DEVELOPMENT CIRCLE

Last night (Tuesday) was the first meeting of the Development Circle run by Aureen, my Reiki practitioner. I got nervous, as I always do when doing something new, although not as bad as I can get, as in: I used to bring on a migraine in my earlier years or a panic attack in my later years. Avoiding either is a definite sign of improvement. :0)

The house we met in was out in a local village, the home of one of Aureen's friends........ and a lovely home it is too, all neutral colours and rustic pine doors and furniture, with two gorgeous figurines on the mantelpiece in the living room that I loved. The atmosphere was instantly welcoming and I felt comfortable straightaway. Aureen introduced me to the other lady, who I shall call A, who I later discovered had been doing healing for seven years. Two other ladies were to have joined us but one had contacted her to say she couldn't come, due to having new lambs to feed, and the other one had been struggling to find a babysitter and didn't turn up, so guess she didn't find one.

We then moved into a small sitting area off the kitchen where we all sat on cushioned wooden chairs. Aureen then went on to explain a little about what she would be covering this week and how she saw things developing in future weeks and how we would be integrated with another small group when we reach the same level as them. Next were explanations on: psychic protection and various ways of creating a bubble of protection around ourselves, such as imagining a ball of white light surrounding us, or a sphere of light that we step into then zip up behind us; how to firmly ground ourselves by imagining branches growing from the soles of our feet down through the floor and foundations and into the earth below, where they anchor themselves; what the chakras are, the main ones and where they are and the colours associated with them and how to open them to commence working, by imagining them as a rosebud in the respective colour which slowly opens out to full bloom, or a door slowly opening or traffic lights on a dimmer switch that slowly intensifies the colour; then how to close them again by imagining the opposite. She also explained how she would open and close our circle with joined hands and prayer: Aureen herself refers to a Universal Spirit, rather than the patriarchal Christian God or particular Pagan Gods or Goddesses, and told us to use whatever term we prefer when joining in the prayer. I was comfortable with her version and used it.

Once the circle was opened we began by deep breathing then trying to visualise our protection..... I say trying because my skill with visualisation is rather hit and miss, occasionally leaning towards non-existent, despite my best efforts. I may be a Pagan but I rarely do spellwork, entrusting the Universe to give what is truly needed when the time is right, so don't use the techniques frequently, as Wiccans do. I "talked" my way through it until I felt it was OK, then turned my hands face down as a sign that I was ready. We then had to say how we felt it had gone. A already has this skill, though "feels" it being placed around her, rather than seeing it with her minds eye. It was pretty obvious I was going to need more practice - the visualisation wouldn't come and the breathing bit is fine when I don't think about it and just do it but once told I had to concentrate on it it just went all over the place! A suggested that I might be trying too hard with both, rather than relaxing into and just letting it happen - reckon she was right but I did feel I was lagging way behind her level, so had to try more.

Next we had to ground ourselves which Aureen guided us through by telling us to imagine the branches growing, spreading and then anchoring into the ground - this I could do as I find it easier to imagine and I actually felt the soles of my feet tingle, so knew it had worked.

Following this we then had to start imagining energy coming through the branches into each chakra in sequence, opening each out, starting with the root (or base) chakra and working up. I used the bud to flower image but couldn't really see colour and again had to more talk my way through it. I think switching to the door imagery may work better for me in future. When Aureen asked how it went A said she could see the healing colours purple, Spring green and orange basically because she uses them regularly in her healing work but struggled to see the other colours, so needed to work on those. The only time I saw truly vivid colours was at my last Reiki treatment (the healing colours). To answer your question Julie: meditation has become a bit of a struggle for me as these days I seem to fall asleep more often than not, so am lucky if I manage to see anything at all before nodding off. If I do see anything it seems to be hints of purple more than anything else (am curious to know why you asked now :0) ). More practice is definitely needed!

Following this we were then guided through something called feeling the power. We had to imagine white light shining down through our crown chakra (top of head) through our heads, shoulders and down through our arms and into our hands, then raise our hands, palms facing, and slowly bring them together until they touched. When we'd done this Aureen asked if we'd felt anything and I was glad to say I did! It was a rather odd sensation of feeling as if I'd got opposing magnets on each palm and as I brought them together the "magnets" were trying to keep them apart, or as if I was holding a small globe. Result! LOL

Next was closing down our chakras, followed by the closing of our circle and then a discussion of how we felt things had gone. One of the drawbacks of meeting in a semi-detached house is that there's no control over noise from neighbours and, whilst Aureen is able to block this out, A and I both found the occasional sounds distracting, so we shall use a little background music in future to help overcome it and begin with a little more relaxation/breathing before going on to do meditations or visualisations, to set the mood. We will also try a little psychometry - though I'm not really expecting much from myself with that at this early stage.

To be honest I feel as if I was more in touch with my inner self and intuition, and more in tune with my body, when I was in my twenties and that I've since managed to "kill" it off, partly because DH was uncomfortable with such things or straight out didn't believe (though he's now much more open-minded). Partially atrophied through lack of full use probably best describes it, so it's a case of using some mental physiotherapy to get things working and allowing them to flow smoothly once again. I have homework to do: practicing the visualisation techniques of protecting, grounding and opening and closing my chakras, so it will become easier for me to actually see it all happening in my minds eye.

All told it was a positive experience, despite a bit of an inferiority complex about my skills (or lack thereof), and I felt something in what we had done had worked as I came away buzzing and looking forward to next weeks session.

ORACLE CARDS

I've let this blog concentrate mostly on my visits to the Herbalist and Reiki practitioner recently which is a good way of keeping track of how my weight loss journey and treatment is proceeding but that doesn't necessarily make it thrilling reading at times. It's also not quite how I envisioned developing this blog either so, with that in mind, I thought it was time to start reintroducing posts on other things......... such as the things that interest me and also the tools I use as I journey along my Path.

At one of the M,B&S events I went to a couple of years ago I was having a browse on The Magick Thread book stall, one of my regular stop offs. Actually to call it a book stall doesn't quite do it justice, as they also sell Tarot and Oracle cards of all descriptions, the cloths to do spreads on and bags to hold them in, Almanacs, Diaries (pocket and larger), calendars etc etc - many with a Pagan/Wiccan theme. As I browsed I found myself being drawn to a particular set of Oracle cards so, having learnt not to ignore this instinct, I bought them. The cards are the Archangel Oracle cards by Doreen Virtue:

Inside the box is a small guidebook that gives details of how to use the cards in various ways, explains a little about each angel and what message they have and a more in-depth explanation of that message. There are also 45 cards: the deck is based on 15 archangels drawn from Jewish, Cabalistic, Christian, Catholic and Islamist traditions, with 3 cards with different meanings for each archangel. The artwork on them is just beautiful:

So what's a Pagan doing believeing in angels - surely it's a contradicition? Well I don't see it that way, as I think we all have a guardian angel, no matter what our faith or belief system, and that this has been the case since humans first started walking on Mother Earth....... and, let's face it, our ancestors were, originally, Goddess worshipping Pagans. Before the current main patriarchal religions evolved there was established belief in spirits of nature, beings of light and energy, that were inherent in all living things - especially so by the Celts, who also believed that all people had what they called an Anam Cara (or Anam Chara) > a Soul Friend....... and what better description of a guardian angel can you find? :0)

Since buying the cards I've used them whenever I've felt the need, or felt drawn to do so, and have always had a relevant message or messages from them. How do I know? I'll share a couple of examples.

Having told Aureen I was interested in her Development Circle and before having the last, and very enlightening, visit to see Jan I pulled this card:

The additional message: Your Spiritual understanding is rising to another level, as you open up to new ways of looking at life. Keep an open mind, and let go of limited thinking and illusions. Pay attention to signs - information that comes to you three times or more. Notice geometric shapes and symbols in your physical and psychic vision. Know that your increased awareness may shift your relationships and career goals. I'll guide you through these changes so your life mirrors your inner experiences.

Working with Archangel Raziel: As the wizard and alchemist of the angelic realm, Raziel helps us understand ideas that defy normal logic. He expands and challenges everyday thinking in ways that ultimately have healing effects. If you hunger for deep spiritual understanding, ask Raziel to enter your dreams. You'll soul travel with him to classrooms where he'll help you uncover truths and secrets. Upon awakening, you may not fully remember or understand Raziel's teachings, yet this knowledge is permanently imbedded in your subconscious, where it guides you throughout each day.

Speaking to Jan just a few days after pulling this card I revealed I was a Pagan which led to an extremely interesting talk on related things. She also told me about the plans she had for the Clinic and of how she would then be able to develop the Spiritual aspect to it, which she felt more and more drawn to do, and the types of workshops she would like to offer. I was pretty excited about it all, as much of what she will introduce is of interest to me and will also help me to develop my own Spiritual side - the first of these is the Angel Workshop at the end of May. Just as I'm starting to go back out into the world....... the doors present themselves and begin to open and as I start to do more of what I feel drawn to do and my own Spirituality develops then my outlook, awareness and goals will be bound to change and all should be for the better. :0)

Coincidentally, since drawing this card my dreams have been a little more vivid and full of symbology - though not necessarily of the geometrical kind. I've also been noticing little white feathers turning up all over the place too. :0)


As I finished taking the pics of the cards I got the urge to shuffle them and pull another. As I prepared to do this I had two questions rolling around in my head: What do I need to know? Who is with me? Normally it's best just to focus on one question but, try as I might, I still had both buzzing in my head - so I went ahead and began shuffling them. As I did this two cards seemed to almost jump out of the stack, so I took them and put them on the cloth:

What do I need to know? The Prioritize card with Archangel Metatron was the top card.

Additional message: What's your calling? What makes your heart sing? When you focus on these areas your joyful energy increases, which benefits everyone. Take charge of your schedule and spend more time on projects and activities close to your heart. Make choices that honour your priorities and support your life's mission.

Working with Archangel Metatron: Metatron is one of two archangels who once walked upon Earth as human men (the other one is Sandalphon). Metatron was the prophet and scribe, Enoch, who ascended after his exemplary Earth life. He continues working as a scribe and record keeper in heaven. He helps people develop organizational and record-keeping skills as well. When you call upon Metatron he motivates you to organize your priorities.

Well, if anyone needed help in getting organized then it's definitely me! LOL There are so many things I want to do and struggle to fit in because I'm not sure which to prioritise - which means I either flit round like a butterfly, doing a little on this and a little on that, and getting nowhere fast.... or take the lazy option and don't bother because it's much less hassle. There are so many projects that have been on the back burner for a long time, especially in the house jobs department, that they've got to an overwhelming level and it's difficult to know which to begin with, so the floundering carries over there too. So the message is loud and clear there!

Who is with me? The Hello from Heaven card with Archangel Azrael was the second card.

Additional message: Your loved ones aren't far away; in fact, they're quite near. In your quiet moments you can feel their presence. These really are true visitations and I ask you to trust your intuition. You may notice dream visits from deceased loved ones. Know that your loved ones are happy, free of all suffering, and want the same for you. Your loved ones want to work with your guardian angel to help you be peaceful, so watch for other signs from heaven.

Working with Archangel Azrael: Azrael is know as "The Angel of Death" since his primary role is to help people cross over to heaven at the time of their physical death. Far from being a morbid role, Azrael surrounds the newly crossed-over soul with loving light to make the experience uplifting and comforting. Azrael helps deceased loved ones make contact with their living family members and friends. You can ask Azrael to bring you a message or dream visitation from your loved ones in heaven.

My jaw dropped with this one as not only is it so relevant but I'd been thinking of my Mum and Dad again just that morning and especially remembering the hospital visits to see Dad, prior to him being taken to the hospice. These days I quickly shake those thoughts off, as they're not happy ones and it's not how I want to remember him. Glad to say that I do occasionally have those dream visits and also have those feelings that certain loved ones are around. It's usually something small and innocuous: starting to hum a particular song that Dad loved, suddenly realising what I'm doing and feeling that he was near; or one of Mum's sayings popping into my head, out of the blue, and getting a sense of not being alone. Then there are the messages from my Tarot reader, from Aureen and again from Ian Lawman at the Psychic evening we went to last year - all relevant and all confirming that our loved ones are still around, even though we can't always see (or sense) them. :0)

So that's why I both use these cards and love them: they are full of beautiful imagery and give positive, helpful and relevant messages when consulted.

REIKI - MARCH

Saturday morning brought my Reiki appointment and DH walked down the High Street with me, leaving me at the door to the Clinic whilst he carried on down the street to run a few errands and do a little shopping.

As I'd arrived a little early there was time to natter with Jan again, as she was doubling up as receptionist that morning. She spotted and had a really good look at my pendant this time. It's one I wear virtually all the time and is made from silver, the Goddess metal, and is etched with a triple spiral, front and back - similar to the motifs carved into the stones at Newgrange in Ireland (a place I want to visit!):

Funny how a person can see something many times but not realise the significance until a key piece of information is known. I felt happy enough on my previous day's visit to tell Jan that I'm a Pagan - knowing this, the significance of my pendant suddenly became obvious to her on Saturday. As I said to her: it's not so "in your face" as wearing a pentacle/pentagram can be but it's enough that those "in the know" will recognise it. For me it represents the triple aspect of the Goddess: Maid, Mother and Crone/Wise Woman. I mentioned Newgrange and Jan said one of the things she would love to do is set up a visit to Glastonbury, to visit Stonehenge, the Tor and Avebury. My eyes lit up. So much in common: one thing I would dearly love to do is for DH and I to be able to afford that motorhome so we can go touring and visit all the prehistoric Pagan sites, including Glastonbury etc, Newgrange, the sites in Cornwall and Wales and all those in Scotland, especially on the islands off Scotland and over to Ireland to see Newgrange especially. Hopefully, one day, before our time here is over! :0)

It was then time to go through for my Reiki treatment. One thing I have to do before getting on the treatment bed is to remove my specs, all rings that can come off (wedding ring is firmly on), pendant and bracelets. Aureen asked how I'd been, so I told her about the migraine, resulting alterations to meds and how I'd been feeling really out of kilter the last week. It gives Aureen chance to assess me and the areas that need to be concentrated on. Once laid down she covered my body with a fleecy blanket, to stop me from getting cold, then went to wash her hands and prepare herself for the treatment.

I love the treatment room. The furnishings are minimalistic: bookcases with Jan's less esoteric books on the shelves and a couple of tasteful ornaments, a comfy leather armchair in one corner (which looks as if it may have a foot rest attached), a wooden table (ideal for doing Tarot and Angel card readings on), a school-type chair at one end of the room that is brought in to put the CD player on and Aureen's treatment table takes the central space. What is most obvious about the room though is the lovely atmosphere - it feels so gentle and calming.

When Aureen returned the CD player was switched on and the treatment began - I'd already had to close my eyes, a sign that things would go well.

This time the most frequent thing to happen was the swirls of colours behind my closed eyelids. These aren't the usual colours you can see when you close your eyes, especially in bright sunlight, but much more vivid ones. Purple was predominant: as soon as Aureen had touched my head then my feet pulses of purple began, like a heartbeat, then turned into swirls of colour. A little later there were pulses of green, from light Spring green to deep lush summer grass green, interspersed with occasional splashes of orange and several times I got the impression of outlines of flowers around the edges of the colours, which was a first. At one point I briefly saw the outlined figure of a woman, arms outstretched at her sides and glowing with light - a very serene image. Later still I also got the feeling that there was someone stood to the left of me and I had an overwhelming urge to hold out my left hand, as if to hold someone's hand, and found it really hard not to do it. When Aureen closed the treatment at my feet I could feel a distinct tingling sensation.

We discussed what I'd seen and what Aureen had done afterwards. Apparently all my chakras had been well out of balance, another thing that explained why I'd been feeling so out of kilter, so she had realigned them all, pulling healing purple light through my body to help do this. She also saw me walking through a forest glade with lots of animals and flowers around, dressed in a white robe - as I walked I came across a beautiful waterfall which I stepped into and as the water washed over me it bathed me with healing white light and I looked happy. So the white glowing figure I saw was me!

When I told Aureen about wanting to hold my hand out she asked why I hadn't - basically it was because I didn't want to freak her out. She assured me that it wouldn't have, as she would have known it was something important, and that it was possibly so I could be given something from either the Angelic or Spiritual realm. I had to promise her that, if I ever felt the urge to do this again, I was not to worry and just go ahead and do it. The tingling sensation in my feet happened as Aureen was grounding me at the end of the treatment.

She then asked if I had ever had a black and white cat but as I shook my head she said that, actually, it was a mostly black cat with a little white on it. Our cat Sally was black with a splash of white on her side that we referred to as her Mallen Streak - the vet told us that it was a sign of her having had trauma in the area. As she was a rescue cat we didn't know her history, so couldn't enlighten him. She crossed over the Rainbow Bridge several years ago: she had a stroke and lost her sight and the use of her back legs and we'd had to take the sad decision to have her put to sleep, afterwards burying her in our back garden. Apparently Sally had come into the room, first sitting in one area before moving wandering under the table to go and sit on the other side, purring all the while. She had been a very vocal cat. I told Aureen that I felt she came to visit us occasionally as I'd sensed her around a couple of times (once I even felt her softly tapping my hand for attention, just as she used to do) and my son had actually seen her once, trotting away from us, down the back room to the sun lounge where she used to spend much of her time. It's nice to know that she's happy to come back to visit occasionally. :0)

Aureen then told me to take it easy for the rest of the day. Rather than buzzing with energy, as usually happens, I felt tired - guess it was something to do with having a more intensive healing done, to realign those chakras. I didn't need telling twice! LOL She also told me that the Development Circle should be starting within a couple of weeks: she's taking time to ensure that the people who go to it are of similar outlooks so that we will gel, creating the right energies for us to work together well. It will be a small group so I shouldn't feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed.

After thanking her I went back to reception, paid my dues and booked another appointment for next month. I also confirmed my booking for the Angel Workshop, at the end of May, and paid for that too. I am so looking forward to it! :0)

Afterwards I met DH in Il Sorriso, where we had dinner - they do a rather nice ham salad - before calling at the flower shop, on the way home, for some freesias to take to Rosehill Crem on the Sunday, to put by Mum's plaque for Mother's Day. I heeded Aureen's advice and took it easy for the rest of the day and Boy, did I sleep like a log that night!

Thank you for stopping by - hope you enjoyed your visit. :0)

HERBALIST UPDATE - MARCH

Last Friday was the day for my delayed appointment with Jan, the Herbalist. It was supposed to have been on the Wednesday but Jan had a dental emergency to attend to: the temporary crown over four front teeth dropped out first thing and needed to be re-fitted - very embarrassing when greeting people and smiling! - and rang to ask if I minded if we delayed it. Of course not - the Wednesday hadn't started very auspiciously anyway, with a car accident at the junction outside our house - luckily there were no injuries but I hate going out on days like that, as it's guaranteed that something else will happen while I'm out. No, I'm not just saying that: it's happened so many times over the years it's just not funny, so I soon learnt that it's best to just stay home!

Thankfully Friday started well and had decent weather so I felt OK about going out. The first thing we did was to review my food diary sheets. These are very useful as I not only write down all that I eat and drink each day (very good for keeping me on the straight and narrow, as I cannot lie, not even by omission) but also any symptoms that may have occurred. The most notable thing was my first full-on, flashing light "OMG, I think I'm going blind" migraine in years. After going through the history of when I first started getting migraines (age 13) and how they developed/altered over the years until they'd all but disappeared since I've been in my 40's Jan thought that the Chasteberry drops - taken to help balance my hormones - had actually altered the balance too much and triggered the migraine. The upshot is that I no longer have to take these, though it did serve to show just how well my body does react to herbal remedies.

As I'm still having odd days when I suffer from bloating etc, despite the Candaway and Acidophilus doing their job, Jan feels it's an indicator that I probably have food sensitivities or allergies - something that doesn't surprise me, as I've suspected this for many years but hadn't been able to prove it. So I'm booked in for the full allergy/sensitivity testing with Candida check next month with the lady who does that - that will happen prior to the next appointment with Jan so the results can be assessed and the findings discussed then. It'll be interesting to see what the outcome of all that will be........ and what exactly will be left for me to actually eat. LOL

I had my blood pressure checked this time and the result was rather disappointing: it had gone back up and was at 142/90. It explained why I'd been feeling a little off since having the migraine, leaning towards really out of kilter last week, with the return of some of the previous problems with brooding and anger. Jan felt the hawthorn in the medicine had now done all it could do with my BP (which was quite a lot, initially) so it was time to drop that from the mix and add another herb instead (it's name escapes me) and that she would slightly re-jig it to help bring back a happier, more positive mood. That's fine by me. :0)

The weigh-in this time round was a little disappointing and chastening: it had dropped from 13 stone 7 to 13 stone 5, a loss of just 2lbs. After the previous months big successes I couldn't help feeling a tad disappointed BUT it's still coming off and the numbers are going down, so have since realised that it's still a positive. It was chastening because I know what has caused the slow down and it's all my own fault: my carb portion had been gradually creeping back up again, the bombay potatoes treat had got bigger, I'd had potatoes a few more times than I should have through the month, been sat on my backside more, rather than keeping busy to burn the calories, and had been having ham salad tortilla wraps almost every dinnertime, instead of the healthier fish, salad and a little rice or couscous option I'm supposed to have. Lesson learnt - I won't be doing that again. Anyway, I now have a small goal to achieve: if I can lose 5 1/2lbs the weight will have dropped from over 13 stone to 12 stone something and it will be so good to be able to say I'm 12 stone whatever, instead of 13 stone something. Don't get me wrong, that isn't my ultimate weight loss goal, but it's a nice way of breaking it down into more manageable and easier to attain goals - it'll help to keep me motivated. :0)

Overall, though I'd been a little disappointed, Jan was pleased with how things were going and feels the changes to the medicine will help get things back on track with the hormonal and blood pressure problems and that the allergy/sensitivity testing will help recognise any other dietary problems that can be addressed next time.

As Jan had no other appointments that morning and had time to kill before going for dinner, so we had time to natter about other things too. It turned out to be a very interesting conversation in many ways and we have rather more in common than we first realised. Her plans for the future are very exciting indeed, as it will see her developing the Spiritual aspect to the Clinic: there will be lots more workshops covering a wide range of subjects - not only Angel Workshop's but ones that cover things such as Sacred Drumming, Tarot and aspects of Goddess belief. I still plan on attending the Development Circle that Aureen, my Reiki healer, will be starting shortly, as that will mostly cover the psychic aspect I'm interested in. Jan's will allow me to develop my own Spiritual side with like-minded people. This has further confirmed my feelings that the Universe has played a hand in my choosing to attend this particular Clinic: just as I realised it's time to go back out into the world to allow opportunities to arise........ along they've come. :0)

When it was time for Jan to go I left and made my way to the Post Office to post a birthday card to DH's eldest niece. After that I popped into the Help the Aged Charity shop to look at the books, then along to the Hospice Book Shop to see what they had. I came away with this little haul:


The top three and the one on the bottom right were from Help the Aged and the other two from the Hospice Book Shop. A healthy dose of fantasy books, which I really love, though I'm currently reading the Dan Brown book.

Whilst in the Hospice shop I plucked up courage and asked the lady behind the counter about how to go about volunteering and, following on from talking about opportunities arising and the Universe intervening........ in came the Manageress, from the Hospice charity shop across the road. I had a natter to her and explained about recuperating from agoraphobia and panic attacks and wanting to take the next step to start meeting more people, as well as to give something back for what the Hospice movement did for my Dad, and she was very helpful. She took me over to the other shop and gave me a form to fill in and, because she didn't want me to worry about it, did the little interview that's normally done when you take the form back while I was there. Once I take the form back it's a matter of waiting until there are enough people needing the half morning induction course, which is held at the Hospice itself - that gives us a chance to be shown round the Hospice and get a better feel for what they do and the guidelines they run under. I'm already down as being willing to do a Wednesday morning in the Book Shop (to start with) and, as they are pretty desperate for extra people then, it should be an immediate start, once I've been through the induction. The manageress was lovely - I thanked her for her help and for being OK about my problems, as it can weird some people out when I tell them. As she explained: they are there to raise funds for the Hospice and as such are the "face" that most people meet, therefore they are run under the same caring principles as the Hospice itself. I've already filled the form in - just need to pluck up the courage now to take it back and set things in motion. :0)

As I was about to leave the shop I spotted a cross stitch kit I liked the look of. The manageress said that it had been there for some time and she was just about to reduce the price, which she did - knocked down to £3.00:


I bought the kit to stitch and make up the pictures to give to my MIL, so she can sell them on her fundraising stall for Treetops Hospice in Derbyshire. Two charities benefiting from one item. :0)

After that I called at Tesco Express for a few things we needed for tea. I was pretty well laden by this time so was glad to head home and off load everything. I started the new medicine straight away, taking the first lot before my lunch, and by the end of the day had already started to feel a little better, mood wise. Am also pleased to report that it tastes quite pleasant compared to the previous dirty stuff. LOL

I was back at the Clinic the following day for a Reiki treatment but will post about that another time as this post is already long enough. :0)

Thank you for visiting and for the kind comments. :0)

OSTARA BLESSINGS

Whilst surfing the net, as you do, I came across this lovely video by Burnt Page. Not only does it contain much beautiful imagery it also explains the meanings behind Ostara and it's celebrations. It's a long'ish one and you'll have to read fast but it's well worth it, as it's a positive and uplifting creation that is a joy to watch.



I hope you enjoyed this piece as much as I did.

May you all have a happy and Blessed Ostara. As the seeds in the ground, may all your ideas, plans and creations ripen and mature into full fruitfulness.

ELSECAR

On Sunday DH and I travelled to Doncaster to pick up my DSis, then we all had a trip over to Elsecar Heritage Centre to visit the Mind, Body and Spirit event being held there. We arrived just after 10.30am and realised that the Centre was holding a family event as well, as it was already fairly busy - though the M,B&S event itself was, thankfully, a little quieter.

Initially we did a quick lap of the hall so I could find Leonie, my tarot card reader, and book a session with her. I got the 11.15am slot which meant there was a little time to kill so we set off on a wander around the hall to see what delights there were. Our first stop was at a stand that sold natural soaps and essential oils. I've recently found that the liquid anti-bacterial soap we have in the kitchen badly dries my hands out, leading to severe chapping, so I've had to start using olive oil based soap to stop the problem. There were lots of lovely combinations on the stall and these were the ones we bought:


My DSis bought the same ones. The green one (clary sage, tea tree and peppermint) is mildly antiseptic so will be good for the kitchen - normally I can't stand the smell of tea tree but the peppermint masks it nicely without being too overpowering. Probably a good one for a possible smelly feet problem too! LOL The honey and oatmeal will be a good exfoliator and the eucalyptus, rosemary and lemon would be good to use when we're suffering from colds - I got it mainly to put beside my bed, so the smell would aid restful breathing whilst asleep. The patchouli essential oil I got for using in my oil burner.

Next stop was the Pink Saluu clothing stall. The lady recognised me from last time around when DH bought me a couple of tops - I was chuffed to bits when she noticed I'd lost weight! I really saw the evidence of the weight loss when I tried on this silk top:

It's a Medium. I haven't seen the inside of anything in medium for a very looooong time. It's still slightly tight over the hips but by the time my holiday comes around it shouldn't be any more. Yay! I fell in love with the colour of this: one minute it looks blue, the next it looks green. Gorgeous! Yes, I am also definitely feeling more confident as I am being drawn to more vibrant colours and feel happy about wearing them. :0

It was soon time for my reading with Leonie. It was very interesting: some of what came up confirmed things that she'd told me in my previous reading, some other possibilities (such as DH and redundancy) were more actualities this time, though she said not to worry, as he would find another job fairly soon after. DS's love-life seems set to take-off around Christmas time, when he will either meet a girl or a friendship will blossom into more - the possibility of working in Australia or New Zealand for a couple of years came up with him again too. As for me, well it seems I will probably have a job in a year or so's time. Initially I will try charity work for a while (funnily enough, the thought of volunteering to work in the hospice book shop in my local High Street has kept cropping up recently!) and this will give me the confidence to stop thinking "I can't do that" when looking at jobs and start thinking "Yes, I can do that" and going for it. There was also a message from Dad and several other loved ones from the other side popped in to say hello - Leonie was a little bemused by how many! All in all it was quite a positive reading, despite the redundancy cropping up, and I came away feeling quite positive about the future. :0

After this we had a dinner break, going out to the car to eat: I'd brought some ham salad tortillas with me and DH and DSis bought sandwiches there. Once we'd had our fill DSis and I ventured back into the hall whilst DH had a little wander over to see the steam trains first - Thomas Tank was there, pulling carriages to give the kiddies a ride. :0) Things were getting alot busier by this time and it was quite a squeeze to get round at times - the aisles were way too narrow really.

This time round I spotted, on the He Hi She Lo crystal stall, exactly what I'd been looking for for a while........ my pink angel:

She represents my guardian angel and is carved rose quartz, one of the crystals I'm drawn to very often. Even before Aureen, the Reiki Master at the Earth Energies Clinic, told me I had a beautiful pink guardian angel I'd been looking for just that: a pink rose quartz angel, another one of those odd "coincidences" - or intuitions - that have occured regularly through my life. This is the spot where she will be staying for now.

There were some nice jewellery stalls there but one in particular really took our eye: Fruit Bat Designs (site is under construction but it will be worth popping by when it's up and running). The lady works wholly with silver and gemstones and all are hand made by her. As much as I was tempted by some of her beautiful creations I restricted myself to a ring:

The one I bought from her is the amethyst one on my forefinger - a very delicate looking and pretty design and it goes nicely with my amethyst bracelet. As you can see I also like amber but those two were previous buys from the Rainbow Room over in Market Rasen. :0) You have no idea of how much hassle taking that pic was - juggling a camera one-handed is bad for your nerves and blood pressure! LOL

One of my stop-off points is always the Spiralling stall. I didn't need any incense sticks this time but I did come away with two scented sachets:

The rose one is now sat in my nightie drawer, nicely scenting it and the knicker drawer above. LOL I love the Lotus scent, tending to use those incense sticks more than any others, and will hang that sachet near my armchair so I can smell it whenever I sit down to stitch. :0)

There was another clothing stall (didn't get a card with details on) which we had a nosey at and I fell in love with a really funky blouse in blue, with darker blue splashes in it, a lace up ribbon front (wide enough to fit me with a little room but adjustable as I lose more weight) and with small sisha mirrors stitched to it. Very modern (unlike me!) and the sort of thing I've always wanted to wear but was too big for. My DSis kindly bought it for me for my birthday present, so I won't get my hot little hands on it until July - I will have lost more weight by then and it will be in time to take with me on our holiday, so I'll be able to wear it on our anniversary. :0)

Whilst walking past the stall where I bought my lovely pottery moon gazing hare last year I spotted a different one and this one was specifically for outside. When I showed it to DH he couldn't resist it either, so the little fella came home with us and this is where he now lives:

As you can see the dwarf narcissi in my pot are starting to bloom, so there's a nice bright splash of sunny yellow now - guaranteed to bring a smile to my face whenever I see them. :0)

None of us had any kind of treatments whilst at the event - it got too busy and none of us like being on view to all and sundry plus now I have regular Reiki treatments with Aureen I prefer not to have that done by anyone else.

By about 2pm we'd all had enough of the busyness, had seen everything several times over and had had enough retail therapy so we decided to go back to my DSis's. We finished the night off with a take-out Chinese (chicken foo yung and rice is OK with my diet), nattered some, watched a little TV (can't miss Lark Rise to Candleford!) and finally headed home around 9pm. We slept well that night, I can tell you! LOL

Tomorrow (Wednesday) I have an appointment at the Clinic with Jan, the Herbalist, again and I hope to hear some more good news then so I will post about that later in the week. Two posts in one week on here......... must be a record. ;0)

Thank you for visiting - hope you enjoyed your visit and found something of interest. :0)

UPLIFTING

I spotted this YouTube link over at the 2 Witches Blog earlier today and thought it was such a positive and uplifting piece I wanted to share it.



I think it holds for Pagans as well as Wiccans. It also contains one of my favourite pieces of music from Enya too. :0)