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Vision

Magazine Ltd 42a Main Street, Garforth LS25 1AA Tel: 0113 286 3939 Fax: 0113 287 2293

website: www.visionmagazine.uk.com Email us: sammi@visionmagazine.uk.com editor@visionmagazine.uk.com advertising@visionmagazine.uk.com covencorner@visionmagazine.uk.com experiencesexplained@visionmagazine.uk.com destinydoctors@visionmagazine.uk.com visionaries@visionmagazine.uk.com subscribe@visionmagazine.uk.com sales@visionmagazine.uk.com

Managing Director: Sammi Addey General Manager: John Addey Editor/Promotions: Diana Jarvis

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elcome to our special anniversary edition of Vision! In this packed issue we take a look at the last year of Vision (P6) and invite you to join us at our celebratory event: The Vision Spiritual Showcase!

Tickets are sure to go fast, so book yours now!

It’s cold out there, but you can be sure of a warm welcome in Vision’s pages. Investigate the world of real dragons with Richard Freeman (P 22), learn some love tips from Feng Shui expert Carole Chui (P34) and don’t

miss our interview with Will Storr, author of the controversial new book Will Storr vs the Paranormal (P14)! If you can’t wait until the Vision Spiritual Showcase to get a peep behind the scenes at Vision, tune into Tyne Tees Television on 17th January at 7.30pm where you can find us on GP Taylor’s Univited Guests.

Best Wishes for a very Happy Chinese New Year on behalf of myself and all the team at Vision.

Diana

Senior Graphic Designer: Stewart Leech Graphic Designer: Angela Benson Distribution: 0113 286 6557 Telesales: 0113 287 1551 Subscriptions: Lindsay Deane 0113 286 6789 Visionaries Co-ordinator: Nance Turner

Letters

Each letter published will receive a copy of Pure Calm from the Pure Series worth £10.95, courtesy of New World Music. Let Stuart Jones’s fluidity and perfection on keyboards clear your mind.

The Star Letter will win four titles from the Pure series including Pure Calm, Pure Dreaming, Pure Love & Light and Pure Tranquility – worth a total of £43.80.

For further information and a free catalogue, contact New World Music on 01986 891600, or visit www.newworldmusic.com We reserve the right to edit letters.

Accounts: Percy Trevelyon Distributors Native Publisher Services 0113 244 1010

Star Letter

Contributors:Clint Denyer; Nance Turner; Katie Doherty; Richard Freeman; Carole Chui; Marian Green; George D Fryer; Rosalind Collier; Samantha Hamilton; Frank Clifford; Sandie Gustus; Stephanie Brookes; Andrea Rivers; Paula Garton; James Christie.

Buddha smiles Dear Vision, I’m not a Buddhist, but I do have a soft spot for the laughing Buddha, I’ve written a poem about him for you.

Logo ©Vision magazine Ltd The Vision logo is a registered trademark. It may not be used by anyone other than ourselves under any conditions.

Founder: Sammi Addey Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those held by the publishers and editors. © Copyright Vision magazine Ltd and/or contributors. All rights reserved. No part, written or visual (including adverts typeset by Vision) of the magazine (including the logo) may be reproduced, without written permission from the publishers. Call 0113 286 6789 for subscriptions and back issues.

All images © Vision unless otherwise stated.

Competitions: The first correct entry drawn at random after the closing date will be notified.

Competitions are open to all residents of the UK aged 18 or over except employees of Vision Magazine Ltd, their families, contributors, its printers and anyone else connected to the competition. There is no cash alternative unless otherwise stated. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Oh, the laughing fat man, How I love him so, When I feel lost inside And don’t know which way to go I look at his smile, it says it all, Says: in your heart you’ll know.

When I feel bad about my weight I see his smile and I feel great And what he always says to me, Don’t worry about the physical, just be.

Life is about being happy and making others happy too.

Tamara Excell, Stockport, Cheshire

Vision is top!

I didn’t know about Vision until I saw the stall at the Mind, Body and Spirit Fair at the GMEX centre in Manchester recently. Everyone was really friendly and I have been buying the magazine ever since. It’s really well done and I think it easily tops its rivals.

Kerry House, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

Spiritual help.

I would like to congratulate you on your superb magazine. It holds me enthralled through to the last page and has been a great help in my spiritual development.

Mrs J M Dobb, Lincoln.

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P14 An interview with Will Storr P6 Vision celebrates one year P8 Dopplegangers P11 Visionaries P16 Experiences Explained P18 Ghostly Gallery P20 The Spectres of Sutton Scarsdale Hall P22 On the track of living dragons

And the rest...

P30 Destiny Doctors P43 Next Month P60 Competitions P61 Subscriptions P76 Reviews P82 Day Tripper

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P24 The Emperors’ astrology P26 Divine tea etiquette P28 Different Strokes

P44 Your Life in your hands P32 Chivalry and the Tarot P34 Feng Shui Love P38 Spirit Guides P40 Omens of Love P41 Dream Directory P42 The Write Stuff P44 Your Life in your hands

P46 The Qi to Balance P48 Mastering bioenergy P50 The Magic of Herbs P52 Alright, Flower?

P54 Simply Magical P55 Weather Witch P56 Make it Happen!

P58 Coven Corner

P62 Asrological overview P63 Year of the Dog P64 Horoscopes -

your Febuary forecast

by James

Christie

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Vision is one year old, so to celebrate we’re taking a look at the last year and peeking behind the scenes

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year flies by, considering it is supposed to consist of 365 days, 12 months, or 12 issues of Vision.

It has certainly been an astonishing year for us here at the office. From our first tentative steps into the shops and supermarkets, we have been featured on radio, been filmed for television, investigated 12 different haunted locations and travelled around the world in our Ancient Culture articles.

Most magazines have a story to tell about how they started and Vision is no different. What is different about Vision is that it really is a vision, both in the heart of Sammi Addey, our Managing Director, and via the powers of two clairvoyant mediums. Sammi recalls that

fated reading she had with Alison Holroyd (featured in Vision 3 and 7).

“I used to sell advertising and I had a big interest in New Age Shops. I became very friendly with the owners of one shop, who gave me a message saying that I wouldn’t be selling advertising for long as I would be doing a spiritual magazine. I then had a reading with another medium and they told me that the new magazine would be nationwide – this was around 6 months before Vision started”.

Even the now-famous Vision logo has a story.

“I wanted something different and original and I already had the logo in my head before I started the magazine. The letters are all of spiritual significance.

The V is Aries, the I is Gemini (Sammi’s star sign) the S is Yin and Yang, the O is a Chinese life symbol and the N is a moon node, with Mars and Venus symbols attached at the end. This is symbolic of the appeal the magazine has to both sexes.”

Over the year the team working in the office and those working on articles has changed and evolved. What has been constant is the skill of the graphic designers to produce a magazine that is quite unique, the heart and soul that goes into every article and the special guests that have given their time and their wisdom to give us great guest interviews.

Not least of these celebrities is our very own Derek Acorah, who has been a staunch supporter of Vision from day one. At Vision’s launch party, Derek had pre-recorded a video for us. He said: “ You will be greatly helped by the world of spirit – this (the magazine) will be a leader. You are a leader (talking to Sammi). It will be done, I’m getting

The Vision Spiritual Showcase 25th and 26th March The four-star Marriott hotel in Leeds, West Yorkshire

reassurance from the world of spirit, that you are doing it for the right reasons.”

As Vision grew and became noticed by what is now a huge family of readers, it also came to the attention of the media. There have been two interviews on BBC Radio Leeds and the latest of our media appearances will be aired on Tyne Tees Television on January 17th at 7.30pm, where you can meet some of the team on GP Taylor’s Uninvited Guests.

There has been plenty happening to our Visionaries, too. Diana Jarvis has been elevated from columnist to the dizzy heights of Editor, Nance Turner has now become Nance TurnerCollings and we have our new guy, Dean Ballance, flexing his clairvoyant muscle every month.

Dean is a story himself.

Originally, he was invited along to a vigil with the Visionaries, who were looking for replacements for Georgia and Rachel (who left to concentrate on other things).

The Visionaries soldiered on with their numbers depleted … or so they thought!

Spirit has a funny way of helping out sometimes and Dean was that help. Dean had come along on the first vigil with only Nance and Diana as mediums, but he’d come to help with the equipment.

What nobody expected, least of all Dean, was that he could pick up accurate information about the haunting that the team were investigating. He accurately picked up and described the ghost – whom the owner confirmed in every detail as her own mother! Dean was hired – and the Visionaries haven’t looked back!

Above: The Vision Team at the office; left to right: Angie, Stew, John, Sammi, Diana and Lindsay centre.

Right: The Visionaries past and present: Georgia, Nance, Rachel and Diana become Nance, Dean and Diana

Message from Sammi Addey, Founder and Managing Director A lot has happened this past year and as challenging as it may have been, I would never change a morsel. It has been a fantastic learning curve in the publishing industry and indeed the spiritual way of life. (It hasn’t done much for my nerves, either!)!

I was, and still am, amazed that people take the time to send us emails, faxes, letters and even phone calls to simply thank us for a wonderful magazine! You know who you guys are … and you make all the difference!

This is what makes Vision worthwhile – to know that the message we are trying to get out is working, helping and maybe even changing lives!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for supporting Vision. (wiping away a tear) We thrive on having such a sturdy team around us and YOU the readers are very much a part of it, as are our wonderful comtributors that each month make Vision the exceptional magazine we have dreamed it to be.

Here’s to another FANTASTIC year!

Join us for a full weekend of stalls, readers, talks, workshops, special guests and the Vision team. This is your chance to meet some of the most influential and knowledgeable people working in spiritual and holistic fields – all in one place!

Tickets are £5 per day and each talk is £3.50.

Book in advance by giving us a call now, tickets are sure to go fast! We will keep you updated in the next edition of Vision and on our website: www.visionmagazine.uk.com See you there!

Call Lindsay on 0113 286 6789 to book tickets for this extraordinary event!

The Vision Spiritual Showcase As a way of celebrating one wonderful year, we are delighted to invite you to come and meet us all!

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Clint Denyer sees double whilst investigating Doppelgangers

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oppelgangers are a fascinating spiritual phenomenon: literally the unseen we see.

“Doppelganger” is German for “double walker” – a shadow-self that is thought to accompany every person. Traditionally, it is said that only the owner of the doppelganger can see this phantom self, and that it can be a harbinger of death.

Occasionally, however, a doppelganger can be seen by a person’s friends or family, resulting in quite a bit of confusion.

In instances of bilocation (being in two places at the same time), a person can either spontaneously or willingly project his or her double, known as a “wraith,” to a remote location.

This double is indistinguishable from the real person and can interact with others just as the real person would. One of the most fascinating reports of a doppelganger comes from American writer Robert Dale Owen who was told the story by Julie von Güldenstubbe, the second daughter of the Baron von Güldenstubbe. In 1845, when von Güldenstubbe was 13, she attended Pensionat von Neuwelcke, an exclusive girl’s school near Wolmar in what is now Latvia.

One of her teachers was a 32year-old French woman named Emilie Sagée. Although the school’s administration was quite pleased with Sagée’s performance, she soon became the object of rumour and speculation.

Sagée, it seems, had a double that would appear and disappear in full view of the students.

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In the middle of class one day, while Sagée was writing on the blackboard, her exact double appeared beside her. The doppelganger precisely copied the teacher’s every move as she wrote, except that it did not hold any chalk. The event was witnessed by 13 students in the classroom. A similar incident was reported at dinner one evening when Sagée’s doppelganger was seen standing behind her, mimicking the movements of her eating, although it held no utensils.

The doppelganger did not always echo her movements, however.

On several Occasions, Sagée would be seen in one part of the school when it was known that she was in another at that time. The most astonishing instance of this took place in full view of the entire student body of 42 students on a summer day in 1846. The girls were all assembled in the school hall for their sewing and embroidery lessons. As they sat at the long tables working, they could clearly see Sagée in the school’s garden gathering flowers.

Another teacher was supervising the children. When this teacher left the room to talk to the headmistress, Sagée’s doppelganger appeared in her chair while the real Sagée could still be seen in the garden. Two brave girls approached the phantom and tried to touch it, but felt an odd resistance in the air surrounding it. One girl actually stepped between the teacher’s chair and the table, passing right through the apparition. A truly fascinating story, one that is not uncommon.

Here are just a few other interesting cases. Guy de Maupassant, the French novelist and short story writer, claimed to have been haunted by his doppelganger near the end of his life.

On one occasion, he said, this double

entered his room, took a seat opposite him and began to dictate what de Maupassant was writing. He wrote about this experience in his short story “Lui.” John Donne, the 16th century English poet whose work often touched on the metaphysical, was visited by a doppelganger while he was in Paris not his, but his wife’s. She appeared to him holding a newborn baby. Donne’s wife was pregnant at the time, but the apparition was a portent of great sadness. At the same moment that the doppelganger appeared, his wife had given birth to a stillborn baby.

Percy Bysshe Shelley, still considered one of the greatest poets of the English language, encountered his doppelganger in Italy. The phantom silently pointed toward the Mediterranean Sea. Not long after, and shortly before his 30th birthday in 1822, Shelley died in a sailing accident – he drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. Queen Elizabeth I of England was shocked to see her doppelganger laid out on her bed. The queen died shortly after.

In a case that suggests that doppelgangers might have something to do with time or dimensional shifts, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the 18th century German poet, confronted his

Two brave girls “ approached the phantom

and tried to touch it, but felt an odd resistance in the air surrounding it”

doppelganger while riding on the road to Drusenheim. Riding toward him was his exact double, but wearing a grey suit trimmed in gold. Eight years later, von Goethe was again traveling on the same road, but in the opposite direction. He then realized he was wearing the very grey suit trimmed in gold that he had seen on his double eight years earlier! Had von Goethe seen his future self?

There are many more anecdotes of bilocation, especially of saints and clergy.

In 1227 St. Anthony of Padua, a Portuguese Franciscan friar, was in Limoges on Holy Thursday giving a sermon. During the sermon, he remembered that he was obliged to be chanting prayers with his fellow friars in their chapel across town.

Realizing this, he stopped his sermon, knelt on the spot, pulled his hood over his head and became quite still. At that moment, Friar Anthony appeared in the chapel and chanted the prayers as required. When they were done, he simultaneously withdrew from the chapel and raised his head at the church – and continued with his sermon.

St. Alphonsus Liguori was bishop of St. Agata dei Goti in 1774 when he experienced his bilocation. While in his palace near Naples, the bishop fell into a trance and at once appeared at the Vatican in Rome, in the bed chamber of Pope Clement XIV, who was dying. The bishop assisted those attending the Pontiff and prayed with those present. He remained until the Pope died, then “awoke” back in his palace, able to describe what he had just experienced.

In 1905, Sir Gilbert Parker, a member of the British Parliament, was attending a debate in the House of Commons. During the debate, he noted that Sir Frederick Carne Rasch was also present, sitting in his usual spot. Yet this was impossible since Sir Frederick was quite ill with flu and, according to members of his household, remained in bed throughout the day. Apparently, Rasch’s double was determined to hear the debate.

Doppelgangers are one of the most intriguing phenomena and still relatively unknown to us. This area of the paranormal crosses all walks of life and the living, the physical and meta-physical.

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The time: A cold night in October The place: The New Inn, Selby, N. Yorkshire The Visionaries: Nance TurnerCollings, Dean Ballance, Diana Jarvis

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ello my friends and welcome to another vigil. This month we are at the The New Inn, Selby. Once again, armed with our equipment and enthusiasm we set off in search of some spooky goings on!

Nance Turner-Collings

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Left: Dean “tuning” in Below: Nance in the Vatican room Opposite Page: Diana and orb entering the cellar.

Stable Bar On entering the bar, Dean could pick up that the place had once been used as a dormitory; he could see lots of beds, and felt that it would have been used mostly by women. He felt that these women were homeless and were connected to an abbey: they were nuns or nurses. He felt that there had once been a fire in Selby abbey nearby. He also picked up that some of the women were sick and dying of a specific disease. He felt some nurses there, wearing masks. Dean didn’t feel that the bar was ever a stable.

When Di entered the bar, she picked up on an elderly Yorkshire gentleman, a manual worker, and felt that he had had some sort of accident not far from the pub. Di felt very confused when she went near the toilets, and said that she could feel lots of energies there, she said that it felt like the spirits didn’t know they were dead, and liked to cause mischief whenever possible. Di also picked up on a young man, and felt he was perhaps mentally disabled or just had a bad speech problem. He kept insisting that he wasn’t stupid, it was an illness. Di appeared to transfigure (her face changed) in front of one of the team while she was “with” this young man.

When I entered the bar, the first thing I picked up was the feeling of cowboys and Indians. I felt the room was buzzing, and could hear gunshots. As I walked towards the ladies toilets I was shoved backwards, and got shivers up my back. I could see a young guy stood in the doorway and he wouldn’t let me pass, he appeared to be quite simple-minded, and was dressed like a manual worker, he wasn’t very attractive and was extremely cocky, however he was quite respectful of us being there. I felt that he might have been part of a gang. I could also pick up some sort of traumatic experience, and could see railways and train tracks, and felt these could have been connected.

Upstairs corridor and living room When at the top of the stairs looking down the corridor I could see what looked like white mist at the bottom end,

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it seemed to crawl up towards the loft! As I entered the living room, I felt that the space should have been bigger. I picked up a little lady called Catherine here, she was following me around. She was a very chatty lady and loved things to be tidy.

She felt quite lonely and was a sad person. She gave me the impression that she liked to stomp up and down the corridor so that her presence was known.

I felt also a feeling of choking, like being caught in a fire, and my head was hurting as if I’d been hit. I got the date 1832, and a tragic disease that meant people in the house had to be locked away. I also got a little boy called George, who played with a hoop and stick. I felt a French connection and something to do with a

portrait or painting that was quite ornate.

As I was leaving the room I saw a body at the bottom of the stairs, I was not sure whether she fell or was pushed!

Vatican room Di immediately picked up a connection to the sea, but not sailors. She felt like she was being watched. Di really felt the room had been used as a “Boy’s Club”: definitely no women allowed! Di felt that this room was like some kind of doorway for spirit, with them moving through when they pleased. Di sensed that a lot of replays happened in this building, and picked up on a washerwomen, long black hair, no bows, hats or scarves, she was wearing an apron, and had in her hands a mangle rub, and had wooden prongs for the washing. Di felt that a lot of things moved around in this place and the electrics and lights where affected quite

often. Di then picked up on an educated man, looking at a book with parchmentstyle paper, and sensed that he was very academic. He was seated next to a gas table lamp. Di also sensed a tunnel connected with mining at the back of the pub, and a little boy in the passage who runs up and down.

When entering the room I was suddenly freezing cold, even though the temperature was 22.2c, and my nose suddenly started running. I picked up on a man called Robert and he was walking up and down with a rifle, and I got the feeling that this room was used as some sort of meeting place, like a boy’s club, which was definitely men only! They felt like some sort of masons, secret handshakes etc, and only the elite were invited. I could also pick up on sailors and a connection to the sea.

Remember that Di and I work separately, we did not discuss what we picked up until after the event when this article was already written!

Door next to entrance While he was sitting, Dean picked up on an old gentleman, who smoked a pipe and had a walking stick. This man was smartly dressed and had a big bushy beard and wore a waistcoat. When I went near to the area I started to feel really dizzy. We dowsed in this area and found that the pendulum went crazy!

Séance

Equipment

The séance produced some interesting results, a little boy called George came through and proceeded to tell us that a man called Drake had locked him in the cellar and killed his mum by pushing her down the stairs. He said he was scared and wanted to find his mum again, he was also annoyed that he had been described as a dot (our description of an orb!) and wanted us to know he was there.

As you can see, we did get at least one very good orb on our cameras and some interesting results with pendulum and rods. Sadly we did not record any significant temperature change in any part of the pub on our thermometer, but it certainly felt colder than 22.2oC! So there you have it my friends, even though we could only tell you bits, if you visit the pub yourselves, make sure you say hello to all the spirits who reside there and have a drink for us.

Next Month: The Old Silent Inn, Stanbury,W. Yorks.

History of the New Inn, Selby The New Inn in Selby is a friendly local pub and is Grade II listed.

It has a number of interesting sections, possibly the most interesting being a dark-wood panelled room called “The Vatican”.

The name came from a period where it was used by the Catholic priests from Selby’s nearby abbey as a meeting place. This would almost certainly be why both Nance and Di independently picked up the feeling of a boy’s club … Catholic priests would not welcome the temptation of spending their time with women!

This room was also used by the local shipyard (1902-1993) and was where wages were doled out.

Selby shipyard produced distant water trawlers as well as tugs, coasting vessels and specialist craft.

A sample of the plans indicating the range of vessels built is in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Again, Nance and Di both picked up the sea. The Vatican was also used as a place to lay people out after death.

Selby Abbey is close to the New Inn and dominates Selby. It dates from between the 12th and 14th centuries, although not in its

current form. The present Abbey was built over a period of 130 years. In the early 1900s a fire caused the loss of the Naves timber roof, the fire was sensed by both Dean and Nance.

Publicans Val and Dave have felt a lot of running around in the flat in the pub, where Nance sensed a little boy. Both are adept at telling when a customer needs serving behind them: it goes with the job. They have found it quite frustrating with the Vatican room, though, as they often see shadows in their periphery vision and then turn to serve thin air.

The oddest thing that was picked up was Nance’s comment that she sensed a woman who was killed by falling down the stairs … “Did she fall or was she pushed?”.

Val and Dave are moving to a place called the Highwayman Tavern in Selby, this pub has documented history that a lady was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in the 1970s. Val and Dave were looking at the Highwayman Tavern as their next move: at the same time that the Visionaries did their vigil at the New Inn!

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Diana Jarvis talks to Will Storr on his foray into the supernatural

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ill Storr is a journalist. He’s worked on Loaded magazine and currently works for Arena. He’s seen things and met people: both living and dead.

Writing a book was never something that Will intended to do when he met Lou Gentile, a self-confessed Demonologist.

He was just there to write an article.

He considered possession to be a load of hokum and Lou to be slightly mad. The meeting changed his life.

Will’s book, Will Storr vs. the Supernatural is fact, Will tells me. He recalled that first fateful meeting with Lou Gentile, a man who hunts out the haunted and the possessed.

“When I went to meet Lou I was convinced that the subsequent article that I wrote would be light-hearted and would poke fun at Lou and his chicanery.

I didn’t think there could be any substance to his vocation or his claims.

That night I spent with Lou absolutely terrified me. I saw things that I’d never have believed until I actually saw them.”

I wondered if Will was genuinely scared when he met Kathy Ganiel, a lady who was allegedly possessed?

“Absolutely. I remember sitting in Kathy’s kitchen at around 3.33am, a time I had been told by Lou was likely to be the most paranormally active. The kitchen is also the place where all activity centred. I heard tapping, I saw sparks shooting round my legs, and I saw things I’m not sure I’d ever want to see again.”

Throughout his book Will meets a number of people who work in the supernatural. Did he find that the people he met were genuine? Were there any people attempting to fool him?

“No, I don’t think so. I certainly expected to be confronted with a number of charlatans. I was amazed that everyone I spoke to absolutely believed in the truth of what they were saying. I didn’t think that anyone was trying to deliberately fake anything.”

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Will has looked at a number of spiritual and paranormal disciplines in his book. I asked him which ones he found to be of particular interest. “ I must say that poltergeists are fascinating. Meeting Maurice Grosse (investigator into possibly the most famous poltergeist case: The Enfield Poltergeist) was certainly an eye opener as was meeting the lady that it centred around. I also find the whole thing about possession and exorcism particularly interesting.”

Many of Will’s experiences in the book appear to be terrifying. I asked Will if there is anything that he experienced that he would not want to try again.

“No, not really. It’s such an important subject, I feel if I am ever to “know” what is really out there I would have to put myself back in the firing line again”.

So does Will intend to get back into the fray?

“Yes, almost certainly. I’d like to look much further into paranormal subjects – the paranormal is the most important subject there is. All leaps forward in science start off with anecdotal evidence.

The people who recount their stories are always told they are mad to begin with. I think that reports are dismissed far too easily and that we would make more progress in discovering the facts about life and death if we researched further”.

So what does Will, the consummate sceptic, think about life and death now?

Is there an afterlife?

“I do think that there is a consciousness that survives the body. Science seems caught up in the idea that it has reached its limits of discovery. I believe there is

more to the universe than humans currently have the capacity to understand.”

As Will is no longer the sceptic that he was, what advice would he give to people who hold the sceptical opinion that he once did?

“Science is good at explaining how things happen – not why things happen. As Maurice Grosse said to me: the question you need to ask is why did the Big Bang happen, not how … because we know that. If you look at the world objectively rather than subjectively you will see there is an awful lot going on in the universe that we can’t explain. Many in the scientific community are rather arrogant.; they seem to think that they have all the answers already. That attitude is simply a failure of imagination and intelligence.”

Will’s book is written candidly and doesn’t hold back. What impression does he hope it will give its readers?

very fast across it … and then he disappeared right in front of me! I am teetotal – I was not under the influence of anything when I saw it.”

So do you think that the paranormal needs more coverage now there is an increased awareness and interest in the subject?

“Yes! I think that people that mock the paranormal are fools, when science catches up with what people are really experiencing they will realise that there is much more to it, the phenomena are real. At that point they may finally get round to asking what is really happening and why.”

Will’s book, Will Storr vs. the Supernatural is published by Ebury Press and is available for £10.99 from all good bookshops. Alternatively, get your own copy free by being one of the first 50 subscribers from this issue (see P61)

“I sincerely hope that it opens some minds. The fact that I came to the subject matter as a die-hard sceptic and then all these things happened – I hope that will make others think.”

Have you had any experiences since writing the book?

“Funnily enough, I have. I was returning home from a night out with my girlfriend.

As I was walking down the road I saw a young man run

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Diana Jarvis explains your weird experiences.

Letter 2 When I was around 15 years old a symbol appeared hovering in mid-air in front of me. I remember feeling very calm and slightly energised. I kept a drawing of this symbol and another one that came to me at the same time. I have looked but cannot find out what they are.

A few months after, I suddenly felt dizzy. I remember my heart pounding and my dog sitting up looking agitated. A thought entered my head – “Grandma”. There was no reason to be thinking of her at that time, but I remember crying. A few months later she passed away. What does this mean?

Maria Gideon, London Diana says: When I first saw these symbols I was instantly reminded of Reiki, so I looked them up (I’ve only just started Reiki). The first seems to be a version of Heisei, which is for grounding and balance; and the second is like Tamashi which connects with your Guardian Angel. (For you Reiki enthusiasts out there, these names do vary, this is one source only!)

Although the symbols are not identical to standard Reiki symbols, the message seems clear! I would think that you were sent these to let you know that you are loved and protected by your Guardian Angel. Reiki symbols can work without you knowing what they mean, so I think your Guardian Angel was protecting you in advance of your Grandma’s passing and so that you would know, at some point in the future, that she was safe and sound.

Letter 1 When I was 12, I had some odd experiences. I remember walking in through the door of my house, looking across and seeing a tall gentleman in a grey suit. I ran out screaming! A couple of weeks later I was in the house on my own, waiting for my sister to come in, and a shiny circle went round the room, a bit like a torch light.

Again, I ran out of the house in fright! I haven’t seen anything since but I do sense things, can you tell me what these things are?

Elizabeth, Derbyshire Diana says: Children are usually psychic, they also have great imaginations. Sadly, adults assume that anything seen by children is their imagination. Did you recognize the gentleman? Maybe he was a relative coming back to say hello? The light that you saw may have been an orb, which is alleged to be a sign of Spirit.

It seems to me that you are simply recounting experiences that most children have had, but are too afraid to talk about. Because of what I do I’ve heard hundreds of childhood stories, and many are just like yours! You’re normal Elizabeth, and so are your experiences! We get older and we forget how to see the people that ‘aren’t’ there!

Letter 3 I lost my beloved Dad ten years ago and since then I have kept his photograph on my bedside table. Recently I decided to move it into another bedroom, which is my safe haven for Relaxation and Meditation. After placing it on the window-ledge I noticed a long red scratch mark on my left forearm. It wasn’t raised as you would expect with a scratch and didn’t fade when I touched it. Within a minute or two I looked again and it had disappeared. I just knew what I had to do, and took it back to its original place. Diana, please tell me what you make of this?

Sally Smith, Grimsby.

Diana says: It is possible that you did graze yourself when you moved the picture and didn’t notice: I can’t be sure, as I wasn’t there. It is obvious to me that the experience meant something very much to you and certainly, one would expect a graze to leave a weal. I believe our own feelings tell us much about what is going on spiritually if we listen to them. I doubt your Dad would wish to mark you, however, it may be the only way he could let you know how he felt. Keep him near you when you sleep, it may be his way of saying he is protecting you.

If you would like to share your experiences, send them to Diana Jarvis at the Vision address or email: experiencesexplained@visionmagazine.uk.com Please give as many details as possible – tell us what you saw, how you felt, and what you sensed etc. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Katie Doherty looks at the ghostly tale of Derbyshire’s finest stately home

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erbyshire is finally being recognised as one of the most haunted places in the United Kingdom, its rich history of horrific deaths, burial sites and spooky tales of haunted houses makes it the perfect setting for some very ghostly tales.

Derbyshire covers over 1000 square miles and scattered over the area are standing stones, burial mounds and churches: all of which have a story to tell.

Debates have raged over why Derbyshire

have never been uncovered. Welcome to the story of Sutton Scarsdale Hall.

is such a haunted county. Is it because it lies in the middle of England over some mysterious earth energies known as ley lines? There have been a huge number of ghost stories told over the centuries but one stands alone, its ghosts refuse to leave and its secrets of death and torture

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In its day, Sutton Scarsdale Hall was said to be one of the finest houses in the Derbyshire area. It was originally built for the first Lord Scarsdale, but is now a ruined shell, standing proudly on a hill overlooking the Bolsover Valley. The hall has had many occupants, it was once home to the Awkwright family, but its most-remembered occupants were the Leke family, who owned the estate for many years. It was during their time at Sutton Scarsdale that the legendary and romantic tale that I’m going to relay to you would be told for generations to come.

It tells the story of Nicholas Leke and his wife who were separated for some time due to Nicholas being

summoned to the crusades. As a token of his love for his wife he split their wedding band in two, gave half to his wife and kept the other half for himself.

After being imprisoned for some years, the only thought that kept him alive was his wife and the chance of being able to hold her in his arms again.

He prayed that he would return to her and in doing this a strange, if not supernatural, gust of wind took him during prayer and placed him in the grounds of his home. Unfortunately due to his rough appearance he was refused entry to the hall but he then remembered that he had his half of the ring. This was then shown to his wife and she then realised that her beloved husband had returned home safely.

Despite such romantic tales and the splendour of Sutton Scarsdale Hall it

was put up for sale in 1920. Its interior, furniture and fittings were sold on and the hall was left as a ruin. Over time it became weathered and worn until Sir Osbert Sitwell kindly stepped in and bought the property in order to save it for posterity. It is now owned by English Heritage, who care for the building and its spectacular grounds. Despite the hall being left in ruins there have been some very strange ghostly happenings as witnessed by visitors to the site.

Over the years people have often reported cold spots in the grounds of the hall, strange apparitions, hovering lights, the smell of tobacco, shadows lurking in the grounds and a disembodied voice. What is even more intriguing about the supernatural phenomena is the disembodied arm which has been reported. It floats about and beckons its witnesses into the cellar.

Many claims have been made that the sound of footsteps and whispers can be heard coming from the bowels of the building. The cellar has been closed off for some time now, with no human having access to it. One has to wonder: who or what is down there? There is no firm evidence or witness accounts about what went on in the cellar, its seems to be public knowledge that something awful happened down there, but what?

We could delve into the realms of our imagination and question whether people were summoned into the cellar in order for them to be punished for the bad deeds they had done. Perhaps they were brought down there for no reason but the self gratification of a torturer? Without any firm evidence or eye witness accounts, we cannot be sure.

The supernatural activity at Sutton Scarsdale Hall never stops. Located next to the hall is a church and a graveyard.

In the graveyard witnesses have reported a grey figure walking towards the church.

Could this figure be the young wife of Nicholas Leake whose sadness has made an everlasting impression on the building? Or could it be a member of the Awkwright family who are keeping an eye on their once beloved property?

Sutton Scarsdale has been shrouded in mystery, its history is both romantic and, if we take the notion that acts of evil were committed in the bowels of the building, then this hall is as full of malice as it is of love. The eerie atmosphere that surrounds the hall is mesmerising. If you are ever in the area take a look, admire the fantastic architecture, the beautiful Derbyshire scenery and take in the ghostly atmosphere that is Sutton Scarsdale Hall.

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Pictures courtesy of Richard Freeman Tarot cards by kind permission- Roger and Linda Garland.

Richard Freeman takes a look at the mystical and marvellous dragon – and takes us on a tour of those that actually exist!

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he dragon is the great, great grandfather of all monsters, the original uber-monster. The dragon’s image has crawled across cave paintings 25,000 years old, dwarfing mammoths. It has slithered across Chinese rock art in Shanxi province 10000 years ago. It haunted the Sumerians and the Babylonians, was worshipped by the Aztecs and feared by the Celts. In the east it’s a glittering rain god, in the west a flame-spewing, maiden-devouring monster. The immortal dragon has its fangs and claws deep in the psyche of mankind. And it is still seen today.

The dragon comes in a dazzling array of forms. The best known in the

West is the true dragon or firedrake. This is the giant four-legged reptile of myth, with vast bat-like wings.

Armed with razor teeth and claws and a mighty tail, its most formidable weapon was the white-hot jets of flame it spouted at its victims. Some other famous dragons are the wyvern and the basilisk (most recently sighted in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). The wyvern is much like the firedrake except it bears only one pair of legs. It did, however, carry a deadly sting in the tail and could spread disease and pestilence. The basilisk was said to have hatched from a cock’s egg incubated by a toad or a rooster. Its gaze brought instant death to all it looked upon, including itself.

photographed from a plane flying above Tibet. In Mongolia there are many modern dragon reports: last year a traveling doctor reported seeing a green dragon coiled up down a well in Bulgan Sum, in the Gobi.

Some dragon sightings are much closer to home. In the early 19th century, folklorist Mary Trevelyan

But looking at dragons as mortal flesh and “ blood creatures may be wrong. Perhaps they were

something much stranger. Maybe the dragon exists as an entity in a reality different to our own.

This would explain how they could appear, terrorize a community, and then vanish

”

Amazing as it may sound, the dragon seems to have a basis in fact and it still haunts the wild corners of our strange little planet. Modern sightings include a huge, winged reptile that terrorized the San Antonio Valley, Texas for several months in 1976. Also seen was a black-scaled dragon: witnessed by five hundred people in July 2002 at Lake Tianchie, northeast China. Just last year two dragons were supposedly

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interviewed many elderly people living in the Glamorgan area of Wales. They recounted memories from their youth (early 19th century) of a race of winged serpents said to inhabit the forest around Penllyne Castle. They had crested heads and feathery wings, were brightly coloured and sparkled as if covered with jewels. They rested coiled on the ground but if threatened would attack by swooping down at their aggressors. One

woman recalled that her grandfather shot one after it attacked him. Its skin had hung for years on the wall at his farm.

Tragically it was discarded after his death – enough to make any modern day cryptozoologist wince!

There have been many theories proffered to explain the dragon phenomena. They fall mainly into two camps. One is that dragons are based on some kind of flesh and blood creature.

The second is that they are a paranormal manifestation.

Let us examine the former idea first. It has been widely suggested that

fossil remains of dinosaurs and other large animals were the basis for dragon legends. Whilst they may have been an influence, most fossil bones are too fragmentary to give rise to such aweinspiring legends. We must also remember that many ancient texts specifically speak of dragons as living entities interacting with humans.

There are some living reptiles that make impressive dragons. Crocodiles can be huge and deadly predators. The largest, the Indo-Pacific crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) can reach 10 metres (33 feet) in length and tip the scales at 3 tons. It can kill water buffalo, tigers, and even sharks. The ancient Chinese called the creature the “flood dragon”.

In the 1950s James Montgomery investigated tales of a huge

monster along the Sagama River. The local Seluka people said it was the father of the devil and threw silver coins into the water whenever it appeared (bringing to mind the treasure hordes of medieval dragons in Europe).

He found the brute sunning itself upon a sandbank; it was a gigantic Indo-Pacific crocodile. Montgomery knew his rifle would be about as much use against such a creature as a peashooter: and beat a hasty retreat. He later returned and measured the sandbank. It was nine meters (30 feet) long. As the crocodile had the end of its tail in the water it’s total length would have been around 10 meters (33 feet).

The infamous komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is found only on three small Indonesian islands. It remained undiscovered until 1912. At over three meters (10 feet) it is the largest known lizard in the world. It kills large prey such as deer by the virulent bacteria in its saliva. Chinese pottery found on Komodo Island suggests this animal was known to seafarers from the orient.

However, looking at dragons as mortal flesh and blood creatures may be wrong. Perhaps they were something much stranger. Maybe the dragon exists as an entity in a reality different to our own? This would explain how they could appear, terrorize a community, and then vanish. We know that atoms vibrate at certain speeds. Could it be possible that there are entities composed of atoms that vibrate at a differing rate, slower or faster than normal? Usually they would be invisible to us but under certain circumstances they, or we, could “speed up” or “slow down” becoming visible to each other for a short time.

Areas of intense Fortean phenomena are called window areas. Many of them were places of former religious importance that have now waned or

fallen from use. Could the worship or occult use of an area over hundreds of years create a sort of artificial life form, something that feeds on the worship? When the worship is taken away the “thing” still needs to feed.

It now feeds by creating fear with paranormal manifestations?

No single explanation is likely to hold the key to the riddle of the dragon.

Dragon-lore is a rich tapestry with many finely woven strands.

But the dragon has always been with us: all through recorded history and back into the dim prehistoric past. I believe the dragon will always be with us no matter how “civilized” we think we have become. When your parents told you there were no such things as dragons … they lied!

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Find your Chinese sign

The Dog is honest, straightforward and faithful. He is friendly, good company and has a mixture of realism and idealism which is all his own.

The Tiger is the wild one of the Chinese zodiac.

Unpredictable, passionate, fearless, impulsive, and attention-seeking , he has a certain elegance and glamour in all he does.

The Horse is adventurous, gregarious, independent, boisterous and cheerful. He is impulsive, but hard working, a wanderer but not a loner.

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Carole Chui guides us through the Chinese zodiac and the forthcoming New Year of the Dog

The Pig is brave, intelligent, patient and more complex than she seems. She likes to be comfortable, and someone will always look after a pig.

The Hare is refined, with good taste, but a little moody. She wins arguments without raising her voice and is reputed to be lucky with money.

The Goat is artistic, generous, shy and sensitive. She cries easily and sulks. Childlike and generous, she is lucky. She always has protectors, food, clothing and shelter.

The Rat is admired for his punctuality, hard work and ambition, although he is not above opportunism. He is thrifty, but generous to his family, witty and interested in people.

The Dragon is the Emperor of beasts, charismatic, demanding, but without guile. His temper is volcanic, and he hates to be bored. He is positive and resilient.

The Monkey is lively with quicksilver intelligence. He has no malice, but can be a trickster. He always bounces back from his problems and is endlessly adaptable.

The Ox is hard working and persevering, fairminded and methodical.

She is sweet-natured, responsible and tenacious, but can hold a grudge. She likes security.

The Snake is mysterious, unreadable, diplomatic and fascinating. Slow to strike, her anger is cold and considered, but if she drops her guard, her warmth and charm is surprising.

The Rooster has a sharp, logical mind and is always right. A perfectionist, but hides inner doubts. A Rooster can run a business and handle a budget. He loves flamboyant dress, even if it is just a bright tie.

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his is the 4,703rd year since the start of the Chinese Calendar.

Chinese New Year always begins on the 1st or 2nd new moon after the Winter Solstice and this year begins on 29th January 2006. There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac (see opposite), and as the 12 year cycle progresses, a Yin animal always follows a Yang animal.

The Yang Dog begins the last such pairing in the whole zodiac and will be followed by the Yin Pig on 18th February 2007.

A Yang year is outward looking and active and the Dog is loyal and principled with traditional values. He or she may be Conservative or Old Labour, but he or she will be conservative!

Usually a Dog year will focus on home and is a good year to marry. As this Chinese year contains two first days of spring (February 4th or 5th by the a solar calendar) marriage is even more fortunate and well-aspected.

The influence of Fire (this year’s element) needs taking into account. Fire is excitable, impulsive and rash, so this energy needs channelling if it is not ultimately to be destructive. Fire in the Year of the Dog could result in some guard-dog activity, with growling and bristling against outsiders. A strong chain is needed if this is not to turn into attack!

If you are a Dog, this is your year. Use it to progress but beware of over-confidence. This year is a good one

for the Tiger and the Horse. The Rat and the Monkey enjoy the year, too. The Dragon, normally so full of bounce, may have the feeling that luck is not quite so easily found in the Year of the Dog and s/he has to work harder to achieve results. That is probably characterforming for the Dragon. The Ox and Goat may also find the year harder going than they expected, and should be prepared for setbacks. These can be overcome, if you are ready for them. For the other animals, the year is neutral.

Don’t forget the effect of your element, however. If you know your Chinese year, take the Western year in which that began (this is important for those of you born in January or February at the end of a Chinese year). If it ended in 0 or 1, the element is Metal, if 2 or 3, Water; if 4 or 5 Wood; if 6 0r 7, Fire; if 8 or 9, Earth.

Fire prospers in a Fire year if control is exerted; Wood may feel a drain on resources; Earth reaps the benefit; Water can call the shots but Metal may feel he or she is bending to circumstances.

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Diana Jarvis explores the legend of Ti Kwan Yin and the way to spiritual upliftment through the Chinese Tea Ceremony

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he next time you are patiently waiting for your Chinese takeaway, have a look for a statue of a seated female figure on a lotus.

She will almost certainly be there, along with the mandatory waving cats that every takeaway insists on displaying. Her name is Kwan Yin (“She who listens to the cries of the world”) and she has been worshipped for centuries, but is littleknown in the west.

Although she is revered as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, there is a belief that Kwan Yin was a real person, namely Miao Shan, a Chinese princess who lived in about 700 B.C. There are many legends telling of the miracles Kwan Yin performed to help those in need. Like Artemis, she is a protector of women. She demonstrates the worthiness of a life of devotion as opposed to marriage, but also grants children to those who desire them. Her earthly life was full of self-sacrifice and hardship – many times she was treated abominably for things she did not do, but she would always take any punishment rather than allow the guilty party to suffer to take it. She spent much of her time sharing what little she had with wild creatures and giving everything she had (including body parts) to help the afflicted. One of the miracles attributed to her has led a to a Chinese tea being named after her.

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Ti Kwan Yin is highly-prized and is grown in China. Legend has it that a poor farmer named Mr. Wei used to pass by a temple dedicated to Kwan Yin. He was poor, but felt compelled to try to

keep the temple clean and fragrant as it was in a poor condition. Every day he would burn incense, sweep the floors and clean the iron statue of the goddess.

Because of his devotion, Kwan Yin

Chinese see tea “Thedrinking as a

refreshing and purifying experience that clears the mind.

”

appeared to him in a dream and told him that behind the temple was a cave, which contained a treasure that would last him for generations. For it to be valuable, though, he would need to share it with friends and neighbours.

Mr Wei searched the cave but only found a small sprig of a tea bush. He took the sprig and planted it, caring for it until it grew into a bush. When he made tea with the leaves of the bush, he noticed a unique fragrance and amber colour, which lasted for many steeps of the leaves.

Mr Wei passed the tea around all his neighbours so that the spread of the tea grew, eventually people in the cities heard of it and it became famous and the tea-growers in Mr Wei’s province became financially secure, as did Mr Wei. Money also came in for the upkeep and repair of Kwan Yin’s temple as Mr Wei had told the story of how he found the tea.

Chinese tea ceremonies are based more on the type and quality of the tea than they are the ritual (unlike Japanese tea rituals). They are designed to focus mental energies and are also very relaxing, the server will move with grace and style.

The Chinese see tea drinking as a refreshing and purifying experience that clears the mind. The belief is that negative thoughts are replaced with a sense of peace during the process which will be retained by the drinker.

The setting for the ceremony is considered as important as the tea. It must be clean, simple, warm and welcoming, all in one go. The minimalist surroundings symbolize the benefits of a clear and uncluttered mind. Tea drinkers will treat each other with the utmost respect and in many tea houses the

...Tea drinking in China is both “ an experience and an art, a time to contemplate service to others, to find peace and to enjoy harmony amongst others in an equal setting.

�

entrance will be arranged so that one has to kneel to enter, thus symbolically making everyone equal. Those attending will endeavour to spend time savouring the taste and contemplating the plight of those less fortunate, in order to remind them to be generous.

The cups used in the ceremony are key; the are small and similar to tiny teapots. Each cup is able to contain only two mouthfuls of tea.

Before it is poured the teapot and cups have some tea put into them and are then washed in bowls filled with hot tea.

This is supposed to keep the flavour in. Only boiling water is used and the teapots are filled to overflowing.

Touching pots or cups with the hand is avoided, tweezers being used as a preference.

As a whole, tea drinking in China is both an experience and an art, a time to contemplate service to others, to find peace and to enjoy harmony amongst others in an equal setting.

If you are ever lucky enough to attend a tea ceremony, you should never swallow the tea in one go.

The correct etiquette is to sip it through the lips and teeth, with a hiss! More tea, Vicar?

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Diana Jarvis brushes up on Chinese Brush Painting

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hile researching this edition of Vision, I found an advert on the internet about Chinese Brush Painting. I was so intrigued I rang, hoping to enrol for a class. Two weeks later I was on my way to Sheffield to meet Nick Summerbell.

During the journey, I found myself cultivating an image of how my first painting would be. Full of deft, flowing strokes it would be absolutely, unquestionably, gorgeous. Unfortunately, my previous attempts at illustration were not gorgeous. At best they could be described as lines and squiggles, at worst they were the illustrated ravings of a group of irate chimpanzees fighting over multi-coloured bananas.

When I arrived, Nick introduced me to the Four Treasures: Brushes, Black Ink, an Inkstone and paper. Chinese brushes are animal hair and are held upright or angled backwards.

Different stiffnesses are used to

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painting he will need “While to feel the flow of Chi

(energy) from his hand to the paper. It is the Chi that makes an artist out of a chimpanzee.

”

create the soft petals of a cherry blossom or the hard edges of bamboo stems. The inkstick is highly decorated and is made by impregnating gum with soot. It is ground into the inkstone with water to make the ink. Paper (Hsuan paper) is often referred to as ‘rice paper’, but is actually made from the bark of the sandalwood tree.

The artist will start by grinding his ink, thinking about the composition of the artwork all the time. He will ensure that his tools are laid out before him; many painters ritualistically lay out their things. While painting he will need to feel the flow of Chi (energy) from his hand to the paper. It is the Chi that makes an artist out of a chimpanzee.

As well as The Four Treasures, there are The Four Gentlemen. Not wizened mandarins with long grey beards as you might think, but flowers. Each “Gentleman” is revered by the Chinese, there are poems for each one. Bamboo, plum blossom, chrysanthemum and orchid are the beginner’s friend. A good painting of a Gentleman will reflect the wind in the leaves and the warm air on the petals.

“Be the flower, Grasshopper”, says the monk in Kung Fu, as I wave my brush enthusiastically and put it to the paper. “Never, ever, do that again!” says Nick, seconds after I start.

Apparently, you can’t correct an error. “You only get one bite of the cherry and you’ve had

yours on that piece”, he says. This does not compute: I’m an Editor, Dammit! I have a spellchecker, several proof-reads and a final proof from the printer. Now, suddenly, I have one piece of paper and one chance. Failure becomes inevitable …

I am not sure that you can smell the blossoms or feel the warm air around the branches – but here is my attempt at plum blossom. Not so much a Gentleman as a small boy sitting alone in a corner, but nonetheless, something that I prepared earlier, something with a bit of my soul.

Here also, is one of Nick’s paintings. If the Chinese are right about energy flowing into the painting then Nick is obviously nearing Nirvana with his and I need a lie down in a dark corner somewhere …

If you would like to try Chinese Brush Painting you can contact Nick on nick@carvercreations.fsnet.co.uk or phone him on 01909 463404. Nick is available for workshops and demonstrations.

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Dave Brennan

Michael Looking Coyote

Do you have a problem which you lack intuition to solve? Do you have any questions about the future to which you seek answers? Native American Michael Looking Coyote will use his Spirit Stones and psychic Dave Brennan will consult the Twist of Fate cards to offer a fresh view on matters.

Michael Looking Coyote’s Spirit Stone Reading: The Magpie, the Water Spider.

The Magpie indicates that greed is at the bottom of this problem, and you need to resist your daughter’s attempts to get you to change your will. Even if she was correct – which she isn’t – she has no right to dictate to you what you do with your money and property.

The Water Spider urges you to follow your instincts and not give in to a “quick-fix” solution to keep the peace. Tell your daughter that if your estate is going to cause so much trouble then you may just leave it all to charity so that there’s nothing left to fight over. I suspect that this may well cause her to keep quiet in future. The Grandfathers tell me that your two sons will give you all the support you need during your twilight years. Enjoy them.

Dave Brennan’s Twist of Fate Reading: cards chosen: Knave of Clubs; 2 of Clubs; King of Clubs; Queen of Clubs; Knave of Spades; Ace of Spaces; 9 of Hearts; King of Hearts; 7 of Hearts.: Freda, you can trust your solicitor and both your sons, who will help a mutual agreement to be reached. Your daughter will not succeed in her plan to change things. You’ve done good turns before to your detriment – you should stick to your guns on this. There will be a happy outcome to this situation.

Am I pregnant?

For the last month or so I have been plagued with omens suggesting pregnancy. I don’t normally pay much attention to the odd ‘sign’ but this is getting ridiculous! It started when a friend of mine just looked at me and said, “You’re blooming – you’re not expecting are you?”. Then another friend asked me to open a new pack of Tarot cards for her – and the card that I cut was one that the book said meant ‘Birth’. A friend did a reading for me on career and had to halt it to tell me that I should be ready for the patter of tiny feet. Those are just a few things – can you tell me whether you think I should get knitting or not?

Annabelle, Melbourne (Australia).

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Where there’s a Will …

I have three children and I’ve left them my entire estate in my will apart from a small amount, which I’ve said should go to a number of charities I support. My two sons are quite happy with this arrangement, but my daughter has kicked up a right fuss. She says I can’t love her much if I’d rather leave money to a charity than her. She also says she should get more than a third of the inheritance because daughters are closer to their mothers than sons are. I don’t understand this, but I’m thinking of changing my will to keep the peace.

Would this be the right thing to do?

Freda, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Michael Looking Coyote’s Spirit Stone Reading: The Ant, the Porcupine, the Mouse.

The Ant signifies young children whilst the Porcupine speaks of joy. On the surface, then, it would seem that you may indeed be pregnant. But we need to be careful when making subjective interpretations, however. The arrival of a child in the future may well indicate that someone is pregnant now, but this may be someone close to you. One thing that puzzles me is why you haven’t done the straightforward thing and taken a pregnancy test. The Mouse hints that you may be concerned at the result, but don’t be. If the Porcupine says you will be happy then you will be – whether you’re pregnant or not. Take a pregnancy test, and if it’s negative keep a close eye on your friends – the messages you’re getting may well be for one of them!

Dave Brennan’s Twist of Fate Reading: Cards chosen: 2 of Hearts; 10 of Spades; 9 of Diamonds; King of Hearts; Queen of Hearts; Ace of Hearts; 10 of Hearts; Queen of Clubs. There may be some jealousy around you, particularly with a female friend. There is good news regarding the baby situation – if you want one you’ve got it – if you don’t you haven’t! You have a supportive father figure around you who would be there for you, whatever. There may be changes at home, but not necessarily because of a child. Whatever the outcome, you will be delighted with it, all the omens are positive.

Teenager Troubles I am currently at war with myself and I hope you can help. My daughter and I are living in fear at our present abode because of a few teenagers and I want to move. This is where I am having my problems. Do I move near my mum, or do I take a leap into the unknown and move to a place I do not know where I have no family near me?

I am a very spiritual person who wants to help other people through being a teacher /healer. I need to know where to be in order to do this. I think I am currently at a crossroads so please help me to choose the right road.

Anna-Maria, Darenth, Kent

Michael Looking Coyote’s Spirit Stone Reading: The Horse, the Frog, the Mammoth. Horse certainly indicates journeys and Frog speaks of a cleansing, so it seems that a move is definitely indicated. What puzzles me is why you would consider moving away from your family members if relationships with them are harmonious. Could it be that you are trying to “make it on your own” and prove something to yourself? The answer is simple: move where you will be happiest – and where you will have peace. The Mammoth symbolises both wisdom and patience. No one can help you “choose the right road”, as, from the moment you are born, you are already on it. What you can do is make wise choices as you walk that road. Be patient. Your role as a teacher/healer will eventually become clear. All you need to do is listen to the directions the Grandfathers give you.

Dave Brennan’s Twist of Fate Reading: Cards Chosen: 7 of Spades; 8 of Clubs; 10 of Clubs; 7 of Hearts; King of Diamonds; Ace of Clubs; 2 of Clubs It’s clear from the cards that you need to do something about this situation, but only because it is bothering you. You get on very well with people but I have a message that you would be best served by moving near your mother. Good luck is on it’s way, any injustice that has been done to you will stop. There are excellent signs regarding all releationships and also towards any career you follow that involves helping others. A move is just what you need, the time is right.

Michael Looking Coyote’s Spirit Stone Reading: The Owl, the Wolf.

The Owl is the keeper of secrets, which tells me that the spirits have determined that it is not for you to know ahead of time whether you will ever give birth to a child. This may not be what you wanted to hear, but believe me when I say that there will be a very good reason for this.

The Wolf is the teacher, and indicates that what you need to do is come to terms with this uncertainty in your life. Living with uncertainty is a necessary part of our walk, and the trick is not to find a way of circumventing that uncertainty but rather to live with it successfully.

Make your life as rich as it can possibly be, continue to live in hope that you may be blessed with a child, but at the same time acknowledge that motherhood may not be a part of your destiny during this lifetime. Rebecca, trust me when I tell you that there is a happy future ahead of you if you wish to embrace it.

Dave Brennan’s Twist of Fate Reading: Cards Chosen: 9 of Spades; Ace of Clubs; Queen of Spades; 10 of Diamonds; Knave of Hearts; 7 of Clubs; Ace of Hearts There are anxious times at the moment, past disappointments cast a shadow over the present.

However, there are clear indications that your wishes will come true. Give yourself a change of scenery for a bit and try not to worry. I can see fulfilment and a happy home and marriage.

A little romance?

I am quite new to the area that I live in.

Although I have made some friends, I’ve not found it very easy to fit in here, especially with women. I would very much like to meet that special person – can you tell me if that will happen?

Jonathan Barnett, Crewe, Cheshire

Baby Hope My husband and have attempted two cycles of IVF. The first failed and the second ended in miscarriage at five weeks. We are about to embark on our third attempt but feel that all hope has gone. I don’t care how long I have to wait or how much more pain and heartache I have to endure as long as I have hope … I am asking you because I trust your readings.

Please ask the sprits to help me become a mother. I am a good person with a good heart. I often think I must have been a bad person in a past life to have to suffer the heartache I have had for five years. Will we ever get a happy, healthy pregnancy resulting in a happy, healthy child?

With all the hope I have left, Rebecca, Pontefract.

Michael Looking Coyote’s Spirit Stone Reading: The Spider, the Dolphin Spider medicine is all about making connections with others. Don’t beat yourself up about not fitting in easily – you’ve actually done very well! You’ve already made some friends, and the fact that you haven’t found it easy is a testament to how hard you’ve tried. Mind you, it’s best not to try too hard. I believe that relationships should be allowed to develop naturally and shouldn’t be forced. Dolphin illustrates two things; a very strong connection with the spirit world and a sense of joy. There is a special person out there somewhere, so my feeling is that they will have an intensely spiritual nature as well as a happy, effervescent personality. Good relationships don’t just happen, Jonathan. You need to go out and find this special person. Will your search definitely be successful? Only the spirits know, but rest in the knowledge that your life – and relationships – will work out as they should.

Dave Brennan’s Twist of Fate Reading: Cards Chosen: 2 of Hearts; King of Spades; 8 of Spades; 9 of Spades; Queen of Spades; King of Hearts; 10 of Clubs; 10 of Diamonds Stop stressing! Your emotional health is shown here and you are obviously letting yourself worry overmuch! You have put a lot into relationships of all kinds and got little back.

That will change. There is one lady around you that will not be good for you, but there is clearly someone on the horizon, a true female friend that you can trust. Long term you will have absolutely no worries. I can also see a long journey coming up with romantic connections.

Send your questions about the future to: Destiny Doctors, Vision, 42a Main Street, Garforth,LS25 1AA, or email destinydoctors@visionmagazine.uk.com Please include all details you feel are relevant.

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Country witchcraft expert Marian Green uncovers the noble origins of the Tarot’s Minor Arcana

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ost people who have seen a Tarot pack will understand that the cards show a number of different themes. There are the 22 picture cards of the Major Arcana, which symbolically deal with important people, situations or experiences, and a great deal has been written about their meanings. The rest of the Tarot has four suits of fourteen cards. As well as a King, Queen and Jack, Tarot packs have an added Knight card. In playing cards the whole Major Arcana has been reduced to one card, the Joker, which is thought to

represent the “Fool” from the Tarot.

Interpretations of the four suits, usually defined as Cups, Swords, Wands and Pentacles, vary. The design of the earliest packs of cards date back to the 1400s when cardboard was made, however the actual images are thousands of years old.

The four suits represent the weapons of a chivalrous knight. He would have a sword to show his skill in battle, a cup as a gift from his beloved, a spear or staff with his coat of arms on a pennant, and a shield to protect himself.

As the Tarot developed into as system of

divination, more esoteric meanings were gradually added. This came to a climax at the end of the 19th Century when a magical society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, instructed its students to design and paint an entire Tarot pack as part of their training. The widely available Rider-Waite Tarot was created as part of this process.

Many modern Tarot books seem to be based on complex theories rather than looking at simpler and perhaps older interpretations. If you recognise that not only are the Swords, Cups,

©Rider Waite Tarot (see P79)

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Wands and Pentacles associated with knighthood, but also that they are instruments commonly linked to the practice of ceremonial magic. This too is shown on many of the Tarot designs, in that the Magician of the Major Arcana is shown standing before an altar table on which these instruments are shown. In one way the Knight in battle rules over the actual or physical land, whereas the Magician has power over the Inner or Astral worlds. Each has to be trained in using his weapons correctly and safely,

too, and they often relate to emotions and feelings, especially love, harmony and partnership. Pentacles, Discs or sometimes Pence are usually attributed to the Element of Earth because they represent wages, the solid basis of events and practical skills. The round shape reflects the circular horizon of the Earth, and magically they can be the top of a witch’s altar, or a shield, which protects the magician or the Knight. The circle is also the Magical Circle or sacred space, sometimes marked out with a cord, or

The four suits represent the “ weapons of a chivalrous knight. He

would have a sword to show his skill in battle, a cup as a gift from his beloved, a spear or staff with his coat of arms on a pennant, and a shield to protect himself

”

gaining skill and strength, concentration and focus on the task that is required.

In many instruction booklets accompanying Tarot sets, each suit of the Minor Arcana is linked to one of the Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

Not all writers agree. Starting with Cups, this symbol is the Holy Grail, the sacred vessel which will bring healing and peace to a troubled life or world. The cup is a container of liquid, and so in many interpretations Cups are connected with the Element of Water. There are goblets in several of the Major Arcana images

imagined as a ring of fire. Like the Knight’s shield, it gives protection.

Wands are often seen as the prime tool of the wizard and all the characters in the Harry Potter books and films work their magic with their wands.

Historically these rods could have been arrows or spears, walking sticks, shepherds’ crooks, a poker for the fire, broomsticks and many other wooden shafts. Because they are practical instruments, designed by mind power and sometimes cut from high on a tree, they link to the Element Air.

Swords are mined as rock and heated in furnaces, forged and shaped to produce sharp blades. This requires a lot of energy, heat, skill and determination, all attributes of the Element Fire.

If you take each item alone it can represent all kinds of symbols. If you have them all, you have a person at peace. He or she holds a cup of wine and the poker to stir the fire, or the crook to herd sheep, or the broomstick to sweep the floor. Looking North this person is at the home he or she furnishes and keeps with their wages, tending their fire or livestock, and perhaps seeing if stormy weather is blowing from the cooler regions. All four elements are needed for comfort and survival in a person’s life.

The knight also needs all four of his weapons to function properly, not just the weapons to fight with, but the strength of love represented by the cup.

You have two characters, the fierce battle knight, prepared for war and the worker at home, with their family and animals all around. When they have all four parts of the Minor Arcana in their life they have all they need.

By seeing the Elements and the suits of the Minor Arcana is a slightly different way a whole new picture will emerge. Knowledge about the Tarot is very ancient, the cards have been redrawn and reinterpreted for hundreds of years. In the last twenty years, more designs, traditions and applications have been developed, but the underlying story is the same. These are the images of our own life’s journey, gaining friends and skills, meeting challenges and overcoming problems to an ultimate goal.

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s there romance in China? I began wondering this after noticing that Valentine’s Day falls only a couple of weeks after Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dog contains next year’s Valentine’s as well, as it ends on 17th February 2007. Having been married to a Chinese husband for nearly 24 years, I can tell you that, having surveyed friends in a similar position in the romance stakes, Chinese men make Englishmen look like hot blooded Latins. Then again, Chinese women have their heads screwed on well. In Hong Kong, Rod’s (my husband’s) cousin used to ask me to read the tarot cards to find out when she would marry a rich man. The cards said she would get rich only by her own efforts, unfortunately. My English friends, of course, wanted to know when they would meet “the one” or whether the current unsuitable loser was really “the one” in disguise.

On the other hand, in Hong Kong, weddings were wonderful and the bride always looks absolutely stunning.

Traditional bridal wear is an embroidered red silk outfit, but some brides had the best of East and West, and wore the full white meringue to the City Hall, and then changed into the traditional red for the wedding banquet. When invited to a wedding banquet, you put money in a lucky red packet which covers the cost of

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Carole Chui finds romance in the Chinese tradition of Feng Shui.

your meal, so the practical is not forgotten.

In our living room, another DVD of a Chinese opera is playing.

out one showing a young scholar and two women. “He’s after this woman”, my husband says, prosaically. I expect there is a wonderful romance in there

A great Chinese symbol of love “ is the mandarin duck, because it

mates for life and pines away when its mate dies. It is held up as a symbol not of romantic love, but of marital fidelity” Beautiful figures whirl to a brassy soundtrack, wielding spears. Apparently, they are the Yang family women, who all went to war when their father was killed.

I ask hopefully whether there are any operas of star-crossed lovers. Rod picks

somewhere, but I am not going to get it.

So I ask about “A Dream of Red Mansions”. We have a large traditional papercut of a scene from this novel above the fireplace (it’s done in red paper and placed in the Feng Shui Fame positio-

for you Feng Shui enthusiasts). This is a novel written during the Ching Dynasty in the 18th century. It covers a vast canvas, involving several great families.

The central story is of Jia Baoyu, whose once great family was in decline. He had 2 female cousins, Daiyu and Baochai. He loved Daiyu, but his family wanted him to marry Baochai (naturally!). Knowing of his love for Daiyu, his family told him he was to marry her, but planned to substitute Baochai, heavily veiled. Daiyu, who was ill, found out about the plot, took a turn for the worse, and died, coughing blood and unable to warn Baoyu. He was married to the disguised bride and when he discovered the substitution, he fell into madness. He revived on meeting a monk who restored his lost jade (no, I didn’t find out how or when he lost it) and passed the Imperial exams very well. Then, when it looked as though he had reconciled himself to his fate, he left home and pregnant Baochai, to be discovered later as a monk.

I am impressed. I ask him if he has read this vast book. Of course he hasn’t. When I was an English undergraduate, we compiled lists of the “Greatest Books We Had Never Read”.

This book would have been my husband’s choice. It does sound very romantic in a doomed sort of way.

So, my thoughts turned back to Feng Shui, and I am going to tell you how to enhance your Relationships Corner in

time for Valentine’s Day, and not be doomed at all. First of all, you need to find the corner. Use your living room, or alternatively, the bedroom. Normally I would tell you not to enhance areas in the bedroom, because you need to keep the qi (energy) flowing gently, not fizzing wildly. Also it would be most

inappropriate to energise the Career Corner in the bedroom, wouldn’t it?

Whichever room you choose, if you insist on using the traditional Feng Shui method of locating ‘corners’ with a compass, find the South West. Otherwise (and this method works), simply stand

with your back to the door you came through, point to the far right hand corner of the room and that is your Relationships corner. It is part of the Baat Gwa, the 8 sided figure which, when placed over a space, gives 8 areas of life you can enhance.

The Relationships Corner has the number 2 assigned to it, and that is a useful part of your enhancement. When I used to do house visits, I would be amazed by the number of people desperate for a relationship who had something reflecting the number 1 in that corner. It might be a moody photograph of themselves, all alone. In one case it was a rather nice little wooden banana with a face and little legs that dangled over the edge of the shelf.

However cute it was, it was a lone banana, and had to be moved to make way for something less lonely.

If you use a picture, make it reflect the sort of relationship you want. A picture of Punch and Judy wouldn’t work - but possibly a picture of Richard and Judy might? A symbolic image of two trees with their branches entwined might represent what you want.

A great Chinese symbol of love is the mandarin duck, because it mates for life and pines away when its mate dies. It is held up as a symbol not of romantic love, but of marital fidelity. This illustrates that you need to decide exactly what you

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want from a relationship. If you want to keep a long-term relationship going rather than attract a new one, the mandarin duck is appropriate. However, pictures of the two of you from a happy time might be more meaningful than symbols from a tradition alien to you.

The Relationships corner is ruled by the Element of Earth. The Chinese colour associated with earth is yellow. This corner also has its own special colour, which is pink. You can also use red because it is on the (actual or notional) south wall. As it is an earth corner, you can use crystals (which are not appropriate in all areas of Feng Shui, but work here). The obvious one to use is rose quartz, as the meanings attributed

to this crystal work well with the corner.

I hope you are beginning to put it together now. Pairs of things to use could include cushions or candles. You could use two pink or yellow or even red candles. They don’t have to be lit to be effective, although obviously you might want to try a little candle magic with your Feng Shui. Be careful how you site the candles. If they are too far apart, how will you ever meet the significant other? You could concentrate on bringing romance into your life by moving them closer together over a period of time.

Traditionally, the Wood element exhausts earth, so you would not

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If you use a picture (in your “ Relationships corner), make it reflect the sort of relationship you want. A picture of Punch and Judy wouldn’t work ...but possibly a picture of Richard and Judy might?”

normally use green in this corner, which is the colour associated with Wood.

However, plants can be successfully used because they are living and growing like a relationship. Be careful what you choose.

A cactus is not a good idea, nor is a Venus fly trap (unless you are desperate!)

Don’t use Sanseviera (mother-in-law’s tongue) because it is spiky and signifies (as does cactus) defensiveness and arguments.

As you become more used to how Feng Shui works and study it further, you might become more sophisticated and enhance subsidiary corners such as Fame (point to the centre of the opposite wall). If no one knows you are there, you will remain an unclaimed treasure, after all. You could also use Helpful People (point to the right hand corner of the wall against

which you are standing). Perhaps a friend will then do a bit of matchmaking.

For now, concentrate on the Relationships Corner itself and see what this brings. Keep it dusted, and keep finetuning it. If the wrong person turns up, move the candles apart and change the picture. Feng Shui gives you a way of focusing your inner needs and taking charge of your life.

If you want to know more about Feng Shui, The Yorkshire Way of Feng Shui by Carole Chui and Angi Brereton is available from the Vision Shop (P80)

George Fryer continues his look at the world of spirit guides and how you can contact yours

Some people feel tingling in “ their heads or hands at first, or

pressure in the neck or shoulders, and usually there is a drop in temperature to one side of your body

”

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n the last article I described what spirit guides are and how they work with us.

In this article I’d like to show you what you need to understand, once you have made a connection with your guides. Specifically you will need to know how we receive communication, or “channel” and how to work with the other area that guides use…synchronicity (or what you call coincidence).

Your first meeting with your guide is always a special event and unique to each individual. Many experience their guides through channelling, meditation or in dreams.

My first connection happened in the sleep state, it was so vivid in fact that I woke up and immediately drew the whole dream in one illustration. That image still contains information which serves me to this day. As you make preparations to channel your guide for the first time, quieten your mind and body and focus your energies as I described in my last article. Your guide will come in gently, matching their energy vibration to yours, so subtly that

you may even believe it is your imagination at first.

Some people feel tingling in their heads or hands at first, or pressure in the neck or shoulders, and usually there is a drop in temperature to one side of your body. Some have experienced what they call a feeling of cobwebs across their face. In the early stages you may sense a presence but you may not see a definite shape or form, some people see only colours or sense moving energy. You may sense words, they may seem to be “on the tip of your tongue” or you may say something which seems so wise you cannot believe it is you, the words seem beyond your wisdom.

You need to understand that guides sometimes choose to work with us on a purely energetic level and a verbal communication is not there. Trust this process, sometimes you may feel that you are being “downloaded” in much the same way a computer receives information in energy bursts which are later decoded into pictures or words.

Sometimes you will receive understanding or information through the other area of guidance … coincidence.

Keep a notebook handy and after each session write down or draw, as I do, little images. This sort of communication can be likened to dreams it is so lucid, so vivid, but hard to recall when you return to your “normal” awakened state. In the early days it is so exciting that you instantly want to understand, to decipher what has come through; but beware that this is usually when your mind takes over and tries to bring in logical slants, to make the pieces fit and or distorts what you have received.

I suggest you just keep as accurate an account as possible, but leave the summations and perceptions and guesses till much later. When asking for a name there is often much confusion and misunderstanding. Guides sometimes give you names which are in fact

anagrams, little puzzles and clues to a more deeper understanding of who they are and their true relationship to you.

Often this will only make sense to you much later, when you have grown in wisdom and practice of what I call the language of the guides.

My first guide, Godan, came to me in a dream and showed me a wall covered in carved hieroglyphs which at the time totally baffled me. Now after many years of practice and working on

They communicate through symbolism, too. Your car breaking down, lost papers which reappear later on, seeing a situation on TV which reflects how your life situation is; all contain messages, some obvious, some subtle.

Your guides are always working to bring to you wisdom to assist your growth.

I have deep love and respect for my guides, but they insist that we are equals and that we both grow from our work together. I joke with them, they

They never “fall out” with “ us, they are always present.

Usually, when we are fearful or stressed, we cannot connect with them” myself I now understand. Sometimes the messages are like time-capsules which contain wisdom we are ready for now and wisdom which we will see later as we grow spiritually.

Asking your guide for what you “should” and what you “shouldn’t” do is unhelpful; for they will not give you answers as you would probably understand them. There are no “should” and “shouldn’t” in the higher realms.

They will help you to examine possible outcomes and choices, though.

Guides work with time in a different way to us. Asking a guide for dates and times is, from my experience, quite unhelpful, for they work on “event based time”, when all is in place. We have arbitrary calendars and clocks and make logical plans, usually around our convenience, our safety, so this does not match how they work. Guides work with what will bring the highest growth to all concerned and when that is most appropriate.

seem to make me the butt of their jokes at times, their sense of humour is amazing and still full of wisdom and love as well.

They exist in the realm of unconditional love and will continue to serve whether we accept their offerings, their gifts, or not. They never “fall out” with us, they are always present but usually when we are fearful or stressed we cannot connect with them. This does not mean that they have gone anywhere, but we have broken the connection by moving into the denser levels of fear.

What wonderful examples of love they are. If only we could emulate them, the world would change very quickly into a paradise, a heaven on Earth.

George runs workshops on working with your guides as well as providing past-life portraits and spirit guide portraits.

Ring 01529 460426 or 0795025451. www.Georgedavidfryer.co.uk for details.

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Rosalind Collier looks at superstitions connected with love and St. Valentine’s Day.

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ove is such a natural part of life: everyone hopes that one day they will find true love and live happily ever after. As a result, many superstitions focus on the pursuit of love and the need to keep it, once it has been found. The superstitions surrounding love involve anything from apples, to crossing people on stairs. The superstitions that remain today are not taken as seriously as they once were and are more for entertainment, particularly for children, than discovering true love.

The most common superstition relating to love today involves the daisy.

If an individual wanted to determine if

someone loved them then they would pick the petals off a daisy one by one saying ‘He/she loves me, He/she loves me not’. The origins of this superstition have been linked to a Roman mythological legend in which the nymph Belides turned herself into a daisy to avoid the unwanted attention of Vertumnus, the god of orchards.

Some popular superstitions that revolve around love and marriage involve the apple. Throughout history the apple has been associated with fertility and matters of the heart. It has also been associated with Venus, the goddess of love. The most common superstition involving an apple, and still in practice today, is the turning of the stalk. Anyone looking for love takes an apple and twists the stalk. With each twist a different

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letter of the alphabet is recited and whichever letter is being spoken when the stalk breaks represents the first letter of their future husband’s or wife’s name.

Other superstitions involving apples include the peeling of an apple in one long unbroken piece, and then tossing it over the left shoulder with the right hand, this is supposed to form the initial of the spouse-to-be’s first name.

Placing apple pips near an open fire can help in determining if a relationship will be successful. It is said that if a single apple pip placed near a fire bursts and cracks it means the relationship will not survive; if it burns quietly it means the relationship will be long and successful, however these two meanings are sometimes reversed.

Another common superstition, which predicts a future wedding, is when a woman stumbles going up the stairs. It is unclear if this superstition determines that there will be a wedding or that the individual that stumbled will be wed. It is also said that lovers should not cross paths on stairs as it could bring bad luck to the relationship, and it is definitely bad luck to embrace or kiss on the stairs as this will certainly doom the relationship.

In ancient Rome, 14th February was Juno’s Day: Juno was patron of love and marriage.

Even today we celebrate love with St. Valentine’s Day. St. Valentine has many stories surrounding how he came to give his name to a love festival, we will probably never know the true

reason. St. Valentine’s Day is riddled with superstition.

Whatever bird you see first on Valentine’s Day may indicate the trade of the man you will marry: Dove - a good man Blackbird - clergyman or priest Sparrow – farmer Robin – sailor.

Goldfinch / yellow bird- a rich man It is said that if someone sees a woodpecker first on St. Valentine’s Day, they will never marry.

The most common superstition is that of not signing a Valentine’s card as it is supposed to be unlucky. It also defeats the object of the exercise!

Whatever you believe (or not!) ...

Have a lovely Valentine’s Day!

Intuitive astrologer, psychic and dream interpreter Samantha Hamilton continues Vision’s monthly alphabet round-up of the most common dream scenarios.

Common dreams beginning with the letter Lizard Lizard is the medicine of dreamers, when a lizard comes into your dreams, it’s asking you to pay attention to your thinking, your thoughts and feelings and not to ignore or put off making important decisions. This can also mean that you must not create conflict, but look inside yourself for answers. Another message of the lizard is that you may just simply need more rest and sleep.

Legacy This is one of the most positive dreams of all and very lucky indeed. If the legacy was for you, you can rest assured that all your financial affairs will be very much balanced and in order. To dream of a legacy for a member of your immediate family indicates annoyance and falling out over petty quarrels. To see yourself sharing out a legacy foretells peace and harmony.

Lamb If you dream of holding a lamb, you can be sure you will feel happy, content and fulfilled. If you were holding a baby lamb it predicts positive experiences and great achievements. To see many lambs in a field gambolling, indicates domestic bliss and celebrations. To find a lost lamb indicates great friendships, to hear of a a lamb foretells pleasant surprises.

Letter To dream of receiving a letter really does depend on the contents. If you dreamed of receiving good news there will be a change in your prospects and this is very lucky: but if the letter contained any disappointing news it indicates obstacles and difficulties to overcome. If you saw yourself destroying the letter expect an injustice from an outsider: one not to be trusted. A letter delivered by a messenger rather than the postman foretells gossip and mischief.

Lynx To dream of this powerful cat indicates secrets: you should listen to your higher self and avoid making snap decisions.

Perhaps you are feeling more intuitive as this animal is all-seeing and all-hearing.

This dream is telling you to be still and silent and meditate, so that you can understand the truth about who you really are and would like to be.

Lavender To dream of being in a field of lavender predicts pleasant love affairs and a new romance. To dream of lavender growing in your garden suggests a first-time meeting with a member of the opposite sex and if you were to smell lavender predicts an engagement ring. To dream of planting lavender means visitors from afar. To dream of buying lavender predicts new beginnings.

Lighthouse To see a lighthouse in your dreams at night means an important message is coming to you of great influence from those that have passed over. A stroke of good luck is also foretold. You can expect your personal life and business affairs to go well when the sea is calm by the lighthouse; but if the sea is rough expect the opposite. Seen in the daytime it predicts a long journey with a companion and/or overseas travel.

Lightning This dream implies anxiety, fear and sadness. It is very possible that you are feeling nervous about the changes that are taking place in your life. If you weren’t alone this indicates exciting

‘L’ social events for you and the person with you. If the lightning struck more than once; expect interference and jealousy in your current plans. Make sure that you tell those closest to you about any intentions to change as you will need them on your side.

Love This foretells sincerity and kindness if you were to dream that you were the one in love. To dream of observing lovemaking indicates success in all your desires. However, illicit love or lust predicts disappointment, punishment and mental torment. If you are to acheive all your dreams and hopes for future success, you will have to go through a lot to get there. To dream of falling in love with a film star implies current plans in business and personal affairs will be unsuccessful.

Lace To dream of lace on a garment or to dream that you are made from pure lace signifies fame and admiration from the opposite sex. It also suggests that there will be success in love affairs. Lace curtains predict confusion because you are feeling unstable and at a low web.

Paper lace is a warning not to trust secrets you’ve been told.

Ladder To dream that you were climbing a very high ladder and that you were able to reach to the top means that you are about to be successful in all your plans. If you are unsuccessful this is a warning to watch your health and take your time in what you do. Disappointment is signified if you fell off the ladder. If you were injured whilst falling, be cautious in signing papers.

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Susanne West writes stories ... or do the stories write her?

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usanne West writes stories for a hobby, hoping to publish them.

This is not so unusual, what is unusual is what happens when she writes.

Like most writers, Susanne gets her inspiration from people and things around her. She currently lives in Lincolnshire, with an old military hospital behind her house. It was this piece that prompted her to write a story called A Very Final War: “Adele rearranged her crisp nurse’s uniform in the reflection in the door, not wanting to seem vain by being too obvious. Although she said it herself, she was quite an attractive woman in her prime: she had many admirers, but felt ‘married to her profession’.

Hopefully this war of theirs was running to a close, with any luck. She would miss her work in the Lincolnshire Military Hospital where she worked; although she had seen some tragic cases in her time.

She was just about to muse more on her life in the hospital, when she was brought up short in her tracks, with a sudden shout of alarm from one of the trainee nurses. “Please, I think we should evacuate pretty quick!” All rank was forgotten when disaster threatened.

Suddenly there was a large bang, followed by a shout. It seemed that there was falling dust and debris out of the air and there was a sudden feeling of suffocation. Amongst the cries a bright light seemed to emerge from the roof, she was falling, falling toward the white light, everything was suddenly still and only the white light encircled her, falling falling, falling …”

Shortly after Susanne wrote this, her husband was surprised to be visited by two spirits, (a World War I nurse and a pilot) who came to the house. Both connected with the hospital and the war

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mentioned in Susanne’s story. Susanne herself was then told about a past-life when she was a first-world war pilot, a bit of a coincidence as she has always been afraid of flying. She also discovered that the military hospital had indeed been bombed during the war, but she had no idea of the bombing when she wrote the piece.

In another of her short stories she writes about a friend who works in a shop. He is very fond of his mother, as was the character in the story, even though Susan didn’t know of the close connection when she wrote it. She found out later, when he told her of a Spirit visitation he had had from his mother a few nights after she’d written her story!

Most of her stories provoke similar occurrences – the coincidences pile up again and again. Her stories are precognitive (predictive) on a regular basis. George Fryer has been telling us about guides using “coincidence” to get messages across in his Spirit Guide series – maybe Susanne’s stories are her Guide talking?

Susanne has found that her own spiritual gifts have been increasing since she has been writing. At the moment, she gets visitations and visions every night!

“When I write, things just come into my head – I get a phrase or a voice and it all comes from there. I feel emotions very strongly and try to get them into my stories.”

Suzanne is living proof that Spirit can communicate with us in many ways. If you haven’t found your niche yet – you might want to get out your fountain pen now!

If you’d like to make an appointment with Susanne, who specialises in crystal healing and Reiki, you can contact her by mail at 210, Rookery Lane, Lincoln LN6 7PH or on 01522 685185.

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Palmist, author and teacher Frank C. Clifford explores the ancient art of palmistry

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he art of reading character, motivation and the future from our palms is no longer shrouded in mystery. There are now simple and accurate ways to engage in some DIY hand-reading … so read on and see if you can find your life in your hands!

Palmistry (or hand analysis) is finally being given the thumbs up in some scientific quarters. Leading scientists have been discovering connections between our hands and inherited talents, behaviour and health patterns – scientific findings that not only back up what palmists have been declaring for years, but also provide further insight into this fascinating subject.

Palm lines are formed in the womb and develop over a lifetime. The lines are directly linked to nerve endings from the brain and are not a result of hand folding or excessive use. Research has noted, for example, that the Heart Line (which runs horizontally under the fingers and is linked to emotional and sexual development) can change greatly during puberty. In addition, lines in our palms begin to fade if our mental faculties fade, either temporarily (eg, during a breakdown) or with age. When we recover, so do the lines.

But how can the subject help us? Our hands are living mirrors, reflecting personality, needs and drives – as well as future possibilities. By interpreting the language of the hands, we gain an immediate ‘aerial view’ of our journey in life, a roadmap of our individual life path.

Palmistry can zoom in on the important aspects of this journey, make us aware of alternative routes and prepare us for the exciting road ahead.

Learning to read palms opens up a whole world of insight, but can also be great fun and a great deal easier than people think. When interpreting the palm, there’s room for many common sense associations that aid quick

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interpretation. Here’s an example: The Head Line has been linked to the way we think and process ideas.

This horizontal line, below the Heart Line, can be straight or curved. When we think of the word ‘straight’ we might picture a direct, uninterrupted course, without digression; words such as linear, conventional, conformist, orderly, unbending. Indeed, a straight Head Line is found on someone with a level-headed and practical mentality. This person works from A to B in a straightforward manner and will prefer to do things according to a set plan. The word ‘curved’, however, brings up notions of bending, meandering, shooting off at an angle, and taking a new turn. A curved Head line suggests a mentality that is more lateral in its thinking and allows for more flexibility and change. Such a person would think of new ways of working or approaching a problem, and be able to ‘bend’ by working around any preconceived notions.

Heart Line

Life Line

Frank’s Party Piece When others discover what I do for a living, palms often appear under my nose for inspection. Over the years I’ve devised a number of ways of picking up instant information without delving into specific lines and their courses. I call the following method my party piece because it’s quick to do, easy to remember and offers insights into our current needs and behaviour.

First of all, shake your hands and lay them palm-up on a desk or solid surface. You’ll notice that some fingers naturally lie closer to each other than others, while some stick out from the rest. It’s rare to have all the fingers with equal distances between them. (In general, fingers held close together betray a conservative person who won’t take risks. When fully splayed, however, expect a bohemian type determined to do things his or her way.)

Keep two points in mind. Firstly, regardless of which hand you write with, relative finger positions on the left hand show traits that apply mostly in your personal life, while on the right hand, these are characteristics seen at work and in social situations. Secondly, finger positioning shows current needs rather than fixed behaviour patterns. Only when the finger has begun to bend towards (or away from) another will this reveal a long-term character trait.

Head Line

Our hands are living mirrors, “ reflecting personality, needs and drives – as well as future possibilities”

Thumb tip held close to the palm: Self-contained, private and wary of intrusion; at present others will be in your life ‘by invitation only’.

Thumb tip held away from the palm: Open and needy – what you see is what you get; you are currently selfconfident in presenting yourself and relaxed enough with others to encourage intimacy, but you may have trouble saying ‘no’ and discriminating.

Index finger held away from the middle finger: Confident and independent; you are feeling ready to assert yourself and your desires.

Index finger tilted towards the middle finger: Shy and lacking in confidence or courage; at present you are seeking reassurance and feeling unsure of your abilities.

Middle finger held close to the ring finger: Duty-bound, guilt-ridden or reluctant to let your hair down; you are currently feeling put-upon but may secretly enjoy being a martyr.

Ring finger separated from the middle finger: Focused on personal projects; you are now determined to enjoy you life and put family duties to the back of your mind.

Little finger jutted out away from the palm: Independent and unwilling to be tied down; at present you are seeking space from, or avoiding, a fullon relationship.

Little finger curled in on itself appearing ‘reticent’: Fear of intimacy; at present you are unwilling to focus on your sexual needs or get physically involved.

Low-set little finger (base is lower): Focussed on problems with one parent, who was physically absent or emotionally remote.

Our hands are our personal autobiographies, but not all the chapters have been written yet. The choices we make and our reactions to the events and people we encounter shape our lives and the lines on our palms. Our actions and reactions today will show in our hands tomorrow. We influence our environment and it also affects us. The hands reflect this and are a living testament to the power we have to shape our own destinies. The future is negotiable.

Frank Clifford is the author of Palmistry 4 Today (Random House, 2002) and Palm Reading (Hamlyn, 2004). He teaches astrology and palmistry for the London School of Astrology.

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Learn how to incorporate the gentle art of Qi Gong into your life

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e’ve all seen images of the Chinese practicing gentle exercises in their workplace, in parks and even in city squares. Qi Gong (Chi Gung; Qigong; Chi Kung) is a gentle form of exercise that focusses on Qi (the energy flow of the practitioner) as much as it does on the movements that are being made. The flow of Qi is critical to the success of the exercise: it should open up energy channels (chakras) and allow the energy to flow smoothly through and around the body.

Qi Gong is very similar to Tai Chi, the main differences between Tai Chi and Qi Gong is that Tai Chi is really a soft martial art and was originally designed to be a fighting system, whereas Qi Gong is intended to promote health and wellbeing. Qi Gong tends to be a collection of exercises that are repeated, whereas Tai Chi is a combination of different movements that rarely repeat. Both techniques in their simplest form can be used to loosen the muscles, encourage the flow of Qi and keep one balanced and healthy in mind, body and spirit.

There is so much you can read on Qi Gong’s history and background, but why not just do it? Make sure you have on comfortable and loose clothing and flat shoes or bare feet.

Opening position Stand with your feet around shoulderwidth apart and face forwards. Make sure your head is held high, imagine that it has been held or lifted up from the top and keep your chin slightly tucked in.

Relax but don’t flop and keep your arms loose. Your knees should be slightly bent (known as “off-lock”).

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Waking your Qi This starts the Qi flowing and induces regular and proper breathing.

It is a perfect starting exercise and is best done very slowly.

1. Start in the Opening Position (first image below) 2. Bring your hands together in front of your body, placing them just below your navel. Make sure your palms are face-up and that your fingertips are almost, but not quite, touching.

3. Raise your hands and breathe in at the same time. Raise your body too. Bring your hands up to chest height.

4. Slowly breathe out and turn your hands around so that the palms face the ground. Lower your body and at the same time lower your hands back to the below-navel position. Repeat 6 times and then let your hands hang back loosely at your sides.

Qi Gong (Chi Gung; Qigong; Chi “Kung) is a gentle form of exercise that focusses on Qi (the energy flow of the practitioner) as much as it does on the movements that are being made.

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Cloud Hands in a Horse Riding Stance: First 4 moves This exercise is great for stress relief and insomnia. It calms and stops the mind racing.

2.Turn to your left and transfer your weight. Turn your body from your waist.

Allow your arms to follow your turn.

1.Start in the opening position.

Breathe in and turn your left palm to face your body, centre of your chest and around shoulder height. Curve your fingers slightly. Extend your right arm out at waist height and turn the palm face down. Keep your fingers slightly curved. Keep your elbows slightly curved.

3. Now change the position of your arms so that your right arm is on top.

Turn your right palm to face your body, left palm facing down.

4. Raise your right arm to shoulder height and drop your left hand to waist height.

5. Breathe out.

Turn your body from the waist as in picture and transfer your weight to the centre.

6.Turn to the right. Breathe in and transfer your weight to your right leg.

Turn your body from the waist and allow arms to turn with the waist.

7. Change your arms so that your left arm is on top. Turn your left palm to face your body, your right palm should face down and be slightly curved. Drop your right hand to waist height.

8. Breathe out and turn your body from the waist, transferring your weight to the centre. Breathe in. Repeat 6 times and return to starting position.

Ending your session You can use the same move for ending your session as you did for opening it. There are many, many more moves in Qi Gong, so if you like how you feel after these, why not pick up a book and try some more? As Confucius said “Study as if you were never to master it; as if in fear of losing it.�

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Cloud Hands in a Horse Riding Stance: Second 4 moves

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Aura workout:

Sandie Gustus introduces us to bioenergy and reveals ways to use and benefit from what you already have.

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ll living beings are surrounded or enveloped by a field of energy.

This fact has been acknowledged by almost every spiritual tradition.

According to author John White in his book Future Science1, references are made to the human energy field (the aura) of the body in 97 different cultures.

In our studies, we term this energy bioenergy. Common synonyms for bioenergy include qi/chi (China), prana (India), subtle energy, vital energy and universal life energy (Rei-Ki).

emotions, intentions and ethics of an individual that make his or her bioenergy either positive or negative.

The reason it is advantageous to learn about bioenergies is because you need to know what your own energies are like in order to discern what’s happening around you energetically. For example, what thoughts, emotions or ailments are all yours and what thoughts, emotions or ailments have you picked up from someone else through the process of energetic exchange (as occurs when we combine our bioenergies with someone elses)?

Through the practice of certain techniques it is possible to achieve a level of mastery of your bioenergy that will allow you to be sensitive enough to discern what is going on around you energetically at any given moment, but not to be affected by it unless you consciously choose to connect with a particular type or quality of energy. Such a skill enables us to exert a much greater level of control over our lives.

The condition of our bioenergies is also closely related to our wellbeing and health. The process of energetic exchange takes place through ten main

Visual representation of auric coupling (exchange of bioenergies).

energetic vortexes throughout our body called chakras. Each chakra relates to a specific organ. When we repress and hold onto emotions such as stress, resentment, hurts, grief and anger, we create energetic blockages in our chakras that can cause disease and a general lack of wellbeing. It is also possible, however, to learn to become aware of and to assess the quality of our chakras’ energies and to perform self-diagnosis and self-healing when necessary.

Visual representation of a bioenergy field

Your own bioenergetic field is not static but constantly absorbs and extends energies out in a process of exchange with other living beings and with the environment. As bioenergy is a neutral force in and of itself, it is the thoughts,

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This is the key to being able to recognize if someone (either physical or nonphysical) is influencing you with their thoughts and emotions via their energy, or if you have been affected by a particular quality of energy that has accumulated in a certain place. The energetic field of a library, for example, might make you feel studious and motivated to learn, while that of a former battlefield might instil in you a sense of fear or impending doom.

Bioenergy workout There are many organizations teaching methods for working with energies. At

the International Academy of Consciousness (IAC) for instance, a number of specially developed techniques are regularly taught to help individuals gain control of their bioenergy. The three techniques below, examples of those taught by the IAC, can greatly assist with parapsychic development, stress management, energetic unblocking, emotional balance, prevention of illness, self-healing, energetic self-defense and energetic cleansing (of a place or environment) if practiced regularly and correctly. When applying the techniques, you are actually going to move energy, not just visualize doing it. So don’t use your imagination. Use your attention, concentration and will instead.

Exteriorization (extending or donatng energy) Before exteriorizing energies, check your thoughts and emotions. If you are preoccupied or not in a good condition, wait until your thoughts and emotions are balanced so as you add only positive

Vibrational state (energizing your chakras by moving energy up and down your body) Be relaxed and focus on accumulating your energies in your head. Then slowly, will yourself to move the energy down through your body towards your feet and

Absorption of energies Ideally, do this exercise in a natural, outdoor setting (such as a park or garden), where the energies are positive.

Relax, and using your determination, absorb energy from the environment through your chakras. Say to yourself something like ‘I will myself to absorb energy.’ If you are not familiar with working with your energy it might take some practice and perseverance before you start to become aware of the sensations that accompany this action; that confirm that you are actually taking energy in. The main reason to absorb energy is to replenish your energy reserves and invigorate your bioenergetic field if you are feeling depleted.

energy to your surrounds or the environment. Focus your attention and send your own energy out through your chakras.

Visual representation of the exteriorization (conscious donation) of energies.

When we exteriorize energy that is infused with positive thoughts we perform a kind of energetic cleansing that improves the energetic quality of the environment around us making it harder for others (both physical and nonphysical) to influence us in a negative way in that place. The donation of energies can also be used to calm and heal others (including animals and plants). Do not however, perform this technique in a public place or daily at the same time in the same place, as you will likely attract the (unwanted) attention of energetically needy non-physical people.

then back up towards your head, and so on.

Visual representation of the technique for producing a vibrational state

Gradually, increase the intensity and speed of flow until such time as you ‘lose’ the flow of the energy and sense a vibration taking over your entire body.

This technique is a powerful tool for energetic self-defense: it prevents auric couplings with others, and is also a technique for clearing blockages and expanding psychic awareness.

More information: Sandie Gustus is an instructor and the Director, of Marketing & Communications (U.K.) at the London office of the International Academy of Consciousness (IAC). For details of IAC courses, including free public lectures and the Consciousness Development Program, or information on IAC books and videos, Email: London@iacworld.org; Tel: 020 77230544 or visit: www.iacworld.org

1 John White and Stanley Krippner; Future science: Life energies and the physics of paranormal phenomena; 1st ed edition, Anchor Books; 1977

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Marian Green, wise-woman and country witchcraft expert, explores the rich history of the village witch.

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ong before there were organised health services with doctors, hospitals and pharmacies; every village and community had its specialist herb wife or wise woman. In more recent times these important healers have been referred to as witches. Not only did they know the uses of hundreds of plants, both wild and cultivated, but these ‘witches’ were midwives, helping mothers give birth, and often ‘layers out of the dead’, preparing folk for their funerals.

In this way these learned and respected women helped at both ends of life. They would also give advice to young people about their love lives, acting as local ‘agony aunts’ when communication moved at the speed of a horse.

The most important skill, often handed down within a family, was the knowledge of plant medicine and herb magic. A witch would use all manner of

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things to make her potions, not only wellknown herbs like thyme or lavender, but roots, berries and fungi as well as trees for their bark. We all know that Aspirin helps cool fevers and takes away pain, but this common substance is made from the bark of willow trees and has been in use for hundreds of years.

The wise woman’s healing power would use the juice from plants, which, in large doses could be harmful; some of these are still used by homeopaths, including deadly nightshade and hemlock. Some cures would bring a magical sleep during which the patient might dream that they were made well, Leaves of comfrey or boneset would be crushed and wrapped around a broken leg or sprained wrist to ease the pain, reduce the swelling and speed recovery.

Alternatively, liniments would be used, which could be rubbed on to sore muscles. Herbs were mixed with wine to make tinctures, some were crushed into pig or goose fat as ointments and others were patiently boiled for hours in the witch’s cauldron until they were able to be safely kept all year.

Every witch would know each sort of plant, tree, fungus and shrub within miles of where she lived as many medicinal plants have what is called ‘virtue’. This is a magical power, which increases their effects, and wild plants have more of it. Each part of the medicine, be it roots or stems, or buds, leaves, flowers, fruits or corms needed to be gathered at the right phase of the moon or sun. Some could be dried for later use; others were collected and given to the sick person immediately.

This complicated and deep knowledge would be acquired during a whole lifetime, with the wise woman adding to the knowledge, swapping recipes and exchanging materials whenever she could. There were also cunning-men who often cared for sick animals, usually the larger ones, like

sheep, pigs, cattle and horses, all of which were extremely valuable to a society which mostly lived in the country side. Our modern town-dwelling lifestyle is only two hundred years old, most of our ancestors would have dwelt in the countryside and worked there too. When books began to be printed they were sold by mail order, and often, as many early works dealt with herbs and plant medicine, the witches were first in their communities to buy them. This is a very different picture than that of the ignorant and illiterate old crone, cackling over a smoky fire in a hovel.

The gentlest way of using herbs is in teas; you will find lots of safe varieties in both supermarkets and herbalists. Familiar garden plants can be soaked in hot water for a few minutes, strained and then drunk. Be sure you know what you are using before you use it! Sprigs of thyme can be used to ease a sore throat, with a little manuka honey added to sweeten the brew. Rosemary may be boiled in several cups of water and used to rinse dark hair, or camomile (even in tea bags) used for blondes, giving a shiny, healthy finish. If you can’t sleep, a few heads of dried lavender tied in a thin cloth may help, place under your pillow, or use the oil dropped on your pillow.

As well as knowing the medicinal effects of plants, the old witches would add the power of magic.

They would often tell their patient to perform a complicated charm to ensure that the cure was effective, such as adding three or nine drops of the potion to water taken from a particular spring at the moment the sun set, for example.

They might tie leaves or twigs with a red thread to be worn around the sick person’s neck, as red was thought to be the colour of life. There might be a spell to be chanted or sung as the ointment was rubbed in. An old cure for warts (which does work) is to pick a

dandelion flower on a sunny morning, and rub the white juice on each wart, saying this spell, nine times.

“Wart, wart, black of heart, I command you to depart!” Repeat each day for a week, in a waning moon.

Today plant scientists study the chemicals in traditional herbs and lots of old remedies are being used once again, including St. John’s Wort for mild depression, camomile to help people sleep, lavender oil to heal spots and scratches, pine bark to ease asthma and star anise to alleviate the symptoms of influenza. Actually, ‘flu is so named because medieval Italians thought the influence of night air in wet places like Venice caused this illness. The old herb wives would be delighted that their knowledge is still being used effectively today.

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Samantha Hamilton introduces us to her unique flower oracle.

Choose your flower and see what it reveals about the inner you!

Dandelion This flower tells you to go forward positively and to stop taking a back seat.

Dandelion aids a disciplined approach and encourages you to stay in tune with your inner wisdom.

Trust is the key.

Buttercup

Daisy If ever you feel you have lost the ability to laugh out loud and lose yourself in the joy of simple things, Daisy reminds you to re-connect with your inner child. Letting go of past memories and disappointments from your childhood will help you to feel love and warmth from others, and reconnect with yourself once again.

Snowdrop

Selecting this card is a call to speak your truth. Buttercup represents the feminine power of insight. A woman of maturity will guide you in the right direction and help you to make progress in sharing your feelings with others.

“Hurry up and wait”. Learn to recognize and accept that which cannot be changed. Sitting in a traffic jam, accept your own powerlessness to make the traffic flow faster and concentrate on enjoying the music you are listening to, or share a smile with the person in the next car.

Blue Gentian

It is only natural to feel guilt when you know you have hurt another person, be it physically or emotionally. But the same thing often applies when it is yourself who has been hurt by your own actions. Nettle encourages you to let go of this selfdestructive, self-punishment and look again at your beliefs.

This flower gives clarity whenever you feel confused. Look to see the underlying message. Do not fear being mistaken when others do not see things the way you do. Someone who has links to overseas will bring inspiration and creativity into your life.

Orchid The trials of life can overwhelm even the sunniest of dispositions. The orchid will inspire you to see the good that is out there. The glass is half full, it’s not half empty.

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Passion flower Passion flower takes issue with the fear of feeling. Feeling strongly is seen as a sign of a lack of intelligence.

Nothing can be further from the truth. Meditating on a regular basis and imagining Passion flower will bring in the healing energies you require.

Nettle

Violet Violet gives relief when you feel your life has broken down. It clears your distorted memories of those situations that didn’t work out. By tuning in to the healing energies of the Violet you will be able to come to terms with this current condition.

Bluebell Bluebell means your intuition is telling you something, but you are holding back. There are times when you are blind to a good thing.

Selecting this card is a call to put aside your prejudices and preconceptions.

Lily of the Valley

Orange blossom Orange blossom helps you to enjoy physical life; it makes you more aware of physical pleasures and revitalizes your energy and life force.

You may find you have been spending too much time indoors. This card marks a beginning of a new relationship or a new stage in an existing one. Both love and friendship will have a spiritual quality.

Geranium

Trying to fill roles and expectations can be deeply unfulfilling if these aren’t your aspirations too. The bottom line is that you can’t make anyone else happy by making yourself miserable. Lily of the Valley is about living life from your heart.

If you never feel that you get your due rewards, then Geranium will help you. This flower addresses the feeling of emptiness that no material possessions can fill. Geranium will show you how to appreciate the little things in life, it will literally teach you gratitude.

Field Poppy.

You do not enjoy being criticized and sometimes feel it’s more like bullying.

At other times it is you who can be the one who is too domineering and arrogant. When you are the guilty or the victim of inconsiderate behaviour, Elderflower can help. It encourages you to value your own individual worth and your right to express your opinion.

You may well think of yourself as a free spirit, someone who dislikes discipline. True discipline comes from within. Being your own authority brings control and self acceptance.

Daffodil.

The daffodil is the perfect antidote when you are feeling vulnerable to outside influences. It reminds you that you are not on your own and that you have friends, family and even Higher Powers on your side.

There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

Sunflower If you need financial support, if you need a strong, helping hand then the Sunflower is for you. This card will help you heal old wounds and feelings of vulnerability so that you can move on and take control of your life.

Marigold You may find yourself pushing another person to meet an objective that you secretly do not agree with. If you find yourself in such a situation, you must tap in to the female qualities of caring, sharing and loving. This is a warm and relatively painless way to connect to unconditional love that will give you enormous strength.

Elderflower

Foxglove.

When you suffer painful loss it can feel like a great weight is pressing down on your heart. Foxglove encourages you to open your heart to love, to embrace and at the same time let go of the painful memories that have been ruling your life.

White Convolvulus Too much of anything can be as bad as too little. This principle even applies to something as fundamental as mothering. Whether you are an over-protective mother or compulsive giver the White Convolvulus will improve matters. In selecting this flower you can address the needy child within and restore a balance.

Rose Often when you hide your true feelings about a situation you do it from a fear of criticism, judgment and exposure. This card indicates that you feel you have to be someone else’s idea of perfection, without being true to yourself. Rose encourages you to open your heart to yourself and others without fear of judgment.

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or those of us who were scrabbling to find an outlet for their spirituality in the nineties, Marian Green is an icon. Her seminal work A Witch Alone: Thirteen Moons to Master Natural Magic (HarperCollins) was a straw to a drowning man. My muchthumbed copy was lent out time and again to friends who devoured its contents with the same voracity that I had.

Meeting Marian after years of admiring her was not an anti-climax for me. In some ways, she was exactly what I expected – everyday and an easy speaker who talks about magic and makes it sound as commonplace as breathing. However, when you meet her eyes, the word ‘indomitable’ springs to mind. This lady has been there, done that and probably done it twice to be sure. When asked about her introduction to magic, she says “I’ve always been in it, from my earliest memories. I grew up in the country and everyone did things then that later were talked about as “oh that’s all magic, that’s all witchcraft!”. I danced round trees when I was a child, I learnt to dowse … and it went on from there.”

No discussion with Marian could avoid a reference to A Witch Alone, so I asked her if she was still fond of the type of magic in the book, bearing in mind that we change over time.

Diana Jarvis talks to Marian Green about witchcraft and getting back to nature

“There are an awful lot of things around for people who have homes in cities, but to me Witchcraft is very much about Nature, whether you see it as a religion, see it as a philosophy or see it as a way of life; it doesn’t really matter. If you ignore Nature then you are breaking a link with something that is life-giving

of Nature. I feel that you can simplify your life; you don’t have to spend lots of money buying expensive equipment to be a natural witch, and you can do it anywhere. You can get by with very simple things.”

However, magic is always changing and growing as we are, Marian told me.

“We know from the way people studied magic a hundred years ago that they have moved on and therefore magic has to move on too, it’s a living system and it has to change. It needs to be relevant for today. Magic is no good unless it works.”

Marian is still actively involved in all things magical.

“I’m always writing for magazines and I edit a magazine called Quest, which I have done for years. I also run conferences and training courses, The course I’m currently running is a postal course based on A Witch Alone. I have written a book as a sequel to this, called The Gentle Arts of Natural Magic (Thoth Publications, reviewed on P77).

Witchcraft is very popular today and many people of all ages are looking into this gentle tradition. I asked Marian what she would say to someone who wants to be a witch – and her reply was as straight-forward as she is herself.

“What’s stopping you? If you want to be a witch – be a witch!”

We know from the way people “ studied magic a hundred years ago that they have moved on and therefore magic has to move on too, it’s a living system and it has to change.

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and life-supporting and when the link has been broken you are in trouble”.

She explained how this could be a problem: “Ninety percent of people’s lives are artificial – artificial food, artificial light – artificial everything! But we are part of Nature: we talk about human nature. If we neglect that part of us; the seasons, the tides, the stars, the power of the Earth, the sky… humanity loses by it. A Witch Alone looked back into this connection with the Earth and tried to remind people of the four elements, how to create a bond with the seasons and the (natural) arts and skills

Some of the sayings we’ve “ uncovered do actually work – and as far as weather-predicting goes, you probably have just as much chance of going by these as by the Met Office!”

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he tradition of the Cunning Man and Wise Woman is rooted in Nature and is something that even those inhabiting the urban sprawl can learn something from.

Any Witch worth his/her salt (pun intended) will be well aware of omens inherent in the natural world and will use them in his/her day-to-day life. Some of the sayings we’ve uncovered do actually work – and as far as weather-predicting goes, you probably have just as much chance of going by these as by the Met Office!

The 2nd February is the Pagan Sabbat of Imbolc, known colloquially as Candlemas. Imbolc is strongly connected with the Celtic goddess Brigit, who some say is connected with Brigantia, goddess of the Britons. If you want to attract her favours, tie a ribbon to your front door on this day to welcome her into your home. There are many other stories surrounding this sacred day, but perhaps the most common saying is If Candlemas is fair and bright, winter will have another flight; but if Candlemas brings cloud and rain, winter is gone and won’t come again.

This is similar to the most familiar legend of St. Swithun’s Day (15th July) St Swithun’s day if thou dost rain For forty days it will remain St Swithun’s day if thou be fair For forty days ‘twill rain na mair

Apparently, statistically this is true 7 years out of ten!

The date may act as the agent of prediction, but so can the plants, trees and animals.

If the oak before the ash, we will only have a splash; if the ash before the oak, we will have a soak predicts what type of summer we will have and the seagull is also an omen of weather for the day.

Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand, it’s never fine weather when you’re on land The seagull was originally thought to be the dead soul of a fisherman who had died at sea.

The farmer and Witch would also be aware of clouds as portents. We know that these do work, cloud formations are a good indication of what the weather may be like, at least in the immediate!

Mares tales and mackerel sky, not long wet and not long dry suggests changeable weather and Red sky at night, shepherds’ delight; red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning gives us an idea of whether it is likely to rain heavily during the day. I’ve successfully amazed some friends living in cities by using this to predict the weather – unless I’ve worn sandals on a “red sky at night” in which case it is a rule that it will rain, regardless!

If you’ve followed all these sayings and you’re pretty sure it’s going to rain, you can always do a little “cloud-busting” and try to break it up a bit. Cloud-busting is also a good way to look out for omens for yourself, as it is a form of scrying (seeing pictures in fire, water, earth, air). Choose a place outside where you can comfortably lie on your back. Get yourself comfortable and look at the clouds in the sky (be careful not to look directly at the sun, whatever you do!). Choose a small cloud and fix your gaze on it. Gradually ‘will’ it to split. Just concentrate on it breaking into two clouds and …it will! If you don’t believe me, just try it – it really works! You can also look at the clouds and see what they remind you of – dragons, dogs, angels – the list is as endless as your imagination. Then refer to our ‘Dream Directory’ for what these symbols mean, as they will work well for clouds. Try it out, it’s fascinating, relaxing and really can help you to see the future, or at least – make it drier!

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Young author Stephanie Brookes introduces us to the power of the mind and shows us how we can make our dreams real!

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s a teenager, I never gave much thought to the concept of being able to make my wishes manifest, as a child, even less so. It occurred to me recently, as a now 20-something, that I was already demonstrating ‘Creative Visualisation’ techniques or ‘Manifesting’ as far back as I can remember.

As a very young teenager, I had a little routine of praying the day before the (dreaded) maths test. I not only asked for help with the test, but I visualised receiving my grade, and the thrill of passing it with all my friends.

I was always an attentive student, vigilant about my studies and for some years had extra tuition in maths – a subject I still struggle with to this day. I just felt that the energy and willingness I gave out would somehow pay off, and see me through the test.

I always did manage a pass, and throughout my teenage years I subconsciously practiced manifesting techniques on a day-to-day basis.

My first experience of actually being aware of the ‘Manifesting’ process began at the age 17; when I started to visualise my completed manuscript being accepted by a Literary Agent. I persevered for two years, never wavering that it would happen. Yes, I had my bad days - as we all do - and I sometimes doubted if I was good enough. The thing that kept me going was the thought of receiving that magical acceptance in the post; the moment that would change everything.

As I had foreseen, I did receive that magical answer. It never came in the

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post but in a phone call. A Literary Agent had seen ‘the potential’ in my work and invited me to her offices in London to discuss my manuscript, and how we should progress forward. As it turned out, the relationship with the agency didn’t work out and for reasons only the Universe knows, I was back at square one.

Over the years, I have come to realise that my wish, had in fact, been fulfilled, just as I had specifically asked. The experience was a lesson for me to learn from.

Creative

Visualisation – Manifesting – is a technique that can really help you to attract into your life the very things that you need. It is simple and it works. The following exercise will demonstrate that you don’t always have to manifest the ‘big’ events in life the little things are just as important!

I will leave you with this one “ little piece of advice - after all -

thought is perhaps the most powerful tool we have. Be careful what you wish for . . .”

Try it yourself Start by manifesting something very simple; for example, a parking space. I recently graduated from University and for three years lived happily in a little flat by the sea. There was one problem – parking. It was pretty horrendous at the best of times. My parents would always drive me back to the flat after every Uni break, the car invariably loaded with even more stuff! Exactly ten minutes before we were due to arrive, I would send out a silent wish for a parking space and would visualise the space opening up just for us. After a few months of practicing this exercise – when out driving with friends or family – a parking space would always become available.

You might say this was pure luck, a coincidence or being in the right place at the right time! I would say otherwise, but try it out for yourself and see how it goes.

You are Part of the Process When you’re a teenager you want everything to happen in lightening quick time. Many of us feel like that now. We put out desperate wishes and pleadings, ‘Please God, I need this promotion now!’

‘Please God, I need some money to cover this months rent, now!’ or, as was the

case in my teenage years, ‘Please God, I need that special dress, the one to go clubbing in, and I need it ASAP.’ I have found that just wishing or saying the words out loud isn’t enough. Manifesting requires a little effort on our part. I try visualising how it would feel to have that ‘special dress’, the sensation of trying it on – how my friends would react – how often I would use the dress – how it would take pride of place in my wardrobe. It is important to give ‘life’ to the wish; it then takes on a whole new dimension. I create a picture in my mind that the wish has already come true. I never waver or doubt that I can achieve it. I send the prayer out once, and am confident that it will be answered. One of my friends who talks to Spirit got an unexpected message one day, she had been asking for something over and over again and they said, ‘You only have to ask once – we’re not deaf!’

Your answer will come in the most unexpected of ways. The wish rarely materialises in the exact way you had imagined. For example, I might receive a

I have found that just wishing “ or saying the words out loud isn’t

enough. … It is important to give ‘life’ to the wish; it then takes on a whole new dimension

”

call from a friend asking if I would work her shift as a favour. The money I would earn will enable me to pay for that ‘special dress’. It certainly won’t appear magically in my wardrobe, but part of the manifesting process is that you provide the magic. If you already ‘manifest’ on a daily basis, you know that you should look for signs. We all have instinct and we all have the ability to help ourselves achieve our goals.

When I want to manifest something important, I am careful not to falter. Try to stop other influences changing your train of thought. What you require may seem silly or insignificant to others, but always remember that you are a unique individual; totally different to any other human being on this earth, and what you require is just as important as any other wish, need or desire.

Manifesting is here for us all.

We can manifest as much as we like, when we like. I will leave you with this one little piece of advice - after all thought is perhaps the most powerful tool we have!

Be careful what you wish for . . .

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Imbolc: 2nd February.

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ello and welcome to the February edition of Coven Corner.

February is the time of year to start thinking about de-cluttering our lives and homes, starting with the small and more mundane tasks such as cleaning out all your cupboards of unused and unwanted items, freeing up space and at the same time helping charities by donating these items to a charity shop of your choice, knowing that the proceeds are going to a good cause.

This can also be applied to any emotional clutter that we are hanging on to, making our minds more receptive to new ventures and ideas, which will help us to a more positive path in our lives.

Clearing out “dead wood” can lead us into a more spiritual way of thinking when our minds are not full of material and emotional clutter. It makes it a lot easier to meditate, too! I intend to put this into practice myself and look forward to all the new positive things that the rest of the year will bring.

Andrea

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Also known as, Candlemas (Candle Mass), Imbolg, Brigantia and Oimealg.

Imbolc means “in milk” which is an appropriate name for this festival as it centres around calving time. Imbolc is a Greater Sabbat and is the celebration of an ancient fire festival, generally celebrated anywhere from January 31st to February 2nd.

The celebration of Imbolc signals the quickening of the year anticipating the upcoming season of light. Nature shows the first evidence of the return of life, winter buds appear on bare trees and green life stirs under the frozen earth. The sun is in its infancy and begins to grow in size and strength, warming the earth as it grows.

Imbolc also marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God. Although it is a fire festival the emphasis is more on the light that it gives as darkness gives way to light. This is a good time to ritually celebrate renewal, growth, purification, fertility, out with the old and in with the new. It is time to bring about sudden changes and rewards.

Goddess of the Month Brigid, Brig or Brigit meaning Fiery Arrow of Power.

Daughter of the Dagda, called the poetess and often called the Triple Brigids.

February 1st. Imbolc is a pagan festival dedicated to Brigid. Brigid had an exclusive female priesthood at Kildare and has an ever – burning sacred fire. The number of her priestesses was nineteen, which represented the nineteen year cycle of the Celtic ‘Great Year’. She is the goddess of fire, fertility, the hearth, feminine arts and crafts, martial arts, healing, physicians, agriculture, inspiration, learning, poetry, divination, prophecy, smith craft, animal husbandry, love, witchcraft and occult knowledge.

Invoke Brigid for healing rituals for friends, family or pets as her power is very strong in this area.

1 x green candle (represents the Goddess) 1 x yellow candle 6 x tea lights Bowl containing a handful of snow or ice A small piece of cheese A cup of milk.

Once you have gathered your ingredients together place the green and yellow candles at opposite sides of your altar (the green or Goddess on the left), then place the bowl of snow or ice on the west side of the altar. Now put the six tea lights in a circle at the southern part of the altar. The cheese and milk will be placed on the altar later.

Cast your circle by holding your hand out in front of you (making sure you are facing north); point your index finger imagining a golden light shooting out of it as you slowly turn clockwise. When you have completed a full circle say “the circle is cast”. Now light the green and yellow candles at the same time asking the God and Goddess for them to be present in the circle to witness this ritual. Next light the tea lights, visualising each one as a goal for the coming year.

As the snow/ice melts imagine any negativity or obstacles that have held you back and see them fading away as the snow/ice is in the bowl. Now you can put the milk and cheese on the altar as an offering to the God and Goddess.

Thank them for being present in your circle. Now close the circle by tracing your finger anti-clockwise (starting at the north) imagining as you do this the golden light going back into your finger, then say “The circle is closed. So mote it be”. Take the melted snow/ice along with the cheese and milk offering and pour them onto Mother Earth, but make sure you do this somewhere green, away from your own house and garden boundaries.

This is a spell to attract new friends into your life. Always remember that we cannot name people, because that would be going against their own free will. This spell should be performed at the time of a new moon and on a Friday.

Ingredients: 1 x pink candle 1 x piece of rose quartz 1 x rosemary incense (or carefully burn the herb rosemary) Cleanse the rose quartz crystal in a glass of salty water. Gather your ingredients together and put on your altar, light the incense. Now cast your circle. Extend your arm in front of you with your index finger pointing north; now imagine a golden light shooting from your finger as you turn clockwise, until you get back to where you started. Now say “the circle is cast”. Light the pink candle, pick up the piece of rose quartz saying: “Oh great Goddess and God Bring me a friend that is honest and true, Who never tells lies or makes me feel blue, One who will always be there for me I’ll be the best friend that I can be.

And it harm none, so mote it be”.

Burn the pink candle for an hour each day until it has burned right down, then bury the remains in the earth (in your own garden, if possible).

Carry the rose quartz crystal around with you at all times.

Witches Kitchen Marjoram.

Marjoram is associated with the Goddesses Venus and Aphrodite and is associated with protection, love, happiness, health and money.

Marjoram is used in love spells; it can be placed in each room of a house to provide protection and when grown in the garden it wards off evil. Marjoram is a good gift to give to someone who is depressed, it can also be used in money spells.

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Vision has teamed up with Megalithic Tours to offer 2 lucky readers a pair of tickets to join Megalithic Tours on their exploration of our wonderful megalithic heritage and some of the most mystical and historical sites in the Britain! Stone Circles, Megaliths, Standing Stones, Sacred Wells, Springs and Waterfalls, Knights Templar and Arthurian sites… Megalithic Tours cover them all and the list is endless. As well as the tour itself, a trip out with Megalithic

Tours is a chance to meet new likeminded friends and experience a little of the magic that is Britain! There is a huge list of tours with dates and venues being added all the time!

For your chance to win a pair of tickets, send your name and address on a postcard (or the back of a sealed envelope) to: Vision Megalithic Tours Competition, 42a Main Street, Garforth, LS25 1AA by 16th February 2006.

We have 6 copies of The Dragon Tarot

by Nigel Suckling (and illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland) to give away to lucky readers.

Dragons have fascinated us on a global scale for centuries and now they are the main features of a striking deck of tarot cards. Let these primal creatures guide you through the ancient landscape of the tarot, illuminating the meaning of each exquisite card.

To enter, simply send your name and address with your answer on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope to: Vision Dragon Tarot Giveaway, 42a Main Street, Garforth LS25 1AA by 16th February 2006.

If you’re not lucky enough to win in our competition, take advantage of our great Reader Offer! The Dragon Tarot is published by Cico Books at £12.99 and available from all good bookshops or you can call 01892-839805 quoting CC182 to purchase a copy at the special price of

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£10.95 including free p&p – that’s over £2 off!

Terms and Conditions: The first 6 names to be picked after the closing date win prizes; only one reader offer/competition entry per household; offer open to UK readers over the age of 18; Vision accepts no responsibility for the distribution of prizes.

Terms and Conditions: The first 2 names picked after the closing date will win a pair of tickets for a one-day tour with Megalithic Tours. Megalithic Tours will arrange with the winners which tour is appropriate. Tours include the Cumbria Henges and Stone Circles; The Derbyshire Stone Circles and Hadrian’s Wall and the North East. Only one reader offer/competition entry per household. Offer open to UK readers over the age of 18 only. Vision accepts no responsibility for the distribution of prizes. Every entrant will receive an information pack from Megalithic Tours.

A copy of Will Storr vs. the Supernatural FREE to the first 50 subscribers of Vision!

Yes, the first 50 subscriptions we receive from this issue will get Will’s Storr’s amazing new book FREE as well as two free issues of Vision!

In Will Storr vs. the Supernatural, journalist Will Storr is sent on an assignment to follow Lou Gentile, a Demonologist from Philadelphia.

He expects to gently poke fun at the subject

and the man, but ends up being shocked beyond belief by the events during his time with Lou. In an effort to unravel what happened, Will sets out on a journey to find the truth about ghosts.

He meets spiritualists, trance mediums and professional paranormal investigators.

This book is fascinating, entertaining and questions the subjects of life, death and the afterlife in the most thoughtprovoking way. This is one book that you should read – it may change the way you think forever! To get your copy, telephone or mail your subscription to Vision quoting code WS1.

Will Storr vs. the Supernatural is published by Ebury Press for £10.99 and is available from all good bookshops and www.amazon.co.uk.

Terms & Conditions: Offer ends February 16, 2006; Ebury Press will dispatch all orders; Vision accepts no responsibility for the distribution of orders.

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rom the 3rd February Venus is moving forward after some time retrograde (moving backwards) and the world becomes a more loving place. People will feel more responsible about relationships and commitments with family, friends and loved ones.

Venus is also in Capricorn at this time, this augers well for lovers who will feel more dedicated and want to commit to each other, so there are more marriages and engagements during February, especially with Valentine’s day to encourage shows of affection and commitment. International relations will be stronger and agreements easier to reach. You are likely to find more time for leisure, making time to spend with people you care about.

Saturn has appeared to move backwards in Leo since the 22nd November and does not move forward again until 5th April, but in February it moves quickly, expressing the characteristics of the retrograde phase.

Saturn represents authority figures, discipline, traditional views and commitment to responsibility.

In the backward phase with the sun in opposition at the beginning of February, you may find that vitality and confidence is undermined, there is a feeling of being limited by constraints, responsibilities and bureaucracy. You may feel that you will want to rebel against anyone who represents repression and discipline. One minute you will feel powerful and able to overthrow repression and the next you will feel powerless and unable to overcome difficulties and obstacles as middle ground is not easily achieved.

Chiron, an asteroid promoting healing and teaching lessons, is in opposition to Saturn; this makes us act out of character not accepting what other people say or want. People will want to be

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A rough guide to the planetary movements during February 2006 and their worldwide influences. heard and taken notice of, so government bodies will have problems with the general public in pushing through bills which restrict lives.

With Mars now moving forward and in Taurus till the 18th you will be stubborn and determined to make people do things your way as only your way is right! Mediation will be out of the question!

From the 18th February, Mars moves into Gemini, quickening your thinking processes and making it more necessary to talk to others. The press will be more critical and scathing in its remarks. News will be more interesting and the pen will be mightier than the sword as people will want to talk about their anger rather than act in anger.

As we get to the end of February our minds will be more disciplined and

reason will return to some degree, but only occasionally, as the Gemini twins will not let rational thoughts prevail.

A ‘might-making-right’ attitude will be tempered at the full moon on the 15th as it casts its beams to Pluto in the sign of universal liberty and knowledge.

Pluto is changing the world by giving the people who are in chains the chance to be free by overthrowing repressive governments and authorities.

Every month, when this planet is illuminated by the moon, these issues will be paramount in our thoughts, which is what keeps the spirit of freedom alive.

It is just important to make sure we are sensible in how we go about achieving our ambitions and February is not one of those months.

Carole Chui looks at the ancient, imperial methods of Chinese astrology.

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he Chinese 12 Animal Zodiac is the equivalent of our Sun Sign astrology: it gives fascinating insights, but it is possible to travel deeper and learn more.

The Chinese Zodiac is a ring of animals. However, it is not a ring of stars and has no connection with planetary movement. It is not the whole of Chinese astrology, and is a later addition to the original art.

Early astrology was political and imperial. It related to the emperor and his court. Chinese imperial astrology appears to have been a product of northerly and mountainous latitudes of this China, where the stars overhead neither rise nor set, but circle the Pole Star. The North, or Pole Star, represented the emperor, and all around him was his court. The Lunar Mansions, constellations through which the moon passed, also formed part of ancient knowledge.

When I worked as an astrologer, I often wondered if clients knew exactly how much personal information they handed over with the birth data. In Hong Kong, a young man bought me lunch at the Mandarin Hotel to hear what I had to tell him of his (Western) chart. He was treating it lightly, being sophisticated and westernised. When I mentioned that he might soon be going into public life, perhaps politics, he turned pale and furtive and asked me from where I got the information. “ The chart! Where else?” I said.

His ancient Chinese ancestors knew well how effective Astrology is. In the early years, it was death for anyone outside official court circles to practise astrology. The key to present Chinese astrology is the years of Imperial rule keeping the form pure, followed by suppression of all things imperial from 1949 onwards. In Imperial days, as the stars were forbidden to commoners, various forms of fortune-telling based loosely on heavenly cycles began.

Itinerant monks used as a basis the 28 Lunar Mansions (constellations through

which the moon passed). This eventually became a cycle of 28 days, each with a predictive meaning. The Tong Shu, the Chinese Almanac, has its ancient origins here.

Nevertheless, much of Chinese Astrology is based on cycles and not stars. The Chinese Zodiac is in fact based on a the cycle of 12 Earthly Branches.

There is also a cycle of 10 Heavenly stems. If you know that your year is Yin or Yang according to the animal, and that it has an element which stays 2 years over a Yang then a Yin animal, you realise that the cycle of 10 heavenly stems can also be found in popular astrology.

Every Year is given a stem and a branch over a 60 year cycle. Each Stem and Branch is allotted to one of the 5 elements and is Yang or Yin. This is a 60 year cycle.

early years, it “In the was death for anyone outside official court circles to practise astrology.”

For your Birth (Chinese) year, the calculation is done. The Pillar means simply that the Chinese Character for the Earthly Branch is put at the bottom, with the Heavenly stem above. Each possesses a Yin or Yang Aspect and an element. The 2nd to 4th Pillars are calculated on the Month, Day and Hour of birth. The Day pillar is the starting point – essentially you. The other Pillars show influences such as parents, ancestors and children, and can be used differently in different types of reading.

To set things in motion there is a 5th consideration – the Luck Pillar. It changes every 10 years, but does not necessarily start at birth, calculations are needed to know when it first changes for you, and that sets the 10 year cycle for life. Great events can be expected at the point of change. A Four Pillars chart can also be set up for events.

I now come to a Chinese Astrology format that looks more like an

astrological chart that the Pillars. Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Calculation) astrology uses a chart with 12 divisions and also with 12 Palaces or Mansions representing areas of life. As we have the concept of 12 houses in Western astrology, it sounds similar but is not identical. The method of placement of the Mansions is different from the method(s) used for calculating the 12 Western houses.

Purple Star astrology derives its name from the Pole Star, and thus links back to the old astrology of Imperial China. But this is not astrology as we know it. Purple Star uses the stems and branches illustrated above for the hour, day, month and year of birth.

Next come the stars. There are 14 basic stars. Some of the stars are real heavenly bodies, others are imaginary and they have names like “The Emperor’s Treasury”, “The Huge Door” as well as more familiar ones like Sun and Moon.

These work with 4 transforming stars, which modify the effects of the 14. These stars visit the various Mansions, and it is important to work out the effect not only of each star in each Mansion, but also of the combination of, say a favourable star in your Ming, or Destiny/Self Mansion but an unfavourable one in your Money Mansion. There are good and bad stars to have, and their placement is ultimately governed by the Purple Star, the Pole star.

The Animals are now well known in the West. They are just the beginning of a fascinating journey into a different way of trying to pierce the veil of destiny, a journey to which Vision is, of course, dedicated.

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Let Vision’s no-nonsense astrologer James Christie guide you through the month ahead...

21 Jan – 19 Feb

Your February Forcast

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ots of new ideas and ambitions come online this month and these weeks will turn out to be an effective period for impressing other people with your determination and dedication. This mood is enhanced by the fact that some of the plans and ideas you had last year should now be bearing fruit and boosting your confidence no end. On a roll? You bet you are, so go with it and see where it takes you. You might be surprised but you won’t be disappointed.

Social aspects are very bright in the middle of the month and the period between the 16th and 20th will see you mixing business with pleasure in a very effective way, so don’t miss out on the opportunity! A financial boost around the 22nd is some extra evidence to indicate that you’re on the right pathway and during the very last days of the month there will be important conversations with people in authority.

Cash & Careers: The early days

Relationships: As the accent

of February are quite good for all business schemes and money-making projects. You’ll have the ear and goodwill of other people around you and doors of opportunity that have been closed for too long should now start creaking open.

Independent business people will be reassessing their capital and doing quiet deals to increase their fluidity while people on PAYE (Pay All You Earn) may be exploring new finance deals with banks and building societies. There will be a frustrating delay around the 9th 10th when something does not fall into place quite the way you expected but by the 23rd 24th you should be flying high again. Important papers/ contracts/ documents will be signed on the 27th or 28th and although you might pause before dashing off your signature, it will only be for a second before you sign your name with a flourish.

seems to be so strongly on business acumen and personal endeavour, it’s little wonder that emotions and affairs of the heart are somewhat subdued this month – subdued, this is, until around the 17th or 18th when some emotional manure is going to hit the fan with the velocity of a V2 rocket. Basically there is, I suspect, going to be one great, enormous row between you and someone who does not feel they are getting the attention or commitment from you that they feel they deserve. How you deal with this explosion will not just dictate the mood of the rest of the month, it may well end up dictating the mood for the rest of the year! Therefore, before engaging your mouth, have a long hard think about what it is you really want out of a key relationship at this stage in your life.

Fancy an Aquarius? Don’t make heavy emotional demands - be imaginative.

Tell your Aquarian they look great and make a date in an unusual location - they will love it!

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Your February Forcast

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uite a fluid month with a lot going on: highs and lows, ups and downs – well yes, of course, but the highs are higher than the lows and even the lows can be productive if they give you some time for quiet thought and reflection. In many ways, February could be seen as a planning month and a time where you are happy to explore new ideas and redefine some long term priorities. It is also a month for physical movement, so while some of you will be going through the process of house moves, others will be enjoying mid-winter holidays and allied travel aspects. Travel aspects are particularly strong on the 9th, 10th, 14th, and 21st. February is not the best of months for looking to other people to provide you with a sense of leadership and direction because, basically, other people are going to be looking to you to provide them with a sense of leadership and direction!

20 Feb – 20 Mar

Cash & Careers: No major worries where day-to-day or week-tomonth finances are concerned but you may find yourself looking to the longer term future and playing around with stocks and shares or other long term investments. Someone will provide you with either a business or an investment opportunity between the 1st and the 7th, this opportunity should be considered and discussed. Don’t rubbish it out of hand because you’ve never considered it before. Anything associated with overseas property looks relevant and career minded Pisceans who are climbing the ladder of success rung by painful rung can expect a nice little boost on the 26th 27th or 28th.

Relationships: Apart from some quite nice highs around the 14th and again on the 22nd, February seems like it is going to be a rather low-key month for love affairs and the romantic idyll. While

valuing friendships and partnerships this is a period where you’re going to feel the need for some head-space and solitude.

You’ll resent it when loved ones seem to crowd you with their concerns and their idea of what your commitment to them should be. You’ll be under pressure to make an important decision on, or immediately around the 19th, but as this pressure comes from third parties rather than from within yourself, you should be brave enough to back down from this responsibility: unless you know exactly what you want. Do not make a hasty decision just to fit in with someone else’s agenda or timetable. Sexual favours will be offered around the 23rd or 24th but gentlemen reading this should have no difficulty in seeing where a lady is coming from and spotting the obvious conditional catch.

Fancy a Pisces? Romance and reassurance will seduce this highly emotional lover: try candles, flowers and soft music to set the scene and win their heart.

Your February Forcast

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rank Sinatra’s old anthem I’ll Do It My Way echoes above my PC as I’m putting this to bed for you, for as surely as God makes little green apples in English orchards: February is a month when you’re going to be doing it your way or not at all. The trouble is, of course, that not everyone will think that your way is the right way and therefore there is bound to be some opposition, especially around the 2nd and 3rd February and then more aggressively on the 20th and 21st February. Then, someone close to you is going to challenge some of your principles and beliefs. In my opinion you really should try to make a few compromises, both with colleagues and intimate partners, but you’ll not be in any kind of mood to listen to people who are telling what you can and can’t do.

21 Mar – 20 Apr

Cash & Careers: Providing you are left alone to do your own thing in your own way this should be a reasonably productive month on the work scene and you’ll feel able to rise to any challenge that comes your way. It is only when other people interfere and start watching over your shoulder that the problems will arise! There will be some friction with a boss/employer around the middle of the month when it is patently obvious (at least, to you) that aforementioned bosses and employers are total idiots! One can only hope that you can zip your lip and refrain from telling them so, otherwise you’ll be looking for a new job before month’s end! February 17th is a critical date for not burning your bridges and blowing up your rowing boat!

Relationships: The third week of the month is probably the best for affairs

of the heart and this is the most opportune period for finding new romantic relationships if that is what you’re looking for. The rest of the month, however, is a tetchy up and down ride with arguments about silly little things popping up all over the place and getting blown totally out of proportion. In principle, partnerships do pull together but it is in the detail that the tensions arise. We agree that a new car is a good idea but he wants a sports model and you want a family car. Yes, a holiday would be absolutely great; but he wants to go to Bournemouth to see his old Mum and you want to jet off to Barbados with the rest of the girls! Can we find a compromise? Can we? Can we? Well some of us can, but it will be difficult if you’re born beneath the sign of Aries!

Fancy an Aries? Lots of loving (especially first thing in the morning) will make you irresistible!

Combine this with a naughty sense of humour: your ram will be laughing all the way to the bedroom.

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Your February Forcast

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t is to be hoped that you’re feeling rested and refreshed after a period of quiet down-time during the midwinter because once you’re moving into February the pressure gets piled on in a major way. But hey, this is great! You’re going to be busy and productive, full of vim and vigour and confidence and a number of financial doors should now start creaking open. You’ll be executing plans that have been in the pipeline for many long weeks and just as importantly, making new plans for later on in the year. There are perhaps a few health concerns that need to be taken into consideration (don’t burn the candle at both ends and keep taking the medication) and wherever you can, be prepared to delegate a degree of responsibility. You’ve got some good solid people around you and their help and advice is absolutely invaluable!

21 Apr – 21 May

Cash & Career: You’re going to be as busy as a bee between the 1st and the 5th but at least the cash is going to start rolling in – and this isn’t just a fluke, but a clear indication that 2006 is going to be a record breaking year for you. Watch out for some conflict and confrontation around the 16th to the 23rd (this may well have something to do with tax or VAT) and you simply must deal with this effectively before you can pass go and start rolling out some more of those marvellous sixes. On a personal level, spending may need to be curtailed just a little bit in the middle of the month to accommodate for some whacking big bills landing on your mat towards the end of the month! Basically, watch the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves. Having said that, these bills will not come as any great surprise. Arty Taureans get an ego boost on 24th!

Relationships: Established relationships are stable enough, and if there are occasional tense words you can put this down to work pressures getting in the way. Also, if you’re feeling less than 100% fit, you may find yourself being short with a partner who doesn’t really know how you’re feeling. New romances can bloom, but here again, not enough spare time for long courtships. A new face grabs your attention around the 3rd or 4th and will inevitably bring your flirtatious streak to the surface – something that might not go down well with an existing nearest and dearest, so either be very discreet or play the whole thing for laughs! Travel aspects are solid throughout the month and tie-in nicely with sexual adventures and business connections. Watch out for (and do what you can to avoid) divided emotional loyalties between the 14th and the 21st .

Fancy a Taurus? Compliments and long, slow cuddles will tame a bull.

Give a special, designer gift with a sensual twist: they’ll be swept off their feet!

22 May – 21 June

Your February Forcast

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hey say that patience is a virtue and if this is true then unfortunately this is not going to be one of your most virtuous months.

You are in a hurry and you want things sorted out now, not next week or next year or next whenever. Thus, on more than one occasion you will be viewed as acting very impulsively by other people, and without too much thought for anyone else’s feelings other than your own. You, for your part, will be frustrated when other folk seem to drag their heels and are seemingly content to amble down the avenue of life when you are much more inclined to take it at a full run. You need to be a little careful during the last ten days of February when, if trying to run too fast, you’re likely to fall headover-heels, and like it or not, it has to be said that much more will be achieved by

a steady methodical approach. Yep, I knew you didn’t want to hear that!

Cash & Career: Although the first few days of February are a bit boggy, someone or something lights the blue touchpaper around the 6th or 7th and by the 9th or 10th we have ignition – and a tremendous rocket pulse of energy that catapults you throughout the following few days on the crest of a roller-coaster wave of career and cash success. Sounds great, but you do need to hang on to the rails of common sense and realise that just because you’re good it doesn’t mean that you are God! Somewhere around the 21st someone is going to put the boot in and try to knock you off your perch – they won’t be successful, but it will alert you to the fact that although you’ve got a lot of friends out there, you’ve also got one or two enemies!

Relationships: This is probably not the most romantic month of your year and it seems to me that affairs of the heart are peripheral to aspects of ego and individuality.

Sure, there should be some sexual energy bouncing up and down and giving you a good time around the 13th 14th and 15th and again around the 27th and throughout the month there will be one special member of the opposite sex telling you how important you are to them.

However if they are not that important to you then someone is going be to be hurt and disappointed before the Ides of March. For you to get the very best out of your love life you need to keep things very simple and uncomplicated, but that might be easier for me to say than it might be for you to do.

Fancy a Gemini? Surprises and sparkling, witty, naughty conversation will keep both twins happy.

Amourous attention when they least expect it is a real turn-on!

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22 June – 22 July

Your February Forcast

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erhaps a bit of a stodgy start to the month of February when nothing seems to happen according to plan or schedule, but the energy shifts around the 11th at which time travel aspects come on line – as does anything else that can broaden your mind and raise your sights. Low moods experienced during the first few days are elevated by the second week and offer an introduction to a brighter social life from the middle of the month onwards. Your concentration (and judgement) may become a bit th erratic between the 20 and the 28th if you allow intensely emotional affairs to overwhelm your common sense. There isn’t actually a division of loyalties between the personal and professional aspects of your life, but there are events falling into place this month that lead towards that situation a little later in the year.

Cash & Career: All professional aspects are highlighted around the 9th 10th and 11th and set the pattern for the rest of the month. There will be some promotion and an improvement in finances long before the 28th and you’ll feel highly confident that you are on the right path and are making the right decisions. A lover or partner may not agree with you on this point, but the way you will see it is that this is their problem and not yours. Anything to do with education has a role to play in this month’s events and there must be some involvement with bureaucracy with regard to children and the welfare of younger people.

Relationships: There is a distinct frisson of tension in all close personal relationships that will flare to the surface on or around the 18th and then go back onto the back burner for the rest of the

month. Sexual and romantic aspects are fine, providing they do not compromise your career ambitions or your desire and determination to be seen and regarded as who and what you think you are. Even if that does not coincide with other peoples’ estimation of your personality and character, you will still expect to be seen the way you want to be. In your quest for this degree of recognition you will inevitably tread on a loved one’s toes, but the way you see it, that will be their fault and not your responsibility. Travel aspects – and maybe the actual process of putting some physical distance between yourself and your critics – can do a lot to alleviate some of the undercurrents of tension that dog your footsteps this month, but do be warned that ultimately what is good for the goose is also good for the gander¡

Fancy a Cancer? Massages and cuddles in satin sheets will make a caring crustacean out of a crabby Cancer.

Cancers need to be needed and will be sure to appreciate you more if you appreciate their cooking!

Your February Forcast

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his is a honing and pruning period wherein you do a great deal to rid yourself of the dead wood and detritus that has cluttered up your life and cramped your style for far too long.

If it aint broke, don’t fix it, but if something isn’t working, be it a car, a telly or a relationship, then no amount of patching is going to make it right so I guess it’s time to trade up to a new model. The 8th to the 11th is a key period for being quite ruthless in this respect.

February is not the best of months for throwing your weight around, better by far to work quietly (secretly?) in the background and keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. In affairs of the heart you may also decide to play your cards quite close to your chest and avoid committing yourself romantically unless you have absolute proof that a partner or potential partner is 100% on your side.

23 July – 22 Aug

Cash & Careers: February favours carefully thought out business plans and ideas and anything to do with new business partnerships is well starred on or around the 18th to the 22nd when an established friend presents you with an opportunity that you probably can’t afford to ignore.

Don’t let your optimism and enthusiasm get in the way of your common sense, and if you choose to become a bit more realistic around the 27th and 28th that is absolutely fine.

It isn’t a case of cold feet, more a case of “show me the money!” Travel aspects are not brilliant at this time, apart from a little spark of something sexy on the 14th.

Relationships: Overall February looks like being a tense month for all affairs of the heart.

A few issues come to the surface between

the 1st and the 8th that are calmed by the 13th 14th but then flare up again around the 19th.

You’ll find it hard to conduct a constructive argument when you are dealing with someone who can’t understand you, because they don’t want to understand you and will at every opportunity turn constructive arguments into vicious quarrels.

In this mêlée you will find that you have to judge other people by their actions rather than by their words and there is one person whose passion and solidarity for your cause will come as a welcome and beautiful surprise.

Purely sexual aspects improve during the latter days of February and this will certainly provide some emotional release in the short term – even if it complicates matters in the long term, depending upon your choice of bedmate.

Fancy a Leo? Make them feel centre-stage in your life and you’ll get lots of loving.

Be flirty and dramatic: the Lion loves a sense of drama so be sure you look like a million dollars on your date!

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Your February Forcast

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ebruary is a bright and breezy month for improving your social life and for broadening your circle of friends. There may be some intellectual and/or artistic stimulation coming online around the 10th which may give you cause to review your present career position. There will be the birth of a boost of ambition around the 18th which (a) will bring you to the attention of important people in your working life and (b) will enhance your levels of self confidence and personal popularity. Some moodiness from within the family circle may put a bit of a damper on this around the 24th but you should be able to rise above this and keep things in perspective. When you consider some of the past compromises you have made for the sake of “family” in times gone by and recognise that this time is a time for you!

Cash & Careers: Business and pleasure do walk hand-in-glove this month and while nobody is going to deny your professional abilities it does have to be said that who you know could be a lot more important than what you can do.

This trend is consistent throughout the month but is specifically highlighted between the 14th and the 21st when social events bring you much closer to both bosses and colleagues. The pace will slow a little in the very last days of the month – which will be frustrating if you’re still running on a full head of steam – but just go with the flow and on the 27th and 28th do not try forcing issues through that do not want to be forced.

Relationships: This will be a pleasant and productive month for all relationships, both the business and the personal, and there will be an ongoing

23 Aug – 22 Sept energy of crossovers where the one aspect influences the other. Business associations with romantic partners should work exceptionally well providing both parties give themselves a little space and don’t try living in each other’s pockets all the time.

The middle period of the month is the most likely time for finding new romances and is also the most exciting period for a few sexual adventures. The sour note of a third party’s jealousy will strike a minor chord in the last few days, and while you may be saddened by this turn of events, it won’t be allowed to get in the way of where you’re going. For what it’s worth, I think these sour notes and minor chords may be coming from an elderly female and this does suggest some tension in parent/child relationships building up towards the month’s end.

Fancy a Virgo? Virgos love subtlety and sophistication, charm them into your heart!

Make time with your Virgo: if it’s over a coffee make it an Italian cappucino, not a supermarket frothy.

Your February Forcast

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ibrans will experience a low-key and probably rather tiring start to their month with a lot of time being spent on tidying up details and detritus from January and Christmas.

One or two necessary journeys add to your work load, and while you may find yourself dreaming of Benidorm; Birmingham and Bolton spring more readily to mind! The pace picks up on or around the 10th and you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of lots of cooperation from both friends and colleagues alike that will help you hit key targets and achieve significant ambitions around the 17th 18th or 19th. Be careful not to become too cocky or overconfident in this period and don’t jump to conclusions about other peoples’ motives – especially in the romantic and emotional aspects of your life. Someone

23 sept – 23 Oct may be giving out the right signals but are you getting the right message?

Cash & Careers: Despite a slow start February turns out to be quite a brisk and busy month with some interesting new work routines falling into place during the second week which, whether you like it or not, is going to put a bit more responsibility on your shoulders. You’ll be reviewing your finances around the 14th and will probably be pleasantly surprised at the result. Finances are further improved by the payment of a lump sum of money owing to you from last year. You’ll be contemplating major purchases towards the end of the month (houses, holidays, cars, diamonds) and although at this stage you might only be windowshopping, it does bring a distinct degree of pleasure and confidence to the Libran world.

Relationships: A moody start to the month wherein, like it or not, you will have to review some of the ups and down of your emotional history and get a few things into perspective before you can move on and get the most out of what promises to be a very sexy and exciting February. Between the 17th and the 25th one of two things happens.

Either an existing relationship moves into a powerful new chapter of evolution and development or a new relationship falls in place and comes online – full of all those scary elements that go with all new romances. Either way, before month’s end your view of your emotional future should be considerably brighter than it was at the beginning of the month and even though you may have ridiculously long legs February is a very short month!

Fancy a Libra? You’ll need to be well-groomed, well-spoken and adoring.

Take your Libra to a beautiful location and tell them how naturally beautiful they are too!

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Your February Forcast

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ot a lot of energy around you during the first few days of the month – the chances are you’re going to be feeling a bit tired and stressed which certainly won’t do much to generate any great optimism for anything. Things shift and change around the 8th when you’ll find yourself becoming a little more carefree in your outlook and you’ll be enjoying some rather stimulating conversations with new friends and contacts on the social scene. Some blossoming romantic vibrations make their presence felt around this time and by the 20th or 23rd at the very latest February will have become a month full of snap crackle and pop with a plethora of pleasant things falling into place for you: which should be fine if you can keep things light and airy but which could constitute some emotional pressure if you allow romantic and sexual situations to get a bit heavy.

24 Oct – 23 Nov

Cash & Careers: Quite a heavy

Relationships: Moods of jealousy

work load during the first week and not much free time – not much energy to enjoy it even if there was! A new face in your place of work could flutter heart strings and eye lashes – watch for this between the 6th and the 9th – and social aspects with work or business colleagues could become a whole new ball game long before the 20th. Praise from important and influential people enable you to raise your ambitions and horizons from the 22nd onwards and one person in particular will be working very hard to please and impress… although it does have to be said that they almost certainly have an ulterior motive that has got absolutely nothing to do with work routines.Working relationships with friends should pose no threat but sexual liaisons with colleagues will prove to be very dangerous, so be careful what you do.

and possessiveness could spark an unpleasant row in the opening hours of February and this will provoke you into saying a few a few things you will immediately regret. It may well be to your advantage to get some of your innermost thoughts and feelings out into the open. If nothing else it clears the air and enables you to find a more stable emotional platform by the 14th or 15th.

New romantic opportunities will be presented to you long before the 20th and while you may be flattered and relieved, this is probably not the best of times to go leaping into something serious before dipping a toe and testing the temperature of the water.

Nevertheless there will be some subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) pressure from a member of the opposite sex for you to make romantic commitments that you’re not quite ready to make.

Fancy a Scorpio? Make sure they know how you feel and live up to it!

Romance is Bogart in Casablanca: not balloons in Bognor! Be sophisticated in your courtship.

Your February Forcast

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ll domestic aspects are particularly well placed this month and this may well turn out to be one of the calmest and most tranquil periods of your year. This does not infer boredom or inactivity, but rather great pleasure taken from the simple things in life with the accent on family and friends. A degree of home entertaining is relevant on the 8th 9th, 20th, 21st and 23rd where your talents as host/hostess will really shine.

Children and their achievements will bring special feelings of pride towards the end of the month (the 27th in particular) and anything to do with education augers extremely well for all people born beneath the sign of the centaur. It may be that this will come in the form of school exams, driving tests, university degrees or even just the process of taking on board some new work skills.

Cash & Careers: Well, perhaps

24 Nov – 21 Dec this is not going to be the most electrifying of months where cash and careers are concerned, but things should tick along quite nicely apart from a blip around the 6th or 7th when you’ll feel under some pressure at work and might end up losing your temper with a colleague. An apology a few days later might not go amiss and if you could try to be a little less assertive this should enhance your popularity among your work mates. This might be more important than you think if you find yourself entering into some kind of power struggle with bosses and employers later on in the month around the 18th, 19th and 20th. Having said all of this there are no major problems in February that you cannot deal with relatively easily, even if you do find yourself enjoying your social life a damn sight more than your time in the office.

Relationships: Rather a lovely month for established relationships, and, perhaps just as importantly, a lovely month for those who are not in an established relationship but who would very much like to be so! Some specific romantic opportunities on the 15th 16th could quickly lead to intimate sexual entanglements by the 20th 21st and I suppose it’s got to be said that February could well turn out to be a very sexy month for just about everybody out there, single or committed. On the other side of the coin, if you have been suffering from any kind of sexual problem, be it physical, emotional or psychological, this is the time where it all starts getting sorted out to your relief and ultimate advantage. Travel aspects are not really relevant at this time, but journeys will be planned and that might be exciting enough in its own right.

Fancy a Sagittarius? Make them laugh and be frank and open.

Always keep your passport up-to-date, they love travel. Be kind to cute, furry animals: they love them!

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Your February Forcast

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massive burst of energy explodes in the House of Capricorn during the opening days of the month, which is just as well because you’re going to need it in your attempt to juggle with half a dozen balls of priority at the same time. Work routines will probably cause some disruption in your domestic life and equally, emotional tensions (and a fair bit of plain old fashioned tiredness) could impair your judgement on the work scene. Thus, a carefully orchestrated balancing act will be demanded of you.

Situations calm down a little by the 13th giving you chance to gather your thoughts, find a bit of R&R and to prepare yourself for the next burst of high octane energy, which won’t be too far round the corner, I promise!

Cash & Careers: An absolutely brilliant period work wise between the 1st

22 Dec - 20 Jan and the 5th and a time wherein you can (a) re-coup some of your outgoings (b) pay off some old debts (c) put a smile on your bank manager’s face and (d) enjoy the jingle jangle of some new coins in your pocket. Around the 17th 19th you could well find yourself coming into conflict with a colleague, and a firm stance needs to be taken here. Either things must be done your way, or if other people don’t want to go that route, let them do things their way – but let them do it on their own. You don’t have enough spare time to waste it on timewasters. February 18th will be a significant date that defines your future career pathway, and it is inevitable that you may have some important, but difficult decisions to make on or around that day.

Relationships: Probably not the

sexiest or most romantic month in the Capricorn year but nevertheless partnerships can make a lot of progress if two people are pulling together in the same direction. St. Valentine’s Day could see you being on the receiving end of a very generous gift or treat, but oddly enough, this could have quite an unsettling effect, depending upon the identity of the giver. All things considered it is the period around the 23rd 24th 25th that sees you getting the greatest pleasure out of the month and if you are going to meet your tall dark handsome stranger or your beautiful curvy blond, this is the most likely time for it to happen. Someone is certainly paying you a lot of attention in these last days of the month and, on the face of it, will have a lot to offer. The question is, what do they want in return?

Fancy a Capricorn? Be strong and direct with them - and tell them you love them, for goodness sake!

A considerate and protracted courtship is a must: but it’s worth the wait ... win them over and expect fireworks!

Recommended Dragons – More Than a Myth

by Richard Freeman (CFZ Press, £19.99) I’d have to admit that most people don’t believe in dragons, but when one of the world’s most knowledgeable cryptozoologists says that they may exist after all we have to raise at least one eyebrow – if not both – and re-evaluate our stance.

Richard Freeman is Director of Zoology at the Centre for Fortean Zoology, the UK’s foremost (and only) team of fulltime monster hunters. Richard and his colleagues have hunted hairy hominids in Bolam Lake, water monsters in the Far East and, would you believe, the Mongolian Death Worm. All in a day’s work for Mr. Freeman. Richard is acknowledged by many as the world’s greatest expert on dragon lore. If it breathes fire and has scaly skin, Richard will tell you its life history. Trust me. I’ve attended many of his fascinating lectures.

In Dragons: More Than a Myth, Freeman takes an in-depth look at the whole subject of dragons. He illustrates the dragon through history, the dragon as it manifests itself throughout the world’s cultures and the dragon – whatever you may perceive it to be – in our current 21st century. The facts are pretty simple. Over the millennia there have been many instances of people seeing dragons,

76 Vision 11

fighting dragons and, unfortunately, being killed by them. Ask St. George; he had a right old to-do with one! Seriously though, Freeman puts up a watertight case that dragons, in some sense, almost certainly exist.

In some instances he suggests that dragons may actually be large reptiles taken from their native environment and witnessed by people who have no idea what they really are. Others, he suggests, may be reptiles that have simply grown to immense size. A third possibility is that some dragons may be colossal reptiles as yet unknown to science, relicts from the age of dinosaurs, perhaps, still living in remote rain forests and other far-flung places.

Richard’s final suggestion is the most intriguing of all. Some dragons may be paranormal entities, he thinks, that hail from “other plains of existence” or, perhaps, our own collective unconscious.

Whatever we think of dragons, the truth is that they have permeated virtually all of the world’s cultures since time immemorial and they aren’t going to go away. Dragons: More Than a Myth is the best book I’ve read on the subject so far.

If you enjoy having a closed mind, don’t read it. If you’re living comfortably in a warm cocoon of conventional thinking, leave it on the shelf. On the other hand,

if you’re brave enough to open a door into another realm – a realm in which dragons really do pepper the darkling skies with their scaly wings and fiery exhalations – read it.

Dragons – More Than a Myth is published by CFZ Press and can be ordered on-line at http://www.cfz.org.uk/shop/bookdragon.htm. Alternatively, ring the CFZ Press on 01392 424811. Well illustrated by the artist Mark North, the book costs £14.99.

Michael Looking Coyote

Children who have lived before: Reincarnation Today by Trutz Hardo (£9.99 C W Daniel Co Ltd) Does your child sometimes talk about people and places that they could never have known about? Do they sometimes seem to have prior knowledge of an age that they couldn’t possibly know about?

Here is a book that maybe able to help you understand why! Containing indepth case studies; this book delves a lot further into the subject than others do.

Full of useful facts on the subject of reincarnation, it also recounts how these children confounded sceptics, families and total believers. The reactions of the

children’s ‘other’ families are also documented. There is some useful advice on how to understand, and encourage (rather than ignore) what children may be able to tell us about their past lives.

This is a fascinating journey, taking a deeper look a the psyche of children’s minds, and helping us to understand that children can be extremely sensitive in matters we don’t understand. I believe anybody reading this book will become a believer in reincarnation. It will grip you right from the start and is a great read whether you believe in the subject or not.

Nance Turner-Collings

The Simple Art of Chinese Brush Painting by Qu Lei Lei (CICO books, £16.99)) I am not an artist. Vision’s designers despair when I try to graphically represent my ideas – “oh, they’re HANDS are they?” is the sort of response I get! So, when I went to a Chinese Brush painting class, I was amazed to find that it is entirely possible that someone like me (who paints with words, not ink) can actually produce something that not only looks like what it is supposed to, but also flows and has “life”. With The Simple Art of Chinese Brush Painting, you too can paint! This art form is not only easy and expressive, but it has a real life and spirituality of its own as well as a calming effect on the soul. Qu Lei Lei makes an uncomplicated art really simple, explaining clearly and graphically how to paint in the traditional way, what tools you need and how to use them properly. The book also has some projects that explain how to produce stunning effects on a variety of objects, that, when painted, make superb gifts. Everything is well-illustrated and explained.

Acquaint yourself with The Four Treasures and get painting!

Diana Jarvis Reader Offer: To start you off, Cico books are offering Vision readers the chance to buy Qu Lei Lei’s hardback book The Simple Art of Chinese Brush Painting for £12.99 including P + P (rrp £16.99!). That’s a saving of £4! Just call Cico on 01892 839805 quoting CC180 to purchase your copy.

Gentle Arts of Natural Magic by Marian Green (Thoth Publications, £12.95) This book is perfect for the solitary witch who would like to master the arts of modern and effective magic. Marian was brought up in the country, much of what she has learnt she learnt there. An exploration of the four elements gives a great deal more background than the ‘average’ book in this genre, the power of the sun and moon is covered with affinity and understanding. The reader is guided through a series of well-tried exercises and explorations.

There are also a number of rituals and an oracle that you can make yourself and use for divination. Written in a way that is easy to understand, this book traces many of the old and forgotten arts and shows their relevance to us today.

Like all Marian’s books, I would highly recommend this for the aspiring witch.

Diana Jarvis

Dragon Tarot

by Nigel Suckling, (illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland (CICO books, £12.99) The competitively priced Dragon Tarot is a 78 card deck as you would expect, with all the Major and Minor Arcana illustrated. However, the exquisite drawings of Roger and Linda Garland bring this deck to life and make it something special.

Combined with Nigel Suckling’s obvious affinity for these magnificent beasts, the tarot doesn’t just tell you about your future – it shouts it!

The book that accompanies the deck is simple to understand (although it doesn’t have any spreads included in it). It is beautifully illustrated and finding the card you need is child’s play. There is a real power about these cards – if you, like the authors, are attracted to dragons, this is a deck you need on your shelves!

Diana Jarvis See P60 for our competition and reader offer!

The Wisdom of Yo Meow Ma by Joanna Sandsmark (Carroll & Brown, £5.99) “In a sandstone tomb deep in the Takla Maklan Desert in Northwestern China, archaeologists unearthed a treasure trove of ancient scrolls written by the world’s first cat philospher, Yo Meow Ma.” Cats love me. Why? Because I’m allergic to them and they know it.

Cats are very smart. So it’s no surprise that this book works. It is delightful, full of a wisdom dispensed by the (fictional?) character of Yo Meow Ma. “You have as much power over the movements of a mouse as you have over the power of the wind. Do not destroy your happiness by worrying over what you cannot control”, says Yo, and how right she is. See a bit of yourself in all the stories and marvel at the observational powers of this cat! Buy this book, particularly if you have a friend who likes cats. Anyone who has watched cats at length (in my case, arm’s length), will know that they speak spiritually and wisely; if you are silent long enough to listen. Go on, buy one – as the Master Mouser herself says “Live each of your nine lives as if you have only one”! Diana Jarvis Reader Offer: The Wisdom of Yo Meow Ma (Carroll and Brown, £5.99) is available to readers at the special price of £4.50 with free p&p included! To order, please call Carroll and Brown on 020 7372 0900 and quote Vision

Vision 11

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Dracogram This beautiful piece is made of pewter and finished in silver and gold with a Swarovski crystal inset. The dragon curls himself around the pentagram, offering premonitions and foresight.

Complete with chain and its own lined velvet Forbidden pouch £18.00

The Egyptian Scarab Oracle by deTraci Regula An alternative to rune stones, each scarab bears the likeness of a goddess, god or icon of ancient Egypt. The accompanying guidebook includes a divination ritual, reading layouts and interpretations. £31.00 + £2.95 P & P

Magic Mermaid This beautiful mermaid attracts romance and happiness into your life. Crafted in pewter, she comes on her own black cord necklace. £9.55

Pan K’uei This magical talisman is produced in antique brass and copper and encased in pewter.

It comes in its own box and with matching chain. The meaning of the talisman is printed in the box. Pan K’uei is for good health and prosperity. £10.90

The Angel Oracle by Ambika Wauters Angels have the power to touch every one of us with their protection, guidance and eternal love. With The Angel Oracle you now have the means to access this divine wisdom. Pack contains 36 beautifully illustrated angel cards. £17.99 + £2.95 P & P

The Crystal Bible

by Judy Hall The Earth Star Pewter is enhanced with silver and Swarovski crystal to complete this charming and balanced piece. Attract wealth and well being into your life with this lovely pendant. Complete with gift box, origins and matching chain. £13.00

Clearly illustrated easyto-read reference to the properties and uses of all the major crystals and a lot of rarer ones besides! A must-have!

Price: £12.99 + £2.95 P&P

The Wicca Bible by Ann-Marie Gallagher Doves of Peace Designed by celebrated Celtic artist Courtney Davis. Attract peace and tranquility into your life with these exquisite doves. Pendant comes mounted on a black cord and in a satin drawstring pouch with a leaflet giving the meaning of the piece. £11.00

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This is your one-stop shop for information on all aspects of Wicca today. It includes belief and philosophy, gods and goddesses, herbs and trees as well as Wiccan practice.

Recommended. Price: £12.99 + £2.95 P & P

Disclaimer: All items are sold on their quality and aesthetics only. No magical results are guaranteed.

Spherical crystal pendulum

Original Rider Waite Tarot Kit First printed in 1910 these cards are ideal for beginners and are one of the most widely-used decks in the world! If you want to learn the cards or want to teach somebody to – this is the set to choose! (See P32 for some examples)

A beautiful pendulum in a genuine semi-precious stone. Easy to use and nicely priced! We will do our best to supply the stone of your choice from the following – please note your preference when you order: Aventurine, Amethyst, Quartz, Rose Quartz. £10.00

£19.99 + £2.95 P & P

How to Be a Ghost Hunter by Richard Southall So you want to investigate a haunting? This book is full of practical advice used in the author’s own ghost-hunting practice. Find out whether you’re dealing with a ghost, spirit, or an entity . . . and discover the one time when you should stop what you’re doing and call in an exorcist. £10.99 + £2.95 P & P

Love Pendulum Complete with a chart for divination and instruction leaflet this pendulum is especially designed for questions of love. £13.00

Quartz Angel Dragon Spell Book Perfect for your own collection of spells or for use as a Book of Shadows. Stunning image on ceramic cover, plain pages inside. Approximtely 20cm tall and 14.5cm wide. £13.50

Beautiful Clear Quartz Angel supplied in a lovely pouch. The ideal gift, can be charged for any purpose. £10.00

Angel Wishing Stone

The Practical Guide to Creative Visualisation by Denning & Phillips

Wishing stone with beautiful image of an angel on it. Colours vary and may not be the same as the picture. £8.50

This easy to understand book will help you to learn how to make your wishes and desires become reality.

A fascinating insight into how our thoughts reflect our reality. £8.99 + £2.95 P & P

Candle Magic for Spells and Rituals

by Arianne McCabe

Dancing with Dragons by D. J. Conway This book is packed with methods to work magickally with dragons.

It contains simple to use spells and rituals and gives insight into this proud and magnificent beast. £14.99 + £2.95 P & P

Candle Magic for Spells and Rituals includes 3 scented candles: Rose for love, Sandalwood for health and Jasmine for prosperity and a spellbook containing information on the significance of colours, scent and herbs and which ones to choose for the best results. £12.99 + £2.95 P & P

Disclaimer: All items are sold on their quality and aesthetics only. No magical results are guaranteed.

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Destiny of Souls by Michael Newton This book will show you more of the hidden aspects of what happens after death and help you understand the incredible order and peace that exists within the afterlife. If you have ever wondered what happens after death, if you want more peace of mind and happiness in your life today, read Destiny of Souls. £12.99 + £2.95 P & P

The chakras stand out as the most useful model for you to identify how your energy is expressing itself. With Chakras for Beginners you will discover what is causing any imbalances, how to bring your energies back into alignment, and how to achieve higher levels of consciousness. £8.99 + £2.95 P & P

This gorgeous pentagram connects you with the pure heart of Sir Gawain and features the names of the elements. Gift boxed and on chain. £15.00

Meditation for Beginners offers a step-by-step approach to meditation.

Improve concentration, relax your body quickly and easily, work with your natural healing ability, and enhance performance in sports and other activities. £10.99 + £2.95 P & P

The Yorkshire Way of Feng Shui by Carole Chui

Chakras for Beginners

by David Pond

Sir Gawain’s Pentagram

Meditation for Beginners

by Stephanie Clement

Yorkshire people are known for their straightforwardness. This book is just that – a simple and straightforward explanation of how you can put Feng Shui into your home and life. Now you won’t need complicated calculations and a house that has a range of mountains behind!

Suitable for complete beginners, our very own Carole Chui is coauthor. Recommended. £9.99 + £2.95 P & P

Air Dragon This spectacular pendant come on its own black cord necklace and is carefully cast in pewter. £10.00

Crystal set for stress

Crystal set for health

Full instructions are included in this set along with crystals especially selected to calm and soothe. £8.00

Programme the crystals in this set to attract positive health. Instructions included. £8.00

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Disclaimer: All items are sold on their quality and aesthetics only. No magical results are guaranteed.

Cross of St. Manchan Wear this beautiful cross to attract healing into your life. Comes with black cord and in its own satin pouch. £15.00

Crystal Set for Love Crystals selected to bring love into your life. Programming instructions included. £8.00

Twist of Fate divination tool Twist of Fate enables you to easily tell fortunes with cards. This original item makes it easy for an absolute beginner to give readings immediately with accuracy.

Price: £33.95

Love Spell

Wish Spell Perfect for any wish you have: “an it harm none”. Easy to use with full instructions. £8.00

Attract love into your life with this simple to perform runic spell. Comes with full instructions. £8.00

CD Clouds by Kevin Kendle Magical keyboard effects create a vast, timeless soundscape.

Listen to the music and lose yourself in its beauty. £12.95 + £2.95 P & P

CD Celestial Guardian by Philip Chapman Inspired music to awaken your inner guide. Let yourself go to a deep contentment and inner stillness. £12.95 + £2.95 P & P

Lottery Spell A genuine spell which we hope (but don’t guarantee!) will bring you excellent results.

Easy to cast with full instructions. £8.00

Feng Shui (Vol II) by Midori Feng Shui is a system of arranging a home or an environment so that it is harmonious and supportive to those living within it. Leading Feng Shui teacher Denise Linn and Midori have compiled notes and music for an album that is relaxing and ideal for creating positive Feng Shui. £12.95 + £2.95 P & P

CD Butterflies by Kevin Kendle Let this highly inventive composer take you on a musical flight of discovery.

Let your imagination soar and enjoy a musical journey to release you from the stresses of everyday life. £12.95 + £2.95 P & P

Disclaimer: All items are sold on their quality and aesthetics only. No magical results are guaranteed.

1. To order you can phone, fax, email or write to Vision Shop, 42a Main Street, Garforth, LS25 1AA. Tel: 0113 286 6789 Fax: 0113 287 2293 Email: sales@visionmagazine.uk.com We accept postal orders/ cheques/ credit/ debit cards.

2. All goods are subject to availability.

3. All prices include VAT plus free postage and packaging. (Unless otherwise stated) 4. We require 28 days for delivery although most deliveries are dispatched within 7-14 days of receipt of order.

5. Damaged goods notification must be made within 7 days of delivery.

6. If you are not satified with your goods a full refund will be given on the return of items.

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Send your events to: Day Tripper, Vision, 42a Main Street, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1AA or email editor@visionmagazine.uk.com Every Monday: Meditation class, Healthy Spirit, 37 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, Manchester, 7.30pm. Cost:£4.

All welcome. Call 0161 434 6784 for more details or to book.

Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: An Evening of Clairvoyance, Chrystal Spiritual Centre, Lupton Avenue, Leeds.

7-9pm. £5 (includes buffet). Call 0113 249 5355 or visit www.chrystalspiritualcentre.co.uk Every Tuesday: Spiritual Awareness Group, Spiritual Inspirations, 4 Hurn Road, Drayton, Norwich, Norfolk. Angels, crystals and all aspects of the mind, body & spirit. Call 01603 897724, visit www.spiritualinspirations.co.uk or email: info@spiritualinspirations.co.uk for more details.

Every Tuesday: Psychic and Tarot Night: Questions and answers with our Medium, Chrystal Spiritual Centre, Lupton Avenue, Leeds. 7-9pm. Cost is £5 (includes refreshments).

Call 0113 249 5355 or visit www.chrystalspiritualcentre.co.uk for more details.

Every Wednesday: Crystal Ball and Tarot, Chrystal Spiritual Centre, Lupton Avenue, Leeds. 7-9pm.

Cost is £5 (includes refreshments).

Call 0113 249 5355 or visit www.chrystalspiritualcentre.co.uk for more details.

First and Third Wednesday: Open Circle, all welcome. Equinox New Beginnings Holistic Therapy Centre, 43, Tickhill Road, Maltby, Rotherham. £4.00. 7:30 - 9:00 pm. Tel: 01709 817030 .

Last Wednesday of every month: Pagan Moot, Function Room, rear of the Queen Victoria Pub, Snettisham, Norfolk.

7.30pm. Friendly group, small admission charge. Contact Julie on 01485 541704.

Correspondence courses on Wicca and Herbalism – julie.gillott@btinternet.com.

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Last Wednesday of every month: Reiki Share evening for all practitioners.

Equinox New Beginnings Holistic Therapy Centre, 43, Tickhill Road, Maltby, Rotherham. Cost £5:0. 7:30 9:00 p.m.

Tel: 01709 817030 to ask for more details Every Thursday: Open Circle, Chrystal Spiritual Centre, Lupton Avenue, Leeds.

7-9pm. Cost is £4 (including refreshments). Call 0113 249 5355 or visit www.chrystalspiritualcentre.co.uk for more details.

January 13: Overnight paranormal investigation to raise money for Kidney Research UK. Middleton Civic Centre.

Dawn on 0161 282 8284 or email DawnJennings@kidneyresearchuk.org January 14 – January 15: Consciousness Development Program (Module 1); 1pm–6.30pm, 45 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, Details 020 7723 0544; web: www.iacworld.org; email: London@iacworld.org January 16: Tarot Course. Heights of Tranquility, Ipswich. Eight week course for beginners: read the cards without referring to a book. For further details contact Debz on 07753 637897.

January 21: 1-day Practitioner Training in Hopi Ear Candling. Willow Lodge Healing Therapies, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. 10am – 5pm, Cost: £95.00 Call 0845 226 3132 to book or visit www.healinglodge.co.uk for further information January 22: 1-day Practitioner Training in Indian Head Massage. Willow Lodge Healing Therapies, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. 10am – 5pm, Cost: £95.00.

Call 0845 226 3132 to book or visit www.healinglodge.co.uk January 22: Animism and Mediumism Course; 5 pm, 45 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, Details 020 7723 0544; web: www.iacworld.org; email: London@iacworld.org

January 23: Astral Travel as a tool for personal development - Free lecture; 7.30PM, 45 Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, Details 020 7723 0544; web: www.iacworld.org; email: London@iacworld.org January 23: Body Detox Practitioner Training. Willow Lodge Healing Therapies, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

10am–4pm. Cost: £374.00 (Includes full equipment kit).

Also available: distance learning course, cost: 175.00. Call 0845 226 3132 to book or visit www.bodyenergetics.co.uk January 28: 1-day Practitioner Training in Hopi Ear Candling. Willow Lodge Healing Therapies. Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. 10am–5pm, Cost: £95.00 Call 0845 226 3132 to book or visit www.healinglodge.co.uk January 29: 1-day Practitioner Training in Indian Head Massage. Willow Lodge Healing Therapies, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. 10am–5pm, Cost: £95.00.

Call 0845 226 3132 to book or visit www.healinglodge.co.uk January 29: Evening of Mediumship.

Equinox New Beginnings Holistic Therapy, 43, Tickhill Road, Maltby, Rotherham. £5. 7:30 - 9pm.

Tel: 01709 817030 for details January 30: Body Detox Practitioner Training, Willow Lodge Healing Therapies, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

10am–4pm. Cost: £374.00 (Includes full equipment). Also available as a distance learning course. Call 0845 226 3132 to book or visit www.bodyenergetics.co.uk January 30: Angels &Meditation. Time tba. Heights of Tranquility, Ipswich. A three day course teaching communication with Angels. Contact Debs 07753 637897.

February 10: Evening of Mediumship: International Medium Simon Goodfellow and Jewel-Marie Leaf. Folk Hall, New Earswick, York. 7-7.30m. £8. Call 07762 538 850 for bookings.