ACUPUNCTURE - 6TH MAY

I was relieved when Thursday came around this week as my left knee had played up badly on Wednesday, even making me wonder  if it was developing bursitis, just like my right one. It didn't help that, as I was limping badly it also affected the calf muscle, the back of my thigh and even into the small of my back. OK, I didn't do the Shamballah healing Course for nothing, so did some Self-healing on Wednesday night - it did improve by Thursday morning, though far from 100%.

I hobbled down the street to the Clinic and very steadily climbed the stairs and was glad to sit down when I reached the top. Thankfully it wasn't long before Janet called me into the treatment room. I told her what the problem was and also briefly discussed Tuesday night's Circle and those fleeting images during the clairvoyance session. It's so good to know that, unlike with most GP's, Janet fully understands and is happy to treat Spiritual problems, as well as physical ones - the beauty of alternative therapies! :0)

This week I had to take off my jeans, as well as socks and shoes and specs and lay on the treatment bed on my front. When I was ready Janet came back in and proceeded to check the extent of the problem by pressing various areas from the small of my back and down my left leg and her conclusion was that if I'd left it much longer I'd probably go on to develop sciatica. Nope, definitely do NOT want that, so please treat whatever needs treating says I. This led to her applying needles to: the small of back (two or three, can't remember); several down the left buttock; quite a few more dotted along the channels down the thigh and calf; the usual hormone ones in my ankles; the ones in the tops of each foot; also several in my wrists and back of hands and the single one in my third eye Chakra. Did I feel like a rather full pincushion this time around! LOL It was interesting to note that quite a few of the needles barely registered as they went in.... several gave me a pinprick sensation and a couple more gave me a right belt, whilst the third eye one gave me the slightly whoozy "must close my eyes" sensation. I now realise that the ones that give me a right belt are the ones that are needed the most, as the Qi is strongly reacting to the needle - a moment's discomfort for a great deal of benefit, so it's well worth putting up with. But I never know which ones will have the strongest reaction, so it's a bit like playing Russian Roulette... with needles instead of bullets. LOL

I can't remember if I laid on my front or side for this session. I do know that laying on my front isn't comfortable for the full legth of a treatment though and isn't something I'd want to repeat in a hurry... not without some extra padding round the face hole in the bed..... and some for my poor boobs! Laying on my side is better, providing the upper leg is supported by the bolster cushion, otherwise that gets really uncomfortable after a while. Yes, I'm spoilt - I'm used to a comfort foam and sprung mattress that moulds to my body when I lay on my bed.... and there's a lot less extra padding on my bones these days too. Not that I'm complaining about that! LOL The most relaxing treatments are definitely those when I can lay on my back.
When the treatemnt time was up and Janet came in to take out the needles we talked a little about the Shamballah course and I mentioned the feeling of sadness I felt wash over me when I thanked Wayne and hugged him on that final day, just as I was leaving - sometimes being clairsentient has its drawbacks and picking up on other people's emotions can be disturbing when you're unprepared (yes, I should have ensured protection was in place but I was in lovely surroundings and with people I liked, so didn't think it was necessary). On the final day we'd all pulled a card from his Ascended Masters oracle card pack and Janet's had been the  "Go Now" card - that had unsettled her (mine had been White Buffalo Calf Woman - again the NA influence creeps in). I guess it's something she needs to look at more deeply and understand why. Once the needles were all out she left me to get dressed again, with the usual admonition to take some sips of water before venturing out of the room.

As I sat up I realised the ache in my back had gone and as I made my way over to my jeans also realised that the knee was hardly bothering me at all and the calf and thigh just had that slightly bruised feeling you get when you've been walking awkwardly to compensate for a gimp knee. Another fab result. As I told G when I went out to reception: I certainly wouldn't be up to doing the hop, skip and jump any time soon but the difference was great - I hobbled in but I'd be walking out. :0)

After thanking Janet again, making my next appointment and paying my dues I headed down the stairs and along the street to my favourite shop once again. There were some more books in there again just begging to come home with me:

I'm looking forward to reading the Jane Boleyn book. She's one of those characters from history that I have mixed feelings about, so it'll be interesting to get another perspective on her and the happenings she was involved with during Henry VIII's fateful marriages to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Not sure what else I did after this - no notes!

ACUPUNCTURE - 29TH APRIL

Would you believe, I've actually made a few notes on this session, though not about what was treated, which I can't remember.

I do remember that G was on reception. She said that the Shamballah Healing Course, which she'd also been on, had seemed to really boost her energy levels and she'd finally started to tackle the long needed sort out of her box room. She'd been going through many of her books in there and had found some she thought I might be interested in and asked if I would like them:

I don't have them in my collection, so I said I would love to read them... they're certainly something I'm interested in. LOL She didn't want them back and wouldn't take anything for them, so I thanked her hugely... and am so glad I decided to stitch the picture of her Power Animal for her. :0) I promised her that, when I'd read them, I would bring them into Circle to offer up to the others, to see if they would like to read them too.

During the acupuncture treatment (I was laid on my back, so I know the hormones and knees would have needles in them - no idea what else) the name Jean came to me. I asked if it was Joan, as I have an Aunt of that name in Spirit, but no, it was definitely Jean. My next thought was of Janet's Grandma. I also got an image that was possibly of mountains but I wasn't sure, as it wasn't quite clear enough. When Janet came back in at the end of the treatment I asked if the name Jean meant anything to her.... she was a relative of her Grandma's. She thought maybe her Grandma's sister but wasn't really sure... her Grandma had had a falling out with her and others from her family which meant Janet hadn't had anything to do with them, so didn't know much about them. I think she said they lived somewhere in Scotland, hence the mountains. I was quite pleased at this hit, especially as things at Circle had been a bit hit and miss lately! LOL Janet was pleased to know her Grandma had been around again. :0)

After the acupuncture treatment (whatever it was on LOL) I paid my usual visit to the Hospice Bookshop. Yes, I know - had already scored two books but still couldn't resist going looking for more! What can I say.... I'm a bit of a book addict. Here's what I found this time:

Now tell me it wasn't so worth going in there! ROFL I thought I may already have the Melody book but decided to take it anyway... they rarely come up, they cost an arm and a leg to buy at Mind, Body and Spirit events (I've recently seen someone asking £60.00 for a hardback version!), it was a bargain at £3.00... and I knew someone who would love it, if I did already have it.

I asked the lady in there if I could leave the bag of books behind the counter whilst I went to do a little shopping and pick them up on my way home and she said OK. I think I just headed to Wilko's, not bothering with the market, then headed back. It was a relief to get home and drop those bags, I can tell you! LOL

I checked my book stash when I got upstairs and discovered that I did have the Melody book already. No problem.... I plan on taking it to Circle with me next week, to gift to another crystal fan. :0)

ACUPUNCTURE 22ND APRIL

I'm afraid this session is so long ago I haven't a clue what was treated or what was talked about....... but I did call at the Hospice Bookshop afterwards, as I've got the pics to prove it:

Plus I also called at the Post Office to post a package and came out with a magazine and then on to the market, where I bought a couple of peel-off boxes, ready for getting my peel-offs sorted through and organised:

Fingers crossed I've made better notes for successive treatments...... and that I actually manage to catch up with the overdue posts and keep this darned blog up-to-date in future! :0)

Angels Watching Over Me - Jacky Newcomb

This book includes miraculous and uplifting stories of real-life contact from our loved ones and Angels on the "other side" of life, as well as a fascinating investigation into the secrets of afterlife communication.

• 
  
  Read afterlife stories about the British royal family, presidents, prime ministers and Hollywood stars!
• 
  
  The grandma who pushed her granddaughter back into her body because it wasn't her time
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  The mysterious cat who "gate-crashed" a funeral
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  The Angel Dad who saved his daughter and her friends from a head-on crash by using "missing time"
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  The grandmother who was escorted to heaven by the spirit of her late husband carrying a bunch of flowers!

Read these and more amazing real-life stories from all over the world. Learn simple and safe ways to reach out to your own family of heavenly Angels. These messages will bring comfort and healing to anyone who has lost someone.

If you ignore the slightly sensationalistic approach of the synopsis what you get is actually another collection of heartwarming stories of after-life communication from ordinary people around the world.

Unlike the other books I've read by this author this one looks more at the after-life, touching on issues such as grief, suggestions for celebrating a loved ones life, connecting to the Other Realms yourself and more besides, all illustrated by stories collated from people who have contacted Jacky about their own experiences.

As someone who is deeply interested in all things esoteric I feel the subjects really deserve a much more in-depth approach than that given but, as Jacky herself states, that just wasn't possible in such a small book. However, if you're new to the whole Angels and after-life phenomena then this book would be a nice starting point.

An Angel Held My Hand - Jacky Newcomb

From the bestselling author of An Angel Saved My Life and An Angel By my Side comes a new collection of moving real-life stories from the Afterlife that will make you laugh and cry. Inspiring. Amazing. True. Bestselling afterlife expert, Jacky Newcomb, is back with more moving and inspiring real-life dramas about people who have had 'a little help' from the other side when they most needed it. Stories include: / The baffling 'shouting' angels who saved Granddad from falling down a mine / The angels who mysteriously guided the young girl safely through the fog / The angel who wakes a mother to warn her of the house's carbon monoxide danger / The 'premonition' which saves a young girl and her grandmother from being shot on a bus / The man who was frozen to the spot so he can be saved from a falling tree / The child who writes a Christmas card for the 'ghost teacher' These are just some of the miraculous accounts in this beautiful new collection from one of the UK's leading angel experts.


I took this book into the hospital with me, as I thought it a somewhat appropriate topic to read whilst recovering from my operation. LOL

This book contains less of the writer's own experiences than the previous book I'd read (An Angel Saved my Life) and more of true life Angelic encounters from other people - ordinary men and women who were Blessed with aid from the Otherworld. Another lovely, uplifting read.

Rather than bringing the book home with me and registering it with Book Crossing I gave it to the young woman in the next bed who had been admitted the night before I came home. After she told me some of her story I felt she needed the inspiration and a little Angelic intervention of her own. :0)

HERBALIST - NOVEMBER

Friday the 13th and it was time for my review with Jan, to discuss the results from my recent blood and smear tests and relate what the Consultant's appointment had revealed, and take my treatment from there. I was anticipating a reasonable long session so set off in plenty of time.

When I arrived Jan was sat in Reception and called me in immediately. She wasn't expecting any interruptions so she said we would stay in there, as it was the warmest room in the place. I didn't mind as the leather sofa is huge and comfortable. :0)

So what had been happening? Well, I told her all about what Mr Roberts, the Gynae Consultant, has said: that the cyst was definitely benign; that because it was a large cyst it was making one ovary heavier than the other and this was making the usually mobile ovaries prone to twisting - it was due to them twisting (torsion) that had given me all the pain that resulted in having to go into hospital; that until they go in there they are never really 100% certain which ovary it is in anyway; that it was definitely still there and wasn't going to go away on its own; that if I left it there was always the chance that I'd end up with the same problem occurring; that, due to my age, it was best to take both ovaries and that that greatly reduces the risk of my developing ovarian cancer in the future (it is still possible, but the form that takes is extremely rare); taking both ovaries will mean full on menopause commencing.

I've been in peri-menopause for some time, so have already had a hint of what is to come, and that doesn't hold any worries for me - in fact I've been looking forward to my Crone/Wise Woman years and the next stage along my Path....... it's just going to come a little sooner than Nature intended, is all. :0) The biggest plus of it all is no more monthly problems and the saving of a small fortune, due to not having to buy the necessaries any more........ but mostly the no more monthlies. Yay! So I said to Mr Roberts: Bring it on! First time I've seen a Consultant crack a real smile - though he did duck his head to try and hide it.

So Jan asked if they had given any indication of when the operation would take place. Well.... Mr Roberts had quoted a Waiting List of around 18 weeks to us, which had me thinking that it was fine - far enough away not to get into a sweat about it yet. I opted for normal surgery, rather than keyhole, as I would get in quicker and avoid further delay from having to be referred to the keyhole surgeon (no straight onto his list, I'd have to be referred so I could be seen by him first, then be put on his list and then get an op date). But the lady in the Booking Office had a surprise for us: she'd got a cancellation slot so I could have my pre-op checks done on the 17th and the op on the 27th of this month.
Oh! Well I guess it's quick enough that you won't get yourself worked up too much, was the response.
Ah, don't you believe it, was mine. So I told her about when I'd had to have my tonsils out in my early 30's and the state I got in then (though it was my first ever operation), then asked her if there was anything she could give me to try and keep me calm. She said there was. Thank goodness for that! LOL

Next was a review of my food diary sheets. The tortilla habit was mentioned. They are about the only snack item I can actually eat these days, as everything else is banned (too much sugar or got dairy or yeast or another no-no ingredient in them), but I am having them quite a bit - though some of that is due to the fact that my stomach can go acidic or I just plain feel hungry, so need something. So Jan said she would make me a new mix to have after meals that would contain some herbs to help calm the acid and some to keep me calm. Meantime I was to also carry on with the last medicine mix (the before meals one) - with what was left of that and what she would give me of the new one, both should run out a bit before I am due to have my op. Ideal, as she doesn't want me taking anything whilst I am in hospital or recuperating at home afterwards except the zinc, L-Glutamine (both will aid with the healing), the Acidophilus, digestive capsules and Osteoguard - though she said nothing in the herbal mixes should cause a problem with the anaesthetic or painkillers. That was another concern cleared up. :0)

I then asked if I could be weighed. If the tortilla chips were doing any damage I needed to know, then I would know I needed to get seriously strict with myself about them. Had I put on weight? Nope. I was at 11stone 9lbs last time around................ this time I was spot on 11 1/2 stone, or 11stone 7lbs. Well I must be doing something right......................... although I have a feeling that might have been more down to the stomach upset I'd had not so long ago, rather than the diet. Not the best way to lose weight, and I really wouldn't recommend it, but still: it was a minus and not a plus. :0)

After that Jan went to mix my new, temporary medicine. When she came back I added a couple of herbal teas and some tablets that I was getting low on and paid my dues. We didn't make another appointment: basically I am to wait and see how I go after the op, then give her a ring when I feel up to going down there and she'll fit me in, hopefully before Christmas. Jan wants me to have a while herbal medicine free after the girls come out - it will allow the menopause symptoms to begin and she will be better able, then, to gauge how my hormones are reacting and how I am feeling and mix something to suit. Sounded good to me so, as her next client was on the way up, I thanked her and she wished me well and I left.

Out on the High Street I was going to walk past the Hospice Bookshop but there was a new arrangement in the window that drew my eye....... and something seemed to tell me to go in. When I did I had a look at the fiction section but nothing really drew my eye, so I wandered over to the non-fiction bit where they usually have some of the esoteric books (if they've got any). My eyes nearly popped open when I saw quite a few books with Angels as the subject, including several by Jacky Newcomb. One of the books was called An Angel a Day, so I picked it up to have a nosey......... and my jaw dropped when I saw the entry for the 13th, as the first words were: If the stores are open today, visit a bookshop and search the shelves for books on Angels. Now that was a message I really couldn't ignore, so I snapped up the ones that I didn't already have:


When I showed the lady behind the counter she couldn't believe it either. The thing is, in all the times I've been inside that book shop I have only ever found two Angel books, a lone Jacky Newcomb one that I bought and another that I already had - certainly never as many as these. I can't wait to tell the girls at the Development Circle about this. LOL :0)

I paid for them and the lady allowed me to leave them behind the counter while I went to do a bit more shopping, then I picked them up on the way back home. The bag was heavy but it was well worth the aching arms to get them home and I'll certainly enjoy reading them........ and I'll have plenty of time to read whilst I'm recuperating. LOL

MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT EVENT

The weekend of the 7th and 8th of November was the second and final Mind, Body and Spirit event of the year at the Lincolnshire Showground, so DH and I opted to go there for the day on the Sunday. As it was also Remembrance Sunday DH and I saw several gatherings around the War Memorials in the local villages during our journey - very moving, especially seeing some of the veterans amongst the gatherings.

After arriving and going into the Epic Centre we headed straight for the Shifa Meditation stand as it was very close to the entrance. I had a shopping list in my hand this time and goodies from this stand was on it. Of course I didn't restrict myself to the list, once I realised that there were some other items that were new since we saw the chap at the Harrogate event: two new types of incense and some incense sticks:


I've burnt one of those incense sticks since and they are well worth the money, as they burn for much longer than other ones I've used, and have a lovely distinctive smell to them. The chap remembered us from the previous event too.

From there we had a wander down to the Magick Thread book stand, another one on my list, to look for the Angel Cards and Crystal book I wanted. Again I couldn't find the specific cards I wanted but as I was looking I spotted some others that I'd seen at Harrogate and discounted, as they weren't what i wanted. This time I picked them up and had a shuffle: the Crown Chakra card came out with an appropriate message. OK, I'll see what happens when I shuffle again, though I - and as I shuffled one card literally jumped out of the pack and fell to the floor. When I picked it up it was...... yup, the Crown Chakra card. Right, message received loud and clear - they were coming home with me. I then found the book I wanted and, after a chat with the stallholder, found out that it was a follow on and not a repeat of the other two books I already had, so that came home with me too:

The bags was heavy and the room was getting quite busy so, as it was close to dinner, we headed back to the car for our packed lunch. That's when we realised that dark clouds had built up while we were inside and it started to spit with rain as we headed for the car, then had quite a downpour whilst we were eating. Timed that right! LOL Meal eaten, drinks drunk and everything tidied away we headed back in - quickly as it was still spitting and another lot of dark clouds were heading our way...... we managed to get back into the Centre before that little lot dropped. :0)

From here we did the same circuit of the hall, making our way back to the He Hi She Lo crystal stand so I could see if they had the crystals that were on my list. Thankfully the chap wasn't as busy this time round so I was able to chat to him: he didn't have the longer silver chains he said he may have for this event as they'd decided to stop selling jewellery and concentrate on the crystal side of the business. He did have the Angelite and Seraphinite tumblestones and I found two suitable ones amongst them. I asked if he had any other Angelic stones and he pointed to some Celestite palmstones but they weren't right, then he said he had two clusters and I went to have a look at those. My eyes went immediately to one in particular, so I picked it up.... instantly I could feel its strong energy and it opening my Third Eye Chakra and starting on the Crown Chakra. I put it down - I really didn't want to be so fully open at a busy event where I'd be picking up on other people all the time. I picked up the other piece but didn't feel much of anything. OK, instinct worked well again: the first piece is definitely mine (as in, that it is happy to work with me), so I picked it up again, just to check and yes, the same rush to the same Chakras. I put it down and asked DH to handle it from then on. Lovely man that he is, he said he would buy it for me as a Christmas gift. :0)


Unfortunately my pics don't show the the crystals at their best, or convey the lovely energies they all contain.

We wandered a little further round the hall and found the JM Soap stand, which was another one on my list. I love these natural soaps, not only for the lovely smells they have but because they don't dry my hands out as badly as the other sort do. I spotted that there were a few new goodies too. Here's what we bought:

As the soaps are really good I decided to try the body bar, which felt really moisturising when I touched the sample...... I was rubbing it into my skin for a good few minutes afterwards. It also smells rather nice too. :0)

As Dragonfly Moon were about to give their performance we headed for the sitting area where the musical performances were being held - the top end of the hall, in a curtained off section. We were both ready for a sit down by then too. :0) As always the performance was thoroughly enjoyable and, as I listen to their CD's regularly, instantly recognisable to the extent that I now know most of the words. LOL What I do like is that Susan (one half of the duo) explains the legends or story that each song is based on: many Celtic stories, but especially leaning towards the British myths and legends.

After the performance we had another wander around the hall and I bought a CD from another stand. I'd had my eye on this one on eBay but hadn't bought it as the P&P costs seemed a little steep, so I was pleased to get it here (see last pic).

After this I felt drawn to a stand that held colour essence bottles, something I'd always walked past at all the previous events we've been to. As we were looking at all the prettily coloured bottles the chap came back to his stand and asked if he could help. So I asked what it was about and he explained about colour and the effects it has on our moods and even our body and that the colours we were drawn to could tell much about us.... and a few other things beside that I can't quite remember. OK, interesting but I wasn't too sure so thanked him and said I'd think about it. Off we wandered back down the hall....... only for me to stop and tell DH that, actually, I felt the need to go back and see what he had to say. So DH said he'd take the bags back to the car and go and sit in the Zone of Tranquility for a while.

Back at the stand I said OK, I was curious, wanted to know more and asked how much. At £5.00 for a three bottle reading I thought it was worth satisfying my curiosity. So he sprayed my hands with a spritz of a lemony substance which I had to sniff - and boy, did that give a bit of a hit, really clearing out the sinus and head LOL - then had to choose the three coloured bottles I felt drawn to the most. The first one was easy, I'd been drawn to it immediately I'd looked at the stand (two violet shades), the second one was a quick choice (two pretty shades of green) and the third took a little longer but then I felt the need to draw out a bottle that contained lilac and pink - odd because I love lilac but pink is definitely not my favourite colour.

I then sat behind the table with the chap and he placed the bottle in front of us. He asked if I knew about Chakras and I said I did - OK, the first thing that was really obvious was that I'd picked out two Chakra bottles: one for Heart and the other for Third Eye and Crown. The odd thing was that, although I know about Chakras, I hadn't actually thought about those when I chose the bottles - that was mostly done on auto-pilot. The Third Eye and Crown (first choice) was linked with Saturn and he told me some things about it. Some of it was to do with judging yourself harshly (which I do tend to do) and he explained how I could turn that around. The second bottle is linked with Mercury, changing from Trickster to Magician: signifying change and a letting go of the masks we hide behind (being my true self, rather than hiding behind the things that other people expect me to be) - Honesty. Freaky, because that was what one of the recent pieces we read for the Development Circle! It also links with the Heart Chakra through the way the bottles are numbered and there was a bit more information from that (though I can't now remember it).

The third bottle was directly linked with the Heart Chakra and is about the Spiritualisation of the heart, unconditional love plus transformation that will link me with the rest of the universe/multiverse.

He felt that the first two bottles were the past and present, or where I was and am, the third the future or where I am going to be. He asked if I could own any of it.

I admitted to being a bit stunned as to how much could be read from colours in three bottles and that I could own it all. I told him about attending Development Circle classes - something that was finally for me - and that I felt I was slower at it than the others and got frustrated with myself because of it, but that I was hoping to go on to do healing - he said the colours showed that that was what would happen. Then I told him that before I'd set out I'd asked the powers that be to guide me to whatever was needed, be it healing, a reading or whatever. He laughed and said that at the start of the weekend he'd asked the powers that be to guide those he could help to him. I'd walked away but then had felt the need to go back - I think that could be classed as being guided. It had been extremely interesting and I was pleased I had gone back. I paid, thanked him and went to find my DH.

He was sat where he said: chillin' in the Zone, so I joined him and told him what the chap had said. As we were nattering Leonie, the lady I go to at the beginning of every year for a reading, walked towards us, obviously heading off for a break. She stopped and said hello and then got a beady look in her eye and asked how things were going, so I told her about the unexpected hospital stay and the cyst they found and waiting to hear the verdict - she looked off to one side, which I recognise as listening to Spirit, then smiled and said not to worry as I would be alright. I thanked her and beamed a big smile, then she said goodbye and went on her way. I looked at DH and he said: now wasn't it worth coming just for that? A freebie from Leonie. LOL The worry definitely receded on hearing it. :0)

Time was marching on by this point, so we decided to have a final wander around the hall. There was another stand selling natural bath products and other goodies so we headed over there. I tried a little of the coconut body butter but found it too much - though it smelt gorgeous I had to keep rubbing it into my skin for ages and it left my arm feeling slightly greasy, something I really don't like, so I didn't bother with that.... but they did have a wonderful coconut candle that tempted me. Why coconut? Well, at the Development Circle one week Aureen said that Spirit was offering me a coconut: I can't eat it anymore (it does terrible things to my system!) but she and the girls suggested trying a handcream, incense or something similar to see what effects it had. I opted for the candle.

The last stop, after buying a tumblestone crystal from another stall (intended as a gift) was at a stand that was selling the lady's own Angel book and guided Angel meditation CD's. There was no sign of the lady, so a woman from the next stall came over to see if I was OK, though she didn't know where the standholder had gone. I had noticed her walking around the hall earlier in the day (she was wearing a distinctive dress) and wondered if she was off on another wander - anyways, the helpful woman said that if I didn't want to wait any longer she would take the money and pop it behind the table for her and let her know what it was for. After waiting a bit longer and realising that she might have gone to the music area to listen to the current performers, so would be gone a while yet, I opted to leave the cash with the other woman for her.

It made DH and I wonder just how much business she may have lost that day - or items that may have gone missing - by going off wandering like that, as not all people would hang around and some less honest folk may not pay for the goods. Still, it looks a really interesting book so I was pleased to have been able to pay for it, even if it was a bit of an unusual way of doing so.

With that we had done, so we headed back to the car. A couple of times during the day we had bumped into our DS, who was there with our friend Alex, and he'd told us he was eating at Alex's house that night...... so we decided that neither of us felt like going home to cook and opted to go to the pub for a meal instead. Very nice it was too and it rounded the day off perfectly. :0)

MIA'S WORLD - MIA DOLAN

"Will you teach me to be psychic?"

Would I teach her? "It would take time," I told her. "And you would have to keep an open mind. One of the major keys to unlocking the sixth sense is belief. Belief is a magic word."

"How long would it take?"

"Six months," I decided. "Six months from sceptic to psychic."

When Mia Dolan, one of Britain's most gifted psychics, agreed to meet Rosalyn, a writer and journalist, she wasn't intending to take on a student of clairvoyance. Her student wasn't expecting to be thrust headlong into a world of mind-reading, ghost-hunting and foretelling of the future - or to see the mysteries of the afterlife revealed.
From that day they embarked on an adventure that changed them both forever...


Well the blurb on the back is a bit sensationalistic but the contents aren't. Those six months are condensed into this 314 page book, which gives a really good, practical look into how Mia taught Roz to open herself up, to use her sixth sense and allow communication with Spirit.
There are some really good hints and tips on how this was achieved and some fascinating insights into the world of Spirit and the ethics involved - some of which really hit a chord and all of which I've found really useful for my own Development, as they would easily incorporate into what I am being taught. In some instances (such as the Breathe and Drop method of relaxation) they are actually working better for me.

I've only seen Mia Dolan on TV, doing her programme about haunted homes, and had hardly been aware of her before or since, so this book wasn't one I would have automatically picked up to read, so I have my DSis to thank for the loan of it. However, it is one I would happily recommend to anyone who is thinking of developing their own spirituality, as there are plenty of nuggets of information in there that you may find of help.

HERBALIST - OCTOBER TAKE TWO

Friday 30th was the date for my next visit to see my Herbalist for a treatment assessment/review and my weigh in, so I was up nice and early and relieved to see that the weather was going to be kind for my latest excursion.

When Jan had brought her previous client through into reception she asked me to go through to Room 3 - my favourite room, as it's the Reiki room. I also get to sit in a big comfy leather armchair in there. LOL

Once the previous client had gone Jan came through and immediately wanted to know what had happened on the lead up to and during my hospital stay, so I told her all about it. She asked what they had done for me..... well, pain relief. She was appalled that they hadn't actually given me any kind of treatment or done any other investigations other than the x-ray, ultra-sound scan and blood tests - she'd thought they would have done more. As I told her, I was a bit annoyed with myself soon after getting home: I'd realised that all I had were the Consultant's assertion that the cyst was benign, rather than any confirmed facts/results; I'd totally fallen for the carrot of being allowed home; what I realised I should have done was to refuse to go anywhere until those blood test results were back and I'd seen them; if I'd done that and the results were dodgy then they would have had to get on with everything straightaway, so there wouldn't have been this 5 week wait for definite answers. Five weeks can make an awful lot of difference. Ain't hindsight a bugger? Well, I can't change what happened now, so there's no use letting it get to me. She said that when I saw the Consultant on the 11th I was to insist on some answers and, if I'm told that the blood test was inconclusive I was to insist that they do more testing - apparently our hospital is very lax at doing testing (as Jan has discovered from several seriously ill cancer patients she is currently treating) resulting in long delays in diagnosis and then treatment. which doesn't bode well for the long term outlook/survival rates. I promised that if it was bad news I would speak to Jan before starting any treatments that are offered.

I mentioned that I'd also been to my GP's for a smear test a little earlier in the week. The results are currently taking 6 weeks to come through (more bloody delays: that could be life or death for some poor women, for goodness sakes!). I'd asked the nurse if there was any way of getting it fast tracked, so that the result could be with Mr Roberts (Gynae Consultant) for the 11th, so he'd have the full details on my downstairs department. She couldn't promise anything but made a note on the card that I had an ovarian cyst and was at the hospital on the 11th and to send the results to Mr Roberts' Clinic and hoped that would make a difference. I'm wondering about phoning his Clinic receptionist and telling them about this to see if they can pull any strings that end - selfish I know, when there are so many other women waiting, but surely it's best to have everything ready for this appointment, saving the NHS time and money from me having to have yet another appointment if (Goddess forbid!) something dodgy shows up on the smear?

Jan then asked how I felt the Candida treatment was going - did I feel like it was a problem anymore? Well, apart from a bit of a tortilla chip addiction that has recently got worse - Eureka moment here: it's probably comfort eating - none of the original food problems are a bother and if you discount the glitch from the recent health issues I'm the healthiest I've been in a very long while. OK then, Jan felt it was pointless my spending money on further Candida fungus treatment as I'd been doing it long enough for it to have been sorted, so what she proposed was
some preventative cancer treatments "just in case" because of the family history and, in her own words: I'm not going to have anything happen to you. She's taking it personally.

The gallstones were mentioned too. She didn't recommend gallbladder removal, unless it's a last resort, as it doesn't deal with the underlying problems that actually caused the stones to form in the first place, the result being that stones go on to form elsewhere in the body instead. There's something called a Gallbladder Flush that can be done - not pleasant, as it involves lots of castor oil, but what it does is soften up the stones so they can be more easily passed from the body with minimal, if any, pain. I'm up for that but not at the moment, as I feel I've enough on my plate right now: I can't think beyond the 11th and want the cyst problem sorting first. We did feel that genetics had a role to play with the stones though: my Dad had had stomach problems for years while I was growing up and there are some similarities in symptoms - he went on to have a major stones flare up that resulted in him being operated on very quickly. My grandad (his dad) had also suffered stomach problems. Jan thought it suggested an over production of bile. She would sort out a special diet for me and will email it to me next week, though I am also to continue to keep the sugars to a minimum and avoid yeast etc.

So the change in treatment has resulted in both the Candigest and Chromium tablets being dropped and an alteration to my medicine to include more cancer busting herbs - not a great change because some of them were in the mix anyway, though for a different reason. I now have to take: 1 L-Glutamine and 2 digestive tablets half an hour before each meal (no change - the L-G acts as a barrier, making it harder for cancerous cells to migrate elsewhere); 7mls of medicine just before each meal; 1 Turmeric (curcumin in turmeric has been found to kill certain cancer cells, as well as having other health benefits) and 1 Reservatol (also fights cancer.... as well as having anti-ageing properties) capsule at breakfast; 1 Green Tea (does something to cancer cells or the proteins in them - also an appetite suppressant, which is why dieters like them, so they should help with the diet and that tortilla chip addiction LOL) capsule 15 minutes before dinner and tea; 1 Garlic (does something to the cells again - also good for the heart and aids bad cholesterol reduction, both of which are needed too) and 1 Osteoguard (need to continue with this due to the dairy intolerance) with tea and continue taking an Acidophilus capsule before bed. If I thought I'd rattle before....... I definitely will now. ROFL

With that it was time to have the weigh in. Last month I was at 11stone 11lbs......... this month the scales read........... 11stone 9lbs. Not a huge loss but a loss nonetheless and I'm happy about it (though not so happy about how: I wouldn't want to go through that pain again to achieve a similar loss, thank you! LOL). It's not much more to go to make it into another half stone loss. Yay! Start working Green Tea capsules! LOL

With that I headed to reception with Jan's notebook and a few other things in hand whilst Jan went to mix my new batch of medicine. Shortly after her next client arrived, so it was obvious there wouldn't be any time for a natter about other things. The bill this month was on the large side but I knew DH wouldn't mind - you can't put a price on good health and, though he doesn't say much, he's also concerned about the results..... I can tell because he's suddenly getting on with laying the flooring in my Craft Room again........ without being nagged. LOL I made my next appointment for 2 weeks time (2 days after I see Mr Roberts, to discuss the findings and see what we need to do treatment-wise), thanked Jan and headed back out onto the street.

I must admit that talking about it all made me face up to the worry that I had, mostly, quite happily managed to ignore for much of the time up until then. Not a nice reality check! Though it is good to feel more pro-active, rather than the "in limbo" this waiting has made me feel. I decided to go with the distraction technique and headed for my favourite place on the High Street, the Hospice Bookshop. Looking in the window at the Halloween display I immediately spotted a book that was a must have for my esoteric collection, so I headed on in and promptly found a second one:


I'm not a Wiccan as I rarely work spells (my take: why try and force things when the Universe will ensure that what is truly needed is given when the time is right?) but I am interested in all aspects of belief/faith and aim to be as widely read as possible: knowledge, and thus wisdom, can be gleaned from many places. :0)

After paying for the books I headed for my second favourite shop, Sew Easie. I found quite a few lovelies in there again:


Can you tell by this selection that Halloween and Yule were very much on my mind? LOL After that I headed to Tesco Express to get a few food items, then home.

When DH got home I told him all that had transpired at the Clinic (and handed over the receipt - after warning him!). We decided that a good night out was called for (yes, more distraction technique) so we had tea early, got ready and headed for the theatre. Whilst we were at the theatre for The Shellseekers I'd had a look at the forthcoming performances programme and spotted that the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers were there for a one-night show and had mentioned to DH that it was one I wouldn't mind seeing...... so he treated me, the lovely man. So glad he did, as it was an amazing performance - thoroughly enjoyed it, as did all the other folks in the very close to sell-out audience. In fact we enjoyed it so much we bought a CD afterwards and I asked one of the performers if they would be coming back next year, as it was the first time we'd seen them and would love to do so again. They were only just beginning to finalise the dates for 2010 but they were hoping to, as they found it a great venue. Something to look forward to! :0)

The next appointment I have is Reiki on Saturday, so it will be good to discuss things with Aureen and receive a much needed treatment. :0)

THE ANGEL BIBLE - HAZEL RAVEN

Angels act as a bridge between the physical and Spiritual world and many people have described how these remarkable messengers have helped and guided them. Using this insightful and practical reference book, you will discover how to work with Angels to develop wisdom, strengthen self-understanding and overcome obstacles. Discover the Angels' connection to crystal energy, essential oils, the kabbalah, astrology and the Chakras, and find out how to create an altar, keep a gratitude book and meditate. Filled with affirmations, exercises and wisdom, The Angel Bible will help you experience the power of angels and show you how to invite them into your life.


It's roughly an A5 sized book, though a reasonably thick one, and is absolutely crammed with way more information than the synopsis mentions. If there's anything you ever wanted to know about Angels then you will probably find it in here.

The book is broken up into chapters with headings like: Angel Hierarchies; Angels and the kabbalah; Angel colours; Angel Meditations etc etc, then each of these is broken down into two or three page sections on various aspects that come under each of the heading. Some of the subjects covered (such as the kabbalah) are pretty deep but the way the book is sectioned makes it easier to read one in a few spare moments, allowing you to think on and absorb the information.

It's an extremely good and informative guide and is one I will keep handy, as the meditations are ones I would go back to whenever I feel drawn to do so and the information on essential oils and crystals is something I will also use regularly. It was also good to discover which Angels are alloted to which seasons, months, days of the weeks and even hours of the day....... very useful for working out the best time for working with or appealing to that Angel for particular purposes.

The RRP for this book is £12.99 and, imho, consider it a price well worth paying for all the information and extra insights it has given me into the Angelic Realm. :0)

REIKI - OCTOBER

It was time for my next Reiki session on Saturday 3 October, so back to the Clinic went I for the second visit of the week. When I got there Jan told me there was a stack of books on a table behind the door and to have a look and see if I wanted any. Free books? Now I definitely didn't need a second invitation to have a nosey and these were the two that made it into my bag:


Jan recommended one of the other books to Aureen, so she took that...... but there were about another 5 or 6 left on the table which were destined for a trip to the Hospice Bookshop if no one else wanted them. Not long after this it was time to go through to the Reiki Room.

I told Aureen about realising that I had received something at the last Circle meeting: the name Janice, and that I'd recognised that I not only had to learn to trust what I was being given but also to trust in myself too - she said to make sure to ask the others if the name meant anything to any of them at our next meeting. Aureen then asked how I'd been since the last treatment, when she'd performed psychic surgery on me. I said I recognised how I felt later that day as being shell-shocked but that that had eased over the next few days and lately it felt more like a time of adjustment: I'd been carrying around that ball of grief and guilt for quite some time and, even though it was necessary to my well-being to have that heavy load gone, it had become a part of me....... so it's been about accepting and adjusting to having that part of me "missing" and also adjusting to the changes it's bringing about within. All positive changes I might add. :0)

She knew exactly what I meant and said it was perfectly natural and felt it showed that she had got it all out. I said I knew she had because of something that had happened a little earlier in the week: I was in the shower, washing my hair and letting my mind wander when, for some reason, I started thinking of the last time we'd seen Helen (DH's DSis), which was in Derby Royal's Mortuary, when we'd gone to say our goodbyes - I was OK, perfectly calm; next my mind went to the last time I'd seen Mum, which again was to say goodbye, though at the Funeral Home - this would usually reduce me to a blubbering wreck but no, perfectly calm; then my mind went on to the day dad had passed away in the Hospice, with the three of us (DBro, DSis and myself) by his side - that had me a blubbering wreck. I explained to Aureen that on the lead up to the psychic surgery session I'd been thinking about Mum a lot and had had lots of dreams about her (including the visit, where we finally got to say all the things we hadn't had the chance to before she passed away) and felt that either my subconscious or above (I pointed upwards) - or both - had been preparing me for that session. Now it felt like the same process was happening but this time with my Dad. OK, was her response, then it's obviously time to tackle those issues - she would be undertaking psychic surgery again (Oh joy, thought I LOL) but this time she would be using crystals, which she would place on certain parts of my body during the treatment, so it should help to make it a gentler process.

With that I'd removed my specs, hair scrunchie and all my rings but had left on my amethyst and citrine bracelets and asked if it was OK to also leave on my moonstone pendant, explaining that I wanted to use it as an Angelic talisman and the thinking was that wearing it during the treatment (Aureen gives Angelic Reiki) would help infuse it with that intention. Normally as much metal as possible has to be removed beforehand as it can interrupt energy flows but she felt that this would be fine. Funnily enough she said she had thought about bringing some moonstone with her, to help in the treatment, but hadn't got a piece - I'd just felt myself automatically reaching for it as I got dressed that morning and knew I had to wear it. :0)

As I sat on the treatment bed Aureen asked me what emotions I felt I carried for my Dad: there was grief at his passing and anger that someone of his age should have to go through that but there was also guilt. This guilt was a hard one to talk about and it made me cry as I verbalised it: when Dad had been diagnosed and went through the initial stages of treatment I'd prayed for healing for him...... but as it became obvious that the healing wasn't going to happen I then began to pray that they would take him quickly because it was cancer and he was in pain, and I felt guilty for effectively praying for his death. Aureen explained that those prayers for healing, though they weren't answered on this plane, would have been waiting for Dad when he got to the other side and would have benefited him there. I'd never thought of it that way before but, thinking about it afterwards, it made some sense: he passed away in April, we went to the psychic evening with Ian Lawman in May and received messages from Dad via him - that is awfully quick for someone who had such a painful passing (as we understand it, those souls who had trauma at death spend time in Spirit "hospital" for some time, to help them to adapt and deal with what happened). It was good to know that no prayer is ever wasted. Then I told her that when Dad passed I'd felt relief: because it was cancer and he'd suffered.... but it was tinged with relief for myself too, as it had got to the stage where I wasn't sure just how much more I could take - so some of the guilt was because it shouldn't have been about me at all. OK, we'd deal with it - time to lay down.

Once I was laid on the bed Aureen began straightaway with the opening movements at my head and feet, before starting the music, then stood to my left and asked me relevant questions on if I had to describe the guilt and grief: what shape would it be? I started to analyse but once again something else seemed to click in and I said a diamond (like on a deck of cards but not a flat one - 3-D); what colour would it be? Green, and I said that was odd because I expected it would have been black, like the other; what weight would it be? Heavy; if it had a smell, what would it smell like? Rank; where in my body was I carrying it? I almost said heart, then told Aureen that that was the first word but that I also wanted to say stomach - she said it was obviously both so I told her that would make sense because from the time of Dad's diagnosis and throughout his treatment my stomach had been in knots, I'd grown to dread the phone ringing as it usually meant Dad was bad and we had to make an emergency dash over to Doncaster to help, and I'd suffered three really bad sessions with my stomach (severe diarrhoea, occasionally vomiting and mild fever)..... and it bothers me whenever I get stressed. Plus I told her that the Aura/Chakra pic had revealed that my Solar Plexus Chakra had been closed, instead of spinning - and my stomach had been playing up then too. She said that it made sense for that being where I was holding part of it, told me to relax and close my eyes but try and visualise the diamond as I'd described it and see the Angels come into the room to take it out and away.

So the session began in earnest then and I soon felt Aureen place the crystals on my body: one on my throat; another towards my feet and I'm sure there was at least one more but I couldn't tell you which bit that was placed on (probably solar plexus/stomach area). I did try the visualisation but, as usual, I couldn't really see much of anything - though the colours were swirling quite vividly behind my eyes through much of the treatment. Further into the session I got an impression of that diamond shaped thing and also felt an odd sensation in my heart/stomach area twice, one after the other, almost like a tug..... but gentle. To be honest, although it was proving to be a much gentler experience than the time before, the thought was in the back of my mind that it seemed quite a boring session really.

Hah! It was just a case of the powers that be saving the best until last. Very close to the end of the session I felt a sudden "shock", though I don't like the negative connotations of that word as it wasn't a negative experience at all - but what happened came so suddenly that it certainly startled me and almost made me jump out of my skin: my whole body felt a rush of energy through it then I actually saw the most wonderful rainbow of colours in my minds eye that had me awed........ definitely an Oh Wow moment! I wanted to stay gazing at it but it disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared, though it left me wanting to giggle out loud. When Aureen moved to my feet there were more swirls of colours behind my eyelids and a feeling of white light, especially to my right side which I assumed was from the lamp in the room, and when Aureen moved away to work elsewhere there were still a pair of hands on my feet. When she removed the crystals and closed the session a little later my feet were actually tingling.

As always she asked how I felt. So I told her about my feet, which she said was a good sign. She had removed the diamond thing and my words were: it wasn't a healthy green. No, she likened it to a swampy, gooey kind of green - yes, or that rotten flesh kind of green, which was how it felt to me - either way it had obviously been festering away in there and the gentle tug sensations I'd felt were when it was being removed. Aureen said she'd held her pendulum above the area (which I'd been totally unaware of) and it had swung like crazy in a circle above it but had been much calmer later. She also said my Chakras were also fully cleansed: she'd removed a block on my Third Eye and cleared the Solar Plexus, so I should hopefully find things going a bit better at the Circle now (fingers crossed!). She said she'd also brought in a lot of White Light and that made me smile: I told her about thinking that there was a bright lamp to my right but when I looked the only actual light was an orange glowing heater that was in the far bottom right of the room, pointed towards my feet....... there wasn't any other physical source of light in the room. Then I told her about the rainbow: I likened it to looking into a good quality opal, though without the milkiness and much more vivid, more a kind of fractured rainbow. (I tried to describe it to my friend Alex and she said like a kaleidoscope, which is much more like the look of it - though the colours of that aren't quite right). I do wonder if it was something to do with the crystals.... it was certainly to do with my Chakras, as it contained all the Chakra colours within it. It had certainly left me feeling good and energetic....... a great improvement on the last time. I had some sips of water and was given instructions to take it easy for the rest of the day and to drink lots of water, to help flush any toxins out. I thanked Aureen and she walked me back through to Reception where her next client soon arrived, so I said my goodbyes.

Jan was Receptionist again, so I got the tablets and tea I needed added to my bill and paid. She was on her own so we got talking about a couple of things, including something she'd told me on a previous visit to do with her strained relationship with her DSis: it was odd how the chat led on to that but it just seemed like it was meant, somehow. Some of what I said to Jan really hit home later: that in every situation, even the most negative ones, there is usually something positive to come out of it - it's just a case of realising it, then recognising what that positive is and being grateful for it - and that without experiencing those negatives we probably wouldn't be who we are today. I've since been looking at various happenings through my life with a different perspective, even in my dreams, and that's led on to some letting go of all kinds of negative thought patterns and feelings that I'd realised were only serving to harm me..... and that has been another positive step forward. :0)

The conversation concluded we said our goodbyes and I left, absolutely buzzing with energy. I popped into the Hospice Bookshop (yes, again! LOL) and was glad I did as I found this:


This one is not only about the archaeology of Stonehenge but about the era it was in, so it looks at the people of Britain and Ireland from that time, their physical characteristics, tools, weapons, clothing etc etc as well as how they lived. I couldn't resist, so it came home with me. Next I popped into Sew Easie, as it had been a while since I'd last been in, to have a look at the ribbons and trims and managed to find a few that were new, so that meant a few nice additions to add to my finishing stash (unfortunately I forgot to take a pic before putting them away). Then I thought it best to heed Aureen's advice and started heading home, though I did pop in to Tesco Express for a few bits we needed first.

When I got home it was to find that DH was back from the van loading session at the LTC Guild Room. He was amazed that I'd done the shopping and come home on my own, going by how I'd been after the last session. I put the shopping away whilst telling him how different the session had been and what had happened. I did say I wasn't going to push my luck though and that I'd be taking it easy the rest of the day, as advised by Aureen, and that's exactly what I did.

Sunday DH and DS were at the theatre Get In much of the day (unloading the set from the van and setting up it and all the tech stuff - lighting and sound - on the stage and checking it all worked OK) so I had another quiet day that involved completing a Halloween ornie, amongst other things. I also sat up on my bed to meditate whilst DH was home to have his dinner and to watch the Grand Prix, choosing to listen to a guided meditation CD on the MP3 player (it drowned out the sound of the TV. LOL). It was an Angel Healing meditation: I did get quite relaxed during it (a bit too relaxed again, as I kept falling asleep) but can't say I saw or sensed much of anything, then I went on to listen to another meditation CD that was just music. That was also relaxing and I didn't think much of anything was going to happen when Wham! the same sensation I'd had in the Reiki session the day before hit me again, although without the visual this time. I guess something in one of the tracks somehow affected my Chakras and triggered it........ I'll give it a few days before listening to it again to see if the same thing happens - if it does I'll have to ask Aureen about it to see if she has any ideas as to what is going on. In the meantime I'll be sticking to the aura sensing and stretching exercise, with the occasional Chakra meditation thrown in in the hopes that some kind of visualisation will start to happen....... so that should keep me out of mischief. :0)

BTW Julie: yes, I would go to the Spiritualist Church again and DH said he would be happy to as well. He enjoyed the service and the style of readings that were given - and admitted that he was pleased it had happened like that, as he'd been a bit nervous about it.
As for being drawn to particular colours: it could be to do with Chakras or with your Aura. I love sea blues and greens, as well as autumnal colours, and my Aura pic shows mine as a mix of blue and green. :0)

HERBALIST - SEPTEMBER

As I'd had quite a change in my medicine mix Jan wanted to see me as soon as we got back from our weeks holiday with my DSis and family, so off I trotted to the Clinic on Tuesday 1st September.

As we went through to the Treatment Room Jan apologised and explained that she had to take her phone through with her and would have to answer it should it ring: not only was she doubling up as receptionist again but her Mum had been ill and she was expecting a call from her. As she told me about her Mum's health problems (probable cancer) and the fact that her Mum was tired of living and ready to cross over, it prompted me to start talking about my parents. I was finally able to speak about Mum's last day: having to put a DNR Order on her (do not resuscitate) and that I wasn't there when my Mum passed away, had missed the chance to say goodbye and how guilty I'd felt about that ever since. Jan apologised for having stirred this all up but there was no need: as I said, I felt this was all part of the deep healing process that Aureen had initiated with her last Reiki treatment - that it was enabling me to finally talk about the guilt and to release it.

I went on to tell Jan about a dream visit I'd had since I'd last been to the Clinic: the initial part of the dream was a bit confused but there was something about my family having been on an aeroplane somewhere but had come back to the airport again. I was driving to the airport, determined to get there before the plane left again with then on board. Inside the airport I saw my Mum and Dad but Dad seemed to wander off, leaving Mum and myself alone, amidst all the usual comings and goings and plane departures. Mum and I were able to talk and to hug, then she had to go, to catch her plane, and got on an escalator that was taking her down to the departure hall: we said "I love you" and were waving goodbye to one another. A youth in a baseball cap kept bobbing between us then (I remember feeling really annoyed about that LOL) and when I got a clear view again Mum had disappeared but in her place was a square card: at the time I saw the image on the card clearly but when I woke up all I could remember of it was the perfect pink heart that was placed over part of the image. I woke up crying and I cried as I told Jan and am crying as I write this but they have all been tears of release and healing - I feel Mum and I had finally been given the chance to say all the things we needed to, including that all important goodbye, something that hadn't been possible at the time of her physical death and that I hadn't been able/wasn't ready to do until now.
It has been such a major step forward and I was in heartfelt agreement with Jan when she said: isn't Aureen really good?

I'd settled down by this time so we went on to discuss my food diary sheets and how the meds were working. My stomach is much better on the digestive capsules so I carry on with those; the potion seems to be doing its stuff as my mood has lifted again and I'd been quite active whilst on holiday and since getting back and though it was monthly time whilst I was away it hadn't given me any problems (no flooding! Yay!) so Jan is happy to leave the mix as it is - apart from dropping the echinacea which has now done what needed to be done. I had to have chips more times than I like whilst away (even now not many places have rice on the menu, unfortunately) and seemed to have the occasional going to the loo problems, possibly as a result of that, so was glad to be home and getting back to my usual healthy whole grains regime again. I'm also getting on OK with the Candigest tablets (no nasty cardamom burp-back like there is with the Candaway tablets) - I haven't yet completed a months course and two months of treatment is the optimum, so that will continue. She was generally pleased with how things are going.

Jan then told me about an event she'll be attending in one of the local church hall's next Monday (7th) and which she thought I'd be interested in: a kind of mini alternative therapy health fair. She mentioned Vortex healing, something I've never heard of before, as something she thought I'd be very interested in and that there were also other therapies that I may not have heard of before. I think it's being held by another alternative health clinic (it's based in the town centre) and is something like £3.00 or £3.50 entrance fee but then everything after that is free, apart from anything that the therapists may be selling. It all sounds very interesting and, as it's in the evening, DH should be available as taxi service (barring any problems at work) and is interested enough to want to go too. Am really looking forward to it. :0)

Jan also mentioned the Shamballah Healing course that I'd expressed interest in: this is now set to go ahead in April and if I attend there will be six of us, which will make a nice group. Aureen rang me the Sunday after I returned home: the Development Circle is starting again on Tuesday evening (8th) so I'm hoping that by the time April comes around there will have been enough of a development within me that I'm able to get the most out of the course, rather than it all going over the top of my head. LOL

Next was the weigh-in. Bearing in mind that it was only two weeks since my last appointment and that I'd just had a weeks holiday where I'd not only had chips quite a few times but had also eaten tortilla chips galore in the evenings (during our Trivial Pursuits sessions)........ I wasn't expecting much. I was quite pleased when the scales showed that my weight had stayed the same: 11stone 13lbs. Jan asked if I was OK with that and of course I was - I'd rather stay the same than have put weight back on again! LOL

I waited in reception whilst Jan made up 4 weeks of potion for me. I added some more digestive capsules and herbal teas to the bill and made my next appointments: Reiki is on the 12th and Jan is happy to leave my next appointment with her until 1st October. I told Jan that I hoped things went as well as they could for her Mum - she goes to see her at the weekend - and I'll be thinking of them both and that I would hopefully see her Monday night, then left.

When I was out in the street again I phoned DH, who had the day off, to come meet me and that rather than standing around I'd be in the Hospice Bookshop - much nicer surroundings to wait than a noisy street....... not that I needed an excuse to go in though. LOL By the time he made it down to me I was paying for this little lot:


The book on the left and the one on the right I hadn't heard of before but it's unusual to find this type in there so I had to take the opportunity to add them to my collection and reading list. The other two are about Egypt....... need I say more? ROFL

After that we went down to Wilko's to get a few things, including a new curtain track for the little bedroom, then came back up the High Street and called in at the other Hospice shop where DH was able to find a couple of pairs of trousers for work (why buy brand new when they're bound to get covered in muck and dust at the steelworks?) and I got a couple of really cheap picture frames for framing my own cross stitched pieces. Happy with our hauls we headed home.

It had been an emotionally tiring day but much good came out of it........ and it now makes me wonder what will come out of the next Reiki session with Aureen. :0)

The History of Witchcraft - Lois Martin

As a prolific book reader I thought it would add a little more variety to this blog if I included posts about the esoteric books I've read and some general thoughts on them. This is my latest finish:


Synopsis: Witchcraft has recently undergone a huge popular revival, but does modern pagan witchcraft really bear any resemblance to its historical antecedents?

The witch in history was a very different creature from her modern counterpart, and this book sets out to explore the historical background to the European witchcraft phenomenon. It examines in detail the growth of the ideological , cultural and legal concepts that eventually led to the carnage of the Witch Craze in the 16th and 17th centuries, which may have claimed the lives of around 40,000 people.

For both medieval and Reformation scholars alike the Devil and all his works were a very real threat. Their conviction that witches were the servants of Satan led to the formation of perhaps one of the greatest conspiracy theories of all times: a belief that witches were working in league with the Devil in a diabolical plot against all Christendom. Witches were transformed from poor deluded old women who rode out at night with the pagan Goddess Diana into devil-worshipping heretics who became the focus of a centuries-long, Europe-wide campaign determined to seek out and destroy this evil wherever it was to be found, regardless of whether any of its victims were actually guilty or not.


This title is part of the Pocket Essentials range and, for a little book, is crammed full of historical details and information on the history of witchcraft and how changing attitudes and beliefs impacted and altered the way people thought about and behaved towards those who followed ages old Pagan beliefs. Those changes resulted in the Witch Craze.

I've generally found that Pagan books that touch on the subject are usually unable to refrain from either being emotional, defensive or condemnatory: perfectly understandable because, lets face it, no modern Pagan wants to be subject to that kind of persecution and will always feel empathy for those who suffered. Other books have left me with the feeling that they are still being condemnatory - perhaps because the authors' own belief systems have coloured their attitude to the subject. Either way, the subject matter always seems to hit a nerve or two.

It was good to read a factual historical account that didn't have an hidden agenda and just presented everything, as researched, in a clear and concise way. Though nothing can ever excuse the horrendous events it does go some way to making you realise what happened, when and, more importantly, why these persecutions took place: due to the mindsets at the time. The book also opened my eyes to the realisation that the Church, though not fully blameless, weren't actually the main instigators behind said persecutions - it seems that role was down to the legal profession and the courts of the time.

There are two useful lists at the end of the book: one for Further Reading and another of relevant websites, all of which I'll investigate further at a later date.

FOOD INTOLERANCE TESTING - TAKE TWO

On Wednesday 17 June it was time for me to go back to the Clinic to be re-tested for Candida levels so off I went for the 10am appointment..... only the postman was just down the road and when he spotted me he shouted that he'd got a sign for package for me. OK, but I'm running late for my appointment, so he said head back and as soon as he'd given the post to the address he was at he'd come straight to me.... so I headed home again. I opened up, grabbed a pen and was ready and waiting when he arrived - package (for DS) was duly signed for, alarm reset and door locked and off I headed once more...... definitely running late now.

I quickly shot down the street, calling a quick Hello to my neighbour, who I passed on the way. Jan and Natalie were waiting for me so, once I'd got my breath back, I apologised and explained what had happened. That's the first time I've ever been late but, thankfully, they were both understanding about it.

Natalie took me through to the Reiki room and asked if I just wanted the Candida test or the food sensitivity testing as well. I was curious to know what a second test would reveal, so opted to have it done again. I removed my rings and bracelets, held the brass rod for the machine to be set up, then the testing began.

The results were interesting: tuna didn't come up - it seems leaving it out of my diet, then reintroducing and eating it just once a week has worked OK; garlic is now OK; peas had dropped from high to moderate intolerance. I registered once again as dairy and citrus intolerant, which shows it wasn't a fluke and doubly confirms what I had always suspected, and paprika and eggs came up again too. The surprises were showing moderate intolerance to carrots and pork, which I'd been eating a bit more of lately, and high intolerance to tomatoes, which I eat every day. The old adage of eating everything in moderation certainly seems to be something I need to firmly grasp! LOL

Natalie was very pleased with how I was doing on the diet, impressed with the ongoing weight loss and was pleased with how I was managing the restrictions and reintroductions of the intolerance foods. It's basically a case of continuing what I'm already doing but adapting it to include the recent findings.

Next came the Candida retest. After taking the reading a couple of times it showed that my rate had gone from 60 up to 78. A normal reading for Candida should be 90 - I have a ways to go but it has improved. To be honest I am really pleased with it, as I'm not actually on any Candida fungus killing treatments at the moment (being treated for high blood pressure and hormonal imbalances and leaky gut), apart from being on the special diet...... so it looks like the stricter adherence to that has helped quite a bit. :0)

Out in reception again I got some more herbal teas and digestive capsules and paid my dues. Jan was busy so didn't have much time for a natter but I did tell her about going shopping for clothes the previous Saturday: finding I'd dropped from a 40E to a 38D bra size and from size 22-24 clothes to size 16. She was really pleased and just then two of her students came into reception, so she told them I was one of the Clinic's success stories and asked if I'd mind telling them what I'd just told her. I didn't and they asked quite a few questions about what the diet was like (Jan piped in with: it's bl**dy awful - having been on it herself. LOL), how much I'd lost etc etc and I told them about the health warning from the GP etc and how my blood pressure was now back to normal. They were amazed, especially by the fact that this has only taken 6 months to achieve. I left soon after, as they were busy, promising Jan to get on and write the testimonial I'd promised her. :0)

When I'd done in there I stopped to browse in the Hospice Bookshop window and immediately spotted that they had some esoteric books that were definitely of interest to me, so I had to go in for a closer look. The new book display had only been set up that morning and I promptly ruined it by wanting two of the books, though they didn't mind at all. Here's what I couldn't resist:

It's unusual to find this kind of book in there, so I was glad I'd let curiosity win out when I'd stopped for a nosey. I asked the lady and gentleman behind the counter if they had much more in this line, or anything to do with Wicca, Druidism, Paganism or any kind of alternative beliefs but they said they'd used most of what they had for the display - though she pointed to the sections I'd be most likely to find them, so I had another nosey. I didn't find any other esoteric books but I did find these two:

The herbal one is full of remedies for all kinds of ailments and I couldn't believe my luck at finding that as well. I also have an interest in reading books on women in history who played a major role in their time - great role models, as they stepped out of the subordinate role they were expected to take and became powerful in their own right, and also extremely insightful as to the attitudes/trends of the day. Plus I just plain enjoy history.... I should have taken that subject instead of chemistry at school..... I'd probably have got much better marks! LOL

The lady then told me that they could take my name, phone number and details of the type of books I was interested in: I mentioned New Age and various Pagan beliefs but the chap called it Occult, so that's what went in the book. Not so sure I like the connotations of that word, but will see what comes out of this: any likely books that come into the shop and they will give me a ring to ask if I'm interested and they'll hold on to it if I am. :0)

Yes, I know I'm supposed to be clearing out and not accumulating but, as I've said before, books are different! LOL I paid for them and the lady kindly kept them behind the counter for me while I popped further down the street to get a few things I needed from another shop. That shopping was soon done so I headed back, picking up the books on my way and calling in at Tesco Express for a few things on my way home.

As I crossed the road to the block that had my house on it I spotted a woman walking towards me: I couldn't see her face as it was raining and her umbrella was held forward, covering her face - but there was something about her figure and walk that I recognised. As I passed her, just short of my driveway, I managed to see her face and stopped, just as she did a double-take, and said her name. Another blast from the past: L used to be a cleaner at the steelworks and cleaned my DH's office and always had a natter with him - plus my DH worked with her DH - and we always used to stop and have a natter whenever we saw each other, always had a laugh and a joke - she's one of those happy people who have smiley eyes and see the funny side of everything. Thanks to the agoraphobia I hadn't seen her in years. We had a quick catch up and I made sure to tell her that if ever she was passing and fancied a coffee/tea and a natter to knock and she said she would - got my fingers crossed that she does and soon. :0)

As I walked into my drive my neighbour, E, had just extracted her youngest and middle child from her car so I said Hello and had another natter. LOL She invited me round to have a look-see at her now finished kitchen, so I quickly dropped off my bags into the hall, locked up again and went round. Wow, have they made a difference to that house! The previously dark and claustrophobic galley kitchen has been opened out into the back porch and sun lounge area, with light cupboards, oak coloured work surfaces and milk chocolate coloured walls - they've made it light, airy and a lovely area to work in. I am absolutely green! After a bit more chat I left her so she could continue putting her shopping away and feed the little ones.... I went to put my own shopping away and to feed myself. LOL

It turned out to be a really good day and one that held such pleasant surprises/meetings - the sort of happenings that make me think the Universe was playing a hand in my life again. :0)

I'm back at the Clinic again next Wednesday and this time it's to see Jan and have my monthly weigh in.......... am hoping for another pleasant surpise that day too. ;0)