms and work out whether yours is retarded or advanced.

This covers the physiological side, but we want to look at this from an holistic angle.

The soul - Everything else
I have found that getting a SAD beating routine in the morning helps get me through the day, and I start as soon as I have been woken by my sunrise lamp.

As I get to the point where I struggle to get motivated to do vigorous exercise I rely on my morning routine more and more.  I start with a few very gentle sit ups before I have got out of bed.  In reality they aren't sit ups, more I raise my head and shoulders off the pillow and lift my legs from the bed maybe 30 times, nothing more.

After that I do a little yoga.  I enjoy the sun salutation and have put together some other stretches and twists just to get me moving.  A few half press ups later and I am done.  This just tells my body at a more spiritual level that the day has started.

After this I am downstairs to see my cats and use my big 10,000 lux lamp while I do the dishes.  I find this a gentle way to wake up as the cats make me smile and the dishes take no thinking about so I can mull over the coming day.

One of the biggest symptoms of SAD for me is anxiety.  This is not a direct fear that can be faced up to but more of a random anxiety that has no actual cause.  For this I use the MIR Method and I have found it very successful.  It takes 2 minutes and clicking the link will take you to a video that will teach you very quickly how to do it.  This is the next part of my morning routine as I do it in the shower while I am washing my hair and again when I am scrubbing my face.

After that I often recite mantras while showering, I love the Invocation to Light and the Great Invocation.  After that I have a little chat with Spirit about the coming day.  I love doing this at this time; there are no distractions and being a water sign I always feel relaxed and connected there.  Also, no-one other than the cats can hear me.

Just before I leave for work I take my supplements and have warming oatmeal with linseed and dried apricots.  This fills me up with low fat carbs that keep me going well into the morning.  During the day I eat oat cakes and nuts along with a salad wrap to keep the carb addiction at bay without (hopefully) succumbing to sugary foods.  If I must have chocolate I make it a high % cocoa content so that I am getting the hit with as few calories as possible.

This routine helps me get through the day reasonably well, but when things get tough I call on other tools in the box.

Bach Flower remedies are great for working with SAD, however when you are deep in it it may be hard to pick the right remedies.  I may have blogged before that for years I tried taking remedies for how I saw the world while in the depths of SAD only to realise I needed Willow,  the remedy for self pity.  Agrimony can help with the food cravings. Olive might be useful for the tiredness and Hornbeam can help with inaction due to tiredness.  Of course it is best to choose the remedies that are right for your situation.

Something I have tried recently is colour therapy with a friend from Colour for Well Being and I have to say I found it wonderfully soothing and I plan to book another session just after Christmas to help me through the rest of the winter.  I find that the world becomes less colourful in the winter with the dark days and particularly if we have long periods with standing snow.  There are no leaves on the trees and no flowers; we don't even get blue skies for days on end.  Colour is important for the spirit so working to increase the amount of colour around you could prove very important.  I know my soul cries out for fresh green leaves when we get to January.

Essential oils is another tool that can be useful, citrus oils lift the spirits and reminds our soul of sunny days.  Bergamot is great for depression and I find peppermint quite invigorating.

Finally, for now at least, crystals are always my constant companions, riding along with me in my pocket or on my jewellery and of course I have my regular sessions with the wonderful Hilary.

I am sure there is so much more out there that can help with something that is very misunderstood and can be very debilitating.  As always I urge people to not be brought down by dis-ease but to come back fighting; implementing changes in their lives that can minimise the effect of the issue.  You may not find a complete cure, but things could be easier.

Sunbeams to you all





Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Friday 9 November 2012

Our reality, what creates it?



 Since the dawn of communication our reality has been expanding.  First it was news from the next village and then over the millennia it has stretched to include photographs of other planets.  This expansion has increased the scope of our reality; no longer do we base our beliefs about the “world around us” on what we personally experience; we take on the beliefs of others without questioning them.  Are we right to do this?

I know from talking to other people the idea of limiting your reality can be seen as quite radical, but I would like you to ask you to suspend your normal rationale and take a new look at your life around you.

I am sitting at my desk and the radio is on.  Currently the lady on the radio is telling me that there is an accident on the M1 near Milton Keynes.  Later I will go home and listen to my husband telling me about his day, and the same with our lodger.  On my way home I may listen to Radio 4 and hear about current affairs.  From all of this I am getting an idea of what the world is like.  But I have not experienced any of it.  All I have done is sit at my desk to write this blog then seen a stretch of road between my office and my home.

How much of our reality do we build from the media and from other people?  All of that information comes flooding to us and we rarely question it.  But what if we consider that it has all come through the filter of someone else?  One person’s experience of a situation is going to be different to another’s.  And how do we know what they are telling us is true?

Centuries ago it was believed that the world was flat.  No-one actually knew this as a proven fact, it was just what was believed.  The information was passed around and people blindly accepted it and based their reality on it, including the fears that they may fall off the edge if they went too far.  It wasn’t really until someone saw that the world was round that it could be truly believed, and even then, only when photographs were brought back could this information be proven.

How much of what you believe about the world is based on personal experience and how much has slipped in the back door through the media or people you speak to?  How many of your fears are based on this information? 

A good example of this is the way we see the economy.  We are told the country is falling apart, people are being made redundant left, right and centre and there are no jobs.  Because of this we often hold fears that we will be next for redundancy.  But look around you; how many unemployed people do you know that are actively seeking a job?  I personally know of one person, and she has an interview soon that will put her forward for a number of jobs. 

Should we really be so scared?

I would like to lay down a challenge to all who have read this.  For one day I ask you to turn off the tv and radio, put the newspapers and magazines down and try not to discuss current affairs with your friends and colleagues.  Shrink your world and take a fresh look at what is really there.  Look for the positives around you and you may well find that the world isn’t as terrible as you thought it was.

After this you may find you never pick that newspaper up again.  Build your reality on what you experience yourself, not what the media tells you.

People may tell you you need to know what is happening in the world, but do you really?  I work on the basis that if there is something I can do, tell me all about it.  If there is nothing I can do, I don’t want to know.  Holding fear and hatred because of what I have been told is doing more harm than good, both to me and to the planet as a whole.



Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Wednesday 7 November 2012

What does crystal healing do?



Crystal healing is one of those therapies that can easily sound like mumbo-jumbo, either it makes sense or it doesn’t and I respect that.  However, if you can suspend cynicism for a moment I will try to explain.

Crystal healing works on a number of levels and you can take from it what you like.  I will explain all the levels that I believe in, but feel free to take or leave it.

Colour
The most basic level of crystal healing relates to colour.

Each of the chakras or energy centres resonate at a frequency that can relate to a colour.  The colours start with red at the base chakra and move up the body to violet at the crown.  When these go out of balance colour can be used to bring them back into line.

On a very basic level many healers use crystals with the same colour as the chakras to bring them back into balance.  Personally this does not make sense.  If something that should be orange (the sacral chakra) has become too yellow, adding more orange will only affect the colour very slightly, adding more red would bring the colour back into balance.  This means the “chakra sets” that you see sold are not, in my opinion, really good enough for colour healing of the chakras.  They are nice things to have and the crystals themselves have value, but not in the way they are sold.

Vibration
This is where some science comes in to play with more esoteric beliefs.  Please forgive me for any inaccuracies, I am not a scientist.

Everything on the planet vibrates due to their atomic structure.  The frequency of the vibration is based on the chemical make-up of the item.  The human energy system is not fixed in its frequency but crystals are due to their structure and because they are natural they are in perfect harmony with the planet.  Science states that if you bring an item with a fixed frequency into the energy field of something that has an unfixed frequency the unfixed item will come into resonance with the fixed.

The frequency of the human energy system* should be in tune with that of the planet but due to things like negative thought forms, karma and pollution it can easily be knocked out of balance.  Crystals can be introduced into the human energy field to bring it back into balance.

The chemical make-up and the place in which they were formed, along with their colour, affects their vibrational frequency and the effect it will have on the human energy field.  For instance hematite contains a lot of iron and this will affect the iron in our blood along with having a grounding effect due to being in the red spectrum.

Working on these two levels would be enough to bring about a degree of healing when working with crystals; however I personally have another level of belief.

*The internet is full of information on Chakras and the Aura.  I advise you research this and find a system that resonates with you.  I quite like the descriptions of the chakras on this page however I cannot vouch for the rest of the website and I do not subscribe to their suggestions of crystals.


Earth Elders
I have blogged about this before however I am happy to mention it again.

Since being privileged be part of the wonderful Crystal Spirit group I have become aware of the fact that crystals are actually Earth Elders, just like those from the plant and animal kingdom.

These are multidimensional beings that are wiser than us and are able to work on many levels.  They have chosen to come to humanity, in their 3d forms, as crystals.  These wise elders bring with them knowledge and healing energy that can be accessed to bring about healing on a much deeper level.  When working with the crystals it is like accessing a group of wise healers who each bring their own capabilities.

All the way through the healing session there is a gentle balancing act happening.  The human energy field has many structures and energy centres that are tweaked and corrected to bring the whole system back into balance.  In the past I have worked with someone who was working on breaking addictions and I spent a lot of time working with the crystals to anchor their energy field back to their body and repairing damage the addictions had caused to their aura. 

Sometimes clients who are particularly sensitive will feel sensations as this happens but for others there are no sensations.  Either is fine and should not be judged.



Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Wednesday 31 October 2012

The comparisons we make with other people

We often look at people around us and we think "wow I wish I was more like them", other times we think "why can't they be more like me?" Particularly if they have problems that we can see answers to or they treat us badly.

In the end we have to let go of these comparisons and accept that we are all different, that we deal with life in our own ways, and we can do no different.  If we can't accept that person for who they are we can gently offer to lend a hand or we can walk away, anything more is simply trying to make that person be more like us.


This is a lesson I think we all need to learn, even me!

So next time you want to be like someone else, send yourself a little love because you are perfect as you are for this moment. And when you want someone to be more like you, send them some love, because they are perfect for themselves in this moment.



Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Our travelling companion – The Ego



Today I met my ego, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.  I knew it wouldn’t be and I wasn’t surprised, but it was very interesting and hopefully a step towards healing it and teaching it its place in my life.

Ego is something we all have.  Even the great spiritual leaders who people claim have no ego have one.  The difference is, theirs is in its rightful place.

It has taken me some time to understand what ego is for and now I realised it can be seen as being like a pet dog.  If it is untrained it will take charge and rule the roost, but if put into its correct place and trained it will become a loyal protector.

Just like the mind is for analysis and understanding, but not for compassion and heart led situations, our ego is to show is that we have an equal standing in society.  It helps us set boundaries, marking out what is reasonable and what is not.  When those boundaries are crossed, like a guard dog, our ego steps forward assertively defending us.

The problem is, when we are young so is our ego, it is like a puppy looking to the elder dogs around it for guidance; the elder dogs being the egos of the people around us while we are growing up.  If that puppy is nurtured and shown how to be it will become our loyal friend; but sadly so many of those elder dogs teach the wrong lessons just like they were taught when they were growing.

Of course this is all a metaphor, but you can see how it applies to the world around us.  As we grow up we learn how to use our ego from the situations we find ourselves in.  We may learn from the way our parents treat others as well as how they treat us.  Maybe we are taught that the best way to survive is to be quiet and submissive to those who have stronger wills than us.  Maybe we learned that if we throw our weight around we can get what we want.  Whatever we are taught we often move out into the world with an ego that is already badly taught and is often in charge of our reactions to the world around us.

Moving from young childhood our world expands and we meet up with other people who have badly trained egos.  We learn we can either manipulate those that are submissive or we have to back down to those that are stronger than us.  Those of us who are weak may also learn to hide the weakness and pretend to be braver or stronger.  There may also come a time when we become sick of being trampled on and lash out to assert ourselves.  Unfortunately, by this point we have no real idea how to do this so we make bad choices; just like a dog that has been kicked too many times our ego causes us to “bite” anyone who comes near us.

By the time we are adults our ego is so confused we can end up lost in choices that we simply don’t understand.  We have no set boundaries and we allow some to cross them and hurt us and we keep others at arms reach.  While we are in control of our lives we can fool ourselves into thinking our egos are fine, but as soon as we come across someone that challenges our view of ourselves we can react badly.

Many of us continue with this for the rest of our lives.  For those that have powerful egos life may appear easy on the surface.  They may get what they want by force, but deep down I wonder how happy they are.
For those that have learned to hide or submit to stronger egos it can be hard to find their way through the world.  A part of them, deep down, tells them they are worth more than they could wish for, but the greater life teachings say that they are worthless and must accept their position.

At this stage I see my ego for what it is and I am simply learning to accept it.  Accept its perfection as part of who I am and a result of the life I have lived.  In time I hope to start teaching this old dog new tricks in the hope that between us we can find our rightful place in the scheme of things.  It is likely to be a slow process of understanding, compassion and facing fear and guilt, but in time I am certain it will be worth it.


Visit my website to learn about my healing practice