Ho'oponopono

'I love you' 'I am sorry' 'please forgive me' 'thank you'

These four exclamations are the basis of Ho'oponopono, an ancient Polynesian Kahuna method of healing. The belief that mistakes, errors, stress, anger, guilt, resentment, grief break the Kapu spiritual laws and create ill health is the basis of this practice. The answer is to be open about our faults, seek forgiveness and forgive others. Defining the transgression, prayer and restitution forbwrongdoing is the answer. Parents who are unhappy can make their children unwell, can cause social disorder and other difficulties. Ho'oponopono is a mental cleansing, providing restitution; the words mean correct, good, upright,  oral, just, virtuous, fair, restoration, righteous, amend, release, rectify, adjust, tidy up, make orderly, ought, should, must. If you like this topic, you can find an interesting website on this link:
https://www.inthedesertchildrensproject.org/

Chronic Fatigue

Myalgic Encephalomylitis is abbreviated to ME and has all the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Tiredness, muscle aches, brain fog, depression, are part of a syndrome that has baffled doctors. It has now been accepted by the medical world as being a genuine illness and not one that has been imagined by the patient. Many treatments are available, from diet, sleep treatment, physical therapies, etc. It is best to avoid medications if they can be avoided. For more information: https://www.cdc.gov/cfs/pdf/cfs-toolkit.pdf

and: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/1015/p741.pdf

The Goddess 2.0 - Karen Tate

Extract from ‘Goddess 2.0 – Advancing a New Path Forward’ by Rev. Dr. Karen Tate published by Megalithica Books, paperback 188 pages £10.99

You are not alone if you believe domination and authoritarian patriarchy are destroying countless lives and our planet. There is a more sustainable alternative and it's not new. In fact it's ancient. Exiled for a time, but making a return, the Sacred Feminine has become indelibly integrated into our lives, reminding humanity during this time of crisis that the ideals of the Great She offer a pathway to secure a more sustainable future. As people lose faith in organized religion, as the paradigm of power shifts across the globe, as climate change quickly approaches a point of no return, people are leading using their divine intelligence gleaned from Goddess teachings to find solutions and sanctuary. They're listening to their consciences, heart wisdom, and intuition to manifest a new normal. They're practicing partnership, generosity, and compassion to establish a new way of being. They're tapping into their empathy and morality as they hit the reset button. We are witnessing this awakening across the globe as people from all walks of life and cultures turn to Goddess, deity, archetype and ideal, to evolve from the malignant chaos we face today. Using the wisdom and activism suggested in Goddess 2.0; Advancing a New Path Forward, we see through the lens of spiritual, cultural and political leaders, old and new, male and female. They share the many ways Goddess Spirituality has grown and matured in the minds of Her advocates to inspire the birth of a new world and usher in a time of security, peace, joy, equality and prosperity for all.  

What am I talking about you might ask?  Sacred Feminine ideals are the new liberation thealogy.  Here's what I mean...

Pulsing

Pulsing is a form of gentle and comfortable rocking movements which were developed in the mid 1970s by Curtis Turchin who was originally a Postural Integration therapist. He took some aspects of the Trager Approach to create a stretching and lifting style of bodywork to rock the client's body in order to release tension and stress. Rhythmic and meditative. 
For more information, visit:  http://www.hht.co.nz/4pro.pdf
and http://www.holisticpulsing.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/HP-INFO-SLIDES.pdf

Music for Sleep

Recommended music for sleeping.

A Healing Meditation

 This video meditation created by Jo Barnard with text by Wendy Stokes is taken from meditations in The Lightworkers Circle Guide - A Workbook for Spiritual Groups. The meditation might cause a light trance, so do not drive a vehicle. Allow 30 minutes to fully relax without interruption. Make yourself comfortable, take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes and exnjoy the experience.   www.wendystokes.co.uk

Before 4000BC

Around this date, patriarchal culture began to supercede the previous matriarchal cultures. The most ancient deity was a female, known as the Great Goddess, and her full figure statuettes are found internationally and described as 'Venus' figurines. She was described as Ishtar in Mesopotamia, as Astarte in Phoenecia, as Iset in Egypt. It is said that her culture was peaceloving, where the weak and disabled were cared for and where the planet was regarded as sacred. Find books to interest you by visiting on this link: http://freepsychotherapybooks.org/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAwrbEBRDqxqzMsrTGmogBEiQAeSE6ZWDBcyKiJqv3owEWr-oAE-Wm1JFobq9RfPh4ngMk0KkaAiJ38P8HAQ
 

Gaia - Our Planet Earth

The Piping Plover draws predators away from her nest by feigning a broken wing. Dogs follow the direction of our gaze, chickens are measurably upset when they see their chicks buffeted by the wind, mosquitos can do simple addition and subtraction and sticklebacks identify individuals and remember them! Is this not a planet of unrecognised intelligence, creativity and abundant life! We live on an extraordinary, finite and unique planet. In 1979, the British scientist and NASA consultant (and perhaps the most well known environmentalist), Professor James Lovelock, suggested that our planet is a living being, that breathes, lives in every living species, and will one day die. He named his study of the planet, the Gaia Theory, after the Greek Goddess of the Earth. James Locklock wrote the book 'Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth which is highly recommended to readers of Mind Body Spirit Magazine. The ecology of our planet must be the New Age paradigm and James Lovelick was fifty years ahead of his time in noticing the interdependence of all species on each other and the importance of protecting from pollution our seas, air and soil.  Visit the website: http://www.jameslovelock.org/key4.html

Whirling Dervishes

This whirling dance of the dervishes is conducted to produce a trance state where the dancers gain meditation union with the Divine. The word 'dervish' is a 'holy man' of the Islamic faith who follows the mystic path of the Sufis. The dervish, Jalal al Din Rumi, was taught whirling by Shams of Tabriz. He was a Sufi poet from Persia was born in Northern Afghanistan in 1207 and wrote 25000 poems of great wisdom and profound spirituality, often based on love and transporting the reader to mystical states. Rashad Field travelled widely through the Himalayas and also studied Sufism in Turkey where he was initiated into the Mevlevi Order of Dervishes. He is the author of a series of esoteric books which are highly recommended for those interested in mysticism. 

For more information: http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/powerdance.pdf

The Mandala

Mandalas are very ancient meditative designs and are international in their distribution. Their design is often circular, ornate and flowing within, to the centre and then to the outside of the boundary. Labyrinths are similar designs. The object is for meditation and to create harmony and balance within the mind. Anyone can produce their own mandalas and colour them as desired. They are especially good for children and for recuperation from mental and physical illness. If you would like to download some designs to print out, there are a variety online free of charge, such as these: https://printmandala.com/
and  http://mandala-4free.de/en/index.htm

Qabalah

A Rabbinical mystical Philosophy of ancient origin and handed down by word of mouth, the Qabalah (sometimes spelt Kabbalah or without the 'h' in either spelling) refers to the Creative source by four letters, YHVH, often pronounced as Yehovah, as the name of god was too holy to be spoken. The source is shown as a diagram, a glyph, called the 'tree of life', with ten aspects, from the physical world to the immaterial. These ten aspects, known as sephirot or containers, are, at their highest, altruistic and are required for an ethical life and show the importance of truth, compassion, justice, serenity, wisdom, charity, joy, trust, commitment, and other spiritual values which create a living, thriving tree which provides fruit, materials for building, etc., for the whole of the community. In the teaching, these spiritual values also bring health, wellbeing, respect and honour. They can be reversed by those who wish to devote their lives to evil and would represent lies, sadism, injustice, narcissism, etc., and represent a tree which bears only self serving uses. No-one would ever wish a new horn baby to grow up to be greedy, hurtful or self-serving. We all want that child to have a loving disposition and treated with care, kindness and respect. The Qabalah is a way to understand how to live a life with beauty, productivity and to make the world a better place. It also explains how to understand other people, and assess their integrity. Find out more by following this link to more reading material: http://emu73.hol.es/power-of-kabbalah.pdf

Environment Health

Permaculture offers a natural and sustainable gardening philosophy, developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978, it has taken off as a means of looking after plants and animals holistically and organically. Energy is conserved, rain water is used rather than reservoir water, natural compost is used too. Prince Charles, next in line to the British throne, is very interested in using these permaculture methods. Three core laws apply:

• Care for the earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply. This is the first principle, because without a healthy earth, humans cannot flourish.
• Care for the people: Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence.
• Return of surplus: Reinvesting surpluses back into the system to provide for the first two ethics. This includes returning waste back into the system to recycle into usefulness. The third ethic is sometimes referred to as Fair Share to reflect that each of us should take no more than what we need before we reinvest the surplus.

 
Free ebooks on Permaculture: http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/ebooks/free-ebooks.html
and blogs here: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/writers/maddy-harland
and podcasts here: https://www.permaculture.co.uk/podcasts

Disappearing Wildlife Red Alert

The African Lion and the Sunda Clouded Leopard could be extinct within a few years due to lack of food in the wild caused by changing weather conditions. 

In 1979, Africa had 1,300,000 wild Elephants, today, there are 400,000 alive and the land is guarded by park rangers and it is estimated more than 1,000 rangers have been killed by armed militia groups in the past ten years trying to protect them.

23tonnes of Elephant Ivory was confiscated in 2012 - equivalent to the tusks of 2,500 Elephants. Seizures of illegal ivory are at their highest for 20 years  The price of Rhino horn has increased to £37.500 per kilogram, twice the price of gold and platinum (and more valuable than black market diamonds or cocaine). The illegal trade in wildlife is one of the most lucrative trades in the world, worth £6,000,000,000 per year and is ruthless in its quest. Animals are viciously killed and people are also killed. . This trade is fueled by the new middle classes of the Far East, Vietnam is the top destination point for Rhino horn where they trade in carcass, tusk and horn, in one haul 1,200 Rhino tusks were seized in Hong Kong. Approx 5,000 Rhinos remain in the wild.  

Cognitive Analytic Therapy

 Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is conducted by qualified psychotherapists, to assist patients to gain a greater understanding of their own process. 

http://www.acat.me.uk/page/home

Save our Bees!

Despite the US and the UK resisting, bee campaigners are celebrating the European Union prohibition on the use of systemic pesticides which have been demonstrated to be toxic to bees. A total of 15 of the 27 European member states voted for a 2 year ban on neonicotinoids and 300,000 people in the UK signed a petition to bring in a ban. Most bumblebee species are declining and 6 species have suffered an 80% reduction in numbers in recent years. In the past 100 years, 20 British bee species have become extinct and 35 British bees are currently at risk of extinction. This is due to several factors, not just the chemicals which reduce their immune system capabilities, but loss of habitat plays a large role as does the removal of honey from hives and replacing it with sugar water which provides none of the valuable nutrients for bees throughout the winter, and does not provide the antibacterial that is needed for them to fight diseases. With 98% of wild flower meadows vanishing since 1950, we need to plant flowers that will help bees to thrive. They play a crucial role in plant pollination.  

Autogenic Training

I found this a good video on the topic of Autogenic Training. It explains the advantages of the technique. If you are listening to the recording, please ensure you are not interrupted for 20 minutes while you perform the meditation. Never operate machinery or drive while performing meditation. Autogenic Training is a powerful relaxation method which should ne conducted each day for best results. Let me tell you a story: A Russian envoy, Count Kayserling had insomnia. He asked Johann Sebastian Bach to compose music for him to help him sleep. The Count called upon Johann Goldberg to play on the harpsicord a new Bach composition. Immediately the Count fell asleep. This piece of music is known as the Goldberg Variations. In the 1970s, a Bulgarian scientist, Georgi Lozanov, studied this piece of music and found that it slowed down the bodily processes. Vivaldi, Telemann, Corelli and Handel also had a similar effect. 60 beats per minite is the desired tempo. 

Non Violent Language

 Non violent communication is a new method of dealing with conflict. Often communication can escalate when conflict is not resolved. If you would like to speak with someone in a way which respects their point of view but also gets your point of view across in a way which is not inflationary, this is the way to go about it! 

For more information, visit: http://www.cnvc.org/sites/cnvc.org/files/NVCInstructionGuide_Jiva_.pdf 

Weight Loss Hypnosis

 

This is a weight-loss hypnosis video created by Zoe Featherstone with text by Wendy Stokes for salt, sugar and fat reduction. 

Please prepare for relaxation and don't drive or operate machinery. Make yourself comfortable, do not be interrupted, relax! 

Primal Therapy

Primal Therapy is a form of psychotherapy based on relieving the repressed feelings that result from childhood trauma or abuse by giving vent to the pain through the voice, often by crying and screaming. This allows the trauma, which might have been hidden from others for a lifetime, to be fully experienced, heard, to be exorcised, and then for the person to be supported and cared for, thereby healing the pain on the past, a process of catharsis. Dr Arthur Janov (born 1924), a psychologist and therapist, is the creator of this therapeutic technique and his book which describes his ideas, beliefs and the method of this therapy is titled 'The Primal Scream'. He also his written other books on psychotherapy. He was very influential in the 1970s, especially in California, and had some very high profile clients, such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
More information about Primal Therapy: http://www.primaltherapy.com/FRAMESbasic/aptFrame.htm
and http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-011-7721-4_4#page-1

Highly Sensitive People

The topic of highly sensitive people is relevant to us all. With apologies for the advert at the beginning which you can skip if you like. Though 'sensitive' is perhaps an unsuitable word, perhaps 'highly aware' would be more appropriate. HSP are highly empathic, overly aware and open. 

Take the test: http://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/

Insomnia

 

Lack of sleep has many causes; it could be from noise, from anxiety, from habit or from medications (just to name some possiblities). You could have difficulty getting to sleep or you could wake early. The result of lack of sleep can lead to exhaustion, cause traffic accidents,  increase moodyness.  Do not use medication - sleeping tablets - these have very serious side effects. Use natural methods. Create a bedtime routine, do not do anything stressful before bedtime, listen to a tape or gentle music, and make sure your bedroom is a place of peace and tranquility. For more information: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/insomnia.pdf 
and: https://www.nuh.nhs.uk/media/2237861/managing_insomnia_and_sleep_problems_booklet.pdf