Spiritual Times June 2012

Welcome and in this issue of this free online magazine is some more up to date articles from around the World. So a big thanks for those who have contributed to my magazine. As I write these words on May 20th I feel something big is approaching! Of course things have already started but to most of mankind this is in the background and goes unnoticed. So let’s wait and see and manifest only the best the thoughts and go forward with no fear.

Editor of Spiritual Times June 2012 already! Who says time is not accelerating? We are now entering a period of Truth which many people will find shocking and there will be much concern for the future. The light workers, Starseeds, etc, etc, this is now the time for action so fear is replaced with great knowing. This is an amazing time to be alive and we are all here now because this is what we have signed up for!

They say Earth is the toughest training ground in the Universe and much respect is given to those who choose to be here….meaning us!

As always please feedback any comments that you may have of feel free to share your experiences in the next issue.

The title of this issue is “Oneness” to remind us that we are ALL a spark from the highest level of I am the creator of at least of this Universe! There is no separation or them and us! e-mail: contact@spiritualtimes.co.uk So enjoy the magazine and the articles from people who have also contributed freely.

Robert

Harry Potter Studio Watford UK

Towards the end of May 2012 I was lucky enough to visit the Harry Potter studio where they filmed most of the footage. J.K. Rowling first novel was an idea that seemed to pop into her head while her train to Manchester was delayed on route. Then again her book was read by the right person and then this lead to the first film. This to me was meant to be! In the last room of the tour I could see a teenage girl crying and a father comforting her. She was dressed in a Harry Potter school gown; you could just imagine for a brief part of her life she was free in her magical world where she could create anything! By going through the last door she would be back in the prison we call 3rd dimensional. This is what is now changing folks…be free and manifest your highest dreams! I have added a few pictures for those Harry Potter fans unable to make the visit.

Articles Jenna Orion “Close Encounters of

‘The Nine’ Kind ™”

Sue Fraser

“Colouring the Numbers”

Jill Feeler “Playing Your Unique Role Amidst

this Great Shift”

Conversation with

A Man Who Went to Mars

by Morgan Kochel

Are You Stuck on the Karmic Wheel?

by Joe Nunziata

Lorna Byrne “Do You Believe in Angels”

New book from Wendy Joy

Paul Grant “Ghost Children”

The Wondrous Journey into the Depth of Our Being

by Ilie Cioara

Words of Wisdom from India

Valerie Tyler Strange Experience

Roz Winters

Honour the Mothers

And many more articles throughout this issue!

“Close Encounters of ‘The Nine’ Kind ™” By

Jenna Orion

“Close Encounters of ‘The Nine’ Kind ™” By

Jenna Orion I would like to introduce the world to my lifetime companions. They are a group of nine male extraterrestrial human beings, yes humans; their physical appearances are basically no different from ours.

What sets them apart from us is their electrifying essence of pure God-like love, an extremely high vibrational frequency, powers beyond belief, and an omnipotence that allows them to know the answers to everything that is.

Over the years we have had many meetings. Some of those meetings have taken place at their location, some at my home and other times they ask me to go to a different location. Each meeting has a specific purpose.

During the meetings at their location the nine men always sit at a long narrow conference type table facing me. They are well over six feet tall, possibly as tall as seven feet. They all look very human; they are approximately the same size and build, yet individual in appearance. Each one seems to be of a different universality, just as we have different nationalities.

The main being at these meetings has a skin color that is sort of bronze; it is a combination of bronze, copper, and red. He has jet black, straight, shoulderlength hair. He has beautiful jet black eyes that glisten as if they have gold flecks in them. In earthly terms, I call him a bronze God. On either side of the bronze entity there are four men that I can see with my peripheral vision. I could only see the two sitting closest to the bronze being as the others were barely in my peripheral vision. One of the two has long, white-blonde hair, and the other has lighter brown hair. I was fascinated with the unusual striking good looks of the main being. I guess part of that is due to

the fact that he looks totally different from any race of human I have ever seen on Earth in this lifetime.

I call this group ‘The Nine’ but they prefer to be called “Messengers from God,” as opposed to their real names, so that we do not get caught up in their real names and miss the message. They have also made it clear that they are “Brothers of Man,” not aliens. They responded to me when I spoke of them as aliens; they jumped in and said, “We do not call you aliens. We are no different to you than you are to us.”

These beings travel to Earth in enchantingly beautiful spacecraft and in huge numbers of crafts. The drawing that is included with this article is virtually identical to the actual craft of The Nine.

They have a great sense of humor but they are very serious about their work on Earth. They do not handle the serious things that they have to warn us about in a doom-and-gloom fashion; they are very matter of fact with all they have to say.

They are visiting Earth for multiple purposes; none of which are anything you would expect, as they are totally unlike other extraterrestrial species visiting Earth and often in the media. They are on Earth for the purpose of bringing their teachings to humanity through me as their spokesperson. I do not function as a channel in the manner that many others do with extraterrestrial beings. The information I bring is dictated directly to me through telepathic communications from them during our in-person visits at various locations.

When I have meetings with them at their location or at an outside location, all of them are present. When they are in my home they normally come to me one at a time.

They are here to protect us from structural Earth changes, nuclear meltdowns and much more. They are here to provide us with teachings that will allow us to raise our spiritual consciousness and realize our own sense of power so that we can manifest the things we want in our life. They share astonishing secrets that teach us a new reality; these secrets have been hidden from us for eons and kept us from evolving spiritually. This new and controversial reality about our very existence makes a lot more sense than what many of us were previously taught as fact.

Throughout history many of us have based our belief system on false information that we believed to be fact and lived our lives accordingly. Many of those beliefs were passed down throughout centuries in a misguided fashion and have steered us wildly off our true path and started us on a dangerous downward spiral. This has caused disturbances on Earth, an imbalance and lack of harmony as well as causing us to be out of sync with the rest of the universe and the natural flow of evolution. It has also inhibited the spiritual evolutionary process of our souls, reincarnation after reincarnation. The Nine have asked me to bring their truths to the people on Earth to assist with this ongoing issue and to help us evolve spiritually.

When these beings are in my home I sense and feel their presence and can identify them by their energy as easily as if I were seeing them in solid form. I feel very connected to them, as though I am part of them when they are with me.

A few months ago I had a totally different experience than normal. One of The Nine actually appeared in my home in his tangible physical body which was a major surprise for me. He placed his large hands on my body as if to heal me.

Immediately after placing his hands on me I lost conscious thought, I do not recall anything else about this experience after that point. It was as if I just fell asleep, however, I know that they use a process for creating my lack of awareness after I once see them in some situations. I assume they use this process so I do not have a chance to be afraid. I was very grateful for his visit, as I had been physically run down at that time and had asked for healing.

I later wondered if he was testing the waters, so to speak, in order to see if I would be afraid when he actually appeared in full solid body. I had no fear when I felt his loving, peaceful God-like energy; there was nothing to fear, it just felt normal to me, even though he had just appeared in my home without activating my burglar alarm.

This new event was quite unusual, to say to least, but it was pretty cool to have had this new type of visit. I have learned from these beings to expect the unexpected. My past encounters with The Nine have prepared me for this new type physical contact.

My lifetime has consisted of a huge number of seemingly coincidental events that were orchestrated for me by The Nine. These events were purposeful,

positive, and inspiring. They were created for the purpose of teaching others the lessons I was learning through those experiences. However, these events were far too numerous to be coincidental in truth. As it turned out, these coincidences were nothing more than fate and my destiny.

In my early years with The Nine I had no idea that others were not living this kind of life. When I discovered that this was not the normal way of life, I started to feel like I didn’t fit in, so I proceeded to keep my unusual life to myself. I felt very alone with no one else to share my life’s events with until my book came out. Even to this day there are people who know me very well and do not know about this part of my life or the book.

Throughout my life with The Nine I have had an array of paranormal events while fully awake; I have had visions of the future, watched ethereal visitors as they manifested solid objects out of thin air and often relived past lives while going about my day. I became aware of my parallel and simultaneous lives, had x-ray vision on two occasions, one near-death experience, received what The Nine call restructuring of my body and received numerous physical healings. I have also had visits both here on Earth and on the other side with friends and family who have passed on into other realms of existence.

The Nine have given me impeccable predictions about structural geographic changes to come on Earth, some that have already occurred and some yet to come. They have educated me on so many things that are unlike beliefs that I had based my life on. However, my life as I know it today makes a lot more logical sense and things flow very smoothly with this new knowledge.

After years of visiting with The Nine I was told to write a book about my life and title it “The Legend of ‘The Nine’. I asked why I should write it, as I am not a writer. Their reply was, “Your life story along with our messages will bring faith back to humanity.”

My concerns over not knowing how to write a book were soon taken care of by The Nine. I went on faith and started writing. As the book progressed, I found them looking over my shoulder more and more to assist in the writing. They stepped in, reorganized, and reworded the material on a few chapters and suddenly I had an AHA moment, I knew exactly how they wanted it written.

During the writing of the book they often dictated new information that I was not ware of prior to starting the book.

Fortunately I had kept notes and audio tapes of my meetings and encounters throughout the years. It took many long years to complete the book in a detailed and specific format and to get it on the market. It was well worth the time to be able to share the teachings of The Nine. Prior to my book there were obviously a multitude of people who knew through their own intuition and gut feeling that something was missing in their life; part of that something is the secrets that The Nine have asked me to deliver to humanity.

Robert says, “This is the year of truth.” I am in agreement with him; for some time now there has been an escalation of Earth changes in many categories of change. One reason this is happening is because the Earth’s vibrational frequency and time, time as we know it, is speeding up. We are merging with a higher plane of spiritual consciousness.

According to The Nine and other Ascended Masters there will be a new language on Earth due to this merging. They say it is the “Language of Light”; a spiritual term used for the natural, spiritual evolutionary process of communicating with others without verbal speech. As we continue to merge with the higher spiritual planes, people will be attuned to this higher plane of consciousness where all truth is, there will be no place for false words or false intent to hide. This will be an awakening for many and a rude awakening for those who choose to deceive.

I have recently noticed this process speeding up and this new language is more prevalent in my life now. The minute someone starts to suggest or offer me something, I know the end results of what that person is proposing before I know what they are proposing.

This merging with the higher planes of consciousness also helps to activate other natural abilities for humans. One of them is our ability to do remote viewing. As I started working on my second book I noticed that when I am totally focused on the text, my remote viewings have happened a lot more, I often have quick flashes or visions of people that I know; I can see what they are doing at that given moment. This is done through an out of body travel, I go where they are but only for a few seconds, then quickly return to my body.

This type of remote viewing is activated when I am ‘living in the moment.’

At those times I am allowing myself to be in the moment and attuned to this higher level of all that is. I allow myself to receive information from the

highest level of consciousness. This level of consciousness is where all knowledge of everything is, it always has been and always will be, it is the reality of the way things really are and not what a lot of us think they are. I call this “the isness principle ™,” everything just is. I believe that everyone has the ability to tap into this to know all that is; it is a matter of shutting out the material world and existing only in the moment of all knowingness by allowing yourself to ‘just be.’ My remote viewing events have only happened with people that I have a personal one on one connection with, as opposed to someone I have never met.

I realize that all of my bizarre experiences with beings from other planets are difficult for some people to comprehend. Who knew years ago that a group of spiritually enlightened human beings that are so much like us would actually be traveling to Earth in spacecraft for the purpose of bringing us teachings that are so different from what we have been taught; not even me.

Due to my involvement with The Nine I finally came to grips and understood that all of these experiences are in fact possible and real. For a number of years I was in denial about what was happening to me with these beings, even though there were times when witnesses were with me during a particular event. Due to my upbringing this type of thing didn’t fit into my worldly truth.

After years of asking for proof and receiving it, I finally had to accept it as truth, there was no other explanation.

After visiting with friends and family from this lifetime that have passed on into another dimension and witnessing them living in a tangible location in full functioning bodies, I came to the conclusion that The Nine are living elsewhere as well. Unless you have been living on another planet, I suspect that you also have had some knowingness about the presence of extraterrestrial beings on planet Earth.

The Nine seem to me to be people that lived earlier in our history and have spiritually evolved to the level that they are now. The only difference between them and my family and friends who have passed on is that The Nine are more spiritually evolved than they are.

I have lived through a series of “Close Encounters of The Nine Kind ™.“ I have accepted that my bizarre and fascinating life is not an ordinary one since I have come to grips with what is and has been happening. At first I took baby

steps, then giant leaps into embracing my role as spokesperson for The Nine.

The secrets they have shared with me have created many AHA! moments for me, altered my perception of reality, brought me out of the dark ages and set me free as I learned to create my own life!

I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are being taught and guided by a group of nine omniscient visitors who know far more and possess far greater power than we do. We are definitely not alone on planet Earth and that is the best news any of us could possibly hear!

My encounters were ultimately authenticated when one of The Nine asked me to call the late John E. Mack, MD, professor at Harvard Medical School and renowned alien researcher. I made the call and found that he was going to be in my area within a few days and he suggested that we meet to discuss my life with The Nine. At that time he wanted to do a regression on me because my encounters were uncommon and unlike most other experiencers that he had dealt with, I agreed. After our meeting and session he gave me an audio taped quote for my book. In part, it says: “After meeting with Jenna and performing a regression on her, it is my opinion that her experiences of alien encounters are authentic and uncommon . . .”

To read the full quote from Dr. Mack or to learn more about The Nine and their visits you can go to my website, www.JennaOrion.com. I also offer free 9News alerts and messages from The Nine; if you wish to receive them please ask for them at Jenna@JennaOrion.com. In addition, I would love to hear from anyone who has had a visit with The Nine or have seen the craft of The Nine.

Colouring the Numbers of Your Soul with Magenta Rose Alchemy

What if you could gain clarity around why you are here, the reason that your Soul chose to incarnate into this lifetime on planet Earth right now at this unprecedented time in her history?

On my own Soul’s journey I have been guided to channel information that has been consolidated into the system of Magenta Rose Alchemy. Everything that I learnt up to that point was drawn together, merging into the energy of the Magenta Rose which symbolises unconditional love, and represents a bridge to the Christ consciousness energy of the New Golden Age. My life has become an embodiment of this energy.

Magenta (a combination of red and violet) being the colour of unconditional love, bringing spirituality (violet) into physicality (red), and the rose representing the heart, this is a path that is heart-led, supported by loving energies from the unseen realms.

I am a channel. I have honed this gift over the last decade so that the loving energies that are here to support both myself and those who resonate with the work that I do are able to do so with the full knowledge that the information that is brought

through is for the highest good of all concerned.

Magenta Rose Alchemy is a system of 22 Rays or colours. The Rays were originally written about at the turn of the twentieth century by a lady called Alice Bailey, who also channeled information on the Rays via the Ascended Master Djwhal Khul. I have consciously been mentored by this same Ascended Master since around the year 2000. He is also known as DK or the Tibetan. I lovingly relate to him as DK.

He has become a wonderful and supportive friend to me over the years. You can read about my journey with him in my first book ‘Introduction to Magenta R.O.E.S.’ As DK taught me about the Rays in a way that could be understood by anyone, he encouraged me to prepare myself to share this information. This was a difficult journey for me. My background is one of trauma, vulnerability and debilitating self‐doubt. I could not think of anything worse than standing in front of a group of people to talk about anything, never mind a subject that a group of beings from other dimensions had brought to me! People were already saying I was delusional…My fear was constantly in my face, until I began living my Soul’s Purpose, teaching workshops on Magenta Rose Alchemy. As I embodied this energy my fears disappeared and the Ascended Masters, Star Masters and Angelic Beings communicated through me. I felt, and still feel, so much love flooding my being as they use me as their channel.

Doing this work has helped raise my own self‐esteem, confidence, self‐ belief and self‐love so much that I wanted to share this feeling and information with everyone! I now have no worries about promoting myself, but I used to….

Maybe you would like to share the poem that I channeled about how I felt at the moment I began to awaken to what I am here to do. I was in a very dark place, a literal dark night of the Soul where I could not comprehend how I could survive: I was literally and physically crippled with fear. That time in my life was a major challenge for me. However, your biggest challenge can become your greatest gift.

And this is what my new project, ‘Colouring the Numbers of Your Soul’ is all about. Why are you here? What is your Soul’s purpose for you in this lifetime? What is your biggest challenge? And how can this become your greatest gift? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered.

One of the most exciting things for me about this course is that you get to discover the answers to your questions

about your Soul’s Purpose through the medium of colour and creativity. I have been guided to create Mandala templates using sacred geometry, related to your unique numerology blueprint, that you can complete using your own creativity. This will be an amazing experience for everyone who participates in this venture. I know this because I have already created my own Soul Purpose Mandala, which you can see in the illustration here.

There are various ways that you can take part in this course: either as part of a group workshop, via the home study course on‐line, or as a personal consultation where I create your mandala for you.

The wonder‐full thing about creating in a group setting is that the energy is supportive and uplifting and magic occurs. We begin by setting the intention for the weekend, to discover what your Soul’s Purpose is, how you resist that purpose and what you can do to move through that resistance.

And the most amazing thing is that this information is all there in your unique Numerology Blueprint. You get to translate that information into a beautiful representation of your Soul’s Journey related to your authentic purpose using the colours and their energies from Magenta Rose Alchemy.

At the end of the course, whichever version you opt for, you will have a unique and beautiful piece of art in your Mandala, resonating with your Soul’s Purpose that you get to keep!

You also receive a copy of the CD that I have channeled for you to use when you meditate with your Mandala that can be incorporated into your daily spiritual practice. I will also forward any personal information pertaining to your Soul’s Purpose that is channeled and recorded during the course, as an audio link that you can download and keep.

For information on upcoming workshop dates for 2012 please go to my website www.magentarosealchemy.eu and click on the link for ‘Colouring the Numbers of Your Soul’ on the left‐hand side. If you have any questions about the workshop please do not hesitate to contact me on info@magentarosealchemy.eu.

I can paint your Mandala for you For anyone who isn’t drawn to create your own Mandala but would like me to create one for you from your Unique Numerology Blueprint, you can contact me for information about this at info@magentarosealchemy.eu.

‘Colour the Numbers of Your Soul’ as an on‐line home course If you would like to create your own Mandala but cannot get to a workshops venue, you can choose the on‐line home course where I send you a template to create your Mandala along with an instruction manual in pdf format and an audio link for the meditation. For this option you will need to send me an email with your Numerology Blueprint details at info@magentarosealchemy.eu. Please write ‘Colouring the Numbers of Your Soul’ home course in the subject heading line.

Host a workshop If you think you can gather a group of at least 5 (up to 10 people) together and organize a workshop in your own home in exchange for a free place on the workshop, please let me know. This is a great way of attending the workshop in exchange for your wonderful organizational skills. Please contact me as above with ‘Host a workshop’ in the subject heading line to find out what is necessary for you to host a workshop.

You can learn to teach these workshops If this work resonates with your Soul’s Purpose, you also have the option of training to teach these workshops. This will be part on‐line training and also in person training. Please contact me if you are interested in this option at info@magentarosealchemy.eu stating ‘Colouring the Numbers of Your Soul’ facilitator training in the subject heading.

Personal Consultations

As part of my service work I also offer one to one sessions either remotely or in person where you can ask a question that is an issue for you right now in your life. I then take that information to the Lords of the Akashic Records who show me whether you are still carrying a memory of previous experiences from this or other lifetimes that is yet to be resolved. Usually you will be given a recorded healing process to go through to help you to release the memory from your energetic field. You may also be given guidance on any daily practices that may aid you to resolve your issue. You can read more about this option and book a session on my website.

Magenta Rose Reiki Training

For those of you who resonate with healing with the Rays I offer remote Attunements to the first two levels of Magenta Rose Reiki which is a combination of traditional Usui Reiki and the Rays. You will receive a pdf copy of

the manual which is designed for kids of all ages 10‐100. It is simple to understand and comprehensive at the same time, with lots of exercises for you to practice to expand your ability to use the energy. I am here to support you through the whole process and give advice and guidance through your on‐going journey.

At present Level Three Master Training and Teacher Training are only available as a combination of on‐line and in‐person training.

I look forward to sharing your journey to self‐love and empowerment in whichever area our Soul’s resonate.

Sue Fraser founder of Magenta Rose Alchemy & Magenta Rose Reiki www.magentarosealchemy.eu info@magentarosealchemy.eu

How I Survived

How did I survive? In fact, how come I’m still alive?

The pain I felt, from all corners was dealt.

How can I describe how I easily could have died?

I didn’t want to live. I had no more left to give.

The responsibility was far too much for me.

I cried out in despair “Is there anyone out there?”

Someone must have heard when I spoke without a word.

They saw inside my heart,

this was no time for me to depart.

The vacuum I was in became the place for me to begin.

But I was inside a hole, alone with my own Soul.

I was forced to take a look,

so in this hole I wouldn’t be stuck.

I saw what kept me there. F E A R was everywhere.

Fears of being free, to decide what was best for me?

I really had a choice, to listen to my own inner voice.

No more taking orders.

It was time to make my own borders.

I had to stop popping the pills.

They weren’t the ‘cure all’ for my ills.

I needed to sit with my pain, so some dignity I could regain.

Find out why I was scared?

It didn’t matter if no‐one else cared.

What mattered now was me, to look at who I could be?

Why I have all these fears?

How could I stop my tears?

What was the reason for my being?

I didn’t know that inside I was growing.

At last I had started asking, in the mire where it seemed I was basking.

I wanted to know why I was here, and how I could get rid of all this fear?

I turned my face to the Stars.

It was a better choice by far.

I began to feel at ease, as myself I began to please.

It was OK to do things for me.

Happiness was a place I was longing to be.

So why had it taken so long?

Why did I always believe I was wrong?

That’s the way I was taught.

If I’d understood then I’d have fought.

But maybe I needed to know, this pain, so I could grow into the person I am now, Sue Fraser

Playing Your Unique Role Amidst this Great Shift "Greetings and blessings. We are a collective consciousness of Guardians of the Golden Ray, sharing wisdom and perspectives on the very unique time phase you are experiencing. We offer our unique perspective on the Cosmic relationship to your Personal Ascension and your unique Role in the Shifting of Ages on Earth. Our energetic translator is one of us, choosing to serve her role from within the bodysuit at these magical cycles of time on your planet.

Let us begin with this sharing session.

You are each Divinely guided, in each moment, led by Source consciousness to play your unique instrument, to Be your unique aspect of God.

The energies related to the solar eclipse in May and increasing up into the month of June 2012 are incredibly intense. This higher intensity is designed to help you feel and see with perfect clarity whether the thoughts and feelings you are maintaining within your energy field are in alignment with your Core essence, which is Light and Love, and what is not.

The more in tune you are with your own unique God Frequencies, the more clearly you will feel these intense energies guiding and supporting you, like a capable, well‐built boat on turbulent white water rapids.

Any lower frequency programs you are operating can become easily triggered in this intensity. Perfectly designed for you to bring them again to the surface for a new experience with it, a neutral experience that releases your former polarized bonding attraction to it. Allowing your God frequencies to affect your experience in that trigger, allowing your most expanded state of being, offers you the neutral position, witnessing and observing the trigger without an emotional kick from within. Totally neutral. In states of love and grace. No anger. No attachment. No fear‐ based emotional surge.

Triggers of this nature are identifiable by the uncontrollable and powerful lower frequency emotional response you have in a particular experience.

Irritation. Anger. Judgment. Unworthiness. Fear. Despair. Sorrow.

These triggers are by design.

If this neutrality doesn’t yet come naturally for you, here are some techniques to consider: • Re‐member that you have many choices in all situations in how you wish to feel and how you elect to respond, including the choice to observe and witness the facts being presented from a neutral, harmonized stance.

• Ask your team in the higher realms for assistance. “I call upon my team to show me another way to Be in this experience. Show me my range of choices. Show me the responses in which I feel my Mastery; where my operating frequency is Love for Self and Love for All that Is. Show me now from within my Center. Thank you.”

• Close your eyes.

• Take intentional, gentle deep breaths.

• Imagine the Divine Light at the core of your being expanding (remember it’s not outside of you coming in; rather it is what you Are at the core of your being, your inherent Sovereignty).

• Feel your energy field expand in this process, well beyond your physical body.

• Notice and trust that this broader energy field yields the expanded range of choices for being. From here, the polarization has been bypassed, you feel a broad array of love‐based choices and you Choose.

We hope this is helpful.

Let’s continue.

The range of frequencies available for humanity are increasing. The higher frequencies now available allow humanity to embody levels of light and love and well‐being never before experienced on Earth in any “previous” time phase.... never before.

The previous, slower frequency ranges of the lower dimensional structures also remain available.

We offer that dimensional realities are not linear. You also don’t “leave” them. Hence, one doesn’t leave the third dimension, one expands beyond it into a broader range of experiencing Self via more expansive truths, thoughts and feelings.

The spectrums of Light now available to humanity rapidly expands in this phase of this Great Shift on Earth. This is one key aspect of the Great Shift’s power; the increasing range of choices available.

Hence, those who have elected to expand their consciousness and their energy field have a broader range of choices to operate from. They can still choose any of them. This can be confusing to those humans around them with less expanded awareness.

They sense that if this supposedly expanded being is operating at a lower vibrational frequency then they must not be as expanded as they had thought. Be cautious with this. One‘s vibrational range is best exemplified by the Light they are capable of holding within the human form. The more a human re‐members this feeling of the more light‐filled higher frequencies, the more they choose it.

The choice is still theirs and the polarity is still an option. Refrain from judgment for it will further grip you to the lower vibrational states of reality.

Judgment is feeling or indicating that another being is making the “wrong” choice or a “bad” decision. Discernment is rooted in love, honor for self and honor for other. Discernment is noticing that You are not making that same choice for you. Discernment allows you to notice the varying choices being made without the need to label another’s choice as good/bad, right/wrong.

Deciding something is not in your highest good is discernment. Determining something is not in another being’s highest good is judgment and beyond the scope of your authority or responsibility relative to free will and personal Sovereignty be‐ing offered in your realms.

Another being’s ability and willingness to experience their expanded light quotient at will is very unique and personal to them. It can be quite challenging to hold an extremely high level of Light amidst the baseline of lower frequencies on Earth at this time. Support for all, regardless of appearances, will help this overall expansion process for humanity much more so than judgment.

Interestingly, as Earth has shifted cycles from Enlightenment Ages into “Dark Ages”, it was challenging for those beings on assignment to bring in the lower frequencies. It was so out of resonance with the baseline light‐ rich frequencies of that time phase.

And yet it was a key ingredient necessary to create and set in motion the subsequent age. (Yes, Dark Age phases also are planned and very much in accordance with the overarching Design Plans originated for Earth.)

Do you notice how you view certain ages as “better” or “good”? Do you see how you also discuss certain levels of light as “right” or “wrong”? Applying these polarizing concepts in universal ways to all beings is part of the Dark Age. All humans are “imperfect”? No. All humans on Earth have been experiencing separation from the Light and Love that you Are in your infiniteness, at your Core.... That Was the Dark Age, Dear Ones. Can you hear this? When you Are love, when you Are light, experiencing a reality which makes you forget your true essence, you are tuned to the separation, the polarity, the perceived lack of Light. Some actually look for lack of Light. You magnify and focus on what isn’t Light. You may tell yourself you do it to bring in the Light to that area. And yet the paradox is that these Dark Age frequencies often have you focus more attention on areas lacking light, which only expands their presence in your journey. From the perspective of the Age and it’s associated frequencies, it’s perfect.

For souls desiring to embody amidst a Dark Age these frequencies allow you to fully be in that experience of forgetting who you Are; forgetting that you Are God. When we hear you say things like, “nobody’s perfect,” our response is, “says who”? You are a unique aspect of God. God is not a blend of light and dark, making a washed out gray.

God is not a blackness of nighttime space mixed with light from stars, making a dim existence. God is All that Is, including You. God, You, created experiences where you could even forget you were God. There is no Darkness, in our truth. There are simply experiences where are You are able to forget that you Are Light. Does that make it imperfect? Flawed? A standard of never measuring up that you look for and glorify in all that you are and all that you see? “Warts and all”? Some are actually so tuned to the forgetting that they feel more at home on Earth amidst suffering. It makes some of you feel more alive. If your chosen frequency is in that lower range which includes sadness you may find yourself attracted to others who are not yet operating in their Light. This is part of the Dark Age experience; some of you love this experience of separation even when you are not consciously choosing it.

This is a wonderful game! And it is changing. And this changing will create a very odd looking set of experiences where some are yearning for more Light, others are dancing in the mixture of Light against lack of Light and others are continuously on the lookout for experiences of separation, more lack of light (“bad” news, “disasters,” seeking out suffering life forms). Even as lightworkers, you each feel at home in very different frequencies. All by design, affected by your unique role.

You each are pre‐tuned, pre‐coded for various frequencies at various phases of this Great Shift. You made those choices prior to the incarnation commencing and You, capital Y, have opportunities to adjust those pre‐sets at will as You determine necessary.

For those pre‐coded to assist in bringing in the highest frequencies onto the Earthly planes, your guidance system can feel more accurate than any laser technology. You feel most natural and “at home” in environments and experiences where your Light is unconstrained and fully supported. By design.

And yet, the other dimensional realities are running parallel and discordance does occur, feeling like a speed bump at times. By design. To be pre‐tuned to Bring in the highest frequencies, you will continuously be guided to areas and experiences and ways of being that support your Light and call for further expansion. You see, any Great Shift returning “darkness” to Light is a return to the natural state of your eternal Soul. At your core, all life, All that Is, is Light, is Love.

Regardless of the roles you uniquely play, your guidance system is perfectly tuned to your pre‐coded experience and is to be trusted. Each of you are pre‐ coded and pre‐tuned for various experiences.

The pressure is on at this time to mind your own boat, your own sequence of turns amidst the rapids to stay centered and on track, per your inner guidance system. You’ll know you are in alignment by how you feel within your own energy field.

How others “make you feel” is not what we are referring to here. That is conditional feeling and is highly subjected by the other’s perspective which may or may not match your inner perspective, your Higher Self’s perspective relative to the divine design plan you have in place for your present journey.

Distractions arise from losing sight of that inner awareness. In these instances, some solitude, meditation, making time for nature and other adjusting to organic rhythms of life can be helpful in re‐centering. Tuning to your inner guidance system is the goal here.

Another distraction is the temptation to take your sights off of your own experience to assess and critique how others are performing and being.

Questions to consider in these instances are 1) has the other being expressly asked for your insight and assistance, 2) are your insights sufficiently tuned to the other being’s unique plans as compared to your plans, which were never meant to guide another on their unique journey and 3) have you expanded your consciousness to the degree that you are not placing judgment about their experience?

Again, we recommend refraining from Judgment, in general. An approach of discernment is your gateway to embracing the witness and observer role available in what you know as a fifth dimensional state of consciousness.

Distractions can also arise by the compulsion that you must be “doing something” to be on purpose with your Higher Self. We remind you that many have taken on the assignment of holding certain frequencies for the planetary shift to proceed on plan. Be‐ing in and holding the vibration of “peace” for the collective, as an example, may not look very productive and yet it is invaluable amidst the lower frequency expressions of war and chaos still prevalent on the Earthly planes. Trust your Self. If you are at Peace in your mission to hold Peace then allow Peace that you Are indeed highly sufficient and intently purposeful (smile). Again, this is but one example of a very valuable role that may look quite unproductive, “wrong” or “off track” from you or another’s view point.

If you are “supposed” to be “doing something”, you’ll know. We have endless tools at our disposal to help get your attention. For example, strings of synchronicities within your experience will be offered if you somehow miss the more subtle internal guidance You will send yourself. Additionally, your Higher Self often works in coordination with your plans to “trick you” as our partner says into certain decisions or courses of action. This is all meant to help you stay on course and in alignment with your mission.

Be content and feel purposeful in your Be‐ing‐ness. Busy, scattered behavior is often a contraption of an untrained mind and un utilized inner guidance system of your heart‐centered consciousness.

A highly effective approach to continuously receive these internal signals of guidance, support and encouragement from within is to • stay in the vibration of gratitude, finding the reasons to be grateful for the experience You/you are allowing and creating.

• continuously quieting the mind as needed to keep the communication channel open for your Self to share and guide you via your heart‐ centered consciousness.

• holding or expanding further into the vibration of Light and Love that feels the most like home to you personally.

• allowing vibrations of appreciation and honor for others on their unique journey, being thankful they are also a member of the Ground Crew for this Great Shift.

• learning the practice of silence and solitude when the frequencies feel especially chaotic and trigger‐laden for You as they may have been recently. Going deep and going quiet may assist in creating and experiencing the energetic frequencies of your choosing.

Notice when the chaotic frequencies trigger former patterns of feeling “alive” through drama, suffering, lack, judgment, superiority and any other lower frequency experiences resonant with the Dark Age. These programs have a great deal of pull in these turbulent energies, not as a savvy trap to suck you in but rather as another opportunity to create a new ending to your perception of it and hence your response to it.

Triggers are available to create new endings, new responses that you choose consciously, offering you more and more opportunities to Be the Light that you Are. The goal is not the triggers. The goal is not to avoid. The goal from our perspective is also not to suffer nor persecute this process. The goal, in general, per the overarching blueprints for this dawning Platinum Age is for humanity to Be the Light that it Is, always Was and always will Be. And so it Is.

With love, honor and reverence for You and you, this carefully chosen Ground Crew, we close for this communication.

Namaste, The Guardian Council of the Golden Ray shared through Jill Renee Feeler”

Copyright ©2012 by Jill Renee Feeler and Beacon for Lightworkers LLC. This material is protected by US and international copyright and may be distributed freely in its entirety as long as the author’s name and website, www.beaconforlightworkers.com are included.

All images copyrighted by SeaAngel12, available at www.seaangel12.com

Jill is a spiritual experiencer, teacher/student, guide, writer and weekly internet radio show host. Prior to her spiritual awakening in 2009, Jill was using her MBA and undergraduate degrees in business, enjoying a successful career in corporate America. She lives, creates and loves from her home in Idaho with her husband of 18 years, their two children, and their dog and cat.

Strange Experience

This event was sent to me from somewhere in the World and therefore the English is not spot on but the experience is very much part of this persons life….editor

This happen way back when i was 30jears old. lying on the bed ready to go sleep, all of a sudden the room air became very hot ,felt like fire, then i smell gas, and a very stinky smell, then my head turn left right, its like one side i smell the gas ,the other side stingking, my head started to get drunk, i reach for my phone, call a friend and told her whats happing, she ask me to leave the house and meet her down the road, got dress, ed and left the house heading down the road,as i walk down the road,the stingking smell follow me, uptill today i dont know what it was, very scary.

one afternoon lying on the sofa, and fell asleep, in my sleep i saw three beings very small, look white with big slit eyes oval shape, then i find myself on this big space ship, and looking up and saw more people on the spaceship.i find out after wards it was the arcturians. another dream some one gave me three foto frames, the first foto frame, was three ,green arcturians, i didnt see what was on the other two, i newer new about arcturians, i find them xstreamly loving beaings, so a calm feeling, decided to get me some books, to learn about the arcturians

this is very scary, hearing noises during the night,knocking on the firniture,it comes often, and my husband get Goosebumps, and when i get up during the night, i can exaly feel some energy under my feet, sometimes wonder if other people also exsperience sush things, and what they do about it.

Eagle

Conversation with

A Man Who Went to Mars

by Morgan Kochel

I wasn't looking for an interview to do, let alone one of an astronaut who had been to Mars, yet this is what I stumbled upon.

In February of 2012, I was relaxing at home and perusing people on Twitter, looking for interesting people to follow. Out of the usual batch of UFO researchers, alternative news feeds, and so‐called "conspiracy" theorists that I enjoy reading Tweets from on occasion, the bio on one account in particular caught my eye.

"I was part of a team of 3 astronauts that went to Mars on a privately funded secret mission, 2 are now dead, they're killing us to preserve the secret."

Needless to say, I was quite intrigued.

What followed was a very interesting conversation between this man, Chad Johnson (not his real name), and me about his amazing experience, and how he has been on the run ever since his daring escape from a remote base in the middle of a desert somewhere near Mongolia once he discovered he was in danger from the very people who employed him. While I can in no way verify his story, I can also offer no evidence that he is lying. More importantly, to myself at least, he has asked for help in making his story known to those who might be interested, and to hopefully get word to his family that he's alive and well. It is also hoped that by telling his story, he will be able to attract some sort of protection from the right people.

His story isn't one of aliens, advanced secret technology, or time travel, but of the reality of a secret space program. Many accounts have come out on YouTube and online discussion forums about the possibility of U.S. astronauts going to Mars, but as far as I know, this is the first time that one of the astronauts themselves has come forward to tell the public about just such a secret space trip to the red planet.

The following is our conversation that we had utilizing Twitter's Direct Messaging (DM) system about said Mars adventure, offered here for any and all to view. (Chad wished to use Twitter due to its current relative security.) If this story is true, it should serve to show us all that much, much more goes on in the various space programs than we are ever told about in the mainstream media.

We are all learning a great deal this year already about things that have been previously hidden to the majority of Earth's people, thanks mostly to the proliferation of the Internet and the ease with which we can all now find all sorts of information that was previously quite hard to come by for the average person. While utilizing a great deal of discernment and skepticism is always good advice in this new "Age of Revealing," a balance must be sought between the need to immediately label something as "true" or "untrue" without having access to all the facts. In other words, I think it's best to keep one's mind open, take in all the information one is interested in, and then simply see what happens. So many are quick to shout "LIAR!" or "SHILL!" when there is simply no evidence for it one way or the other, only one's own fear of being duped. Not hastening to judgement is a sign of wisdom, not gullibility. It is in this spirit that I offer the following story, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did hearing about it!

[The interview has been edited only for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Bits of conversation that were not relevant to the story have been removed for ease of reading. Questions regarding this story can be directed to the contacts listed at the end of this document.]

BACKGROUND

Morgan: So, please tell me a little bit about your background.

Chad: I went to Portland State, Maine, and studied math and after a few jobs wound up in the U.S. Air Force.

M: How long were you in the CIA? Would you be willing/able to talk about what that was like?

C: I was seconded to the CIA for about two years; ironically, part of my brief was to observe some of the foreign scientists at NASA. My CIA days were mainly whilst training at NASA and were evidence of the paranoia the organization had towards any foreign national working. In a high security government installation, I think a Russian spy was found in deep cover whilst I was away...Chapman? She was the kind of Operative the CIA always knew existed but struggled finding until they changed their recruitment program to seconding people in places such as NASA, etc., and away from recruiting directly from a person's current position.

I can tell you now that most of the major IT companies in the U.S. have covert operatives observing them, including Google, Facebook, etc. Probably Twitter, as well, although that is small compared to the others. They approach you and offer training and clandestine payment arrangements so you're not tracked. That way, the IRS isn't alerted to then monitor your activity. They also task you with certain requirements, such as hacking into e‐mail accounts, etc. It's a lot easier to do it from the inside, and also a lot cheaper. I actually have to travel to Ohio for my training. Not a lot to it. Being ex‐Air Force, they have a complete record on me already, so I just had to do some refresh work on espionage tactics. I couldn't believe how much goes totally unreported to anyone, though. The CIA is truly a law unto themselves. They control so much, like the flow of communications. Any security issues go through them; the FBI

are nothing compared to them, and they know how to create a diversion away from the actual story. It's frightening and easy to see why so many people are scared of them.

M: Wow, thank you so much for that. Very interesting! How did you become involved in a trip to Mars?

C: As NASA wound up their space program ‐‐ huge mistake, as they are falling behind ‐‐ I wound up in Europe and was contacted about a job. Simple as that.

It was a privately funded mission to Mars. At first, I thought they were joking, but there was a lot of money offered, so I met their team. It was a Russian/Chinese joint venture that would launch from a remote part of China, and they wanted us to collect samples for testing. I want this story told so that people know what really goes on behind the conspiracy theories.

M: Who would you like this story to reach?

C: It would be good to show my family through this that I'm still alive. But if you're expecting time travel, aliens, and teleportation, you will be disappointed. Sorry, but none of that happened to us.

M: Nope, I have no expectations. I was intrigued by your bio, and if you have a concerned family, I have even more interest in helping you. If you're okay with this, I'll be transcribing our conversation for easier reading and posting online at some point.

So, once you started this program, what happened? What kind of travel was used? How long did it take?

C: Good about no expectations as there are no green men ‹ H.G. Wells was wrong. I may also be sporadic, as I am on the move a lot. Training lasted twelve months, very intense, including psychiatric tests. It took us about 230 days to get there, and slightly less back. We used rocket technology regularly available now. Just bigger tanks and more thrust. Nothing unusual in equipment to get there, but better radiation protection, as you can imagine, due to journey time: high risk = high pay.

This [map, above] was roughly the location of our base in the China desert near the Mongolian border [source:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gobi_desert_map.png], pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It was also a temp base and well hidden. That last Russian mission (2011) was probably sabotaged. It was state‐backed, and they won't declare the fault, which probably means foul play. I reckon the mission planned this year will also mysteriously fail, as well. Mars is a mining company's dream, and they'll want to keep it secret. As long as people speculate about failed missions and little green men, their eyes are taken off the real reason for failed missions.

M: Yes, I know those little "men" aren't green. ;) Interesting ‐ I suspected sabotage, too. What kinds of minerals are up there? Also, where on Mars did you land, and why do you suppose rockets [as opposed to, say, the newer plasma rockets] were used?

C: We landed near Ares Vallis. Our employers got some data about the Sojourner landing, and this was the place they wanted to explore. We took the same type of collecting devices used by geologists, which is why this had to be a manned mission, as no robot could do this. There were plenty of minerals that we analyzed on the way home: metals, particularly gold(?), and some other substance that was a form of composite like carbon fiber, but already in a usable form. The list of items gathered was long, all of it valuable, some were totally unique, others were more mundane. I think part of our mission was to evaluate the commercial viability of future mining missions, and also to ascertain potential value related to the density of minerals per square meter of Martian surface. Then they could work out tech requirements to create some kind of mining mission. Also, [they were interested in] the potential to use some indigenous fuel substance on Mars, which would dramatically reduce the fuel requirements and, therefore, the weight of the outbound journey.

This amazing panorama of the Ares Vallis flood plain made the front pages of newspapers around the world in July 1997. It was taken by the Mars Pathfinder lander and features the tiny, 23‐pound Sojourner rover nuzzling a rock. The lander and the rover recorded weather patterns, atmospheric data and the composition of many Martian rocks, which apparently had washed down the channel eons ago. The rover, capable of changing course when it met obstacles, captured the imagination of the thousands who followed the mission on the Internet.

NASA Jet Propulsion Labratory

The rockets we used were an advanced version of the area rocket, nothing else was available. Like I said, no time travel, plasma rockets, etc. Still, it was reliable enough to be considered in the real world. Sabotage of the Russian mission was to prevent immediate follow‐up to our findings.

M: That was quite interesting. Thank you for that. Now, you said earlier that you "escaped." Why might these people be attempting to potentially cause you harm, or worse?

C: The only reason they would have wanted us dead was to preserve the secret from others so they could get a head start. Nothing about conspiracies, just greed. Moon missions probably stopped as there's nothing of any value there.

M: What did you eat on the trip?

C: We had a strict protein and carb diet for example, increased sleeping patterns to preserve food, etc. All this took about a year to train for, but it's very boring and not what people want to hear.

M: Not boring at all! You went to Mars! It's still very interesting and quite important. People will want to know this, so I must ask: Did you see any UFOs or other unusual objects in space?

C: We did record some interesting sights on the cameras, but nothing conclusive. Also, it was immediately sent back and deleted from our computers, so we couldn't review them. I'll bet the shuttle got some interesting footage, through! Plenty of rumors when I was there, but no one on those missions spoke to us.

M: How does Mars look compared to the pictures that the public has been shown? Take a look at this video showing alleged photos of Mars.

C: Mars is exactly like on those photos.

M: When was the last time you saw your family?

C: I had no contact with my family for over two years now, and it was limited before the mission.

M: Is there an atmosphere on Mars?

C: The atmospherics are not suitable for sustaining life as we know it ‹ too gaseous and thin. The rock formations are fascinating, though. They allude to a previous time where there may have been life or something more sustainable. I just wished we had more time on the surface. That region was perfect since hardly anyone had been there, so nobody bothered to question us.

M: Why do you want your story told now?

C: The reason for going public now is that we got back about three months ago, and after debriefing, I knew something was wrong, so I went on the run.

The public should know the truth because, before we know it, big business will control the wealth of resources on Mars and they [the public] will lose out. It's about supply and demand. Boring, I know, and not a great story, but essential that people know about this scandal. Although U.S. foreign policy has long been controlled by the flow of oil, this time they may miss out because of the recent NASA budget cuts.

M: What was it about the return briefing that alerted you and convinced you of a need to escape?

C: The fact that our chief engineer was chastised for talking about our arrival back on the phone to someone is what alerted me of possible issues. We were told not to discuss anything in exact terms such as timings, etc., as we would compromise the mission. Also, we were promised a "keep quiet bonus" of many millions for not divulging our findings on Mars; obviously, that alerted me to an issue! We were also prevented from leaving our base unless

escorted. This was after the month or so of rehabilitation that it took to regain body strength. As you can imagine, we all wanted to get out and try to contact our families, but were told we couldn't. That immediately made me think something was wrong. All our money was in Swiss deposit boxes in cash, and we had no way of getting it or communicating without supervision.

We were told before we left that we would face up to three months of testing and decontamination procedures when we returned, but I only did about six weeks, as I escaped once I found out what was happening to my colleagues. I feel sick and dizzy from time to time, but it is difficult to treat when no one believes you! They were testing my colleagues to see what improvements were needed to ensure the safety of future missions. In effect, we were highly‐paid guinea pigs. I don't doubt I wasn't privy to everything that went on. As I said, I was really on the fringes of the CIA. M: I'm sorry to hear you feel sick! What do you think is wrong?

C: I'm going for tests this week, I don't think those [space]suits were up to much. I feel weak and sick sometimes. You could actually be writing my Last Will & Testament, not that anyone will believe me, or at least that's what I'm used to.

M: Hey, don't talk like that! You're back now and alive, so therapy should be able to help you. Can you tell me a bit more about what made you suspect foul play?

C: Yes, when I was looking around the base, I accidentally found a room where they were carrying out tests on one of my colleagues. We were being tested for the effects of a prolonged mission. I plotted my escape and got out that night. As you can imagine, being in the middle of nowhere, I embarked on quite a journey. CIA training comes in useful sometimes.

You have to realize these people will be pissed that I've gotten away, survived, and managed to connect with someone. I may stay low for a while whilst I undergo treatment, if I need it.

M: Ok, you said that you saw them testing your colleague. I understand that this may be a difficult memory for you bring up, but can you tell me what it was you saw specifically that freaked you out? Were they hurting him? Or was it something else? Could it have been they were trying to assist him and, if not, what was it about what you saw that made you suspect these people were dangerous to you?

C: The night before I saw him there, we were moved into individual quarters for, and I quote, "our own safety." We had a shared suite of rooms with a main living room, but these rooms were more like cells and had the standard double entry system with a buffer room to disinfect anyone entering the rooms. We had an allowable amount of time to leave these rooms, and we had to wear protective antivirus suits, as we were told that they thought an infection had been detected in one of us, and they wouldn't say who it was.

This was a lie because we were clear. When I was allowed out of the room, my escort took me down a corridor, which must have been a mistake because I managed to look into one of the rooms and saw my colleague being examined. He was dead; it was an autopsy. I managed to slip my guard in the restroom and escaped.

M: Wow! That's a good reason to be concerned! How did you survive once you escaped from there?

C: I was lucky. I spent a few days aimlessly roaming the desert, and then I bumped into one of the many nomadic tribes who helped me get safe passage out of there. I headed for Mumbai, hitchhiking and walking, and then got aboard a freight ship heading for Europe. In all my training, I was always taught self‐reliance and to be resourceful. I always thought this could be a dodgy contract, so I had stored up funds and duplicate ID's in safety deposit boxes in certain parts of Europe, and I headed to these places. Safe deposit boxes are so easy to conceal anything you like in them, as no one questions them. Amazing, really.

M: How long were you in the desert?

C: Luckily, only in the desert for a few days before bumping into a nomadic tribe. There are loads of them in the desert, thank God for that slice of luck!

M: Do you think other people before you have been to Mars, as well?

C: NASA could easily have launched a manned mission to Mars, except successive presidents have stopped it, according to some NASA engineers.

The reason was that NASA couldn't guarantee the safety of the crew and, therefore, it was deemed as too risky in political terms as no president wanted to be seen to preside over the unnecessary deaths of U.S. astronauts.

That is why NASA hasn't launched one ‹ again the political reasons came to influence science.

M: Were you able to take any pictures of anything that caught your interest in space while on your trip?

C: Anything that we recorded on the cameras wasn't stored on board but simply sent back, and the cache was cleared by Mission Control. I mean, it's difficult to confirm anything we saw, but there were a few things that weren't obviously space debris or something else that we recognized.

M: What is your impression regarding life, if it ever existed, on Mars?

C: I wouldn't rule out life in previous times on Mars, as certainly there could have been, as we had limited access to any samples. Once collected, they had to be securely stored to safeguard against contamination and were vacuum transferred when we got back. Also, I'm pretty sure they created a UFO diversion to cover our return. This was a well‐funded mission, and I'll bet some of those who are funding it are in the upper echelons of Russian and Chinese society and capable of pulling off such a stunt. That's another reason why they wanted us kept quiet.

M: During the trip itself, were you in any sort of stasis, or just regular waking and sleeping?

C: We were on a regular sleeping pattern. Stasis is still not feasible.

M: How much space did you have?

C: We had a reasonable amount of space ‹ bigger than a moon mission and enough space to have some "space," if you know what I mean.

M: How did you get along with the other astronauts in a confined space for such a long trip?

C: We spent several months training in close proximity to each other and were all Americans, which surprised me, and it shows how little faith they had in, say, a Russian or Chinese astronaut. We had thousands of hours of films and TV shows, as well as game consoles so, in truth, we were rather spoilt!

Although, it did sometimes get claustrophobic.

M: Sounds kinda fun! What computer games did you play?

C: You'll laugh, but we were encouraged to play on the Wii a lot, as it also doubled up as exercise. We also had the usual shooter games and some puzzle games, as well.

M: Were there any arguments or disagreements during the trip?

C: We never fought, though we did argue a lot about the games, and that was discouraged. We had weekly assessments from a psychiatrist back at base, but the further we got into the mission, the harder these became due to the time delay in Comms [communications], but they helped us understand our anxieties and why we were arguing. Apparently, similar techniques are used on long‐term submarine missions ‹ you know, the ones that go away for months. It helped us cope, but the idea of playing Wii sports is not in keeping with image of an astronaut, I know!

M: Were you frightened at any point on this trip?

C: You're never scared, you just have a heightened sense of awareness of danger. It's strange; you train for it, and you never really feel like anything bad will happen. It's just that you have to be extra cautious about everything you do. Illnesses, for example. If someone felt ill, or had a headache even, tests and medication were immediately given and the results recorded. This, I think, was also to examine data on long‐term space travel and how the body copes with it physically. We had a daily routine of exercise and a very strict diet, so we were very well‐catered‐for ‹ just like guinea pigs, as I found out.

M: What was landing on Mars like?

C: Landing was awful! Very bumpy where we landed, but full of the right kinds of samples that they wanted. It was weird ‐‐ after all the images, Mars is not really a mystery. We see so much of it on TV. M: How long were you on the surface?

C: We were on the surface for about 65 hours, enough time to gather samples and collate gas makeup readings of the atmosphere, and to explore a little bit.

Radiation was always going to be an issue, so we had strict allocations of surface time, then we had to return.

M: What did you see when you got out of the lander? Could you see Earth?

Did you see any vegetation or liquid water?

C: No vegetation, no liquid water, and we didn't see Earth ‹ far too concerned with watching our step and making sure we got the samples.

M: What did the sky look like from the surface?

C: There's only a thin atmosphere on Mars, so you see a thin veil of the outer atmosphere from the surface, like a slight glowing red sky, but then blackness out into space. Again, like so much we see on TV. Very bizarre, but I felt like I'd been there before, although I hadn't. Just familiarity.

M: Ok, now what did you do specifically?

C: We had a miniature bore hole machine that allowed us to drill into the core and collect samples down to a depth three meters. These were stored in the lander under strict guidelines and kept in tubes so they wouldn't be contaminated on the journey back. These were jettisoned in a separate module into Earth's atmosphere when we returned and were tracked by Mission Control. We returned separately.

M: Very interesting! Thank you for those details. I appreciate this info on how you did your work. I can't even imagine what being on a planet that far from Earth would be like. How were you sure you could get back? I know you trained, but still, you were VERY FAR AWAY! C: Yes, very scary knowing how far away from Earth you are, but like I said before, a combination of instinct, adrenalin, and the thought of all that money takes over and keeps you going until you get the mission completed and are on the way home. Hence, why when on Mars you don't tend to stargaze ‹ you just get on with the job and get out of there. You trust your crew, your machine, and Mission Control. Nothing else matters. Like in NASCAR, you have a team you completely trust, and all else is irrelevant.

Maybe adrenalin kicks in, but also so does the desire to survive, so any unnecessary risks are not tolerated on a mission of our type. Maybe on others, but not ours. Ask anyone who's been in space and they'll say the same thing. There's no room for error and no second chances. No one I know would take those kinds of risks, and the CIA has the same mentality.

Do you know what the worst thing is about all of this is? Apart from you and one other contact of mine who is also an agent, I can't talk to anyone about it.

So here I am with this momentous achievement and no one can know!

Whoever is listening might be part of the team and who may undoubtedly be trying to catch me before I talk, although that's too late now. When we were training, we were told we couldn't talk to anyone about this. Not family, not friends, no one, and now I know why. Stupidly, I told my family that I was part

of the space station program and got transferred to Europe. That was a mistake, and a major lessoned learned about the lure of a big pay check!

M: I understand ‹ however, I wouldn't personally consider that a "mistake"!

Because of this story, you're giving the public one more piece of the puzzle about what really goes on in the space program and what is being kept from us.

C: One thing about the surface on Mars: it felt unstable. There were minor earthquakes [marsquakes ‐ more info: http://www.space.com/418‐ marsquakes‐red‐planet‐rumble.html] when we were there. Maybe that could explain what happened to the other missions? Of course, it could be a build up to something more major, but we were only in a very small part of the planet, so who knows? And with past volcanic activity in evidence, this may lead to problems in future mining missions. If these earthquakes are at the start of a cycle, then the issue could become very problematic. Of course, there's no back up atmosphere for anyone to escape to in an emergency, so that could be very dangerous. As I now know, these guys aren't that bothered about personal well being, but more about what this planet may reap in terms of profits.

The other thing about Mars that is valuable from a scientific perspective is the climate. For example, if water is present, could there be any clues to be found about our climate in future decades? Although distance from the sun is a factor, there are still plenty of things we can learn. We saw no ET's, though.

This should hopefully make people realize most of what they are told about Mars is fake or simply untrue. The samples we brought back could be worth billions and billions, so a few fake aliens are a brilliant diversion.

M: What, specifically, are you saying is untrue about Mars that you've heard?

I've heard quite a bit from other whistleblowers online, but nothing specifically about Martian aliens. I've heard about a base there, and I've heard of the jump room. I've also heard of other people claiming to have been there.

C: I don't believe the jump room stuff is credible at all. I know we have more advanced tech in the military than is known, but that just doesn't ring true with me, happily.

NASA also rubbished alien stories about Mars, as well. They were keen to stress the planet was lifeless. Whether they knew about the financial potential of the planet, though, is a different question and, of course, if what we know gets out into the public domain, a manned mission (which was seen as political suicide in case of failure) now becomes a race to reap benefit. It will be interesting to see what official reaction, if any, will come of this. Mars must be a multi‐multi‐billion‐dollar planet, completely untouched and unclaimed.

Why do you think they never went back to the moon? There's no value in it. If the moon was full of precious metals, etc., we would have been back many times. It's just not worth it. Also, as a side issue, the long‐term implications of mining it were unknown and could have proven disastrous to earth. Of course, we don't know the implications for mining Mars on a mass scale, but we will find out in the coming decades as governments eventually catch up and find out what huge potential it has in terms of its riches.

M: Hm, yes, quite possible! Ok, you said, "the long‐term implications of mining it were unknown and could have proven disastrous to earth." Can you explain how that might be?

C: There's virtually no atmosphere. Any by‐products in gas form could escape into space. What implications will happen as a consequence? Also, the mass of the planet will decrease. Will that have implications for the orbit Mars travels? The moon's, as well? We don't know enough about the relationship between Mars and Earth. To start mining it for all it's worth is dangerous as far as I'm concerned because we've still got a lot to learn before we dive in and start. Newton's third law of physics [thermodynamics] says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And don't worry, I'll be fine ‹ finally blowing the lid on this will help protect me. They haven't found me yet!

M: How long do you think you need to stay on the run? Do you have any evidence that these guys are after you? (I know it's probably a good assumption based on what you told me so far.)

C: I have a good idea of who is after me. There are only a handful of people on the planet who could pull this off without being questioned and found out.

This much ability requires a lot of power and the ability to corrupt at the highest level. I will be on the run for a while. I reckon there will be fake contacts made with me to try to meet, but in Europe, it's easy to disappear into the background. No real borders and plenty of contacts there should I need them; although, one of them is about the only one I could trust at the moment. Don't forget there will also be a bounty on my head, and every low‐ life with a gun will be interested. But those interested in finding me again offer no value or loyalty to those who help them. You only have to look at my situation.

M: Ok, fair enough. How is your radiation sickness going?

C: Sickness is ok, controlled by medication, and luckily it's only mild. I'm sure the suits we used were created to absorb radiation in small amounts so they could test us for tolerance and duration on the planet's surface. Don't forget the data we brought back was costing billions, so all aspects of the mission had to contribute to an overall picture that they could use to deliver a report about the viability of future missions. We were probably signing a death note when we signed up; hindsight is a wonderful gift!

M: Very true! And did you bring anything at all back from Mars for yourself?

Like a souvenir rock or something?

C: No souvenirs. We were searched and made to pass solids in order to detect anything. Very strict about that.

M: And you saw no plant life or water at all?

C: No plant life or water. I know so many people talk about this, but we saw nothing like that. Not to say it doesn't exist, but nothing we saw proved it. Of course, we were only there for a limited time, and we were only outside for short periods due to temperature and radiation.

M: I appreciate that you're honest about not finding plant life while still acknowledging that it could be elsewhere on the planet and you just didn't see them. Where exactly on the Martian surface did you land?

C: Check out Viking lander site as we were near there. The data returned previously dictated that was the best site.

M: If you had it to do over again, would you go? Was it worth it to you?

C: It was worth it to experience it. Would I again? Space travel like that is a younger man's game. The physical strain when you hit your late thirties means that it takes a while to recover. But you know what? Now they know about the potential fuel reserves on Mars, they can hit the gas a bit harder, I reckon, and maybe reduce journey time. We saw only a tiny fraction of the surface, but the conditions would mean that anything capable of surviving there wouldn't be plant life or life as we know it. God, I sound like Spock! If there IS any life, I would suggest it would be subterranean, as there is protection. I would imagine given the planet's geological history, there are many caves there, but we didn't see any. There are riots about fuel costs, so what Mars may bring is stability. But it will take many years to realize this, and I reckon NASA will play catch up and assert its authority. Politically, space travel became defunct in the 80's in real terms, but if a route to profit can be found, then watch the next big space race, but this time with more competitors.

M: Thank you very much for your story, Chad! I appreciate you taking the time to tell us this story. I hope you can eventually find safety, and that your family knows you're well.

And there you have it! This was the end of our discussion about the Mars mission, but I have remained in touch with Chad. At this point, I hope to be able to convince him to do a video or TV interview, but of course, there will be more than a few obstacles to overcome, the main one being that he may currently be in some danger if he goes public. Furthermore, there is always the barrier of peoples' understandable skepticism. As I said in the beginning, I cannot verify this story for anyone, nor is my intent to convince anyone of its veracity. My goal is only to help him get his story heard, because if this story IS true, the people of this planet are being lied to on a grand scale, and perhaps this will eventually help the UFO Disclosure Movement. It's time for the lies to be uncovered, and time for the truth ‐‐ whatever that may be ‐‐ to be known once and for all.

Morgan Kochel Email

Chad Johnson

Are You Stuck on the Karmic Wheel?

by Joe Nunziata

What is your definition of karma?

I asked this question to thousands of people as I was researching my new book “Karma Buster”. I received a variety of answers, but many repeated

the basic principle, “You reap what you sow.” This response is a true, but limited view of karma.

Although we are familiar with the word we must understand just how powerful karma is in our lives. Karma must be examined on a much deeper level to truly answer this question. Yes, you do create your life based on the principle of reciprocity, but you must also uncover and clear your negative karma to make permanent positive changes in your life.

In my new book “Karma Buster” I offer a new definition: Your karma is the blueprint for are here to experience in this lifetime.

the

emotional

work

you

What does this mean to you and how is it affecting your life? It is all tied to the emotional experience you are here to have in your lifetime. You are on this earth to feel your feelings and to experience an emotional journey.

That is what life is all about. As human beings we are caught up in constantly doing and not feeling. Your karma is tied to three very powerful aspects of your life. Once you understand these principles you can begin to clear your negative karma and create the life you desire.

The 3 D’s of Karma DNA: Your karma is coded to your DNA. You inherited your physical and emotional characteristics from your parents. You inherited your mother’s hair color or your dad’s eyes. You also inherited your mother’s depression or your dad’s anger. You selected your parents before you came into your physical body because they had the best DNA code for you to complete your emotional mission in your lifetime.

Desire: Your internal desires and feelings are coded to your DNA and your karma. Your soul has a desire to feel specific emotions. These emotions are then created by situations and people you bring into your life. You may have come here to feel abandonment, for example. If this is the case your soul will desire to feel abandoned and you will create situations to bring that feeling into your consciousness.

Destiny: Your karma is also tied to your destiny. Everyone has internal feelings and desires to experience certain things in life. The question is, do you follow those feelings or not? We all have desires, but often allow fear to stop us from moving forward. The wild card here is free will, which gives you the option to choose your path.

Many people are stuck in a repetitive pattern of behavior in one of three areas; relationships, health, career or finances. You may have overlapping issues in more than one area, but identifying the one area that is constantly causing you pain will help you work on your main karmic issue. In order to break your negative karma you must get off your Karmic Wheel and stop creating the future based on the past.

Think of your Karmic Wheel as a pattern of behavior. You are trapped in a negative cycle of energy that you will continue to repeat over and over again until you deal with the emotions attached to the circumstance. This cycle is based on your deepest feelings and beliefs. No one is consciously creating pain and suffering. These situations and episodes are being created unconsciously based on unresolved feelings from your past.

Let’s use the feeling of abandonment as an example. In your karma you came here to experience what it feels like to be abandoned. Your soul wants you to feel the abandonment, but you have been conditioned to avoid this feeling because it is too painful. This is a natural instinct because as human beings we are designed to avoid pain to protect ourselves. To break this cycle you must now feel the pain of being abandoned that you have been avoiding your entire life. The reason you are constantly replaying circumstances to make you feel abandoned is that you refuse to feel it on a deep emotional level and let go of the energy. So you keep replaying it over and over again.

Resistance of your true feelings keeps you trapped on your specific Karmic Wheel. Once you accept the truth that you felt abandoned as a child and truly feel the pain of that emotion, you can release the energy and stop creating situations to make you feel abandoned. All of these deep emotions are anchored to specific episodes from your childhood.

Most children were not permitted to express their feelings and therefore

were unable to process the emotions they were feeling. This block of energy creates a recycling of this emotion over and over again until it is Felt and then released from your body.

The process for clearing this energy is to first identify the feeling. You must then sit quietly and replay the specific incident in your mind. Only then can you relive the feelings and release the negative energy. It may take some time to clear the deep emotions from your past. If you continue using this process on a regular basis, in time you will feel the feelings of the past and you will not have to repeat your pattern any more. You will feel lighter and more flowing as each layer of the emotion is processed and the negative energy is released out of your body.

The key to your success is to be more aware of your feelings on a daily basis. You must also be in your truth about how certain people and circumstances make you feel. This will help you become more connected to your spirit self and true internal power. Enjoy your journey to wholeness and becoming a Karma Buster.

Joe Nunziata is a life and business coach, spiritual teacher, professional speaker and bestselling author of Spiritual Selling, Finding Your Purpose and No More 9 to 5. His new release Karma Buster was featured in the gift bags at the 2012 Academy Awards.

See more about Joe at http://JoeNunz.com See more about Karma Buster http://karmabuster.com

Do you believe in angels? 81% of Americans say they believe in angels to some extent, with 60% of Americans “absolutely” believing (Baylor University study). Lorna Byrne, author of international bestseller Angels in my hair, has been seeing and talking to angels since she was a baby, and considers them her best friends.

Everyone has a Guardian angel. It doesn’t matter what religion you are, or whether you have no belief in God at all, you have a Guardian Angel. I see the light of everyone’s Guardian Angel behind them, and I have never seen anyone without one.

Your Guardian Angel never leaves you. Not for a minute, it is with you from before you are conceived, and stays with you until after you are dead. I am often asked are they there when we are in the bathroom or making love. The answer is yes! They never leave us (and they are not embarrassed by things we might be). No matter how alone you may feel – you are never alone.

All you have to do is ask. You have been given free will, and an angel is not allowed to interfere with that. You need to ask your Guardian angel for help. Just ask, it’s as simple as that. It may only be once a year, but ask.

Your Guardian Angel lets other angels and souls into help you. Your Guardian Angel is the gatekeeper of your soul. It can let other spirits and angels close to help you. Whatever task or problem you have, there are teacher angels who can help you. Your Guardian Angel can also allow spirits of people who have passed to help you - perhaps the spirit of your Granny who has died.

Your Guardian Angel can communicate with someone else’s Guardian angel. Having a problem with someone? Nervous about meeting someone? Ask your Guardian Angel to have a word with his or her Guardian Angel.

Angels take on a human appearance to help us to understand a message. I see angels all the time, and they all look different – all unique but all magnificent. They may appear as a male or female, and seem to be able to change this at will. Some angels appear with wings, some not.

They take on an appearance which helps the communication they want to give – so the Angel of Mothers Love, who I talk about in my book Angels in my hair, is round like the sun and enormous in size. Her wings are wrapped around her but opened out, a little like a mother hen. Her arms are always ready to embrace you in a big hug.

Your Guardian Angel loves you, you’re precious to them, you’re their number one …they have to do everything they can for you, and they will.

All you have to do is ask.

For more information on Lorna Byrne WWW.lornabyrne.com Angels in my hair by Lorna Byrne is published in the USA by Doubleday

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact: Marketing Services Tel: 1-877-407-4847 Fax: 812-961-3133 Email: pressreleases(at)balboapress(dot)com (When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)

It’s Time to Wake Up Spiritually Wendy Joy offers guidance to those who have experienced spiritual world EMERALD ISLE, N.C. – In her new book, Clear Channel: A Guide for the Newly Awakening (published by Balboa Press), Wendy Joy uses personal stories to help readers navigate the tumultuous waters of awakening to the spirit world.

Joy tells readers that she writes as someone who can relate to their experiences, just someone who is further along in her journey. “I was guided to journal my experiences as they occurred, allowing me to provide a unique, in-the-trenches perspective,” Joy says.

Clear Channel provides a much-needed resource for understanding the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual changes that are facing many people today, as mankind enters into a new evolutionary phase. Joy says that even non-spiritual seekers are feeling these changes. Clear Channel addresses the capabilities that Joy explains humanity can now embody, including: • • • • •

The power of manifestation The ability to enter into conscious communication with Spirit The capability of healing yourself and others The capacity to detect subtle energy in all things The gift of helping people who have passed make a full transition to the Other Side.

An endorsement by Joy Gardner, a healer with 30 years of experience and author of eleven books about the spiritual realm: “Wendy Joy cleverly melds her own extraordinary honesty, transparency, and sense-of-humor with down-home advice for those who are newly awakening. It’s like having a friend to reassure you while you are taking those first (and sometimes frightening) steps into a whole new reality. But this book is not just for beginners,

because as the author grows, she shares insights and experiences that are quite fascinating – even for the more seasoned traveler.”

Clear Channel is a must-read for anyone who may be confused and looking for guidance and answers to their spiritual questions.

About the Author Trained as a speech language pathologist specializing in brain trauma, Wendy Joy now practices many holistic healing techniques and assists others with their own spiritual awakening through consultation and lectures. Visit www.wendyjoy.net to learn more.

 Sticks and Stones I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ~ Albert Einstein. And here are two traditional folktales that feature both: The Red Ettin THERE was once a widow that lived on a small bit of ground, which she rented from a farmer. And she had two sons; and by and by it was time for the wife to send them away to seek their fortune. So she told her eldest son one day to take a can and bring her water from the well, that she might bake a cake for him; and however much or however little water he might bring, the cake would be great or small accordingly, and that cake was to be all that she could give him when he went on his travels.

The lad went away with the can to the well, and filled it with water, and then came away home again; but the can being broken, the most part of the water had run out before he got back. So his cake was very small; yet small as it was, his mother asked him if he was willing to take the half of it with her blessing, telling him that, if he chose rather to take the whole, he would only get it with her curse.

The young man, thinking he might have to travel a far way, and not knowing when or how he might get other provisions, said he would like to have the whole cake, come out of his mother's malison* what might; so she gave him the whole cake, and her malison along with it. Then he took his brother aside, and gave him a knife to keep till he should come back, desiring him to look at it every morning, and as long as it continued to be clear, then he might be sure that the owner of it was well; but if it grew dim and rusty, then for certain some ill had befallen him.

So the young man went to seek his fortune. And he went all that day, and all the next day; and on the third day, in the afternoon, he came up to where a shepherd was sitting with a flock of sheep. And he went up to the shepherd and asked him who the sheep belonged to; and he answered: 'The Red Ettin of Ireland Once lived in Ballygan, And stole King Malcolm's daughter,

The king of fair Scotland.

He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band; And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand.

Like Julian the Roman, He's one that fears no man.

'It's said there's one predestinate To be his mortal foe; But that man is yet unborn, And long may it be so.'

This shepherd also told him to beware of the beasts he should next meet, for they were of a very different kind from any he had yet seen.

So the young man went on, and by and by he saw a multitude of very dreadful beasts, with two heads, and on every head four horns. And he was sore frightened, and ran away from them as fast as he could; and glad was he when he came to a castle that stood on a hillock, with the door standing wide open to the wall. And he went into the castle for shelter, and there he saw an old wife sitting beside the kitchen fire. He asked the wife if he might stay for the night, as he was tired with a long journey; and the wife said he might, but it was not a good place for him to be in, as it belonged to the Red Ettin, who was a very terrible beast, with three heads, that spared no living man it could get hold of. The young man would have gone away, but he was afraid of the beasts on the outside of the castle; so he beseeched the old woman to hide him as best she could, and not tell the Ettin he was there. He thought, if he could put over the night, he might get away in the morning, without meeting with the beasts, and so escape. But he had not been long in his hiding-hole, before the awful Ettin came in; and no sooner was he in, than he was heard crying: 'Snouk but and snouk ben, I find the smell of an earthly man, Be he living, or be he dead, His heart this night shall kitchen my bread.'

The monster soon found the poor young man, and pulled him from his hole. And when he had got him out, he told him that if he could answer him three questions his life should be spared. So the first head asked: 'A thing without an end, what's that?' But the young man knew not. Then the second head said: 'The smaller, the more dangerous, what's that?' But the young man knew it not. And then the third head asked: 'The dead carrying the living; riddle me that?' But the young man had to give it up. The lad not being able to answer one of these questions, the Red Ettin took a mallet and knocked him on the head, and turned him into a pillar of stone.

On the morning after this happened the younger brother took out the knife to look at it, and he was grieved to find it all brown with rust. He told his mother that the time was now come for him to go away on his travels also; so she requested him to take the can to the well for water, that she might make a cake for him. And he went, and as he was bringing home the water, a raven over his head cried to him to look, and he would see that the water was running out. And he was a young man of sense, and seeing the water running out, he took some clay and patched up the holes, so that he brought home enough water to bake a large cake. When his mother put it to him to take the half-cake with her blessing, he took it in preference to having the whole with her malison; and yet the half was bigger than what the other lad had got.

So he went away on his journey; and after he had travelled a far way, he met with an old woman that asked him if he would give her a bit of his bannock. And he said: 'I will gladly do that', and so he gave her a piece of the bannock; and for that she gave him a magic wand, that might yet be of service to him, if he took care to use it rightly. Then the old woman, who was a fairy, told him a great deal that would happen to him, and what he ought to do in all circumstances; and after that she vanished in an instant out of his sight. He went on a great way further, and then he came up to the old man herding the sheep; and when he asked whose sheep these were, the answer was: 'The Red Ettin of Ireland Once lived in Ballygan, And stole King Malcolm's daughter, The king of fair Scotland.

He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band;

And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand Like Julian the Roman, He's one that fears no man.

'But now I fear his end is near, And destiny at hand; And you're to be, I plainly see, The heir of all his land.'

When he came to the place where the monstrous beasts were standing, he did not stop nor run away, but went boldly through amongst them. One came up roaring with open mouth to devour him, when he struck it with his wand, and laid it in an instant dead at his feet. He soon came to the Ettin's castle, where he knocked, and was admitted. The old woman who sat by the fire warned him of the terrible Ettin, and what had been the fate of his brother; but he was not to be daunted. The monster soon came in, saying: 'Snouk but and snouk ben, I find the smell of an earthly man, Be he living, or be he dead, His heart this night shall kitchen my bread.'

He quickly espied the young man, and bade him come forth on the floor. And then he put the three questions to him; but the young man had been told everything by the good fairy, so he was able to answer all the questions. So when the first head asked, 'What's the thing without an end?' he said: 'A bowl.' And when the second head said: 'The smaller the more dangerous; what's that?' he said at once, 'A bridge.' And last, the third head said: 'When does the dead carry the living, riddle me that?' Then the young man answered up at once and said: 'When a ship sails on the sea with men inside her.' When the Ettin found this, he knew that his power was gone. The young man then took up an axe and hewed off the monster's three heads. He next asked the old woman to show him where the king's daughter lay; and the old woman took him upstairs, and opened a great many doors, and out of every door came a beautiful lady who had been imprisoned there by the Ettin; and one of the ladies was the king's daughter. She also took him down into a low room, and there stood a stone pillar, that he had only to touch with his wand, when his brother started into life. And the whole of

the prisoners were overjoyed at their deliverance, for which they thanked the young man. Next day they all set out for the king's court, and a gallant company they made. And the king married his daughter to the young man that had delivered her, and gave a noble's daughter to his brother; and so they all lived happily all the rest of their days.

Source: English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs [b. 1854, d. 1916] Illustrated by John D. Batten London: David Nutt [1890] Scanned and redacted by Phillip Brown. Additional formatting and proofing by J. B. Hare at sacred-texts.com.

This text is in the public domain. This file may be used for any non-commerical purpose, provided this statement of attribution is left intact.

*A malison is an archaic word for a curse, and one way to counter such a curse would have been to consult a charmer.

Charming was a distinct tradition, based on either the possession of an innate healing touch, ownership of a healing object, or most commonly the possession of one or more simple verse charms usually based on extracts from the New Testament or apocryphal biblical stories. .. In many areas charms could only remain efficacious if they were transmitted to someone of the opposite sex. … The charms were concerned with a well-defined range of natural ailments … There was no ambiguity about what charmers did … They were merely custodians of a God-given gift, not masters of equivocal magical forces (Davies, 2007, p.83).

Charms could be produced for a variety of purposes, such as the detection of thieves and the procurement of love, but the majority were concerned with the protection of humans and livestock from witchcraft and the curing of those already bewitched. Magical texts usually specified that such charms had to be written on either virgin or unborn parchment. The former was made from the skin of an animal that had not yet reached sexual maturity, while the latter was made from unborn animals that were either cut out of the uterus or aborted (ibid. p.147). Most written charms contained a strong religious element … Scriptural passages were often reproduced in Latin,

with the occasional smattering of Greek or Hebrew. Such passages were often badly spelt and grammatically poor, presumably from repeated copying. Not surprisingly, there was also considerable use of overtly magical words and phrases, spirit names, occult symbols, planetary signs, and astrological terms. If a charm was intended to protect a human, the cunning-person would often conceal it in a little bag with the injunction that it be kept close to the body and should never be allowed to touch the ground. To avoid this fate, charms were sewn into clothing, worn around the neck or tucked into corsets (ibid. p.148).

What is evident from all this is that “magic did a lot of the work later taken over by pharmaceutical medicine, fertilizers, insurance schemes and advertisement columns” (Hutton, 1993, p.290), and those practising more than likely “saw charms and rituals in the same functional sense as these modern commodities and services” (ibid. p.290). Most practitioners of the art would have had just one or two stock charms that they reproduced over and over again, personalising them by adding the client’s name.

References Davies, O. (2007) Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History, London & New York: Hambledon Continuum.

Hutton, R. (1993) The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. ,

A shamanic journey is one that generally takes place in a trance state to the sound of a drumbeat, through dancing, or by ingesting psychoactive drugs, in which aid is sought from beings in (what are considered to be) other realities generally for healing purposes or for divination–both for individuals and / or the community. A shamanic story can be defined as one that has either been based on or inspired by a shamanic journey, or one that contains a number of the elements typical of such a journey, and the story that follows provides an example of one - a Middle World quest. And once again, like the previous tale, it features both stick and stone:

The Man without a Heart Once upon a time there were seven brothers, who were orphans, and had no sister. Therefore they were obliged to do all their own housework. This they did not like at all; so after much deliberation they decided to get married. There were, unfortunately, no young girls to be found in the place where they lived; but the elder brothers agreed to go out into the world and seek for brides, promising to bring back a very pretty wife for the youngest also if he would meanwhile stay at home and take care of the house. He consented willingly, and the six young men set off in good spirits.

On their way they came to a small cottage standing quite by itself in a wood; and before the door stood an old, old man, who accosted the brothers saying, 'Hullo, you young fellows! Whither away so fast and cheerily?'

'We are going to find bonny brides for ourselves, and one for our youngest brother at home,' they replied.

'Oh! dear youths,' said the old man, 'I am terribly lonely here; pray bring a bride for me also; only remember, she must be young and pretty.'

'What does a shrivelled old grey thing like that want with a pretty young bride?' thought the brothers, and went on their way.

Presently they came to a town where were seven sisters, as young and as lovely as anyone could wish. Each brother chose one, and the youngest they kept for their brother at home. Then the whole party set out on the return journey, and again their path led through the wood and past the old man's cottage.

There he stood before the door, and cried: 'Oh! you fine fellows, what a charming bride you have brought me!'

'She is not for you, said the young men. 'She is for our youngest brother, as we promised.'

'What!' said the old man, 'promised! I'll make you eat your promises!' And with that he took his magic wand, and, murmuring a charm, he touched both brothers and brides, and immediately they were turned into grey stones.

Only the youngest sister he had not bewitched. He took her into the cottage, and from that time she was obliged to keep house for him. She was not very unhappy, but one thought troubled her. What if the old man should die and leave her here alone in the solitary cottage deep in the heart of the wood! She would be as 'terribly lonely' as he had formerly been.

One day she told him of her fear.

'Don't be anxious,' he said. 'You need neither fear my death nor desire it, for I have no heart in my breast! However, if I should die, you will find my wand above the door, and with it you can set free your sisters and their lovers. Then you will surely have company enough.'

'Where in all the world do you keep your heart, if not in your breast?' asked the girl.

'Do you want to know everything?' her husband said. 'Well, if you must know, my heart is in the bed-cover.'

When the old man had gone out about his business his bride passed her time in embroidering beautiful flowers on the bed quilt to make his heart happy. The old man was much amused. He laughed, and said to her: 'You are a good child, but I was only joking. My heart is really in—in—' 'Now where is it, dear husband?'

'It is in the doorway,' he replied.

Next day, while he was out, the girl decorated the door with gay feathers and fresh flowers, and hung garlands upon it. And on his return the old fellow asked what it all meant.

'I did it to show my love for your heart,' said the girl.

And again the old man smiled, saying, 'You are a dear child, but my heart is not in the doorway.'

Then the poor young bride was very vexed, and said, 'Ah, my dear! You really have a heart somewhere, so you may die and leave me all alone.'

The old man did his best to comfort her by repeating all he had said before, but she begged him afresh to tell her truly where his heart was and at last he told her.

'Far, far from here,' said he, 'in a lonely spot, stands a great church, as old as old can be. Its doors are of iron, and round it runs a deep moat, spanned by no bridge.

Within that church is a bird which flies up and down; it never eats, and never drinks, and never dies. No one can catch it, and while that bird lives so shall I, for in it is my heart.'

It made the little bride quite sad to think she could do nothing to show her love for the old man's heart. She used to think about it as she sat all alone during the long days, for her husband was almost always out.

One day a young traveller came past the house, and seeing such a pretty girl he wished her 'Good day.'

She returned his greeting, and as he drew near she asked him whence he came and where he was going.

'Alas!' sighed the youth, 'I am very sorrowful. I had six brothers, who went away to find brides for themselves and one for me; but they have never come home, so now I am going to look for them.'

'Oh, good friend,' said the girl, 'you need go no farther. Come, sit down, eat and drink, and afterwards I'll tell you all about it.'

She gave him food, and when he had finished his meal she told him how his brothers had come to the town where she lived with her sisters, how they had

each chosen a bride, and, taking herself with them, had started for home. She wept as she told how the others were turned to stone, and how she was kept as the old man's bride. She left out nothing, even telling him the story of her husband's heart. When the young man heard this he said: 'I shall go in search of the bird. It may be that God will help me to find and catch it.'

'Yes, do go,' she said; 'it will be a good deed, for then you can set your brothers and my sisters free.' Then she hid the young man, for it was now late, and her husband would soon be home.

Next morning, when the old man had gone out, she prepared a supply of provisions for her guest, and sent him off on his travels, wishing him good luck and success.

He walked on and on till he thought it must be time for breakfast; so he opened his knapsack, and was delighted to find such a store of good things. 'What a feast!' he exclaimed; 'will anyone come and share it?'

'Moo-oo,' sounded close behind him, and looking round he saw a great red ox, which said, 'I have much pleasure in accepting your kind invitation.'

'I'm delighted to see you. Pray help yourself. All I have is at your service,' said the hospitable youth. And the ox lay down comfortably, licking his lips, and made a hearty meal.

'Many thanks to you,' said the animal as it rose up. 'When you are in danger or necessity call me, even if only by a thought,' and it disappeared among the bushes.

The young man packed up all the food that was left, and wandered on till the shortening shadows and his own hunger warned him that it was midday. he laid the cloth on the ground and spread out his provisions, saying at the same time: 'Dinner is ready, and anyone who wishes to share it is welcome.'

Then there was a great rustling in the undergrowth, and out ran a wild boar, grunting, 'Umph, umph, umph; someone said dinner was ready. Was it you? and did you mean me to come?'

'By all means. Help yourself to what I have,' said the young traveller. And the two enjoyed their meal together.

Afterwards the boar got up, saying, 'Thank you; when in need you be you must quickly call for me,' and he rolled off.

For a long time the youth walked on. By evening he was miles away. He felt hungry again, and, having still some provisions left, thought he had better make ready his supper. When it was all spread out he cried as before, 'Anyone who cares to share my meal is welcome.'

He heard a sound overhead like the flapping of wings, and a shadow was cast upon the ground. Then a huge griffin appeared, saying: 'I heard someone giving an invitation to eat; is there anything for me?'

'Why not?' said the youth. 'Come down and take all you want. There won't be much left after this.'

So the griffin alighted and ate his fill, saying, as he flew away, 'Call me if you need me.'

'What a hurry he was in!' the youth said to himself. 'He might have been able to direct me to the church, for I shall never find it alone.'

He gathered up his things, and started to walk a little farther before resting. He had not gone far when all of a sudden he saw the church!

He soon came to it, or rather to the wide and deep moat which surrounded it without a single bridge by which to cross.

It was too late to attempt anything now; and, besides, the poor youth was very tired, so he lay down on the ground and fell fast asleep.

Next morning, when he awoke, he began to wish himself over the moat; and the thought occurred to him that if only the red ox were there, and thirsty enough to drink up all the water in the moat, he might walk across it dry shod.

Scarcely had the thought crossed his brain before the ox appeared and began to drink up the water.

The grateful youth hastened across as soon as the moat was dry, but found it impossible to penetrate the thick walls and strong iron doors of the church.

'I believe that big boar would be of more use here than I am,' he thought, and lo! at the wish the wild boar came and began to push hard against the wall. He managed to loosen one stone with his tusks, and, having made a beginning, stone after stone was poked out till he had made quite a large hole, big enough to let a man go through.

The young man quickly entered the church, and saw a bird flying about, but he could not catch it.

'Oh!' he exclaimed, 'if only the griffin were here, he would soon catch it.'

At these words the griffin appeared, and, seizing the bird, gave it to the youth, who carried it off carefully, while the griffin flew away.

The young man hurried home as fast as possible, and reached the cottage before evening. He told his story to the little bride, who, after giving him some food and drink, hid him with his bird beneath the bed.

Presently the old man came home, and complained of feeling ill. Nothing, he said, would go well with him any more: his 'heart bird' was caught.

The youth under the bed heard this, and thought, 'This old fellow has done me no particular harm, but then he has bewitched my brothers and their brides, and has kept my bride for himself, and that is certainly bad enough.'

So he pinched the bird, and the old man cried, 'Ah! I feel death gripping me!

Child, I am dying!'

With these words he fell fainting from his chair, and as the youth, before he knew what he was doing, had squeezed the bird to death, the old man died also.

Out crept the young man from under the bed, and the girl took the magic wand (which she found where the old man had told her), and, touching the twelve grey stones, transformed them at once into the six brothers and their brides.

Then there was great joy, and kissing and embracing. And there lay the old man, quite dead, and no magic wand could restore him to life, even had they wished it.

After that they all went away and were married, and lived many years happily together.

Source: The Pink Fairy Book Edited by Andrew Lang New York, London: Longmans, Green [1897]

One of the traditional attributes of the shaman was his / her ability to communicate with animals, as the youngest brother is able to do – with the ox, wild boar, and griffin – all of whom then act as Power Animals, helpers to him on his quest.

The fact that the story is about seven brothers and seven sisters is also of significance. In the world of the shaman, the structure of the whole cosmos is frequently symbolized by the number seven, made up of the four directions, the centre, the zenith in heaven, and the nadir in the underworld. The essential axes of this structure are the four cardinal points and a central vertical axis passing through their point of intersection that connects the Upper World, the Middle World and the Lower World.

It has been suggested that all the stories that have ever been written are based on just seven plots (see Booker, 2008). The seven basic plot types Christopher Booker identifies are Overcoming the monster, Rags to riches, The quest, Voyage and return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. And if that is the case, then The Man without a Heart is perhaps best described as a quest to re-establish the equilibrium of the community, the responsibility for which was traditionally the shaman’s.

The shamanic journey frequently involves passing through some kind of gateway.

As Eliade explains, The “clashing of rocks,” the “dancing reeds,” the gates in the shape of jaws, the “two razor-edged restless mountains,” the “two clashing icebergs,” the “active door,” the “revolving barrier,” the door made of the two halves of the eagle’s beak, and many more – all these are images used in myths and sagas to suggest the insurmountable difficulties of passage to the Other World [and sometimes the passage back too] (Eliade, 2003, pp.64-65).

The gateway the youngest brother has too cross is represented by the deep moat with no bridge that surrounds the church where the old man’s heart is to be found.

The style of storytelling most frequently employed in both shamanic stories and in fairy tales is that of magic realism, in which although “the point of departure is ‘realistic’ (recognizable events in chronological succession, everyday atmosphere, verisimilitude, characters with more or less predictable psychological reactions), … soon strange discontinuities or gaps appear in the ‘normal,’ true-to-life texture of the narrative” (Calinescu, 1978, p.386). In other words, what happens is that our expectations based on our intuitive knowledge of physics are ultimately breached and knocked out. It is also the style of storytelling we can find employed in this tale.

Writing or talking about shamanism has always been problematic as “the subject area resists ‘objective’ analysis and is sufficiently beyond mainstream research to foil …writing [or talking] about it in a conventional academic way” (Wallis, 2003, p.13). Shamans have their own ways of describing trance experience.

Outsiders

might call them ‘metaphors’, but to shamans these metaphors, such as ‘death’, are real, lived experiences … ‘Metaphor is a problematic term extracted from Western literary discourse which does not do justice to nonWestern, non-literary shamanic experiences. In recognising this limitation, ‘metaphor may remain a useful term for explaining alien shamanic experiences in terms understandable to Westerners (Wallis, 2003, p.116).

Perhaps this is why the accounts of memorable shamanic journeys were often turned into folktales, as it was the only way to make them both understandable and acceptable to people not familiar with the landscapes to be found and experiences to be had in such worlds. So although The Man without a Heart might initially seem to be nothing more than a fairy tale, its origins could well have been quite different References Booker, C. (2004) The Seven Basic Plots, London: Continuum Books.

Calinescu, M. (1978) ‘The Disguises of Miracle: Notes on Mircea Eliade’s Fiction.’ In Bryan Rennie (ed.) (2006) Mircea Eliade: A Critical Reader, London: Equinox Publishing Ltd. Eliade, M. (2003) Rites and Symbols of Initiation, Putnam, Connecticut: Spring Publications (originally published by Harper Bros., New York, 1958).

Wallis, Robert J. (2003) Shamans/Neo-Shamans: Ecstasy, Alternative Archaeologies and Contemporary Pagans, London: Routledge.

 Sticks that serve as Teaching Tools In the two Buddhist parables that follow, sticks are used in each case to serve as a teaching tool:

Chopsticks A woman who had worked all her life to bring about good was granted one wish: "Before I die let me visit both hell and heaven." Her wish was granted.

She was whisked off to a great banqueting hall. The tables there were piled high with delicious food and drink, but around them sat miserable, starving people as wretched as anyone could be. "Why are they like this?" she asked the angel who accompanied her. "Look at their arms," the angel replied. She looked and saw that attached to the people's arms were long chopsticks secured above the elbow.

Unable to bend their elbows, the people aimed the chopsticks at the food, missed every time and sat hungry, frustrated and miserable. "Indeed this is hell! Take me away from here!"

She was then whisked off to heaven. Again she found herself in a great banqueting hall with tables piled high, but this time people sat around them laughing, contented, and joyful. "No chopsticks I suppose," she said. "Oh yes there are. Look! Just as in hell they are long and attached above the elbow, but here people have learnt to feed one another". *** Another Brick in the Wall, another Nail in the Fence There once was a young boy with a very bad temper. The boy's father wanted to teach him a lesson, so he gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he must hammer a nail into their wooden fence.

On the first day of this lesson, the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. He was really worked up that day!

Over the course of the next few weeks though, the little boy began to control his temper, so the number of nails that were hammered into the fence dramatically decreased.

It wasn't long before the little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Then, the day finally came when the little boy didn't lose his temper even once, and he became so proud of himself, he couldn't wait to tell his father all about the good news.

Pleased, his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he could hold his temper.

Several weeks went by and the day finally came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

Then, very gently, the father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

"You have done very well, my son," he smiled, "but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same again."

The little boy listened carefully as his father continued to speak.

"When you say things in anger, they leave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how many times you say you're sorry, the wounds will still be there."

Sticks used for Magical Purposes What follows is a variation on the Cinderella story in which a stick is used for magical purposes to enable a princess to transform herself into a bear to escape from the clutches of her over-protective father. What makes the tale particularly unusual is that the princess is then presented with the magic wand by the white witch who aids her and is so afforded the opportunity to take control of her own destiny – an opportunity we all have in reality, though one which few of us unfortunately recognise or take advantage of: The Bear Once on a time there was a king who had an only daughter. He was so proud and so fond of her, that he was in constant terror that something would happen to her if she went outside the palace, and thus, owing to his great love for her, he forced her to lead the life of a prisoner, shut up within her own rooms.

The princess did not like this at all, and one day she complained about it very bitterly to her nurse. Now, the nurse was a witch, though the king did not know it.

For some time she listened and tried to soothe the princess; but when she saw that she would not be comforted, she said to her: 'Your father loves you very dearly, as you know. Whatever you were to ask from him he would give you. The one thing he will not grant you is permission to leave the palace. Now, do as I tell you. Go to your father and ask him to give you a wooden wheel-barrow, and a bear's skin. When you have got them bring them to me, and I will touch them with my magic wand. The wheel-barrow will then move of itself, and will take you at full speed wherever you want to go, and the bear's skin will make such a covering for you, that no one will recognise you.'

So the princess did as the witch advised her. The king, when he heard her strange request, was greatly astonished, and asked her what she meant to do with a wheel-barrow and a bear's skin. And the princess answered, 'You never let me leave the house—at least you might grant me this request' So the king granted it, and the princess went back to her nurse, taking the barrow and the bear's skin with her.

As soon as the witch saw them, she touched them with her magic wand, and in a moment the barrow began to move about in all directions. The princess next put on the bear's skin, which so completely changed her appearance, that no one could have known that she was a girl and not a bear. In this strange attire she seated herself on the barrow, and in a few minutes she found herself far away from the palace, and moving rapidly through a great forest. Here she stopped the barrow with a sign that the witch had shown her, and hid herself and it in a thick grove of flowering shrubs.

Now it happened that the prince of that country was hunting with his dogs in the forest. Suddenly he caught sight of the bear hiding among the shrubs, and calling his dogs, hounded them on to attack it. But the girl, seeing what peril she was in, cried, 'Call off your dogs, or they will kill me. What harm have I ever done to you?' At these words, coming from a bear, the prince was so startled that for a moment he stood stock-still, then he said quite gently, 'Will you come with me? I will take you to my home.'

'I will come gladly,' replied the bear; and seating herself on the barrow it at once began to move in the direction of the prince's palace. You may imagine the surprise of the prince's mother when she saw her son return accompanied by a bear, who at once set about doing the house-work better than any servant that the queen had ever seen.

Now it happened that there were great festivities going on in the palace of a neighbouring prince, and at dinner, one day, the prince said to his mother: 'This evening there is to be a great ball, to which I must go.'

And his mother answered, 'Go and dance, and enjoy yourself.'

Suddenly a voice came from under the table, where the bear had rolled itself, as was its wont: 'Let me come to the ball; I, too, would like to dance.'

But the only answer the prince made was to give the bear a kick, and to drive it out of the room.

In the evening the prince set off for the ball. As soon as he had started, the bear came to the queen and implored to be allowed to go to the ball, saying that she would hide herself so well that no one would know she was there. The kindhearted queen could not refuse her.

Then the bear ran to her barrow, threw off her bear's skin, and touched it with the magic wand that the witch had given her. In a moment the skin was changed into an exquisite ball dress woven out of moon-beams, and the wheel-barrow was changed into a carriage drawn by two prancing steeds. Stepping into the carriage the princess drove to the grand entrance of the palace. When she entered the ballroom, in her wondrous dress of moon-beams, she looked so lovely, so different from all the other guests, that everyone wondered who she was, and no one could tell where she had come from.

From the moment he saw her, the prince fell desperately in love with her, and all the evening he would dance with no one else but the beautiful stranger.

When the ball was over, the princess drove away in her carriage at full speed, for she wished to get home in time to change her ball dress into the bear's skin, and the carriage into the wheel-barrow, before anyone discovered who she was.

The prince, putting spurs into his horse, rode after her, for he was determined not to let her out of his sight. But suddenly a thick mist arose and hid her from him.

When he reached his home he could talk to his mother of nothing else but the beautiful stranger with whom he had danced so often, and with whom he was so much in love. And the bear beneath the table smiled to itself, and muttered: 'I am the beautiful stranger; oh, how I have taken you in!'

The next evening there was a second ball, and, as you may believe, the prince was determined not to miss it, for he thought he would once more see the lovely girl, and dance with her and talk to her, and make her talk to him, for at the first ball she had never opened her lips.

And, sure enough, as the music struck up the first dance, the beautiful stranger entered the room, looking even more radiant than the night before, for this time

her dress was woven out of the rays of the sun. All evening the prince danced with her, but she never spoke a word.

When the ball was over he tried once more to follow her carriage, that he might know whence she came, but suddenly a great waterspout fell from the sky, and the blinding sheets of rain hid her from his sight.

When he reached his home he told his mother that he had again seen the lovely girl, and that this time she had been even more beautiful than the night before.

And again the bear smiled beneath the table, and muttered: 'I have taken him in a second time, and he has no idea that I am the beautiful girl with whom he is so much in love.'

On the next evening, the prince returned to the palace for the third ball. And the princess went too, and this time she had changed her bear's skin into a dress woven out of the star-light, studded all over with gems, and she looked so dazzling and so beautiful, that everyone wondered at her, and said that no one so beautiful had ever been seen before. And the prince danced with her, and, though he could not induce her to speak, he succeeded in slipping a ring on her finger.

When the ball was over, he followed her carriage, and rode at such a pace that for long he kept it in sight. Then suddenly a terrible wind arose between him and the carriage, and he could not overtake it.

When he reached his home he said to his mother, 'I do not know what is to become of me; I think I shall go mad, I am so much in love with that girl, and I have no means of finding out who she is. I danced with her and I gave her a ring, and yet I do not know her name, nor where I am to find her.'

Then the bear laughed beneath the table and muttered to itself.

And the prince continued: 'I am tired to death. Order some soup to be made for me, but I don't want that bear to meddle with it. Every time I speak of my love the brute mutters and laughs, and seems to mock at me. I hate the sight of the creature!'

When the soup was ready, the bear brought it to the prince; but before handing it to him, she dropped into the plate the ring the prince had given her the night before at the ball. The prince began to eat his soup very slowly and languidly, for he was sad at heart, and all his thoughts were busy, wondering how and where he could see the lovely stranger again. Suddenly he noticed the ring at the bottom of the plate. In a moment he recognised it, and was dumb with surprise.

Then he saw the bear standing beside him, looking at him with gentle, beseeching eyes, and something in the eyes of the bear made him say: 'Take off that skin, some mystery is hidden beneath it.'

And the bear's skin dropped off, and the beautiful girl stood before him, in the dress woven out of the star-light, and he saw that she was the stranger with whom he had fallen so deeply in love. And now she appeared to him a thousand times more beautiful than ever, and he led her to his mother. And the princess told them her story, and how she had been kept shut up by her father in his palace, and how she had wearied of her imprisonment. And the prince's mother loved her, and rejoiced that her son should have so good and beautiful a wife.

So they were married, and lived happily for many years, and reigned wisely over their kingdom.

Source: The Grey Fairy Book Edited by Andrew Lang New York, London: Longmans, Green & Co. [1900]

Another story follows about a magic wand with transformative powers, but from Ireland this time. We moan and groan about such matters as the state of the economy, public transport, and all the red tape we have to contend with, but we should think ourselves lucky we do not have a race of hostile giants to face in their place, at least not in a literal sense anyway. The hag-queen of the giants that Finlay the Hunter was forced to confront was not only old, fierce, and cunning,

but also possessed a gold-hilted magic sword and a magic wand. We are informed that “when she struck a stone pillar with this wand it became a warrior, and if she put the gold-hilted sword into his hand, the greatest and strongest hero in the world would be unable to combat against him with success.� However, in nonordinary reality everything becomes possible and by the end of the journey that the Story of Finlay and the Giants is an account of, equilibrium is restored and everyone lives happily ever after once more. Would that things were the same in this reality more often!

Story of Finlay and the Giants Finlay the hunter lived with his sister in a lonely little house among the mountains, and near at hand there were giants who were descendants of Beira.

This giant clan was ruled over by a hag-queen who was very old and fierce and cunning. She had great stores of silver and gold in her cave, and also a gold-hilted magic sword and a magic wand. When she struck a stone pillar with this wand it became a warrior, and if she put the gold-hilted sword into his hand, the greatest and strongest hero in the world would be unable to combat against him with success.

Every day that Finlay went out to hunt he warned his sister, saying: "Do not open the windows on the north side of the house, or let the fire go out."

His sister did not, however, heed his warning always. One day she shut the windows on the south side of the house, and opened those on the north side, and allowed the fire to go out.

She wondered what would happen, and she had not long to wait, for a young giant came towards the house and entered it. He had assumed a comely form, and spoke pleasantly to Finlay's sister. They became very friendly, and the giant made the foolish girl promise not to tell her brother of his visits. After that the girl began to quarrel with Finlay. This went on for a time.

One day when Finlay was returning to his home he saw a little shieling in a place where no shieling used to be. He wondered who dwelt in it, and walked towards

the door and entered. He saw an old woman sitting on the floor, and she bade him welcome.

"Sit down," she said. "Your name is Finlay."

"That is true," answered he; "who are you and whence come you?"

"I am called Wise Woman," she answered. "I have come here to protect and guide you. Alas! you do not know that you are in danger of your life. A young giant has bewitched your sister, and is waiting to kill you this very day with a sharp blue sword."

"Alas!" cried Finlay, who sorrowed to think of his sister.

Being forewarned, the hunter was prepared. When he returned home he set his fierce dogs on the giant, and threw a pot of boiling water over him. The giant fled shrieking towards his cave, and Finlay's sister followed him.

Then the hunter was left alone in the house. His heart shook with terror because he feared that one of the older giants would come against him to avenge the injury done to the young giant.

He had good reason to be afraid. As soon as the young giant reached the cave, his brother cried: "I shall go forth and deal with the hunter."'

"I had better go myself," his father said fiercely.

"It is I who should go," growled the fierce grey hag.

"I spoke first," urged the young giant's brother, and sprang towards the mouth of the cave in the gathering dusk.

Finlay waited alone in his little house. The door was shut and securely barred, and the peat fire glowed bright and warm, yet he shivered with the coldness of terror. He listened long and anxiously, and at length heard a growing noise like distant thunder. Stones rumbled down the hillside as the giant raced on, and when

he entered a bog the mud splashed heavily against the cliffs. Finlay knew then that a giant was coming, and ere long he heard his voice roaring outside the door: "Fith! foth! foogie! The door is shut against a stranger. Open and let me in." He did not wait for Finlay to answer, but burst the door open with a blow. The hunter stood behind the fire which burned in the middle of the room, his bow in his hand and an arrow ready. He fired as the giant entered, but did not kill him. The giant shrieked and leapt towards Finlay, but the dogs made fierce attack. Then the hunter shot another arrow from his bow and killed the giant.

Next morning Finlay hastened to the shieling of Wise Woman, taking with him the giant's head.

"Well, valiant lad," she exclaimed, "how fared it with you last night?"

Finlay told her all that had taken place, and explained that it was owing to the help given him by the dogs he was able to slay the giant.

"There is need of the dogs," Wise Woman said, "but the day of their great need has yet to come."

That evening Finlay again sat alone in his house, wondering what would happen next. No did night come on than he heard a noise like distant thunder, but much louder than on the night before. Great boulders rumbled down the hill-side, and mud splashed on the cliffs. Another and more terrible giant was coming, seeking to be avenged.

"Thoth! Thoth! Foogie!" roared his heavy voice outside the house. "I smell a man inside. Open the door that I may enter. Although you killed my son last night, you shall not slay me."

He burst the door open, and as he did so the house shook. Finlay feared the roof was about to fall upon him, but he feared more when he beheld the giant in the firelight, for the monster had five heads.

He drew his bow and shot an arrow. The giant paused. Finlay shot a second arrow, which, like the first, wounded the monster, but did not kill him. Then the

hunter drew his sword and smote him heavily, but his wounds were not mortal.

The giant stretched out his grisly hands to seize Finlay, but the dogs leapt at him, and a fierce struggle took place, but in the end Finlay triumphed, and the giant was slain.

Next morning the hunter went to the shieling of Wise Woman, and told her of the night of terror and the long and deadly combat. "The dogs," he said, "helped me.

But for the dogs I should have been overcome."

Said Wise Woman: "There is need for the dogs, but the day of their greatest need has yet to come. To-night the fierce grey hag will seek to avenge the death of her husband and son. Beware of her, O valiant lad! She will not come raging and roaring like the giants, but gently and mannerly. She will call to you in a meek and mild voice, asking you to let her in. But, remember, it is her intention to take your life. Do as I instruct you and all will be well."

Wise Woman then gave him instructions, and he went home. When night came on there was silence all around. Finlay waited alone, listening intently, and the silence terrified him more than the noises like distant thunder he had heard on the two previous nights. He shook and shivered beside the warm bright peat fire, waiting and waiting and listening. At length he sprang up suddenly, for he heard a rustling sound like the wind stirring dead leaves. A moment later a weak patient voice outside the door called: "I am old and weary. I have need of food and of shelter for the night. Open and let me in."

Finlay went to the door and made answer: "I shall let you in, old woman, if you promise to be civil and mannerly, and not do me an injury."

Said the hag: "Oh! I shall give no trouble. I promise to be civil and mannerly. Let me enter your house."

Finlay opened the door, and the hag walked in. She looked a poor frail old woman, and seemed to be very weary. When she had curtsied to. Finlay, she sat down on one side of the fire. Finlay sat down on the opposite side.

The hag stretched out her hands to warm them, and began to look about her.

Finlay's three dogs were prowling up and down the room, snarling angrily and showing their teeth.

"These are fierce dogs," the widow said. "Arise and tie them with thongs."

"The dogs will not do any harm to a peaceable old woman," said Finlay.

"Tie them up in any case, I pray you. I dislike angry dogs."

"I cannot do that, old woman, because I have nothing to tie them with."

Said the hag: "I will give you three red ribbons from my cap. They are strong enough to hold a big ship at anchor."

Finlay took the red ribbons from her and pretended to tie up the dogs. But he only made them lie down in a corner.

"Have you tied up the dogs?" asked the hag very softly.

"You can see for yourself that they are lying now with their necks close together," Finlay answered. The hag looked at the dogs, and believing they had been secured with her magic ribbons, smiled to herself.

She sat beside the fire in silence for a time, and Finlay sat opposite her. After a time the hunter noticed that she was growing bigger and bigger.

"What means this?" cried Findlay. "You seem to be growing bigger and bigger."

"Oh, no, my darling!" she answered. "The cold of the night made me shrink, and now I am feeling more comfortable beside your warm bright fire."

There was silence again, and Finlay watched her for a time and then cried: "You are growing bigger, without doubt. You may be pleased or displeased because I say so, but you cannot deny it."

The hag frowned and answered angrily: "I am growing bigger, as you say. What of that? You fear me now, and you have good reason to. You slew my husband last night, and you slew my son on the night before. I shall certainly kill you tonight."

When she had spoken thus she sprang to her feet in full height, and the house shook about her and above. Finlay sprang to his feet also, and as he did so the hag seized him by the hair of his head. Having promised not to injure him inside the house--a promise she could not break--she dragged him outside. The three dogs rose, and sprang through the door after her.

Finlay wrestled fiercely with the hag, and the two twisted and turned hither and thither. The mother of the young giant would have killed him without delay, but the dogs kept attacking her, and gave her much trouble. At length, with the help of the dogs, Finlay managed to throw her down. She lay upon one of her arms, and the dogs held the other.

"Oh! let me rise to my feet," cried the hag, who had no power to struggle when she lay on the ground.

Said Finlay: "I shall not allow you to rise up."

"Allow me to ransom myself," the hag pleaded.

Said Finlay: "What ransom will you give?"

"I have a trunk of gold and a trunk of silver in my cave. You shall get both," she answered.

Said Finlay: "Having overcome you, these are mine already."

"I will give you a gold-hilted sword which is in my cave," the hag then promised.

"He who wields this magic sword will overcome any man or any beast in the world."

Said Finlay: "The sword is mine already."

"I will give you a magic rod if you spare me," the hag cried then. "It is a matchless weapon. It can also work wonders. If you strike a stone pillar with it, the pillar will turn into a warrior, and if you will put the gold-hilted sword in this warrior's hand, he will conquer the world for you."

Said Finlay: "Your wand is mine already by right of conquest. What else have you to offer for ransom?"

"Alas!" the hag cried, "I have naught else to give you."

Said Finlay: "Then you shall die. The world will be well rid of you."

He slew the fierce hag, and then arose quickly and put "red moss" (sphagnum moss) on his wounds and sores, so that they might be healed speedily. Next morning he arose and went and informed Wise Woman of what had taken place, saying: "It was chiefly owing to the dogs that the hag was overcome."

Said Wise Woman: "O valiant hero! the dogs have now had their day."

Then Finlay told about the treasure in the cave, and said: "I know not how I can obtain the gold and silver, the gold-hilted sword, and the magic wand."

Said Wise Woman: "To-night my daughter and I will go with you to the giants' cave. I will take my own magic wand with me."

When darkness came on the three went to the cave. They set to work and gathered armfuls of dry heather, which they heaped up at the cave mouth and set on fire, so that the young giant within might be choked by the fumes and scorched by the flames. Soon the giant crawled to the mouth of the cave, panting heavily He came through the smoke dazed and half blinded. Suddenly a warning light appeared on his forehead.

Finlay drew his bow and said: "I will shoot."

"Do not shoot," Wise Woman warned him. "A wound would only make him fiercer, and the dogs would be of no use to you among the fire. If he is allowed to

escape out of the flare, the dogs would not see him in the darkness. I shall strike him with my magic wand. I can strike once only, and if I fail he will strike the next blow with the gold-hilted sword which is in his hand."

The giant scattered the fire to get out of the cave, but ere he could rise Wise Woman smote him on the head with her magic wand, and he fell down dead.

When they entered the cave they found that Finlay's sister was within. But she was dead; she had perished in her cave prison.

Finlay took out all the treasure that was in the cave, and carried it to the shieling of Wise Woman. Then he tested the magic wand. He struck a stone pillar with it, and the pillar became a warrior. Then he struck the warrior, and he became a stone pillar again.

"This is wonderful," Finlay exclaimed.

"It is indeed," said Wise Woman. Then she told him that he must visit the king next day and inform him of all that had taken place, and she made him take a vow not to enter the palace.

Next day Finlay set out to the palace of the king. When he reached it he bade the royal servants inform the king that the great giants had been slain.

Said the king: "Let the valiant hero come within."

Finlay, however, declined to enter the palace, and sent him word, saying: "I dare not enter your palace, as I have a vow to fulfil."

The king came outside and spoke to Finlay, saying: "Come within. I shall give you my daughter, the princess, in marriage. You shall also have half of my kingdom as long as I live, and the remainder shall be yours when I die."

Said Finlay: "I give you thanks, O king, but I cannot enter."

When he had spoken thus, he walked towards a grey stone pillar and smote it with the magic wand. The pillar became a noble warrior. Then he smote the warrior, and he became a pillar again. The king was greatly astonished, and exclaimed: "I have never seen anything like this before."

He went into the palace to give orders about Finlay, whom he wished to detain, but when he came out again he found that the hunter had gone.

The king sent out foot-runners and horsemen to make search throughout the kingdom for Finlay, but they returned without having seen aught of him.

Finlay married the daughter of Wise Woman, and he prospered. Years went past.

Finlay had a family of three sons. He loved the boys very dearly, and spent happy days roaming with them among the mountains. All went well with him until Wise Woman died. Then misfortune overtook him. His wife died, and all his wealth was stolen from him by night robbers who were in league with the giants. He lost also the magic wand, but he kept possession of the gold-hilted sword. Nor did his troubles have end when he became poor again, for a witch cast spells on his three young sons and smote them with a magic wand. Then the boys were transformed into three beautiful white dogs and fled away.

Finlay was stricken with sorrow, and set out to search for his children. He crossed mountains and moors, following in the tracks of the three white dogs, but without avail. The day went past and evening came on, and still he hastened onward.

When darkness had fallen he came to a small glen and saw a light. He walked towards the light, and found it shone from the window of a house. At this house he asked for a night's lodgings, and it was given to him. The old man of the house spoke to him, saying: "You are sad and tearful, O stranger. Are you searching for your three sons?"

Said Finlay: "Oh, yes! Have you seen them?"

"They are travelling over mountain and moor," said the old man. "I cannot do anything to help you. To-morrow night you will reach the house of a brother of mine, and if he will not help you, I do not know what you should do."

Finlay resumed his journey next day, and when darkness came on he reached the house of the old man's brother, who said: "Your sons are travelling over mountain and moor as three white dogs. They cannot rest or stay, for they must travel by day and by night. I cannot do anything for you. To-morrow night you will reach the house of my elder brother, and he will give you advice."

Next night Finlay reached the house of the elder brother, and he said: "Your sons will remain under spells until Doomsday if you will not do one thing."

"What is that?" Finlay asked.

"You must have three garments made of bog-cotton, and leave them on a hill which your sons in dog form are now running round. When they see the white garments they will put them on. Each one of the garments will take you a year to make, unless you get a band of women to collect the bog-cotton, and a band of women to spin and weave."

"Alas!" Finlay exclaimed, "I cannot hire workers, because I have lost all I possessed."

"You still have the gold-hilted sword," the man said. "It may be of service to you."

Next morning Finlay resumed his journey with a heavy heart indeed. He went on until dusk. Then he heard cries of sorrow and despair. In another moment he beheld a great giant coming towards him, dragging a young man whom he had taken captive. Finlay drew his gold-hilted sword, and spoke boldly to the giant, saying: "Let your captive go free, or I shall smite you."

"Ho, ho!" laughed the giant. "Your sword will bend like a grass blade when it strikes my body."

As he spoke he stretched out his right hand to seize Finlay and take him captive also. But Finlay smote the giant with the gold-hilted magic sword, and slew him.

The young man was overjoyed and thanked Finlay, praising him for his valour.

"Come with me to my father's house," he said. "He is the king of this country, and will reward you."

The young prince had many sores and wounds, and Finlay put "red moss" (sphagnum) on them. Then the two went together to the palace and entered it.

When the king. heard his son's story, he said to Finlay: "You shall stay here, O wanderer, and I shall make you rich and prosperous.

"Alas!" Finlay exclaimed. "I cannot tarry here except for one night."

The queen came forward and said: "You are sad and unhappy, O stranger! What is the cause of your grief?"

Finlay told the queen about his lost sons and his weary and fruitless search for them.

Said the queen: "One of the king's shepherds has told me that every morning when he goes out he sees three beautiful white dogs on the green hill nigh to the palace."

"Ah! these are my sons," Finlay cried. Then he told the queen what the elder of the three old men had said.

The queen listened intently, and then spoke, saying: "I shall give you mine aid.

Until I have had made the garments of bog-cotton, there will be no rest for me, O stranger, because you have rescued my son from death."

Next morning the queen sent women to collect bog-cotton and women to spin and weave. The bog-cotton was collected speedily, for hundreds of women went out to obey the queen's command. Then the yarn was spun; it was put into the weaver's loom and woven. Then women sewed the garments, which were afterwards washed and bleached until they were as white and soft as new-fallen snow on a mountain top. The garments were laid on the green hill when the sun was setting.

Next morning Finlay went out early to look for his sons, and the prince whom he had rescued went with him. They found that the white garments had been taken away, but the boys could not be seen anywhere. Finlay and the prince searched far and wide for them in vain, and then returned to the palace.

A week went past, and, Finlay sorrowed greatly. Each morning he asked the shepherd if he had seen either the boys or the white dogs, and the shepherd answered saying: "No, I have not seen the white dogs on the green hill."

On the seventh day three youths appeared at the door of the palace and asked to see the stranger who resided there. Finlay came towards them with tears falling from his eyes.

"What ails you?" one of the youths asked.

Said Finlay: "I am mourning for my three beloved sons whom I shall never behold again."

"We are your sons, O father!" the youths exclaimed together.

Finlay dried his tears which blinded him, and then recognized his lost sons. He embraced them and kissed them, and took them before the king and the queen, who bade them welcome.

After that Finlay dwelt in the palace of the king, and his three sons grew up and became mighty warriors.

Source: Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend by Donald Alexander Mackenzie, Frederick A Stokes Co., New York [1917] Scanned at sacredtexts.com, February, 2004. John Bruno Hare, redactor. This text is in the public domain. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution is left intact.

The number three features prominently in this story, with three witches (husband, son, and old-hag), three red ribbons, three garments made of bog-cotton, three old men, three dogs, and three sons. And the number seven plays a significant part in the resolution of the tale, as it is on the seventh day that Finlay’s three beloved sons return to him.

Three is linked with the phases of the moon (waxing, full and waning), and with time (past, present and future). Pythagoras called three the perfect number in that it represented the beginning, the middle and the end, and he thus regarded it as a symbol of Deity. The importance of the number in the story could well be the result of the influence of Christianity and its use of the Trinity, but it also brings to mind the three stages in the cycle of life and adds to the universality of the story’s appeal.

As for seven, it is a mystic or sacred number in many different traditions. Among the Babylonians and Egyptians, there were believed to be seven planets, and the alchemists recognized seven planets too. In the Old Testament there are seven days in creation, and for the Hebrews every seventh year was Sabbatical. There are seven virtues, seven sins, seven ages in the life of man, seven wonders of the world, and the number seven repeatedly occurs in the Apocalypse as well. The Muslims talk of there being seven heavens, with the seventh being formed of divine light that is beyond the power of words to describe, and the Kabbalists also believe there are seven heavens–each arising above the other, with the seventh being the abode of God.

Ghost Children

Â

We had been house‐hunting for over a year and had looked at many different properties in a wide area of Surrey and Hampshire. One of our criteria for a new house was a drive where we could park the car off‐road, as our present house did not have that facility and we often could not park even close to the house.

We had driven past one old property which we really liked on several occasions even though it was displaying a For Sale sign, as we guessed that it would be way too expensive for us. It was on a wide, tree‐lined avenue and was about 100 years old and had large mature trees in the garden and a six‐foot high wooden fence all around with a large farm‐style gate closing off the drive which was long enough for three or four cars and there was a garage at the end of the drive. Perfect....but we guessed too expensive.

The house remained on the market throughout the year we were looking and one day we decided to have a look at it, if only to see what it was like inside, even though we thought we would not be able to afford it.

We contacted the estate agent who was selling it and we were amazed to find that it was well within our budget and considerably under market value. We then arranged a viewing and on approaching the house, I felt a kind of welcoming aura all around it, and as I entered through the very large and original old front door into a wide hallway, I just felt that it was meant for me. I literally seemed to feel the house wrapping its arms around me in a gentle hug.

Off the hallway to the right is a large sitting room with a bay window and a huge open fireplace and opposite that is a kitchen of equal size to the sitting room.

Between these rooms is a natural unpainted wooden staircase to the upstairs bedrooms, with tall bannisters and long wooden spindles and, sitting on the third stair up were two attractive children, a girl of about ten years old and a boy who I guessed was around six or seven, who both smiled at me. The girl had long flowing blond hair held back from her forehead with a ribbon and she wore a white dress with a ribbon sash at the waist and black strap‐over shoes fastened with a button and the boy was wearing a white sailor suit. I guessed that they were the children of the people who were selling the house. Having looked at

the ground floor only, I decided that I wanted this place but we still looked upstairs at the bedrooms, which did not disappoint.

As we were about to leave, I smiled at the children who were still sitting on the stairs and they said that they were pleased that I was going to buy their house.

Later, as we were discussing the events of the day, I mentioned the children to my wife as I commented that they were dressed in a very old‐fashioned way but thought they may have been going to a party. My wife had not noticed them at all and when I mentioned their apparent ages she said that I must have imagined it, as the children of the house‐owners were in their late teens or early twenties and were at college.

We have now been here almost 20 years and I have always been very happy with the house, although there have been several instances of very unusual incidents or events which have given me some slight cause for concern.

I have not seen the children since that first day, but I have heard them on occasions and they have also made their presence felt in other ways, usually by some playful prank or making funny noises, as children tend to do.

Other happenings have been somewhat unnerving, but I am still happy to be live here and whenever I arrive home onto the drive I still look at it and have a satisfied feeling inside knowing that it is mine.

Paul Grant

The Wondrous Journey into the Depth of Our Being

by Ilie Cioara

Each human being on planet Earth is – consciously or unconsciously – searching for happiness with unlimited persistence and greed. Happiness appears as a mirage; we try countless ways in order to find it in the external world, with perseverance and determination; nevertheless, each time, the desired happiness finally results in disappointing delusion.

Other, more subjective individuals turn to their inner world; in this case as well, their thirst for happiness is satisfied by sheer deceitful imagination. In each of our attempts to search for it, we start from what we know or imagine.

Such happiness is always motivated by an object we anticipate or desire.

True happiness ensues indirectly. It always appears in a state of non‐ search. Practically, we do not know what happiness is, but, when the mind is completely silent, in a state of total passiveness, our whole being experiences harmony. In this state, as complete beings, integrated into Life, we are overwhelmed with an immense Joy and Happiness without cause.

Only when It appears as a real experience can we truly know Happiness and Its constant freshness, without turning It into a memory. Ever renewing itself, It is a natural gift offered to the individual who is free from his time‐space structure. Only in this way do we discover the true Happiness that the wandering mind of the conditioned man has been searching for throughout the millennia.

****

The moment we encounter true Happiness, we are in fact outside time and space. The “ego” – with its intrinsic duality – has completely disappeared.

If the “ego” does not exist anymore, who can evaluate this happy fulfillment?

In that moment, the Sacred within us, also existent in the whole universe, becomes one “Whole” and a Unique movement, in a permanent renewal.

Do we truly experience this union, or do we merely understand it intellectually?

You alone can answer this question.

Each human being – from the moment of birth until the moment of the so‐called death – persistently searches for this mysterious Happiness. Unfortunately, most people make the mistake of searching for it with the thinking mind.

Because Happiness has no motivations, It is not part of the limited world. Its nature is infinite; therefore the knowing mind cannot encounter It, or understand It, or imagine It. Happiness comes to us by Itself, and It envelops our whole being when the mind becomes humble and silent, as it has understood its inability to encounter the Unknown.

Lucid Attention – with Its flashes – dissipates all the darkness, as well as the baggage of the dysfunctional mind.

In the empty space of peace or no‐mind, our being is extended into Infinity; in that moment, the Divinity within us reveals we are one with the Source of the Sacred. In conclusion, let us add that in the environment of “Pure Consciousness”, Happiness is present as a natural fulfillment and It is unlike anything that can be found in this perishable world.

****

The Love dimension is known by different names: Truth, Reality, God, Immensity, the Infinite, Intelligence etc.

The very meaning of the words which define it express the fact that this dimension has no bounds.

In this dimension, no faiths, ideals, desires or any such similar ideas can exist, as they are encountered in the limited dimension. For this reason, in this wondrous climate there is no struggle, contradictions, confusion, pain, hate etc.

Boundlessness cannot be comprehended by imagination or by thought; there is nothing we can say about it. We can only describe and explain that which our mind can encompass. In the face of Limitlessness, the mind is poor, completely unable to understand it. In fact, the moment Immensity affirms itself within us, as a living state of the integral human being, the “ego” dimension and its limited way of expression does not exist anymore.

There is not much we can say about the experience of living in the dimension of Love. Nevertheless, we will try to express certain feelings and states of being encountered in this state.

In complete union with Love, we are perfect peace, we live total freedom; the very notion of “self” is missing, although we are endowed with a clarity and sensitivity of the mind such as we have never encountered in the limited realm of thinking.

By melting with silence, we become that silence, equilibrium and harmony, free from duality: our being is extended into Infinity. Practically, by experiencing “psychological nothingness”, the “ego” disappears and, in its place, Immensity envelops us wholly and we become one with It. Integrated into the Great Cosmic Energy, we continue to exist as a state of superconsciousness.

Encountering the Boundless

It is impossible to embrace and comprehend the Infinite Universe

With the limited “ego”; All is experienced in total silence, Free from time – the being and the mind are newly born.

Thus, I am Immensity, in perpetual movement, In Unity with the Whole – a creative structure – I see, feel and act in perfect union with the Sacred, I use language to describe Wisdom.

One with the Boundless, I am Happiness, A divine gift, with no support in the thought process; Happiness has no motives – a supreme satisfaction, To which, consciously or unconsciously, each human being aspires.

The Freshness of Life

Everything in the Universe is in constant movement, What is now – in a flash – is consumed and dies, The old moment is replaced with the new, appearing rhythmically, A constant succession – inviting us to know ourselves.

Yesterday and the thousands of yesterdays Created our lives of fiction: lies, fear, madness; All that was – is dead – worthless in the present, The moment – a precious mystery – integrates us into reality.

****

Intuition is that capacity of the Divinity of our being to warn or to direct us in a perfect way through lightning‐like impulses. It is a surprise and an instant mystery. It has no connection with the conditioned mind. On the contrary, it reveals itself to us only in the absence of thinking. We can never, in any way, anticipate its appearance. It cannot be cultivated and we cannot invoke it with the help of a certain formula.

Our only duty is to create a favorable climate in which Intuition can reveal itself, by itself. The only obstacle, obstructing its mysterious presence, is the “ego” and its whole memory baggage – a fictitious entity. When we see it as it is – with the help of lucid Attention – the “ego” disappears spontaneously.

“Psychological emptiness” ensues naturally; our whole being, in perfect harmony and inner simplicity, transcends from the finite world into Boundlessness. In a state of “Pure Consciousness”, intuitive responses are mirrored onto the luminous screen of consciousness.

We can explain this state in the right words only when we are requested to do so, in order to provide a better understanding of life phenomena.

These intuitive impulses can reveal to us: either momentary dangers, threatening our lives, or hidden, concealed truths, or small realizations regarding our everyday existence.

Happy indeed is the man who, detached from the “self”, abandons himself to the will of Divinity, offering himself as an instrument through which the Divine affirms Its Sacred guidance.

Excerpt from The Wondrous Journey by Ilie Cioara Ilie Cioara was an enlightened mystic who lived in Eastern Europe. His writings in 16 books describe the experience of meditation and enlightenment, as well as the practice of Self‐knowing using all‐ encompassing Attention. The Silence of the Mind and The Wondrous Journey are the first two books in a tetralogy by Ilie Cioara, published

by OBooks. Soon to follow: Life is Eternal Newness and I Am Boundlessness.

Website thesilencebook.blogspot.com Amazon Link http://www.amazon.com/Wondrous-Journey-Into-DepthBeing/dp/1846949513 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wondrous-Journey-Into-DepthBeing/dp/1846949513 Facebook Page www.facebook.com/silencebook OBooks Link http://www.o-books.com/books/wondrous-journey-the

Ultimate cure of all sufferings‐ sun light/rays

December 10

2011

By acharya punit vora www.wasco.webs.com

Sun is easily accessible to all. Through the sun rays many ailments could be cured. This is an amazing system of cure in Ayurved. It is famous not only in India but all over the world. In ancient Rome this system was very popular and it was called Heliotherapy and Chromopathy.

The capital of Italy, Rome is a very ancient city. The foundation of the city was laid by the god Romulas who lives in the mountain of Peletain. It is on his name that the city gets its title Rome.

According to the famous physician of Rome, Dr. Tilani in ancient Rome there was no physician for almost 600 years. The reason was that there was no need of a physician. The ancient people of Rome used sun rays, exercises and fresh air and water to keep themselves hale and hearty. In those days Rome was a very powerful kingdom.

According to the natural physician Dr. Remson The nature has gifted us with so many boons to keep the body healthy and for attaining to longevity. But we have forgotten these divine natural boons and we keep consuming poisonous medicines with so many side effects. By using medicines we not only waste money rather also ruin our health further. Don't we need to reflect upon this?

In the Roman language Helio means sun and therapy means a system of cure. In ancient Rome Heliotherapy or rays of the sun and their various colours were used to remedy several diseases and ailments. The use of colours for cure is called Chromopathy. Chromo means colour and pathy means system of cure.

All things are coloured. The stars and planets too emit certain colours. When the animals and birds in the wild get ill they imbibe sun rays early in the morning in order to cure themselves. Through sun bathing one can effect a cure without having to resort to medicines. But the unfortunate thing is that today humans are failing to benefit from this science.

Sun rays have many colours which make the air pure and destroy the microbes present in the atmosphere and the water. This goes on naturally and all by itself.

The ancient Rishis used to worship the sun and realised that sun rays could help

one regain lost health. Through the sun rays even chronic and old ailments could be cured permanently.

In the most ancient of texts, the Vedas there are verses dedicated to the sun.

Worship of the sun was very popular in those times. The Gayatri Mantra that appears in the Vedas is a prayer to the sun god. In this Mantra a worshipper prays to sun to bestow intelligence. The Mantra is also called Savita Mantra that means Mantra of sun.

In Rigved it is said ‐ Riju Marteshu Drijinaa Cha Pashchan. i.e. The sun is a witness to all good and bad actions of humans, In the ancient times people used to take oath with sun as a witness. They then used to fear committing any sins.

The sun has been called the soul of the living as well as the non living world. It is said ‐ Soorya Aatmaa Jagatast‐ asthushashcha In Rigved it is said ‐ Noonam Sooryenn Prasootaa Ayannarthaani Krinnavannpaansi i.e. It is sun that wakes one up from sleep. It is due to the sun that all can work and are active.

Rigved also states ‐ All living beings of the creation depend on the sun. The sun removes physical, mental and spiritual weaknesses and makes one healthy and long lived. For ailments of the heart, eyes, jaundice, leprosy and weak mind sun could be helpful.

Atharvaved states that there are seven names of the sun which represent the seven rays of the sun. One of the names of sun is Sapt Rashmi or seven rays. The

Rishis in the ancient times did deep research and Sadhanas and revealed that the sun has seven rays.

The theory of the wheel of seven colours propounded by Newton has been borrowed from the Vedas. According to modern science if the seven colours namely violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red are painted on a wheel and if the wheel is then rotated fast then one gets to see the white colour. This is why we see that the sun is white.

The seven colours of the sun are very good and important for the health. If early morning one has a bath and after offering prayers to the Lord one has sun bath and allows the sun rays to fall on one's body then one could free the body of all ailments and increase one's intelligence.

Following are the gains of sun ray therapy.

1. Where sun rays are allowed to fall there cannot be any ailment.

2. The sun rays are free of side effects. By the use of sun rays in fact the body could be made active and healthy and one could enjoy life to the full.

Describing the benefits of sun bathing and the effect of the various colours of the sun rays it is said ‐ Sooryataapah Swedavahah Sarvarog‐vinaashakah.

Medachhed‐karashcheiv balotsaah‐vivardhanah.

Dadruvisfotkushtthgrah Kaamlaashoth‐naashakah.

Jwaraatisaarshoolaanaam Haarako Naatra Sanshayah.

Kafpittodbhavaan Rogaan Vaatrogaanst‐theiv cha.

Tatsevanaanaro Jitva Jeevechch Sharadaam Shatam.

i.e. The heat from the sun increases perspiration and removes all ailments. It also enhances body power and enthusiasm. It removes all imbalances of the three humours namely Vaat (air), Pitt (bile) and Kaf (cough). It also cures leprosy, fever, pain and weakness. Through sun ray therapy a person could attain victory over all diseases and become long lived. One can increase energy in the body and live to an age of hundred.

From the sun rays one gets vital life energy or Praann and also heat both of which make the body healthy and long lived. The sun rays are also instrumental in producing the ozone gas which protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet rays. Ozone increases the body power and makes the blood pure. It also makes the heart strong and the bones powerful.

In ancient Rome there used to be many solariums where sun ray therapy was done to remove ailments. Following is the method of sun ray therapy.

Bring pure water of the rain or of a mountain stream and fill it in bottles of various colours. Close the mouth of the bottle and seal with clay. Then place the bottles in sun. After two or three days the effect is produced in the water and the water becomes miraculous. It has the property of removing ailments.

Make the patient drink a bit of the water daily and soon he would be free of all ailments.

According to the expert in this field Dr. Levit water from a red bottle energises the body. Such water also removes ailments of the skin.

Water from yellow bottle cures constipation and urinary disorders.

Water from blue bottle cures chronic skin diseases better than even potassium permagnate.

Water from orange bottle increases the appetite.

Water from green bottle cures ailments of eyes, influenza and Syphilis.

Water from indigo bottle makes blood pure and cures disorders of blood and liver.

Water from violet bottle cures ailments of nerves.

Following is the experience of some experts regarding this therapy.

1. If a patient suffering from small pox is made to lie in a red room and made to drink water from red bottle he becomes cured in a few days.

2. If one suffers from paralysis then too one should be put in a red room and made to drink red bottle water.

3. For hay‐fever and for weak mind never use colour red or the person shall become more ill.

4. For those suffering from cold, liver disorders, constipation, jaundice, kidney trouble, bronchitis, pneumonia and disorders of the digestive tract water from yellow bottles should be used and one should be made to live in a yellow room.

5. For retardness of brain keep the person in a blue room and make him drink water from a blue bottle.

6. By keeping a person in a green room and by making him drink water from green bottle eye trouble could be cured and the mind made more sharp.

Valerie Tyler I have had many strange experiences in my life to the point what I think is normal, others look at as being weird. Most of them are ghostly but there are some accounts of what could be classed as alien. Quite a few years ago, probably about 1976. I cannot positively remember the date only that my eldest daughter was about eight. We were coming home from our friend Dave's house in the early hours of the morning. We were in a friend's green van which I remember quite well as it was brightly coloured. Suddenly a brilliant white light filled the entire back of the van, it was so bright we could hardly see each other.

It was quite frightening yet exhilarating at the same time, the light appeared to

be phorescent if that is the right word. Richard who was driving the van wanted to stop to see what it was, we all screamed at him to keep driving and when we got home we stayed up even later talking about it and wondering if we should tell someone or check out what it was but we never did. The next day though we spoke to our friends on the telephone and found that they had experienced the exact same thing but as he was indoors the whole of his living room lit up with that bright light. I wondered if it was something that would have an effect on our lives in some way as the experience had been so strange, I often wondered what would have happened if we had stopped as there was no other traffic about either. The only effect I could think it had was on Dave Murray as he became famous when the Iron Maiden band was formed but really that was down to the fact that he was always a brilliant and dedicated guitarist.

Another strange experience was when my son woke up screaming, every night he used to get in my bed anyway but this night he just screamed,when I went in his room he asked if he could get in my bed, he looked really scared and kept looking behind him. He came into my room and sat up in the bed holding his hands out, I said"What are you doing now?" He said he was trying to catch the ball of light. In the morning he started to speak of people who were in his room pulling the covers off him, He explained exactly what they all looked like, a woman with long blonde hair and lace up boots, a man with a cap, a girl with long blonde hair and a small man with dark skin, pictures and feathers on him with no shirt and an earring in one ear. He said they had green round them and he couldn't see their feet. He said the man with the cap followed him into my room and kept throwing the ball of light to him, he had to catch it before he went to sleep. When I asked him if he was frightened he answered that if he thought they were from heaven he wouldn't be but if they were from outer space he would. He was only four at the time and the next day he tried to write about what he had seen with his all in one lettering which only he could read. I since heard that other people had encountered seeing this healing ball of light.

The next day he was quite ill and I had wondered if he had been delirious until I heard others talking about the same thing.This was only one experience he had as there were many more though he doesn't remember much of them he remembers the man with the pictures and feathers and strangely enough he has pictures on himself now.I have since heard of others seeing people with a green

tinge around them, I am wiondering if they were transported from somewhere else.

That happened when we lived in Teynham, Nr. Sittingbourne.

On another occasion a strange whirring noise was heard and a craft with lights was seen hovering over the church, many people experienced this. At one time my daughter came in screaming from the park and said a disc shaped thing had come down close to her and her friend, she said it had lights on it and they were so scared they both ran home, I always thought she was playing but now she is a mother herself she still insists that she saw what she did.

The strangest experience I had was a visitation in my house which I will talk about on another date as I'm still finding out more about it, the mystery goes on.

Valerie is a Psychic Colour Therapist and Medium , Spiritual / Reiki and Crystal Healer, with qualifications in these areas and has been a member of the Healer's Practioners Association since 1997. After working in care for many years, then becoming a practising reflexologist with The Association of Reflexologists she found herself recieving messages from spirit on a more frequent and higher level than before. After becoming housebound through a period of disability she found this led her to writing, drawing and painting the messages she was recieving. She says "The words seemed to flow into my mind as though someone was talking to me, mainly I was recieving words to lift vibrations of the inner soul, then faces started to appear as if beings from elsewhere were communicating a message of hope, peace and love, the words are in their eyes.I know there is a message for us all to step up to the higher frequencies that are coming to us as thousands of Angels that we couldn't communicate with before have heard what can be known as the Indigo call which I believe is our own call for a new era. We are telling ourselves we are ready for this now.I believe we are entering and some are already there, the time of the Indigo Legend as we rise we find the stories that have been passed down for eons of years unfolding before our eyes and we are fast approaching what we could name the land of Camelot which by the way is already here, we are waking up to a higher consciousness which brings with it more than we can imagine but will do as the path gets wider and leads us to the castle of Truth." Valerie is able to give readings with the use of colour and angel cards, also individual writings determining what colour ray you were born on and what the colour of your life's lessons are.Personal drawings and paintings and

hot wax pictures can be made available at one's request. Contact Valerie on colourmeindigo@yahoo.co.uk or phone 07746013904.

Terrence known as 'Tel' has been a musician, songwriter for many years, hidden away in the depths of his small recording studio he is now ready to share his creativity to awaken those in slumber,coming from the era of Rock and mingling with friends such as Dave Murray and Adrian Smith from the 'Iron Maiden' rock band he still carries some of this with him but can mellow quite a lot and has become diverse with his music. Having always been interested in the ways of the Native American Indians and having studied their teachings Tel has become a 'Master of the Mantric Arts'. Many of the words to his songs portray this. He also brings this forth in his artwork which involves the use of strong colour and is focused on creating an awareness which is aimed at bringing about healing for the planet. A website will shortly be underway under the name of www.indigorising.co.uk and you will soon be able to hear Tel's music under the name of The Indigo Legend Music.

Guitar lessons, songwriting, incidental music for the use of website attachments including u tube, video games, adverts, etc.

Individual paintings, Native American stone readings, group music sessions, recording facility for individuals or duos available.

If interested Please contact on Valerie's email above or or phone 0751250931.

Valerie and Terrence's artwork can be viewed by going into www.thearttrain.com all one word. Click on the art gallery then click on individual's name and the rest of the pictures will come up and can be enlarged when clicking on them again. You are invited to write your comments on the website. Many other artists have pictures there with a variety of good and interesting work. Watch this space, there will be more to come.

THE ART TRAIN was formed by a small goup of locl artists from the Sittingbourne area. If you would like to see more of the work it can be found on www.thearttrain.com An opportunity arose in Sittingbourne for local artists to show their work in a shop under the forum, everyone involved volunteered to spend periods of time in the shop. it became very popular and was visited by a vast ammount of people

who loved coming back again and again.Disappointment reigned when it came to the end of the three months and we all got together to form the group to keep our friendship alive and show our work. The website has kindly been set up by Gaven who also has some brilliant artwork and can be viewed on the link above.

Thanks goes to Sioux and Colin Peto from the Polkadot Art Gallery in Teynham for allowing us the opportunity to share our work through the 795 club and forum shop through their hard work. They have now formed www.thelitterangels.co.uk supported recycling campaign with worsshops and much news etc.

 Oare Woods, now called 'The Country Park at Oare'

My first visit there was on the first day of 'The Artists in the woods ' which was a day that had been arranged for artists, musicians, poets etc. to meet and display their arts etc. Many musicians of different styles, one was my husband,played music which sang through the hollow energy, appearing to wake up the spirit of all who had lain asleep since that awful time of the great explosion, the place of gunpowder works.So many had left the earth that day.

Silence engulfed me as I left what must have been the territory of the bewildered to any that may have survived. Hearing a cry for love, a mingled sound coming from the dead I asked for a silent prayer for those in that place and ventured home.I took many photos of images etched in trees and pictures of the light and started writing about them and had a little booklet made including a poem and verses that came to me through my intuition, messages to be passed on.This included the Angel in the tree which I painted and made into a front cover. Two years later I ventured there again with my camera,looking for signs of more spirits.

Sure enough I started to focus on the light and there in the ripples a picture formed before me, coming alive. I wondered if it was my imagination.

Weeks later, I still had the image on my camera and decided to get it printed off. I ordered a larger print of one particular picture and there before my eyes was the picture I had captured in the light. A man with some kind of cap or hat, stepping forward towards me, his mouth in open motion as if calling to someone, quite clearly holding a lantern in his right hand, high in front of him, next to him a smaller more feminine face looks up, she is also holding a lantern. then I ask myself if I have taken leave of my senses.

I left the images on the camera for about six months and cutting the next part of the story short, I took them into a shop to be processed. On seeing the photograph the woman behind the counter remarked on the picture telling me that she could see a man with a lantern and this confirmed what I had seen and captured on camera.The strange part is that i had captured a similiar image before of what seemed to be the same man walking across a fallen log.

The picture is here for you to see so I will let you make up your own minds and all I ask is that you send your love to this place to set free those that may have lost their way.

Light Worker Hello all, let us not be misled on our journey in this life. We are all different but have the same nucleus running through us. We are all searching for the truth and sometimes we get glimpses of it but can never really know it all surely until we reach the point of the summit together in oneness but until then we must all acknowledge that we are on the same path and some of us have different understandings, we are thirsty for knowledge and i am sure we all wish for there to be peace and happiness for all.

Does everyone agree that they can notice a change in consciousness maybe happening so gradually for some and fast for others. I believe that it is this part of consciousness that is coming to us maybe through someone else but at the end of the day it is each one of us that has to change to reach the consciousness where we are all one and will achieve harmony together.There are so many religions but surely only one source, does that one source want us to be divided in spirit, i think not. So who is this person that is coming , does he or she have a

name, what is more important, who it is, the name or the teachings they will bring or already have brought. If the name is more important then how will we worship a name without knowing the fruits they bring. If it is the teachings, how will we know they are right. We will know in our own hearts do you not think?

Have we not listened to others for so many generations and look what is still happening in the world. Is there anyone that does not want peace and love to reign. That is the truth and the only things that bring the truth are peace love and happiness. When people are without truth it causes wars and abominations everywhere because those that cause them are without truth , how do we know this? because if they were with truth they would know that these conflicts are unneccesary and they only exist in minds that do not let truth in. I believe that is what i call Christ consciousness but to others it may have another name but it is not the name that is important but the message that is bropught by that name, many names have been used all over the world but there is only one truth. The Great spirit that runs through all of us wants to be known to bring a harmony and balace to our world. We all have life force running through us, so beautiful, so honoured to live in this time of changes, we did not come here by accident we have been given a life to expand love and the fruits that it brings let us all remember that this is the only truth. You are all loved by your creator and that is all that is asked of you back.If others make their deviances pray that they will find the light within themselves to forgive and let go of anger and retribution, look at all religions and ask yourself what there aim is. To help you be aware of a loving divine force that runs through us, giving us life, has not all life come from this same divine place. No matter what has passed in your life and what your grievances are, you are all loved, you are a vehicle of love and until you know this you will not be happy and when you do know this you will never feel alone or fearful love and light valerie

Here is an excerpt from my book which will soon be in the process of being published.

Remembering.

We live such busy lives that we have become disconnected from the nurturing of our natural surroundings.

The energy centres of our bodies have a direct connection to Mother Earth’s energy centre and to the Universe and by using our own intuition we can receive and hear the innate messages from her. It shows us the importance of listening to the quietness and finding the place of Peace inside ourselves. When we ignore this part of ourselves we lose meaning to our lives and this creates stress in our bodies. The conditions and the way in which we live our lives contribute to this. We lose our identity as we melt into the rat race of a world which we have created ourselves. We have allowed ourselves to be separated by being enticed, manipulated and controlled by our own fears and by the promise of monetary reward for our trouble. The problem is that the rewards we have reaped are now our own prisons. We need to rid ourselves of these thoughts of having to live in an environment with the focus on materialism before we become such an intense part of the physical matter that we will find it harder to return to the beginnings from whence we came.

It is time now to remember who we are. Remembering as our ancestors did that the connection with each other and with nature is an important part of our lives and is needed to sustain us, we are able to understand more about our own bodies and how they are affected by our emotions. Our environment also helps us to feel the way we do.

It is when we have time to step back and reflect that we find this out for ourselves. Sometimes it is only through a particular incident in our lives that we are able to allow ourselves time, this is when we make the connection.

The study of psychology, psychic development, having worked as a reflexologist and colour therapist has enabled me to have contact with many people suffering from a variety of different ailments, most of them being stress related

conditions. Although most may say that theirs is not so, stress can be the culprit of many diseases and conditions, being the factor that brings them into being.

Although our bodies appear physical to us they are actually made from energy and light. Nature shows us how we need colour and we can easily see that the nature of colour affects our lives. All around us we can see the reflection of ourselves and what our bodies need. The colours that we desire to look at are the vibrations and frequencies that we need to help balance our emotional, mental or physical bodies. This reaches our brain on a subconscious level and we have the results by the way that looking at or wearing different colours makes us feel. Emotions colour us and have an effect on the physical body if they are left unheeded for long enough, they can filter their way through the layers of the aura until we have to listen because of the effect which has caused disease has taken place.

Many of us ignore these warnings and take a pill, then carry on with what we’re doing, feeling so pressured that we forget how to turn the brakes on, doing the things that are demanded of us with no thought of ourselves, as though the responsibility of our whole being has been handed to someone else.

What we must realise is that whoever it is that delivers us the cheque that pays our bills at the end of every month may be responsible for helping us to uphold the materialism in our world but they are not responsible for our health, it is only us that can be for we are the only ones that know how we are feeling and how tasks affect us emotionally and physically. When we are healthy and balanced we are sending this same message out into the depths of the Universe.

Whether we like it or not our thoughts are living energy and we have a responsibility to direct them sensibly. Not believing will not prevent it from happening. Everyone needs to be aware of this because those that do not have this knowledge may think that they themselves are nothing to do with the scheme of things and will not know of the power they hold with which to heal themselves and indeed the planet as all nature is connected.

It is time to listen to our emotional, mental and physical bodies. It is also time for us all to realise that we are being guided by a higher self and if we do not listen, maybe out of fear, maybe ignorance of the idea of such a thing, then we only have ourselves to question. It is no use in laying the blame on all and sundry around us for we can change when we learn more about ourselves, including the world of colour, ourselves and its messages to us. This is the Earth’s call to us and the message is being delivered through higher beings of energy than ourselves. The lighter our energies become the easier it is for them to contact us.

We are constantly being asked to raise our vibrations. We are given examples every day of our lives. Through these we can see how thinking negative thoughts can put us on a lower vibration and when changing our thoughts to positive ones we can function at a higher level.

How do we know this? Our feelings tell us, they speak to us through our bodies.

We know if we feel good or bad, happy or sad, well or unwell. If we feel unwell we should question our thoughts at the time. A typical example is “What was I thinking about before I got this terrible headache? Or “What has having this terrible stomach upset stopped me from doing?”

When I was a child I often fell ill with terrible stomach pains, earache and sore throats, they always came on when I was worried about going to school and some said that I was putting it on because I didn’t want to go but I was actually suffering and it proved to be true when a weeping abscess was found in my ear.

This has had an effect on my ears throughout my life and stress of any sort can start the process off again. Does this prove that thoughts cause the illness and could this also prove that the physical existence of our bodies is also the manifestation of a thought form that has come from somewhere else. If our bodies can become ill from our way of thinking, this means that they can become well. As we know that thoughts are such a strong part of us and that they can take over our lives do we ever wonder if we are not the end result of a thought form that we have created ourselves, in another place, another time?

As the chances of healing our own bodies and the Earth itself are becoming more real to us we look at our thoughts , will and intentions more seriously. I had a first hand learning experience of this when I had an operation.

I awoke in hospital to find that I’d had a severe allergic reaction and was attached to a blood pressure machine and a drip. My blood pressure was very low and appeared to keep getting lower. Each time it lowered an alarm went off which made me take notice and think what it was I had been thinking about I realised that I was always having a negative thought at the time. I found that I could make my blood pressure go up by changing the thought into a positive one and it was quite a revelation to actually see this happening. I wondered if the main reason I was there was to be able to discover this phenomenon to be true and proved by technology. By just thinking about why someone had said something to me or ignored me the blood pressure reading was changing so this shows how even what we consider to be tiny negative thoughts are actually having a big effect on ourselves.

Here is the reason why forgiveness must be learnt and why we need to send love to all situations. We have an innate need to recognise that our thoughts, actions and deeds are important, not only affecting ourselves and each other but the Earth itself, because we are all interconnected. It is our responsibility to take charge of our thoughts.

We can easily get lost in the importance of ourselves, forgetting that we are connected to the whole Universe. all that we see, hear and experience is being reflected back to us from our own thoughts and desires but also fears, this is why it is important to gain an understanding that cancels out fear. Everything is vibration resonating at different frequencies. We are therefore all part of the same whole. We are united yet we try to be on our own, we will never get satisfaction from this as it is not the true nature of the world we live in.

My belief is that our lives can also resonate with the colours or vibration of the name we have chosen and the colours missing from our name can determine our life’s lessons as we find ourselves searching for things that are the nature of those colours.

Colour can be used in many ways to enhance the ability for emotions to help in the process of healing.

To find out more about your name, life’s purpose or healing through the use of colour…. Valerie Tyler. email colourmeindigo@yahoo.co.uk or phone 07746013904

Honour the Mothers "Without the stone and tree of home to enfold you, fragments of the heart can break away, like lost boats upon a foreign sea", says the Great Mother.

Our world is not doomed nor dying, it is lacking in feminine values. When women go into the world to make changes, they usually do so in a masculine way, for it is still very much a man's world. I lived in the UK when Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister of Britain. She seemed like a very feminine woman and we felt that this was the change that the world needed. But in fact, Mrs Thatcher was just like a man! She carried male values.

I realised that I was looking in the wrong places for the arising of the feminine spirit. The feminine does not look for the spotlight or the political stage. She exists in art and music and she carries the world in her loving arms. There is a long history of abuse of women, yet still she endured, for her role is the creation

of life and of love. When the Romans took over Christianity, they realised that the people were not just worshiping Christ, they were also worshiping his mother! They were not only honouring the Father and the Son, they also revered the Holy Ghost!

Our world is one of balance. If the balance is lost, the world is lost. The feminine spirit is the balance that brings peace to the world.

The Feminine Spirit speaks, "Finding me will take you beyond your biology to the soul light that shines like a beacon in the darkness of the world. My feminine light will reveal to you the link between all living things, and the truth that what you do to another ‐ you also do to yourself."

The feminine spirit saves the forests, saves the children and saves the world. She is the one who creates, not destroys. Her light is a lamp light, not a spotlight ‐ shining upon all who need her help. A world that allows forests and animals to disappear is a world lacking in feminine caring and love. The arising belief in an infinite universe is a sign that the feminine spirit is appearing in the world of science. In the 5th century, Epicurus expounded his belief in an infinite universe, but many disagreed with him, and still do.

"Follow the path of soul and find the feminine spirit within. The path to peace is within us all. Sit quietly in nature and listen... The feminine spirit will open your heart gently, without intrusion."

You may begin by honouring your own mother.

The Great Mother speaks, "Never lose your mother. She is your link to the ancestral line of women that you came from. There is a reason why you chose their bloodline and their history may guide you toward your own authentic life.

Remember that their blood is flowing through your veins. Honour the Mothers."

Copyright Roz Winters, 2012. http://www.otherworldmusic.com http://sacredshore.blogspot.com.au

A Few Old Bones

By Michael Berman The old bone in this first tale is a skull, which sets about assembling a skeleton for himself in order to attract a new wife. Though probably intended as a warning to young women not to marry outside their community, it also reminds us of a time when travel between this world and the next was not merely the fanciful notion it has now become for the majority of us.

The Disobedient Daughter who married a Skull

EFFIONG Edem was a native of Cobham Town. He had a very fine daughter, whose name was Afiong. All the young men in the country wanted to marry her on account of her beauty; but she refused all offers of marriage in spite of repeated entreaties from her parents, as she was very vain, and said she would only marry the best‐looking man in the country, who would have to be young and strong, and capable of loving her properly. Most of the men her parents wanted her to marry, although they were rich, were old men and ugly, so the girl continued to disobey her parents, at which they were very much grieved. The skull who lived in the spirit land heard of the beauty of this Calabar virgin, and thought he would like to possess her; so he went about amongst his friends and borrowed different parts of the body from them, all of the best. From one he got a good head, another lent him a body, a third gave him strong arms, and a fourth lent him a fine pair of legs. At last he was complete, and was a very perfect specimen of manhood.

He then left the spirit land and went to Cobham market, where he saw Afiong, and admired her very much.

About this time Afiong heard that a very fine man had been seen in the market, who was better‐looking than any of the natives. She therefore went to the market at once, and directly she saw the Skull in his borrowed beauty, she fell in love with him, and invited him to her house. The Skull was delighted, and went home with her, and on his arrival was introduced by the girl to her parents, and immediately asked their consent to marry their daughter. At first they refused, as they did not wish her to marry a stranger, but at last they agreed.

He lived with Afiong for two days in her parents' house, and then said he wished to take his wife back to his country, which was far off. To this the girl readily agreed, as he was such a fine man, but her parents tried to persuade her not to go. However, being very headstrong, she made up her mind to go, and they started off together. After they had been gone a few days the father consulted his Ju Ju man, who by casting lots very soon discovered that his daughter's husband belonged to the spirit land, and that she would surely be killed. They therefore all mourned her as dead.

After walking for several days, Afiong and the Skull crossed the border between the spirit land and the human country. Directly they set foot in the spirit land, first of all one man came to the Skull and demanded his legs, then another his head, and the next his body, and so on, until in a few minutes the skull was left by itself in all its natural ugliness. At this the girl was very frightened, and wanted to return home, but the skull would not allow this, and ordered her to go with him. When they arrived at the skull's house they found his mother, who was a very old woman quite incapable of doing any work, who could only creep about. Afiong tried her best to help her, and cooked her food, and brought water and firewood for the old woman. The old creature was very grateful for these attentions, and soon became quite fond of Afiong.

One day the old woman told Afiong that she was very sorry for her, but all the people in the spirit land were cannibals, and when they heard there was a human being in their country, they would come down and kill her and eat her.

The skull's mother then hid Afiong, and as she had looked after her so well, she promised she would send her back to her country as soon as possible, providing that she promised for the future to obey her parents. This Afiong readily consented to do. Then the old woman sent for the spider, who was a very clever hairdresser, and made him dress Afiong's hair in the latest fashion. She also presented her with anklets and other things on account of her kindness. She then made a Ju Ju and called the winds to come and convey Afiong to her home.

At first a violent tornado came, with thunder, lightning and rain, but the skull's mother sent him away as unsuitable. The next wind to come was a gentle breeze, so she told the breeze to carry Afiong to her mother's house, and said

good‐bye to her. Very soon afterwards the breeze deposited Afiong outside her home, and left her there.

When the parents saw their daughter they were very glad, as they had for some months given her up as lost. The father spread soft animals' skins on the ground from where his daughter was standing all the way to the house, so that her feet should not be soiled. Afiong then walked to the house and her father called all the young girls who belonged to Afiong's company to come and dance, and the feasting and dancing was kept up for eight days and nights. When the rejoicing was over, the father reported what had happened to the head chief of the town.

The chief then passed a law that parents should never allow their daughters to marry strangers who came from a far country. Then the father told his daughter to marry a friend of his, and she willingly consented, and lived with him for many years, and had many children.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Source: Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria West Africa by Elphinstone Dayrell, F.R.G.S., F.R.A.I. with an Introduction by Andrew Lang [1910] published by Longmans, Green and Co.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Bone Proverbs and Quotes

I have a book of buildings from 25,000 BC. These are huts built out of mammoth bones. These buildings were beautifully made, from the bones of the body into shelter. ~ Ben Nicholson

I will lay my bones by the Ganges that India might know there is one who cares.

Alexander Duff

It is an old habit with theologians to beat the living with the bones of the dead. ~ Robert Green Ingersoll

For fossils to thrive, certain favourable circumstances are required. First of all, of course, remnants of life have to be there. These then need to be washed over with water as soon as possible, so that the bones are covered with a layer of sediment. ~ Richard Leakey

He didn't come out of my belly, but my God, I've made his bones, because I've attended to every meal, and how he sleeps, and the fact that he swims like a fish because I took him to the ocean. I'm so proud of all those things. But he is my biggest pride. ~ John Lennon

Like bones to the human body, the axle to the wheel, the wing to the bird, and the air to the wing, so is liberty the essence of life. Whatever is done without it is imperfect. ~ Jose Marti

Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today. ~ Gabriela Mistral (Chilean poet, 1889‐1957)

Oh literature, oh the glorious Art, how it preys upon the marrow in our bones. It scoops the stuffing out of us, and chucks us aside. Alas! ~ David Herbert Lawrence

On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died. ~ Adlai E. Stevenson

Order is the sanity of the mind, the health of the body, the peace of the city, the security of the state. Like beams in a house or bones to a body, so is order to all things. ~ Robert Southey

Revenge... is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Sun‐bleached bones were most wonderful against the blue ‐ that blue that will always be there as it is now after all man's destruction is finished. ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

The safest and most suitable form of penance seems to be that which causes pain in the flesh but does not penetrate to the bones, that is, which causes suffering but not sickness. ~ Saint Ignatius

The future of the world belongs to the youth of the world, and it is from the youth and not from the old that the fire of life will warm and enlighten the world. It is your privilege to breathe the breath of life into the dry bones of many around you. ~ Tom Mann

To live in this world, you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go. ~ Mary Oliver

Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead.

We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. ~ Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817‐1862)

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. ~ (Proverbs 14:30).

The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but a transfer of bones from one graveyard to another ~ James Frank Dobie

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ~ Proverbs 17:22.

Over and above that we let them get rich on our sweat and blood, while we remain poor and they suck the marrow from our bones. ~ Martin Luther

(German Priest and Scholar whose questioning of certain church practices led to the Protestant Reformation. 1483‐1546)

Be patient and you will finally win, for a soft tongue can break hard bones. ~ (Proverbs 28:13)

Home again, his native land; he was born of it and his bones will sleep in it . . . ~ William Faulkner (American short‐story Writer and Novelist, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949, 1897‐1962)

The tongue has no bones, yet it breaks bones. ~ Greek proverb

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones. ~ William Shakespeare

The ocean moans over dead men's bones. ~ Thomas Bailey Aldrich

One should not forget that there are very few surviving items from this period, often just single, small bones, a tooth, a sliver of the skull. Categorizing these pieces can be very difficult. ~ Richard Leakey

I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones. ~ Walt Whitman

I got into my bones the essential structure of the ordinary British sentence‐ which is a noble thing. ~ Winston Churchill

Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. ~ Jeremiah 20:9

Nature is one great big wood‐chipper. Sooner or later, everything shoots out the other end in a spray of blood, bones and hair. ~ Doug Coupland (Canadian novelist)

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Now for a story in which the number seven features prominently, as it does in so many myths and folktales. This one tells the story of seven sisters, and is about the importance of treating bones with respect. And once again, as so many folktales do, it reminds us of how all life is connected and the importance of not taking what we have been blessed with for granted:

The Bones of Djulung

In a beautiful island that lies in the southern seas, where chains of gay orchids bind the trees together, and the days and nights are equally long and nearly equally hot, there once lived a family of seven sisters. Their father and mother were dead, and they had no brothers, so the eldest girl ruled over the rest, and they all did as she bade them. One sister had to clean the house, second carried water from the spring in the forest, a third cooked their food, while to the youngest fell the hardest task of all, for she had to cut and bring home the wood which was to keep the fire continually burning. This was very hot and tiring work, and when she had fed the fire and heaped up in a corner the sticks that were to supply it till the next day, she often threw herself down under a tree, and went sound asleep.

One morning, however, as she was staggering along with her bundle on her back, she thought that the river which flowed past their hut looked so cool and inviting that she determined to bathe in it, instead of taking her usual nap.

Hastily piling up her load by the fire, and thrusting some sticks into the flame, she ran down to the river and jumped in. How delicious it was diving and swimming and floating in the dark forest, where the trees were so thick that you could hardly see the sun! But after a while she began to look about her, and her eyes fell on a little fish that seemed made out of a rainbow, so brilliant were the colours he flashed out.

'I should like him for a pet,' thought the girl, and the next time the fish swam by, she put out her hand and caught him. Then she ran along the grassy path till she came to a cave in front of which a stream fell over some rocks into a basin. Here she put her little fish, whose name was Djulung‐djulung, and promising to return soon and bring him some dinner, she went away.

By the time she got home, the rice for their dinner was ready cooked, and the eldest sister gave the other six their portions in wooden bowls. But the youngest did not finish hers, and when no one was looking, stole off to the fountain in the forest where the little fish was swimming about.

'See! I have not forgotten you,' she cried, and one by one she let the grains of rice fall into the water, where the fish gobbled them up greedily, for he had never tasted anything so nice.

'That is all for to‐day,' she said at last, 'but I will come again to‐morrow,' and biding him good‐bye she went down the path.

Now the girl did not tell her sisters about the fish, but every day she saved half of her rice to give him, and called him softly in a little song she had made for herself. If she sometimes felt hungry, no one knew of it, and, indeed, she did not mind that much, when she saw how the fish enjoyed it. And the fish grew fat and big, but the girl grew thin and weak, and the loads of wood felt heavier every day, and at last her sisters noticed it.

Then they took counsel together, and watched her to see what she did, and one of them followed her to the fountain where Djulung lived, and saw her give him all the rice she had saved from her breakfast. Hastening home the sister told the others what she had witnessed, and that a lovely fat fish might be had for the catching. So the eldest sister went and caught him, and he was boiled for supper, but the youngest sister was away in the woods, and did not know anything about it.

Next morning she went as usual to the cave, and sang her little song, but no Djulung came to answer it; twice and thrice she sang, then threw herself on her

knees by the edge, and peered into the dark water, but the trees cast such a deep shadow that her eyes could not pierce it.

'Djulung cannot be dead, or his body would be floating on the surface,' she said to herself, and rising to her feet she set out homewards, feeling all of a sudden strangely tired.

'What is the matter with me?' she thought, but somehow or other she managed to reach the hut, and threw herself down in a corner, where she slept so soundly that for days no one was able to wake her.

At length, one morning early, a cock began to crow so loud that she could sleep no longer and as he continued to crow she seemed to understand what he was saying, and that he was telling her that Djulung was dead, killed and eaten by her sisters, and that his bones lay buried under the kitchen fire. Very softly she got up, and took up the large stone under the fire, and creeping out carried the bones to the cave by the fountain, where she dug a hole and buried them anew.

And as she scooped out the hole with a stick she sang a song, bidding the bones grow till they became a tree—a tree that reached up so high into the heavens that its leaves would fall across the sea into another island, whose king would pick them up.

As there was no Djulung to give her rice to, the girl soon became fat again, and as she was able to do her work as of old, her sisters did not trouble about her.

They never guessed that when she went into the forest to gather her sticks, she never failed to pay a visit to the tree, which grew taller and more wonderful day by day. Never was such a tree seen before. Its trunk was of iron, its leaves were of silk, its flowers of gold, and its fruit of diamonds, and one evening, though the girl did not know it, a soft breeze took one of the leaves, and blew it across the sea to the feet of one of the king's attendants.

'What a curious leaf! I have never beheld one like it before. I must show it to the king,' he said, and when the king saw it he declared he would never rest until he had found the tree which bore it, even if he had to spend the rest of his life in

visiting the islands that lay all round. Happily for him, he began with the island that was nearest, and here in the forest he suddenly saw standing before him the iron tree, its boughs covered with shining leaves like the one he carried about him.

'But what sort of a tree is it, and how did it get here?' he asked of the attendants he had with him. No one could answer him, but as they were about to pass out of the forest a little boy went by, and the king stopped and inquired if there was anyone living in the neighbourhood whom he might question.

'Seven girls live in a hut down there,' replied the boy, pointing with his finger to where the sun was setting.

'Then go and bring them here, and I will wait,' said the king, and the boy ran off and told the sisters that a great chief, with strings of jewels round his neck, had sent for them.

Pleased and excited the six elder sisters at once followed the boy, but the youngest, who was busy, and who did not care about strangers, stayed behind, to finish the work she was doing. The king welcomed the girls eagerly, and asked them all manner of questions about the tree, but as they had never even heard of its existence, they could tell him nothing. 'And if we, who live close by the forest, do not know, you may be sure no one does,' added the eldest, who was rather cross at finding this was all that the king wanted of them.

'But the boy told me there were seven of you, and there are only six here,' said the king.

'Oh, the youngest is at home, but she is always half asleep, and is of no use except to cut wood for the fire,' replied they in a breath.

'That may be, but perhaps she dreams,' answered the king. 'Anyway, I will speak to her also.' Then he signed to one of his attendants, who followed the path that the boy had taken to the hut.

Soon the man returned, with the girl walking behind him. And as soon as she reached the tree it bowed itself to the earth before her, and she stretched out her hand and picked some of its leaves and flowers and gave them to the king.

'The maiden who can work such wonders is fitted to be the wife of the greatest chief,' he said, and so he married her, and took her with him across the sea to his own home, where they lived happily for ever after.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Source: The Lilac Fairy Book, Edited by Andrew Lang London, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co. [1910] ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ The Journey Home

By Michael Berman

How would you feel if someone physically picked you up and deposited you somewhere you didn’t want to be? That’s why it always amazes me that people have the effrontery to do that to animals while pretending they love and respect all creatures. To make matters even worse, they probably make a point of only buying products not tested on animals, oblivious to the fact that although the product wasn’t tested on animals all the individual ingredients were.

And it’s not just animals who have this indignity heaped upon them. What about the stone people, and what happens to them every summer holiday? Think of all the pebbles and sea shells happily minding their own business and recording the history taking place all around them, who are yanked out of their chosen habitats to be stuffed in suitcases, flown halfway across the world, then used to form a decoration on a chipboard mock pine coffee table in someone’s living room. Moreover, those are the lucky ones. The majority are probably discarded somewhere totally inappropriate on the return of the holidaymakers, to be neglected and forgotten about. And these very same people would have you believe that they are spiritual beings with a social conscience who give regularly to deserving charitable causes by buying their Christmas cards once a year from

Oxfam or Survival International! It makes you want to vomit, or at least to put drawing pins on their comfy seats and to wake them up to what they are doing.

So how about doing something different this year for a change? And I am sure your jaded palettes would relish the prospect. It’s very simple and this is how it works. You make a point of using your two‐week package holiday in the sun to make a pilgrimage. The purpose being to return these objects to their chosen places while, at the same time, offering them an apology for the wrongs they have been subjected to. What is more, you could even consider leaving an offering behind, some sacred tobacco or a crystal to make amends for the disruption you have caused. And that would surely be a really worthwhile way of spending your summer break. If you choose not to act though, then the fairies might step in and take action in your place:

The Gnoll Fairy Stone Wales

Fairies were constantly seen on a fine evening by Clwyda'r Banwan (the Banwan Gates), dancing within the rings; but since the wonderful stone (on which was written fairy language in their characters, for nobody had ever understood them) had been removed from the center of the largest circle to Gnoll gardens, nobody had ever seen the fairies. But they had their revenge; for no sooner had the grotto, which cost Lady Mackworth thousands of pounds, been finished, than one evening ‐‐ oh! I shall never forget it! ‐‐ there was thunder and lightning and rain, such as was never seen or heard before; and next morning the grotto had disappeared, for the hill behind it fell over it, and has hidden it forever; and woe betide the man that will dare to clear away the earth. When the storm abated we all heard the fairies laughing heartily.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Source: J. O. Westwood, "Early Inscribed Stones of Wales," Archaeologia Cambrensis, series 3, vol. 11 (1865), pp. 60‐61.

This account was given by a gardener who claimed to have personally experienced the event. In about 1835 the stone (according to modern scholars a Roman grave marker) was removed from its original site and placed in a garden grotto at the Gnoll, an estate overlooking Neath, a town in south Wales. Soon afterward, the grotto was buried beneath a landslide, giving rise to the tradition that fairies had taken their revenge for the stone's removal. In spite of the gardener's warning, the stone was recovered and since 1922 has been on display in the Swansea Museum. The "fairy language" mentioned above is a badly weathered Latin inscription.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

And there are further examples of the fairies taking matters into their own hands too:

Legend of the Rollright Stones

Not far from the borders of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and within the latter county, is the pretty village of Rollright and near the village, up a hill, stands a circle of small stones, and one larger stone, such as our Celtic antiquaries say were raised by the Druids.

As soon as the Druids left them, the fairies, who never failed to take possession of their deserted shrines, seemed to have had an especial care over these stones, and anyone who ventures to meddle with them is sure to meet with some very great misfortune.

The old people of the village, however, who generally know most about these matters, say the stones were once a king and his knights, who were going to

make war on the King of England. And they assert that, according to old prophecies, had they ever reached Long Compton, the King of England must inevitably have been dethroned, and this king would have reigned in his place.

But when they came to the village of Rollright they were suddenly turned into stones in the place where they now stand.

Be this as it may, there was once a farmer in the village who wanted a large stone to put in a particular position in an outhouse he was building in his farmyard, and he thought that one of the old knights would be just the thing for him. In spite of all the warnings of his neighbors he determined to have the stone he wanted, and he put four horses to his best wagon and proceeded up the hill. With much labor he succeeded in getting the stone into his wagon, and though the road lay down hill, it was so heavy that his wagon was broken and his horses were killed by the labor of drawing it home. Nothing daunted by all these mishaps, the farmer raised the stone to the place it was to occupy in his new building.

From this moment everything went wrong with him. His crops failed year after year. His cattle died one after another. He was obliged to mortgage his land and to sell his wagons and horses, till at last he had left only one poor broken‐down horse which nobody would buy, and one old crazy cart.

Suddenly the thought came into his head that all his misfortunes might be owing to the identical stone which he had brought from the circle at the top of the hill.

He thought he would try to get it back again, and his only horse was put to the cart. To his surprise he got the stone down and lifted it into the cart with very little trouble, and, as soon as it was in, the horse, which could scarcely bear along its own limbs, now drew it up the hill of its own accord with as little trouble as another horse would draw an empty cart on level ground, until it came to the very spot where the stone had formerly stood beside its companions.

The stone was soon in its place, and the horse and cart returned home, and from that moment the farmer's affairs began to improve, till in a short time he was a richer and more substantial man than he had ever been before.

Footnote: The old rhyme runs ‐‐

If Long Compton thou can'st see, Then King of England thou shalt be.

See Hutchinson's History of Cumberland, i. 230.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Source: William J. Thoms, "Four Transcripts by the Late Thomas Wright," The Folk‐Lore Record, vol. 2 (London: The Folk‐Lore Society, 1879), pp. 177‐78.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

‘Are you my Teacher?’ The Seeker asked the Stone.

‘No. But I can tell stories. Would you like to hear one?’

‘Yes please!’

‘OK. Here goes then’, said the Stone. ‘Just let me gather my memories and off I’ll go.’

Once when the Earth was new and my memory bank was still quite empty, a seed began to sprout, right next to me, by my side in fact. It being rather unsteady on its weak stem, I offered it support – to lean against my side. And so it carried on growing, without even a word of thanks for all my efforts. It’s not easy having to give someone constant support, I’ll have you know.

And so it carried on growing, growing and growing, growing so high in fact that it shaded me from all the light and it got rather chilly where I lay. But placid soul that I am, I never complained and just accepted it as part of my lot in life.

In fact, despite my difficult circumstances, I have a lot to be thankful for. The Tree the shoot grew into is destined to spend the rest of its days rooted to the very same spot. But me, being a Stone Person, I know I have the possibility of being moved ‐ having “a shift of consciousness” so to speak.

All I have to do was to wait for my Teacher, to pick me up on one of his “journeys” and to transport me to another place – for a new perspective on life.

Yes – I have all sorts of possibilities to be thankful for. Indeed you could say I’ve been blessed.

By Michael Berman

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

Hope you enjoyed this issue of Spiritual Times Next issue due out October 2012!