ACUPUNCTURE - 1ST APRIL

I'm afraid I've left writing about this session for so long that I'm struggling to remember much about it at all. So much for being organised and keeping up-to-date! LOL

I was pleased to report to Janet that I had felt much calmer and the instances of past issue recall had dwindled greatly.... and those things that did occasionally surface weren't upsetting me at all. That was a great improvement. :0)

I had some needles in my belly this time, as well as the usual hormone ones at my ankles and it was a very relaxing session. Afterwards I made an appointment for the following week. By the time I got out and down to the market the bulk of the stalls had already closed, including the craft stall. I didn't hang around but headed home, calling in at a couple of shops on the way back up the High Street.

I did get two good buys though: another Jacky Newcombe book, this time about psychic kids and their Angelic encounters, from the Hospice Bookshop and a scroll frame from the Hospice Charity shop. The frame was only 50p due to having a nut and wingnut bolt missing.... easily replaced, as my DH is sure to have something suitable tucked away in his workshop somewhere. :0)

ACUPUNCTURE - THURSDAY 25TH MARCH

Another Thursday and time for another acupuncture session. As the appointment was at 12pm I got up a little later than usual and had a late breakfast.... I didn't want to end up getting really hungry part way through the treatment, as it doesn't make for a relaxing session when your stomach keeps making grumbling noises. LOL

When I arrived at the Clinic Jan was on reception again and definitely looking much more happy and relaxed. She asked how I was doing and my reply was: I like my meds... I'm much calmer and more balanced when I'm on my meds & posed, as if I was meditating. She laughed and said does that mean my DH and DS were safe now, so I told her they no longer felt like they were treading on egg shells...... or rushing to hide the knives and heavy based frying pan. ROFL I also reported that the hot flushes were starting to recede again. Janet popped out of Treatment Room 1 and said she would be ready for me soon.... the previous client was just getting himself sorted, then she went into Room 2 to another client. Whilst Jan and I were chatting the chap came out, made his next appointment, paid and left. I got my phone out and showed Jan the pics of my new baby - she liked the car and said that it looked like I would be all set for travelling to the Shamballah Healing Course in May. Yep, though I would get DH to take me out that way beforehand, so I could get the route fixed in my head - it's ages since we've been out towards her village, so it's a struggle to remember which direction it's in at the moment. She told me the quietest route to travel out, ready for the first trial run. :0)

By this time Janet had gone back through to Room 1 and got it ready, then called me in. Whilst I put my bags down and got my coat off she popped out to have a word with Jan, then came back in. After sitting down she looked right at me and said that this week, before we went any further, she needed to have a serious talk with me. Oh heck, that sounded ominous! LOL She said that she had been to the Pagan Conference in Lincoln at the weekend, going to a very interesting talk on Shamanism and generally reconnecting with aspects of her healing, including meditation.... and had since been meditating at home. She had come to realise that, despite usually having a very high success rate treating menopausal symptoms in many clients, she currently had two clients on her books that didn't seem to be responding as well. I was one of them.

She'd meditated on this and had come to realise that it might be because of her: although she had self-treated herself after her own surgically induced menopause onset, and had been successful in most areas, there were two that she still had problems with: hot flushes and dry skin. The two areas that were still troubling myself and the other lady - the main ones I'd been going to her for. She felt it was a case of "Physician, heal thyself" - until she had either found another acupuncturist to treat her (her previous one had had to retire) or was more proactive in self-treatment, she felt, although treatments would continue to help with hormone balance, she wouldn't get any further in treating me for the flushes and dry skin, so it was my decision as to whether I wanted to carry on with the treatments or stop them.

I thanked her for her honesty - there aren't many people who would be so open, when it comes to losing regular business. I said that, although the treatments didn't seem to be helping with the hot flushes and dry skin, I did feel that they had and were helping me in other areas. Janet had also been adapting the treatments to include the Spiritual element and past issues. I asked her if the previous treatments she'd done to help release past issues would bring old memories to the surface and she confirmed that they would. OK, then that's further proof that it's working: I've been recalling all kinds of old memories, some of them from way back in childhhood, that had been upsetting or annoying or some other negative effect on me. I said when this happened it made me think: Whoa, where the heck did that come from? What had really surprised me was the fact that, despite thinking I'd dealt with a lot of these issues, once recalled they still gave me the same reaction... either getting upset or angry or frustrated, whatever.

Janet explained that although I had dealt with some of the issues, she likeened what I had actually done with others to putting them into individual boxes and carrying them around with me deep in my body. Others I had dealt with, but the negative feelings associated with them were still being carried around too. Occasionally they surface or stay internal and impede the energy flow, both of which result in dis-ease.... she felt that this was contributing to my current psychic block. What she said made sense to me on all kinds of levels, so I said I would like to continue with the treatments... as she's been honest with me I said I would trust her judgement on whether this should continue to be weekly, or drop to fortnightly or monthly. She said she would think on that and let me know what she felt at the end of the session.

She said she knew I would understand what she was saying when she explained it how she did.... but she now had to think of a different way of saying the same thing to the other lady. I think that may mean the other lady isn't into the Spiritual side.... though I do wonder if she may be clairsentient and if that had had a part to play in the lack of success in our treatments. 

Janet then said that some of the things that needed to be dealt with was really old stuff. Yep, some of what I was remembering was from waaay back, and I then went on to tell her about a couple of incidents that had come back to me that week. The first was when I was back in Nursery School and surfaces every so often: it's a distinct memory of being in the cloakroom; all of the kids and teachers were gathered around a table that had a big bowl of soapy water on it and they were using all kinds of things to blow bubbles; I was sat on one of the benches, away from everyone, really wanting to join in but wanting to keep well away from everyone too; I was upset about something that had happened.... though I don't know what. My Dad discovered, when I'd left there and my DBro was attending, that the teachers had a nasty habit of locking kids in a cupboard as a punishment and Dad had challenged them about it. He reckoned they'd done that to me too, though I don't recall it and don't have claustrophobia as a result, as some people go on to develop after such an incident. Obviously they wouldn't get away with such antics these days but this was in the 1960's. Needless to say, Mum and Dad refused to let my DSis attend the nursery.

The other incident had occured when I was about 12 years old, when a boy my DBro knew said some insulting things about me that upset me..... and the reaction my Dad gave, when I got back home in tears. I'd told my Mum and Dad about it and said something along the lines of the boy making me feel very ugly. Dad was no good at dealing with emotional situations... and reacted angrily and as if it was my fault... and followed it up by agreeing that I was ugly, with Mum protesting in the background. Mum had put up with a lot of emotional abuse throughout her childhood, from her Mum and DSis's, and knew the hurt it caused. That had hurt more than what the boy had said and made me even more upset (I don't remember the outcome of all this).... and it had obviously cut deep, as it set me off crying a little. Janet placed her hand over mine and said it was OK - I muttered something about being menopausal not helping things at all - and that she would help me to bring these things out and finally deal with them so they can be let go. She felt that the Shamballah Healing Course would also be of much benefit too, as we would be doing things on releasing and cutting cords and the like.

With that she took my Chinese pulses, then I had to take my shoes and socks off, plus took off my specs and hair scrunchie, so I could get comfortable on the pillows. Janet then said that this week she needed me to lay slightly to the left of the bed, so I could lay my right arm down flat. That was necessary because she wanted to put a needle in my right arm and once it was in I had to keep the arm as still as possible, to allow the energy to flow freely and let the needle do its thing. Once positioned she started to place the needles: around four in the top of my head; one in either wrist; one in the side of my left hand; several around my ankles; the nasty little bugger in the top of my right foot (yep, it gave me another belt); one in my third eye and the final one in my right forearm. I asked about that one: the one in the top of my foot is for the liver and helps release issues - the forearm one does a similar thing but on a much deeper level, thus it will allow the deeper issues to come up and be released and clear any energy blockages.

Janet then said that I was to know that I was perfectly safe in the room and that I could let go, knowing that it was perfectly safe to do so. As I was feeling somewhat warm and clammy at this point (partly menopause, partly upset, partly the warm room) she said she would come back and check on me in fove minutes, to make sure I was OK. Music on, the light off... she left me to relax.

Oddly enough I did start to relax. As promised she came back to check on me - good job, as my feet had started to get cold and the rest of me was cooling rapidly. Out came the thermal silver thingy and I was soon warm again so off she went, leaving me for another 20 minutes of treatment. It was good to see those Chakra colours back again, swirling behind my eyes. :0) Despite the previous upset the relaxation mode continued - surprising really as, with what Janet had said about letting go, I'd half expected all kinds of memories to start bubbling up to the surface with all the attendant emotions. Nope, just a lovely drifty feeling that almost had me nodding off again, making that 20 minutes go awfully quick. LOL

Once back in the room and the light back on Janet asked how I felt. Fine, relaxed and definitely feeling brighter than beforehand. LOL The needles were soon out and the sites dabbed. Once she'd made sure I was OK and I was sat up, she reminded me to take some sips of water before sorting myself out and getting ready to leave. I thanked her and she went off to deal with her next client. I did this, as well as wrapping myself in white light as protection, then got myself sorted and headed out to reception.

The next appointment made and bill paid I said my goodbyes and headed for the door....... and straight into the Hospice Bookshop. Julie, I don't know if someone is clearing their shelves or if they are delivered from elsewhere (they do take in boxes of books from somewhere else) but they've obviously cottoned on to the fact that there's a lot more interest in this type of book, as there always seem to be something of interest in there each time I go in. Lookit at what was there this time:

I came out a very happy bunny. LOL From there I headed down the street, first calling in at the Wilko's style shop (can never remember it's name) and coming out with a new chopping board for the kitchen and a couple of other bits, then into Wilko's where I got a meeting notepad. I had gone in looking for storage boxes but neither shop had anything suitable. I opted not to go round the market as my stomach was letting me know it was dinnertime, so headed back up the High Street, via Tesco Express for a couple of bits, and then home. Once the shopping was put away the stomach got fed. LOL

I was quite tired by then and eventually ended up having an early night. I did wonder if the memory recall would really kick off this week....... but hardly anything has returned to bother me. A result? I guess we shall see, once my next 28 day cycle is up. In the meantim, I have had a couple of vivid dreams, coinciding with the recent full moon, that have had clear messages for me concerning the block. Am hoping there's a chance to mention them to Aureen at the next Circle, to get her take on them and see if I've understood them correctly. Funnily enough, the main dream concerned me moving from the back seat to the front seat of a car.... though a left hand drive - another sign that the Universe has a sense of humour. ;0)

DEVELOPMENT CIRCLE - 23RD MARCH

I got to Circle early again this week, all thanks to some mouldy bread. It stopped DH from making himself a sandwich, so he decided to have fish and chips instead.... and he was in a hurry to get me there so he could head off to the chip shop straight after. I didn't complain, as it would give me chance to chat to Aureen again before everyone arrived.

I was able to tell her what I'd forgotten on Saturday: that the spoilt Yorkshire Terrier she'd seen and asked about belonged to my maternal grandparents. She was really pleased about that. We chatted a little more before Sh and S1 arrived, when she told us that the lady who owns the house will be back next week. Aureen had been doing some cleaning to ensure that things were straight before she arrives, as she didn't want the lady to think we weren't looking after the place and thus decide not to allow us to use it any more. The lady doesn't mind us continuing to meet whilst she's home though... she's a Spiritualist, so will probably join us whilst there.

Unfortunately S2 couldn't come again this week (her Uncle is seriously ill) and G is still chesty and hasn't regained her voice yet. Whilst we waited a little longer to see if A would turn up I grabbed some old postcards out of my bag to show Sh. She'd brought out a piece of paper to show something to me and we both said "I've got something to show you" at the same time, followed by Sh saying "You show me yours and I'll show you mine" which made us all laugh. I reminded them about Sh mentioning a Bert the previous week and said that whilst my DSis was having a sort through all the old photographs and memorabilia our Mum had kept she'd come across these postcards, with a decidedly Edwardian look to them (though possible repros), and showed her the back of one of them. It had been signed by a chap called Hubert.... possibly the Bert Sh had mentioned. But we don't have a clue who Hubert was or even who the recipient of the card was. It obviously meant something to Mum, as she'd kept the pair of postcards all these years..... and he wasn't the Bert i thought he was either. So that was another hit for Sh and again went to prove that this isn't all down to minreading or remembering something that had once been said. I also told them both about Aureen's hit with the Yorkie.

Sh then showed me her bit of paper whilst reminding me about the castle I'd seen. She'd been on the internet and found the name of it.... and that it was this castle that Disney based their Sleeping Beauty Castle on. S1 asked her if she had any plans to go to Disneyworld in the US.... or could it be Disneyworld Paris? Sh doesn't have any holiday plans at the moment..... or, maybe, she will be doing something as mundane as watching a Disney movie with one of her young family members? Who knows.... so watch this space. LOL

It became evident that A wasn't coming again so we went through into the other room, removing the spare chair from the Circle before taking our seats. We passed the Healing book round so we could add names and then we took it in turns to hold it and send healing to all those named inside. Although I'm never quite sure if I'm doing this "right" it's done with the best of intentions and I always find it a moving process. Aureen then told us that we would be doing a meditation but not to worry if we couldn't do it, as it was rather a difficult one. We were to know that if at any time we weren't happy with anything that happened within the meditation we could take ourselves back into our garden and stay there until we met up again further along in the meditation.

With that we opened the Circle, then protected and grounded ourselves and opened our Chakras. We then had to concentrate on our breathing and relaxation - the breathing involves taking air in through the nose, holding it for the count of four, then breathing out through our mouths. Once relaxed we were to walk along the country lane to the gate into our garden, enter it and wander around for a little while, opening all our senses and noticing what was there. After a while we were to notice a corner we hadn't seen before: it had a brick wall that had three steps leading down to it and on the wall was a mirror. We had to stand before the mirror and look into it, looking at our reflections, then after a while notice what was going on in the background of the mirror.... and see ourselves changing, noticing what we looked like. After a while we were to see ourselves in the mirror again, walk away and back up the steps, back through the garden and out of the gate and back along the country lane.... then come back to ourselves. Aureen then asked each of us what we had seen.

Sh had had a lovely experience: she had found it a little difficult to find a wall she hadn't noticed before because hers is a walled garden anyway... but she managed to do it. I think she said her mirror was a gold arch and when she looked into it she saw herself all the time.... but the background seemed to be misty, then it cleared and she could see all her loved ones who have passed over. They were so happy that she could see them all at last, as they'd been waiting for a while for this to happen. She was so pleased, saying that she regularly talked to several of them but hadn't been able to see them.... until now. Aureen said she had connected well but in a surprising way to what had been expected, as the meditation was to try and connect with a past life.

Me next. Before we'd begun the meditation I'd felt someone standing behind my left shoulder, and had even glanced over it to see if I could see anything (I hadn't) and had also felt a warmth there, rather than the usual cold spot sensation. I'd even struggled to visualise the bits of my garden I normally manage to see, though had had a really vivid image of sweet peas - not had these in my garden before but I do associate these with my maternal Grandad, as he used to grow them, so wondered if the presence I'd felt stood behind me was him. I'd managed to see the mirror: a fancy gold scollwork frame thing, very much in the Snow White type tradition, though hadn't really been able to see myself in it, let alone anything else. I had been very aware of the cobweb feeling on my face, had felt my hair being touched and my right ear being tickled - so Spirit was definitely around. Aureen mentioned that she had felt a touch on her leg.... and also said not to worry about the meditation, as it is a difficult one to do. Not sure I want to practice this one at home yet: there are enough issues to work through in this life to keep me occupied for a while, without discovering any from a past one. The thought of finding out I used to be a Nazi guard or something equally terrible really is something that, so far, has stopped me from undertaking regression.... and probably contributed to it not working. LOL

Aureen had seen herself quite clearly in a former life.... she was a Viking woman and was stood at the edge of the water, watching as the boat with her loved one's body burnt, before an old woman put an arm around her and drew her away. She recognises that it may be because of this that she was drawn to live in this area, only finding out afterwards that all the village and town names ending in -by meant former Viking occupation.... and wondered if she had lived here in an earlier life. Her ex-husband and current OH both have a Viking look to them - something she hadn't realised until it was pointed out to her by friends. Obviously that lifetime has had a strong influence on some things in this.

We then went on to do some clairvoyance, with Aureen saying to just go to the person we felt most drawn to and try to get one good message, rather than worrying about going to everybody (I know this is mostly for my benefit). She asked if we'd prefer to do this with the light on or off and we all preferred the light off..... for some reason we all felt that it helps. After a while she brought us back to ourselves and turned the light on, then asked each of us in turn what we'd received.

Sh had seen a tiny elderly woman with white hair stood in the centre of the Circle and felt that she was for me - her name was Molly. She'd also seen a man stood between S1 and me and wasn't sure who he was for, though she felt his name was Timothy. Molly didn't ring a bell but, as she was in older style clothing, she could be from the Great's time.... and I don't know much about them. Neither of us could think of a link to Timothy, so Aureen just thanked him for coming. She saw S1 preparing for the party again, with the sherry and Sainsbury's party food shopping.... though S1 still doesn't have or know of any plans for this.

Aureen then asked me if I'd got anything. Not a lot. After the light went off and I'd shut my eyes I was aware of a really bright light on the right side of my inner vision. There is always a brighter spot behind S1, from the kitchen window, but it definitely wasn't that - I've had this before but not as vivid as it became this time: it seemed to build and become more intense, sort of bright light with possibly a little pink, and all the while I kept expecting someone/thing to walk out of it.... or for something to happen. But it just seemed to get so far, then fizzled out and rapidly faded away. I made a joke of just being glad that they didn't want me to go into it, which made them laugh. I turned to Sh and said that I felt Fuschia Man was there again (felt I'd seen some standard fuschia bushes, though they weren't overly clear, so didn't mention them) and apologised for calling him that and hoped he wasn't offended.... but I didn't know what else to call him, yet. She said he would probably laugh.... and that the ear tickling could be him, as he was a bit of a joker.

S1 said what she had seen was for her and was continuing with the fairytale theme that seemed to be popping into things tonight (Sleeping Beauty's castle/Snow White mirror/her witchy self). She'd seen herself as Rapunzel, locked in the tower, but had climbed out herself. There was a little more which I can't remember. Aureen gave her a few insights into what it could mean (personal) and suggested she thought about it and meditated on it at home. The witch thing still seemed to be bothering her a little, so probably had an affect on what she picked up.

Aureen told Sh and S1 what she'd seen for them - one was personal and the other I can't remember. For me (and I always remember these, as I write them down in my book for future reference) she asked who had the link with Churchill, as she'd just got the name. I laughed and said that that would be my DH - not only is he mad on anything to do with Lancaster Bombers, he's also the same about Churchill and has watched programmes about him lots of time, as well as having loads of books about him. She said then the cuckoo clock I saw is for him and asked whose it was. I didn't know - if she'd said Grandfather Clock then I could have said.... but she said no, it was definitely a cuckoo clock as she'd heard the cuckoo noise. So it was one to ask DH later. She then asked if an Easter Bonnet meant anything to me and felt that it was something to do with a school memory. Another laugh: the junior achool I attended used to have bonnet parades at Easter and Christmas, where we all had to make one (supposedly by ourselves, without help - yeah, right! LOL). I'd won a prize one year with a hat made by my maternal Grandma and said that it was one of the few good memories I'd got of the woman. Next she asked who Doris or Dorothy was: Aunty Doris was one of my favourite Aunty's (or, rather Great Aunt). She was married to my Grandma's DBro, both lovely people who didn't have children of their own so always made a fuss of the youngsters within the family. Funnily enough, as I pointed out, DSis and I had been looking at their photos on the Sunday.
My Aunty Dorothy is on this side of life but I forgot to mention that. Aureen then asked who Edward was. Wow, she was red hot! Little Eddie - or Cheeky Charlie as we called him - was my cousin and he'd been knocked down and killed when he was just 8 years old: he was all excited about going on his first Cub camp and had taken his things over to the church hall but had forgotten his permission slip; before anyone could stop him he'd run back towards his home to go and fetch it, across the road and straight into the path of a van. The poor little mite had been killed instantly. His Dad, my Uncle T, was in Hong Kong at the time, waiting to board his ship (he was Chief Engineer of a Merchant Navy vessel) - at the exact moment Eddie died Uncle T heard him shout Daddy. Oddly enough, his Dad has currently got a health issue to do with his diabetes and needs to go for some tests. Aureen said that he'd grown some since then, over in Spirit, so I must have been young at the time.... I was about 19 years old when it happened. I still think about him at times. She said that all the touching and tickling was down to him, playing games, something Spirit children love to do. :0)

S1 had done OK with the garden but had had to hastily improvise with the wall and steps. Her mirror had been a plain one (wood I think) but had made her think of Snow White and the Mirror, Mirror on the wall bit.... and she wasn't sure if that had had something to do with what she saw..... because her face morphed and she could see herself as a witch. It was something she hadn't been overly keen on seeing and wasn't too sure about.... because, as she reached the gate to leave her garden she glanced back and said: And don't follow me! before leaving. She had said it so forcefully that she had almost said it out loud. Aureen asked her if she felt she had seen herself in a former life..... S1 wasn't sure. I looked at her and said what does your gut reaction tell you - and she replied that, yes, she thought it had been herself in a former life... she'd been a witch. She didn't seem at all comfortable with the thought....... I guess that centuries of bad press from the church have coloured that for her. If you go by her obvious psychic skills then a former life as a witch... or wise woman... is almost a given. It made me wonder if that's perhaps why I've always felt like I've seen her some place before. :0)

With this it was time to close down ourselves and the Circle, which we did. Once done we helped Aureen replace the table and chairs into the area we use, turning it back into the dining room it's supposed to be, then put all the glasses away (we always have glasses of water to hand, as it's thirsty work) and made sure everything was tidy. We then headed for the door. As I was leaving I asked Aureen if there was anything I could do to try and improve things: practice was the answer, just keep practising all the techniques. I do.... but it doesn't help that nine times out of ten I keep falling asleep just recently - I could really do with something to stop that from happening. LOL With that we all said our goodbyes and headed home.

DH was waiting outside, quite happy now he'd had his fish and chips and stunk out the car with them. I asked him if he had had a relative with a cuckoo clock - he reckoned he had but couldn't place who it was. I suggested he ask his Dad, next time he rang him for a natter. We decided to have a trip to the main Tesco to do some shopping this week, so I could stock up on some of my special foods and get a few other bits we needed. The cupboards were nicely stocked afterwards but it made it a long night so we were well and truly shattered after we'd got home and put it all away. We were glad to go to bed..... and both slept well.

REIKI - 20TH MARCH

Saturday started out a little hectic as I'd asked DH if we could go to the Harlequin Office Furniture place in the morning, to see if they had anything suitable for storage in my Craft Room, as they were only open until 12pm. As usual, when we need to be somewhere in a hurry DH continued to operate on a totally different time zone to everyone else. LOL We made it there about 20 minutes before they were about to close. A young chap came to find out what we were looking for and what it was for: some kind of storage unit and a filing cabinet to go in my Craft Room. He showed us various cabinet type units with doors on but they weren't right. He showed us the filing cabinets and explained a bit about each. The budget version looked OK but the drawers were shorter than the cabinet..... what's the point in that? As I pointed out, the room is small and I need to maximise the storage space to make sure I can get everything in there that needs to go in. He showed us a different one, a nice silver colour with 4 full depth drawers - that was definitely the one.... of course it was a bit more expensive than the other one, wasn't it! He then showed us some sturdy bookcases that have adjustable shelves - they stock extra shelves, so I can get more when I decide how many I need. DH wrote down all the measuremenets and other details so we could have a measure up at home and work out where they'll go. The same place can also supply some rubber rollers for my computer chair, which are much quieter and better for rolling on laminate flooring.... much cheaper than buying a new chair and they'll fit them for us if we take the old chair in. The upshot: the items I want are all carried in stock so, once ordered and paid for, they can arrange a delivery slot and they will even put it all up and place it where it's wanted. How good is that? We came away from there quite happy with what we'd seen and found out. :0)

From there we had to go straight home so I could get some dinner and then get ready to go for my Reiki session. Of course the weather was a tad wet when it was time for me to walk down the street - good job I bought a new kagoul last year. LOL

When I arrived at the Clinic it was to find Jan was being the Receptionist. I asked how she was doing - she certainly looked better and seemed far less fraught than last time... and sounded it, too. The move is suiting her very much and she's settling in nicely to her new home. She asked how I'd been doing so I told her that the last few days hadn't been so great: I'd run out of the herbal mix a while ago and had decided to see how I went without it, relying on the acupuncture, rejigging my diet a little and some supplements that included red clover leaf extract capsules I'd bought from Julian Graves some time ago. My 28 day cycle had been on the Thursday: I'd felt great after acupuncture but by the evening I'd felt a tad fraught.... and had felt really fraught Friday and into Saturday. She asked what I meant by fraught: well, don't leave any sharp implements near me... or blunt ones, for that matter - DS had been giving me some attitude Friday night and I told him he had better just shut his mouth or I'd be over to sort him out. If it hadn't been for having my tray on my lap at the time I would probably have been over there and done a laying on of hands.... and it wouldn't have had anything to do with healing. LOL The feisty moods had been interspersed with really low sessions, not helped by the flushes and night sweats being a real bugger. I told her that what I'd been doing just wasn't enough, that I'd felt much more balanced whilst on the herbal med, with the flushes and sweats being barely noticeable...... obviously it was something in the combination of ingredients within the mix that worked for me. It was worth the little experiment, to find out, but I'd had enough - I wanted that balance back. LOL Jan was quite pleased with that and said that she'd love to have some feedback from me, when I am in again next Thursday, on how I am feeling then because, if I have settled down again, it means she might just have found a really good combination that could help some of the other women she's treating for menopausal symptoms. I said I'd let her know. She didn't have time to mix the med then as I was due to go into Treatment Room 1 (where her dispensary is) for Reiki and she had someone booked in for a colonic and they should be arriving shortly. She asked if I could go back at 3.30pm when she would have finished and I said that was fine. As she was going to be busy when I came out the next appointment was arranged and I paid for this session.

Aureen was now ready for me, so off I trotted. Aureen then asked how I'd been doing so I gave her a potted version of what I'd told Jan. I also told her about the postponed pick up of my new car, thanks to DH not getting the insurance sorted in time, and how disappointed I'd been about that and feeling generally fed-up. She said there was obviously a reason the pick up not happening yet. Yep, I know, which is why I didn't get really upset about it, but if it had just been the one thing I'd probably have been fine.... but there have been quite a few niggling things that have all come at once..... and I'm so obviously menopausal at the moment. I didn't need to say more: she knew exactly what was meant, as she's been through it already and hadn't had a good time with it. So, as there was lots of tension and I was feeling out of balance she decided to concentrate on relaxation and easing of the tension during this session. I took off all my jewellery, hair scrunchie, shoes and specs and got onto the bed so the treatment could begin.

If I've learnt anything from these Reiki sessions it's that you can never guess how it will develop or what will happen, as no two are ever the same. It took me a little longer to settle into the session this time, mostly due to the inward tension but also because there was quite a bit of noise outside, on the High Street, but thankfully the worst of that soon faded into the background. This time I wasn't really aware of many of the Chakra colours swirling behind my eyes but what I did really notice was the energy from Aureen's hands every time she placed them up near my head: it was much more noticeable than usual and was sort of a cross between a buzz and a tingle, just on the edge of hearing.

At the end of the session she said my name and asked how I felt and had I picked anything up? Chamomile, I said. Towards the end of the session that word came to me and it was so forceful I almost said it out loud. She asked what I thought it meant. Well, I've been feeling fraught and I've got some Chamomile herbal tea at home but hadn't been drinking much of it lately - Doh! Aureen said it seemed like my body was letting me know what it needed - yep, and I shall certainly start drinking it more often.
She asked if I'd been aware of any colours this time, as she'd been really aware of blues and purples, almost sparking from her hands. No, not really, and even though I usually see the Chakra colours quite vividly I hadn't really been aware of those this time either, it seemed more of a sensing/feeling session. I told her about feeling the energy buzz/tingle from her hands very strongly and that I'd also felt slight hot and cold sensations around my body but not like obvious changes in exterior temperature, more subtle and, again, more like energy shifts through my body that felt like something was being gently pulled through it. I'd felt this the most when she worked on my Crown Chakra and compared it to opening my Chakras but in reverse. My feet tingled for a while after the final grounding too.
I'd initially seen Angel images. When I see these in my minds eye they are usually quite basic in shape: a head and neck with a long, thin "gowned" body and swept back wings, usually they are all fractal light (sometimes bright light, sometimes like a stained glass window) - this time I just saw the head and wings shapes in silhouette, enough to make me aware of them and then they were gone. I also saw the head of an old lady who had white curly hair but I didn't see her for long enough to make out more of her facial features - I could only tell Aureen that she wasn't my Mum..... and I didn't know who she was. I got the name George again, which is definitely linked to her, and I saw a man's face: dark hair and a dark moustache... again too fleeting to get much more detail, so I didn't mention him.
Aureen told me that she'd found that both my sacral and solar plexus Chakras had been quite flat when she started working on them but had sorted them out and I told her that could explain why I'd recently been having difficulty visualising the orange of the sacral Chakra - the yellow of the Solar plexus had been a tad insipid too.
From about half way through the session there were times when I just didn't know where Aureen was. Sometimes it was due to my feeling another pair of hands working on me in a different area.... sometimes I couldn't feel her hands at all and I couldn't sense where she was, almost as if I'd been left on my own - that was the weirdest sensation ever. Aureen then told me that part way through the session she had opened her eyes and looked at her hands.... and saw a tiny pair of female hands laid over hers - I said Deidra? But she said no, they were definitely adult hands, just very small and pointed to her middle knuckle area - very small hands, then. Maybe they belonged to the white haired lady whose face I saw? 

I sat up and made my way to the chair by the consulting desk so I could start putting my things back on and take some sips of water and where Aureen kept her file (she keeps notes in there - not sure what specifically, though feel it may be similar to the notebook that her Guides told me to keep). Jan tapped at the door and asked if it was OK to come in - her colonic guy hadn't turned up (which she suspected might happen), so she could come and make up my herbal med mix now, rather than having to go back later.

Aureen asked if, when having a Reiki session, I felt I was letting go of things. I can't say as I'd been aware of letting go of anything more than the tension this time.... and compared it to the times when she'd performed psychic surgery - now those times I definitely felt and knew something had gone. I felt this session was more about sorting out the tension and getting me back on an even keel, and I certainly felt much more relaxed than when I'd first walked in.... and we spoke about the chamomile thing coming to me again and how that will help keep me calm. Jan piped up from her dispensing area and said: funnily enough, I'm just adding that to your mix now. LOL

I then asked Jan how the change was suiting her and if she felt a difference in atmosphere between her home and the town. Most definitely and she said said how difficult she'd found it to adjust the first time she'd come back to the Clinic after having some time off during the move and needing to protect herself more thoroughly when coming into the town. I can appreciate that: whenever we've been away on holiday, especially when it's been to the Lake District, it always takes me a while to settle back into my home - I always feel quite jangled, iykwim. We had a bit more chit chat, then Aureen was ready to leave, so I thanked her and said goodbye and see her on Tuesday. As she got to the bottom of the stairs and opened the door we both heard her say Oh! in an odd way and were just about to shout and ask if she was OK when we heard the door close behind her. Once I'd finished the conversation, paid Jan for my med and said goodbye and went to the door I found out why.... it was raining but it was just the tail end of what had been an absolute deluge. There were actual streams running down the gutters and paddling pools worth of puddles all over the place. Yuk!

I decided not to venture further down the street, especially as I was feeling quite tired, so just popped over to Tesco Express (jumping over the gutter streams and dodging the paddling pool puddles) to get a couple of things we needed, then headed home. DH had disappeared off to the Museum while I'd been gone - they are currently running an exhibition on the LTC, as they've just celebrated their 60th Birthday, and DS and a few of the other members had been helping out with the visitor event they were putting on that day. DS and the other members were all in costume from various performances they'd put on. I wouldn't have minded going to see it but the timings were all wrong for that.

After I'd put the shopping away and sat and did a crossword I realised just how tired I felt and started heading upstairs.... just as DH came throught the front door. A quick chat later and I carried on up the stairs, as I was really struggling to concentrate by this time - DH commented on that and said that I actually looked tired too - and went to bed for a couple of hours. It helped and I felt much better after that. I will have to ask Aureen just what she did, when I see her again. Not only because of the tiredness I'd felt.... but also because I've been feeling much brighter since. :0)

ACUPUNCTURE - TUESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY

Time for my second session of acupuncture and I was really curious to see how things went this time, compared to the first session. I set off 10 minutes beforehand so I would have plenty of time to take a steady walk and have time to settle down before going in for the session.

I had a surprise this week when I saw Anne on reception. It was nice to see her and have chance for a quick natter. She seems to have recovered well from her knee surgery and had a new hair cut and colour which suits her well.

Janet (the acupuncturist) saw her previous client out to reception then, after saying goodbye to her, took me into the treatment room. First thing she did was to ask me how I'd been since my first session. Well... I'd been OK up until about 5pm when I suddenly dropped like a stone and all I wanted to do was to go to bed but I had the Development Circle to go to. I told her about finding the Circle a bit of a struggle to do (probably also not helped by there only being the three of us there) and of S1 asking if I was tired, as I looked it. Janet said that it was perfectly normal and was actually a good sign, although it may not have felt like it at the time. It meant that my body had taken to the treatment and that the Qi was being pulled around it as my body carried on with self-healing: it didn't always happen but was quite typical of sensitives like us (she also has a heightened degree of clairsentience). As I have more sessions and my body gets used to the Qi energy flowing it will settle down and become more balanced, so the sudden tiredness won't happen anymore. It was good to know. I did ask, though, if she minded if I moved future appointments to another day, even though the tiredness should improve - it's mostly because I'm finding it a bit of a rush to have a treatment, get back home and then organise myself for going to Circle. I prefer a much quieter day so I can stay chilled and get myself in the right frame of mind for it. She told me she was in on Thursday's too, so to just mention it to Anne when I went out and she would sort it for me. :0)

I also asked why the needle in my heart meridian had irritated so much. Again it's all part of a good reaction to the needles. Whilst Reiki works on the Chakras and aura, acupuncture is much more direct, because the needles go through the energy meridians and deep into the body, and irritation shows a strong response to this. She gave me an example of how she and fellow complimentary therapists she works on (those who work with energy/light) often feel itchy after a treatment, especially one particular lady who is left with red blobs at all the acupuncture sites. These are nothing to worry about and they soon fade, as does the itching. I thought it through and said now I understood, and it made sense, as to why the heart meridian site bothered me and left me with a raised bleb: it's not just due to grief related issues but because I'm mainly clairsentient - that means I work with feelings/emotions a lot which involves mostly using my heart Chakra.

Some of the things we have in common, as clairsentients: neither of us like being in overly busy places, especially pubs. Janet can't abide being around drunks and the vibes they give off, especially when they are in pubs and nightclubs, and tries to avoid them as much as possible. I don't go to lively pubs in an evening: if we go to a pub these days it's usually for a meal and I always ask for a quiet corner, away from noisier folks. I don't do parties if I can avoid them. I especially don't do busy supermarkets at Christmas, as the vibes given off then are really unpleasant. There are some days I really don't like the feeling in the air that is around here, likening it to "as if something is about to kick off", so I avoid going out then - Janet also feels that there have been some weird vibes about around here for several years now and she also finds it unpleasant..... one of the reasons she lives out in one of the villages, rather than in the town. It's good to know that it "isn't just me", iykwim. As we were chatting I also mentioned that I would have to ask the girls at the Circle about a tune that had been going around my head ever since I'd woken up: One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus (as in, sung by Daniel O'Donnell song). Now as a Pagan this isn't the usual kind of song I'm drawn to, so it's a tad unusual LOL. Janet then told me that the song was played at her Grandmother's funeral, the one they play when everyone is leaving the service.... only someone had forgotten to unlock the exit door so they were all stuck there having to listen to it. LOL I will still ask the girls if it means anything to them... but it looks like it may well have been for Janet. How weird is that?

This time I remembered to mention that I have a bit of a problem with my back: back when I used to go to the gym, to do fitness training, whilst on one of the old machines (one where you push against pads with your forearms and bring them together in front of you) the instructor got me to use it the other way around, as it helped to tone up a different set of arm muscles (help make those "wings" disappear!). Only when I tried it something in my spine, just below my shoulder blades level, "crunched" and gave me a right belt of pain that made me cry out. After resting it seemed fine so I carried on training (though the right way round on that machine from then on!). It wasn't until I stopped doing the fitness training a while later that I started getting some problems with intermittent back pain.... right where it had "crunched". It seems to aggravate when I do alot of computer mousework and stitching, making a muscle across my back ache which bothers my neck/shoulder and usually triggers a bit of a headache. It was bothering me today and I'd got a bit of a headache so Janet said she would do something to help that.

After she took my pulses and closed the blind I took off my shoes and socks and went to lie down on the treatment bed. This time she used two Western needles, one in either temple, which was to relieve the headache... and it was very effective for that. Then she placed five needles in the crown of my head (they barely registered, just felt like a little pressure being applied) then a needle in the inner ankle area. The one in my left foot pricked like hell when it went in and bothered me immediately and, as it continued to bother me, Janet took it out. This one was in the hormonal area and had reacted because the Qi energy had immediately rushed to, then up the needle and pulled down what it needed very quickly. Instantaneous reaction meant it had worked straightaway, no need to leave it in. :0)

When Janet had made sure I was comfortable she turned off the light and went off to leave me to relax. I had a similar reaction as last time: an odd shifting movement in my body and the need to close my eyes. This time I could see particular upper Chakra colours whirling behind my eyelids: Spring Green (heart); not much blue (throat); lots of indigo (brow/third eye); lots of violet (crown) and lots of lovely healing purple. If my feet had been a little warmer I could have been tempted to drop off to sleep.  LOL Except occasionally it felt like the treatment bed moved a little, which I've also occasionally experienced during Reiki sessions - whilst the times during Reiki didn't bother me I found this mildly disconcerting. My mind just free-wheeled throughout the session and fleeting images kept coming and going, too quickly to really see what they were. Towards the end of the session I was really aware of the chit-chat in the other room and at reception and of the traffic outside so I was ready for Janet coming back in minutes later.

Janet asked how I was and I said fine and she quickly removed the needles, once again dabbing the puncture sites. I carefully sat up but there wasn't really any feeling of disorientation or anything. Once thing that was immediately self-evident though: that niggling headache had gone! Janet just smiled when I told her - and she told me to remind her about the back next time and she would see what she could do for it. If it's as effective as the headache needles I'm up for it! LOL I told her about the Chakra colours and other things, chatted about a few other inconsequential things, thanked her and then she went out to see her next client.

By this time I'd had some sips of water and put my socks and shoes back on. I felt OK, so I didn't wait around long after Janet had left the room. Anne booked my next appointment for the morning of the following Thursday - the beauty of that being that it's market day, so I'll be able to pop down there for a nosey afterwards, should the fancy take me. I paid my dues and was just gathering my things together when Jan arrived. It was basically a hello/goodbye though, as she was obviously wanting to get on.

When I left the Clinic I decided to pop into my favourite place...... yes, the Hospice Bookshop. This time I did find something I wanted:

I reckoned that menopause book would be interesting reading.... if only to help me gather enough information together so I can go back to see my GP with a shed load of questions that I didn't have chance to ask at the hospital. LOL  I decided to grab the other one because I part saw the film The Celestine Prophecy the other week which has made me want to read the books..... and once I've read those, then I already have this one to look at things more in-depth. :0)

From there I popped over the road to the greengrocers to get some diabetic biscuits for DH, then to Tesco Express for a little shopping, then home. By the time I put things away and got changed it was time to get my meal sorted, to make sure I'd eaten a couple of hours before the Circle was due to start. The time just shot past. See what I mean about it all being rushed? LOL

ACUPUNCTURE - TUESDAY 2ND FEBRUARY

It was with a little trpidation that I set off down the street to the Clinic on Tuesday for my first ever acupuncture session. I don't particularly have a needle phobia (I only object to the dental needles in my gums and am not so keen on seeing my blood being taken) it was more the not knowing what to expect and wondering about what effects it would/wouldn't have.

On arriving at the Clinic I had a quick chat with Jan about the last lot of herbal mix she'd made for me: the red clover she'd put in seemed to have really helped settle down those tropical moments so I wondered if she felt it was worthwhile continuing to take it for a while, just while the acupuncture kicks in. She was happy enough for me to do this and informed Janet, the acupuncturist, of what she had used to help in her assessment and treatment of me. Unfortunately I forgot to grab the opportunity to be weighed so currently have no idea if I had lost weight during my recent stomach bout.

As I'd arrived early we managed a bit longer chat and she told me she had now bought a house in the same village as Janet. I got to see pics and it looks fabulous: all old cottage exterior and well decorated, modern refurbished interior.... she can move straight in and do nothing more than clean and cleanse it. She moves later this month. I was glad to hear that she is going to be keeping the Clinic in Ashby for at least another year to 18 months...... it will give me plenty of time to have some refresher driving lessons and find a car! LOL

With that Jan popped in to make up my medicine, then it was time for me to go through to the treatment room. Once settled in our chairs Janet proceeded to tell me some basics about acupuncture: what it is, what it does and the principles it uses and Qi (prounounced chee) energy. She also showed me some diagrams on the wall that showed the meridians running through the body and the acupuncture points:

She then went on to take my details, chat about my current health status and the main things I would like to be treated for: mostly the menopausal symptoms. There were questions about my skin, hair, nails symptoms and all kinds of things - she warned me that some questions may not seem relevant but that they all had a bearing on the state of my Qi energy and that would help her assess what areas needed to be worked on to help bring it into balance, to be healthy and, basically, firing on all cylinders.

It was quite interesting and we also touched on my past problems with agoraphobia and panic attacks and how I'd tackled them, the relevance of my being clairsentient as a contributory factor (she is also clairsentient and can't abide being around drunks or going into pubs and clubs where lots of drunken and negative behaviour has taken place), how going to a Development Circle had helped me - especially in teaching me how to psychically protect myself from negative energies/people, the occasional stress related stomach bouts, the grief issues and how Reiki had helped me with much of those and my recent operation and how that had affected me (positively, I have to say).

She felt that though I'd dealt with some of the grief issues there was still some repression going on, causing an imbalance, and that various bits would need work as they were also unbalanced. It was also possible to use the treatments to aid in my Spiritual development which I found fascinating.

Next Janet asked if she could take my pulses, explaining that Chinese pulse taking was slightly different to how a nurse or doctor would take one: instead of just feeling for the pulse in one area of the wrist there are three that are taken and each one is relevant to something.... I didn't have time to ask questions about this, as time was getting on, so I hope I can remember to ask another time as I'm finding it all fascinating and want to learn more.

With this she put a lamp on ready, then closed the blind whilst I took my shoes and socks off and went to lie down on the treatment bed for a short five minute treatment. The first treatment is mainly used to assess how the needles affect me, not only at the time of treatment but in between too. Janet then explained that she would only use six needles this time, to see how things went: I was to tell her if I got any irritation from them and that there was a possibility I may even feel itchy and would be left with a slight blemish at the needle sites but it was nothing to worry about the itchiness was a sign they were working and any blemishes would soon fade. She raised the head end slightly and placed a bolster pillow beneath my knees. With that she went on to apply the needles: one in my Crown Chakra (slight pressure as she put it in, nothing more); another in my third eye Chakra (a sharp pricking sting, nothing more); one in each inner wrist (the right one pricked and bothered me and left a blemish) and one in the top area each foot (slight pricking and minor bothering in the left one that soon eased). After making sure I was OK she told me to just let myself relax, turned off the main light and left me to chill in the lamp lit room.

I have to say that it was a really odd sensation, difficult to describe. I had to close my eyes and I felt a bit drifty but it was different to the sensation I get whilst having Reiki. With that I often feel quite definite movements or surges of energy - there was a definite change but this was more subtle and I could tell that it was involving more than just my Chakras, though I did have Chakra colours swirling behind my eyelids for some of the time. I felt relaxed but not in the deep "I'd really like to fall asleep now" kind of way that Reiki gives. All I can say is that something moved, something changed..... and it wasn't unpleasant, just different.

Janet came back in after the five minutes were up and asked how I felt and removed the needles, dabbing each entry point with an antiseptic swab. I felt OK, and I explained the sensations I'd had. She said she wasn't surprised that the right wrist needle had bothered me, as that is the heart meridian. I had to take my time getting up (you can occasionally experience disorientation or dizziness after treatment) and sip water. We both felt that the session had gone well and I was happy to go back for further treatment, initially on a weekly basis whilst it starts to have the desired effect, then going on to what she referred to as a monthly top-up.

As her next client had arrived in reception she wished me luck for the evening's Circle and went to take them through to the other treatment room, leaving me to gather myself together and go to reception when I felt ready. I felt OK so didn't hang around long, soon going to pay Jan, make my next appointment and collect my medicine. With that I thanked her and left.

I had a quick nosey in the Hospice Bookshop but there wasn't anything in there that appealed this time.... I'd been looking for specific Angel books but there were none to be seen. I then realised the time and headed home.... I had to get on and cook my evening meal so I'd be ready to go to the Circle in the evening.

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)

HEALTH and HEALING FESTIVAL - HARROGATE

It was the 4th Health and Healing Festival at The Pavilions in Harrogate (the Showground) over the weekend (26 and 27 September). DS had been to this event, with our friend Alex, last year and had enjoyed it and we were curious to see what was on offer, so we decided to have a trip over there on the Sunday.

As usual we had a slight detour (referred to in the family as: Smithy's scenic route! LOL). We did have SatNav but it seems that to get the updates with the latest roads added you need to pay a subscription..... and DH won't pay it........ so some of the roads weren't on there and it kept trying to send us off in all kinds of directions. So DH started ignoring it....... only he ignored it once too often and we didn't go down a road we should have done, had to double back and then had a bit of a tootle around Wetherby to get back to where we needed to be. It makes things interesting, I guess. Though any more than the 10-15 minutes delay we had before we reached The Pavilions and their much needed facilities and the car upholstery would have needed drying out! LOL

We grabbed our bags, along with the packed lunch I'd made, and headed in. After finding and using the facilities we headed for the second room full of stalls, as DH said he hadn't liked the atmosphere in the first room we'd just come through - can't say as I'd noticed: I was too focused on finding the little girl's room LOL. The venue was split between two rooms (Aire and Wharfe)that had a corridor running between them, giving it a U shape - in the U and outside there was a colonnaded area along each side with grass in the middle, where there were wooden chairs and seats for sitting out. The second room had the cafe area at one end and a stage in the middle, with a sitting area, where various musicians gave performances throughout the day - unfortunately Dragonfly Moon weren't one of them, as they'd had to drop out of the event "due to unforeseen circumstances".

We had a little wander around the room, taking stock of what was there. As we reached the far side I noticed an aura photographer with a difference: they didn't just do the head and shoulders pic like I'd had before but also did a full body one that showed your Chakras and a different full body one that looked like the Michelangelo Vitruvian Man with coloured areas across it - the area on one side was for the current situation and the other side for what was to come in the next 6 months. I zoomed in for a closer look and the lady started chatting to me, explaining a little about what each variation showed and that it was best to go with the one you felt most drawn to. I knew which one immediately: the Chakra colour one. So I took off my magnetic bracelet, sat in the chair, placed my hand on the hand shaped area on the box and looked into the camera. Here's the resultant print out:



There's an awful lot of information on it so I may do a separate post on it at a future date - it made interesting reading for me and seemed pretty accurate. I guess it explains why I'm drawn to sea blues and greens, with the turquoisey colours being particular favourites. The lady then pointed out that my Solar Plexus Chakra was closed up tight when it should be swirling (my stomach had been feeling iffy for a few days and I had done my usual pulling in/protection before going in the room - not surprising it showed somewhere in the pic). I said generally I could usually tell now when something was wrong with my Chakras as I felt out of kilter. She mentioned that there was a high level of Spirituality shown in my Aura - I smiled and told her I had recently started attending a Development Circle. She said that I needed to take in what was being taught but not to think I had to do it as told to - as I did most things instinctively I should continue to go with my gut instinct and find my own way...... and if things weren't clear I should ask "them upstairs" to make it clearer for me. I laughed and told her that, funnily enough, I had started to work with Angels more just recently - I think she sensed this, which is why she'd taken me aside to tell me all this. She then said that that was better: I'd opened up, it's how I should be and didn't I feel better for it? Actually, yes.... and my stomach felt calmer too. I took my pic and read out, thanked her and we carried on.

As we were both feeling hungry by this time we headed out to the outside seating area where we spotted our DS and Alex having their packed lunch, so we sat with them while we had ours. They hadn't arrived much before us but DS had had an annoying experience with a stallholder in the first room: he'd been stood by the stall, having a nosey at the crystals whilst Alex was having a look at something in particular. The stallholder (an woman in her 60's) had been getting real chatty with another customer, then she came up behind my DS, stuck her hands on his hips and moved him bodily out of the way. No manners used at all, just a real rudeness and a hint of bad attitude towards a young person.... from someone that was of an age to really know better. DS and Alex were so taken aback by it they didn't say anything - needless to say, they walked away and didn't spend any money there. I do wonder of this is what DH picked up on? Though DS and Alex also said they felt the first room didn't have a good feeling about it and hadn't spent much time in there, particularly after the incident - they felt it was far more commercialised than the previous year. By this time they'd done and went off for another wander, leaving DH and I to finish our meals and drinks.

When we'd done we headed back into the second room again. This time I spotted some fab wrist warmers that a lady on the Pendragon Crafts stall was selling - and knitting more of when she wasn't serving customers. Here's the pretty ones I succumbed to:

They are actually a bit darker than shown and that felt daisy lets you know which way on they should go. The thinking is that they'll be great to wear out when I'm shopping: long enough to curl my fingers back into, to keep them warm, but will leave them free for when I want to pay for things. They'll also be really useful when I'm sat at the computer and the room gets cold and my fingers start getting chilled: I'll still be able to type! LOL (In fact I'm wearing them now and they work really well!)

Next we headed over to the He Hi She Lo stall, which is one of my favourite crystal stalls. He didn't have any howlite - he'd had to leave some of his stock at home as the stall space given here was much smaller than that given at the Lincolnshire Showground event, so I said not to worry as we planned on attending it. Next I asked if he had any moonstone: he had some small tumblestones but he realised (without my mentioning it) that I wanted the blue moonstone. He said that the Sri Lankan mines were still flooded from the Boxing Day tsunami so the only pieces that were currently available were ones that had previously ended up on the scrapheap and they weren't worth having, so he wouldn't buy them. He said that he did have some nice ones in jewellery, if that was any use. Actually yes, as I wanted the use the moonstone as an Angelic talisman to wear. He handed me the first piece and it felt lovely and had a lovely blue shine to it, then showed me a silver pendant with a small piece of moonstone in it - I rejected that immediately as I hadn't liked it when I saw it earlier. Then he handed me a larger third piece.... but that had more of a lilacy sheen to it. The first piece it definitely was:

Unfortunately he didn't have a silver chain long enough for what I wanted.... so, as he polished the pendant before popping it in a bag for me, he said that as he hadn't got everything I wanted he would knock off £3. Wasn't that nice of him? Here's a chap who cares about the crystals he sells and his customers. :0) I thanked him, said we'd see him at Lincolnshire Showground in November and said goodbye.

Next we wandered over to the Shifa Meditation stall to have a look at the incense they had. I'd heard that using certain proper incense on a burner could aid the meditative state..... and frankly, at this point, it feels like I could use all the help I can get! LOL The chap opened some of the bags so we could sniff the contents and Oh, did they smell divine! I do have an oil burner but it's glazed, so is only suitable for use with oils, not with charcoal, so we took the last burner he had too.... and as it was one he'd been using for display and had got a little grubby in the burning area he knocked us a £1 off. Another kindness. :0) Here's what we came home with:

We can also put a lit tealight in the body, to make it look really effective or to use it as an oil burner too. Even kinder was my lovely DH who treated me to these. :0)

We finally headed through into the other room at this point, as the Magik Thread stall was in there and I wanted to have a look at a couple of things. They didn't have the Angel cards I was looking for but they did have the other item I wanted:

I find this a really useful diary as it not only lists all the Festival Days, the moon phases and planet alignments but also which days are best for planting and which for harvesting. A must for planting out and harvesting, especially harvesting of herbs.

By this time we were quite thirsty and ready for a break, so we popped to the cafe to get a drink and scone for DH and a cup of hot water for me - a Health and Healing event that didn't have a herbal tea in sight, would you credit that?!! Good job I carry a selection round with me so I can brew my own! We sat out in the grassed area again but it was a bit gusty by this time, so we had to keep hold of everything..... though it did help blow the cobwebs away and freshen us up. LOL All the while we were sat out we could hear music from Huellos (pronounced Wayas) - performers from Ecuador playing their native music. Fabulous!

We went back in pretty smart'ish after this and went for a better wander around the first room - the atmosphere in there seemed to have changed and it was much more pleasant in there. This time I spotted another of the items I'd been hoping to find at this event: a lapis lazuli pendant, as an aid at the Development Circle, on another crystal stall. As I was handling the piece I heard the stallholder say to her colleague "It's talking to mummy". I wouldn't have put it quite like that but I did get a nice feeling from it, so it came home with me:

Not the best picture but it will give you an idea as to the lovely colours and sparkle in it. It was satisfying to have found most of what had been on my list. After completing a lap of this room we decided to have one last look round the other room to check out the stand that Huellos had. DH had been as taken with their music as I had been and after a nosey at their CD's he treated himself to this one:

They both looked pretty impressive too in their costumes and with their faces painted (differently to how they look in the CD picture). We also had one more impromptu buy (not pictured) of a pair of Trayner pinhole glasses. They seemed a bit of a gimmicky thing initially.... until we both tried them. Normally I can't see a great lot when I take my specs off due to be short-sighted - I could read the blurry first and second lines of the opticians alphabet thing.... the third line I had to squint like mad to make out anything - put the specs on and I could read every line, including the last and smallest one. Wow! DH must have been impressed because he paid for a pair that we could share.... so we take it in turns to wear them for 15 minutes each day, so we can hopefully make our eye muscles a little stronger and stop any further deterioration in our vision. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to eventually swap the lenses in our current specs for a less strong prescription. Fingers crossed!

After a final visit to the facilities we headed back to the car.... just in time to wave goodbye to DS and Alex, who were just driving out of the car park. Thankfully the journey home proved to be much more straightforward and, as DS had let us know that he was eating at Alex's, DH took us out to a local pub for our tea. A nice end to a good day. :0)

Discussing the event later with DS we all agreed that, though it had on the whole been a good day, it had also been a little disappointing in some ways: compared to the Lincolnshire event (run by another group) it seemed much more cramped - despite being in two rooms - and seemed to have more of an emphasis on commercial stalls. There seemed to be more rude people there too: I lost count on the amount of times I'd been knocked or someone had pushed in front of me - at one point this was quite deliberately done too - though I hadn't let it aggravate or upset me (a big improvement to how I was just a short time ago). Some of the worst offenders were from the organiser's team! There were also way more readers (of tarot, runes or whatever) than usual too. DS said it had been much better the previous year.... a shame we hadn't gone then. It's doubtful we'll go again - I would like to try either the Buxton or Ilkley Holistic Fairs instead, to see what they are like.... but we'll wait and see what the future has in store first. :0)