The following words were written for me by a very special friend, he is only 12.

Across the sunlit valley.

Behind the shadow of the proud mountains.

Across the landscape across the world.

There used to be nothing there, my grandfather told me.

Just land, but he planted a sapling, a little small tiny one, he found up the mountain.

The proud mountains.

He planted it. He said it struggled to grow.

He cared and watered it, but it still struggled.

But as soon as the mountains no longer dimmed the sun and he saw the vibrant colours bouncing off the glazed leaves he knew it would grow.

And so it did.

Now I visit it, with a bed of roses and a blanket of sun the tall oak tree is not only special to him. But special to all of us.

The drops of sunlit water came from the mountain.

The mountain is not always an obstacle that will not let you grow.

by Josh

can mediums help solve crime?

Well can they? I've been approached on a number of occasions by those affected by another's crime against someone they love or when someone has uncharacteristically gone missing. 

From my point of view it's much easier to work with the energy apparent before other mediums, dabblers and those with opinions. The fresher the energy the better for me.

The problem when others start poking about is that the energy becomes polluted and confusion sets in for anyone trying to reach the truth. Other problems are when the medium picks up on the wishes or beliefs of the person asking for help. For example if a parent is missing a child - no matter what their age - their hope will be that the child is alive and will be found. The medium then working with the energy has to decide between what they receive perhaps coming from the parent or the energy surrounding the victim/missing person. And that is not easy. Nor is working with distraught relatives who look to you to make their dream come true.

Even working through guides the medium's own thoughts will intrude and their own experiences and hopes can also influence what they receive. A good medium will be able to sift through the information objectively but it is a very hard thing to do when the desire to help is too strong. All information needs thinking about and collating carefully before passing to the relatives.

Another point to mention is that a medium or dabbler should only ever give information when invited to do so. It is a complete invasion of privacy to pass on details received to others without being asked for them and can cause more harm than good. (I add to this the same advice for giving healing uninvited and giving readings without being asked or telling anyone that they have spirit with them without their request. Do not do it!)

Sometimes it can seem very clear that you have something to give. You have had a vision or a vivid dream or have worked the cards (tarot perhaps) to glean knowledge about a case near to you or in the news. But beware, there are those spirits that would wish to distract you from the good work you should be doing and also to confuse the energies surrounding the case you wish to work with. Not all spirits have good at heart and not all interesting cases need your input. 

We have to take into account the existence of Karma with all things too. We can never look at events with just the physical eye, we need to address issues with a spiritual view point too and from different points of perspective. No situation is formed by one reason, one thought or just one action, many lives cross, many thoughts gather and many actions build to lead to the outcome.

Say for example that a man kills a woman. The statement is gruesome but simple but the facts do not end there. There is a complication to consider when examining the energy evidence and that is Karma. There will be reasons unknown to those not within the soul group of those affected by the killing. There will be an agreement and understanding of the souls of the victim and perpetrator but their physical selves will not remember that and nor will the members of their soul group. The offence will create anger and grief which adds to the energy pool so the task of the medium is to pick through valid senses and ignore those that don't feel genuine and could be the work of her own imagination and fears or that of others. A difficult job.

So what can the medium do to help the process? She/he must make sure their own mind is clear of negativity, clear of hopes or fears for the case, indifferent even to the outcome. Be clear about intention when working with the energy and not manipulate it to suit her own agenda. Make strong connections with guides and spirits helping with the investigation. By that I mean making the connection so strong that no interference can intrude, that communication with guides and spirit is exclusive. Question everything. Phrase questions carefully. Spend a limited amount of time when working so as not to become absorbed into the case too deeply, detachment is key.

So can a medium help? There are very few cases where they have genuinely helped to locate a body or solve a crime. Often the authorities don't like to admit to the fact that a medium has been used but it does happen. What seems to happen most often is that the medium will give some clues, locations, details etc., but nothing solid and the events will play out in time revealing details and truths as they go. If for instance it is the parents' Karma to lose a child and live their life in grief, then that is what will happen no matter who tries to solve the case. The universe works in ways that we don't always understand but our spirit and soul always have understanding and will find peace in the end.

When we are in our physical body and think in physical terms it is difficult to accept spiritual laws and occurrences that give us grief and pain and even though I work as a medium, I am no exception to that. The physical body enables us to feel these things that the spirit self cannot and it is invaluable to the soul. 

I see my role as a medium when helping people with loss of some kind to educate them about the spirit world and how the laws of spirit work to bring them comfort and acceptance of their situation. If I do make contact with the spirit of their loved one I will give honest information and only what the spirit bring, nothing of my own will be added because it wouldn't be truthful. An open heart is all that's needed and a desire to bring peace to others. The problem with many who try to help is that they want some kind of glory from it and that involves the ego, no good ever came from that.

There are those mediums that seem to specialise or be chosen to work in that field and have a measure of success but often such cases are left open ended and are difficult to solve by traditional means. The medium can be brought in through desperation and as a last resort rather than when the energy trail is fresh and of more use to the sensitive empath. Things are always as they should be no matter how horrible or painful and we must hold on to the fact that we are growing and learning all the time and everything we experience in the physical body is desired by the soul.

it's slow right now

to all of you who regularly read my blog I must apologise for the recent slow activity. We have had a spate of family illness (always comes in three's doesn't it?) and so my attention has been elsewhere. But we are coming through it now and normal service will be resumed soon. thank you for reading. regards Avril

an exercise in colour sensitivity

Colour means different things to different people, it is associated with mood, memory, time of year, occasion, well-being, emotion, atmosphere and of course the chakra system.

You can ask a person what the colour yellow means to them and they might say, the sun or summer but another person might say cowardice and yet another might say illness, sickness.

You can see how the experiences and memories of a person can affect the way they see the world and the colour within it. It's also worth remembering that some people are colourblind and see shades and tones rather than blocks of differing colours so the world looks very different to them. They will of course be able to see colour in the spirit world whilst their consciousness is in that place but for some reason they are denied it in the physical world of earth.

For you to connect to colour and its symbolism by yourself or in a group here is a simple exercise for you to try. . .

Collect some objects of different plain colours or you could make a bunch of ribbons or use your imagination if it's strong enough to hold the image for long enough for you to read it. You could use candles, flowers, paints, beads, anything that is easy for you to gather.

Next when it is quiet and you won't be disturbed, sit and breathe until you feel peaceful. There is no special technique for this but if your mind is particularly busy try to imagine a waterfall or a gentle stream where the intruding thoughts can flow away from you leaving your mind free to do other things for a while.

When you are ready select a colour to work with, study the colour and the tone or shade you have chosen. Then allow the meaning of the colour to come to you. For example let's look at blue. The tone of blue is rich, royal blue. What does that mean to you? How does the colour make you feel? Calm perhaps, safe or a memory surfaces that has feelings attached to it that you can relate to royal blue?

Does it remind you of deep water and if so what emotions do you feel? Perhaps it reminds you of someone's eyes from the past. Focus on the emotions attached to that memory. Is blue always male, naval or conformation? 

Spiritually speaking such a blue is often connected to the power of healing and spiritual presence but you may have a different view. It's worth researching the standard meanings of colours and what they are associated with but ultimately your own inner connection with a colour is what will give you the information you can work with further when and if you want to read a person's aura, the choice of clothing colour, the vibration of a room's decor and so on.

Colour surrounds us both in our energy field and our earthly world and can tell us a lot about a person and their mood or state of mind. Because colour surrounds us it is easy to practise the meanings of it. Wherever you are you can question how a colour makes you feel, what it stands for in your life and how you react to its intensity.

For instance every colour has many grades of intensity so if we take the colour pink as an example we can see that a pale, delicate shade of pink could perhaps relate to a baby girl, gentle feminine energy, softness and kindness. Go to a much darker shade such as cerise and we feel a deeper kind of love, perhaps the love of a mother, it's still a feminine energy but stronger and holding more passion. To take the shade further and move to red it is easy to relate this to love, deep and real. It could also mean the life force, blood in the veins, the heart and circulatory system, anger, or a fiery temper but this comes down to your own experience and gut feeling when reading the colour particularly if it is in direct connection with a person.

Every individual is unique and so is their aura because it changes from moment to moment depending upon their thoughts and ideas. Practise using colour in your life by wearing colour, having colour around you and even thinking about colour and its traditional meaning opposed to how it makes you feel and how you interpret it.

A medium will use the skill of colour reading along with the other senses that the medium employs to gain information about a client or situation but will also use colour in visualisation when giving healing. During healing colour relates directly to the chakras of the energy body and sometimes restoring colour to the system is all that's needed to help a person back to well-being. 

Why not experiment with colour by visualising different colours, one at a time, in your own energy field to see how they affect you? 

channeled philosophy May 2012

The philosophy of life is in the living. Doing good things that you enjoy to balance alongside the chores that must be done to function well.

In the spirit world there is no maintenance of the body or physical things like there is on earth so try to see your time here as an opportunity to get your hands dirty.

In spirit you are taught to take care of your energy body and soon it becomes second nature and you are able to go on to learn new skills. There are no worries, fears or dirty environments in spirit so earth is a difficult place to cope with for a pure spirit or one that has been in their energy body for a long time. Earth can seem like hell to them with its mix of peoples, bad energies, deep emotions and trials of life to endure. Of course life on earth also holds many joys.

You have choice. You can choose to be angry or you can choose to see the happiness around you - there is no simpler statement - but choice is the gift of intelligence and the soul.

The biggest thing that the soul has to learn and in turn the consciousness, is personal responsibility. This means that you take ownership of not only your actions but also your thoughts as negative ones are as damaging as any weapon but positive and loving ones are miracles in the ether.

talking to a spirit

When novices are learning to communicate with spirit people they often hand over their control and expect the visiting spirit to know what to do. They wait, expectant, hoping the spirit will divulge mysteries and speak with them.

A conversation is a two way process though and rather than think of a spirit as a dead entity, a wisp of something intangible, why not think of them as a living being, a person, with character and thoughts and feelings? Thinking that way will ensure that you have no fear of them, you will not see them as a frightening entity or shrink away from them when they come close. They are just people, like you and I. Work with love and compassion for the best results. They don't want to hurt you but sometimes they come too close or invade your body a little too strongly and it can frighten the novice.

Don't be afraid to take control and tell the spirit visitor what you expect to happen. Set your boundaries as far as what you want to do and what you will not do and how far they are allowed to get into you.

Set up the meetings so that you know who is around you. You can even ask for spirit to approach you on the right hand side for example if they are female and on the left hand side for male or if related or not, or for which side of the family they come from for instance. You have the power to make your readings and communions successful. Spirit don't always know what to do or how you work because they come into contact with many mediums and they all work in different ways with varying levels of vibration.

Communion is communication and will not be successful if one of you is passive. All mediums have had a spirit person come to them who is hard to work with and has little to say, if that happens to you, take control, ask questions of them, get them to comply with your way of working and if they wont do that then tell them politely to go. You do get time wasters in the spirit world just as you do here in the earthly environment! 

the higher realms

There inevitably comes a point when working with spirit that the mediumship plateau's. The work becomes the same, repetitive and the medium feels as though they have stopped learning and growing. You could look at this two ways. You may think that you've made it, that there is no more to learn and that you have been successful in your development, you've cracked it and are working well without challenge, the work keeps coming in and you're ticking over nicely.

Or, you could look at it my way.

You have plateaued for a reason, probably to give you a rest, maybe whilst you understand a phase of development or have other physical commitments that are demanding of your time and mind. I find that once I have understood something and am working very well and smoothly that things will change, just when I think it's got easier for a while! My guides will change the method of working and begin showing me new ways to commune, connect and receive knowledge. But the point is that there is always a higher place to go to for development. As a human you will never reach the very top, be completely pure or know all there is to know about the spirit world and the higher realms because it's impossible for the mind in its human connection and state to perceive completely the environments of the energy bodies. There are things in existence that we simply cannot comprehend nor imagine whilst on earth.

A medium goes through stages of development and as the understanding grows so does the energy, connection and knowledge of the medium. Some knowledge is held latently and only when challenged or questioned does the medium realise that they have the answer within themselves. It is a deep knowing and unshakable trust that what you feel is right.

The furtherance of mediumship and its success relies upon the intelligence of the medium and their desire to understand the universe but also their disciplines that help to raise the vibration of the energy field as I've mentioned on the blog before, with diet, thoughts and behaviour. In order to grow spiritually the medium must grow physically, emotionally and in wisdom. There can be no ego or self interest for the medium to work safely, the ego is a huge chink in the armour of some mediums and they end up being deceived and working with beings who are not who they say they are and who use the medium badly.

In order to understand what I'm about to say you need to know that the spirit world is not all there is in terms of contact outside of the mediums' consciousness. There are higher realms too.

If you imagine a simple target, with concentric rings and place the earth in the centre then the next ring out is the lower realms of existence, a place of shadows and darkness, hopelessness and deceit, a place where you should not aim to go or to work. This is the place where earthbound spirit end up, lies are told and mediums deceived by spirits pretending to be their guides when in fact they know nothing and can offer only untruths. This is the realm of existence that we need psychic protection against, why a medium should ask where their guides and helpers are from and to see their true selves. There is no light in this realm, no joy and it is why people who have had near death experiences say that they travelled through a tunnel with light at the other end. They aim to reach the light with their helpers on either side of them protecting them from the temptation of the shadows surrounding their trip to the next level of existence.

The next ring out is the spirit world. These are souls that have passed over and into the world of spirit successfully but who are still very physically minded and connected to the earth and its inhabitants. In truth they somewhat clutter up the ether until they grow in understanding and ascend beyond that closest level, the bottom rung of the spirit world so to speak. It's a crowded place, much like any town or city, with buildings and physical surroundings created by the spirit people because they still need their comfort and the safety and familiarity of physical objects and houses. There are gatherings, libraries, jobs to learn, schools for children etc. It is this realm that most often commune with mediums at meetings because they are asked to join the circle or gathering for spirit contact. The medium will ask for the world of spirit to join them, so that's what they receive. If you want to contact a higher realm then you must ask for that and that too is what you will receive.

Within each 'level' there are more levels that entail finer experiences and understandings and study so being in the spirit world does not mean that everyone is together. Some souls are higher and more evolved and so reside on a clearer plain of which there are many but they are still associated with the earth and are not ready to leave its environment.

Beyond this state of the spirit world, where reincarnation is part of its circle of life there are the higher realms of existence. Here there are teachers, masters, healers, spiritual guides who teach the spirit guides and pass their knowledge down to be taught to mediums and those who meditate, give healing and study the esoteric.

In the higher realms there is no need for personal space as such in the spirit world. Everyone recognises that we are all one and work in teams or groups of souls that think alike and have the same aim and compatible energy. Each team will have a specific area where they work such as healing, soul rescue, teaching, helping children, working through animals, crystals, working with nature and so on. If you think that every healer on the earth plain works with a team of spirit healers and every hairdresser, therapist, doctor and any other vocational or "healing" profession then you get the idea of how many beings help us through our daily lives.

The higher realms are a place of study, knowledge and comprehension. Every question is asked and the answers given, but each soul must ask the questions individually, each soul must have full understanding in their own right so that communication between soul group and team members is fluid and instantly understood. The soul can't piggy back someone else's knowledge, it must learn for itself.

The higher realms are also a place of healing and purification. The desire of the soul is uppermost in any intention to improve or help a situation and a healer on the earth plane should always state that healing is given with the best of intention and to harm no-one. All actions in the higher realms consider the souls of all concerned and all must be in agreement and ready to receive the energy needed to raise the vibration of the group or to transmit healing to a recipient.

The higher realms are also where the demi-gods reside and their energies can be called upon to help with healing situations and people and to help you in your life, but remember that such beings are tools and can be used by you and will allow their  use so be careful what you ask for and consider why you are asking.

There is another level of light above the higher realms and that is the source. You can go to the source during meditation and ask for knowledge from there if you wish. There is no reason why a medium can't ask the higher realms to bring truth and information the same way that most mediums contact the spirit world. I prefer to work higher, not because I don't like working with spirit people but because they still have an opinion and their personality and life experiences will always influence their advice and knowledge, just like a living person. However, in the higher realms I receive truth as seen from a higher perspective than the spirit world, the final outcome of a problem for instance will be given to me and sometimes this can be a long way into the future. I also receive more fine detail and subliminal messages that give more information than I realise I have. I work best with that higher frequency of energy and so I work there. For other mediums they prefer the contact of spirit people, the familiarity of them, their humour, you don't get a lot of humour in the higher realms, they tend to be more serious and philosophical but they are always right and very loving. So if you have plateaued and want to progress further ask for the higher realms to intervene, ask them for contact and wisdom and you shall begin to progress again in your spiritual development. We all have the brakes put on at some stage and it can be frustrating but we all need a rest from time to time too, so trust your team and recognise that you never do any work, however small, alone.

illness

Many teachers of the esoteric and many healers will tell you that all illness stems from the soul. That the aura then becomes the messaging service of the soul and delivers the pain, emotional dysfunction and disease to the physical body which becomes the alarm to our conscious self.

I agree that all illness comes from the soul but not that all illness can be healed at soul level.

Sometimes the soul has chosen a disease, an illness so that the conscious self has to live with it, learn from it. It may be so that they learn of healing and can be made well again but there is always something to learn from the state of dis-ease.

Whether a person is born in a state of dysfunction, disablement or disease or acquires one during their lifetime is the soul's choice as is what kind of disease, its longevity and outcome. Some people are here to teach others about compassion and understanding too so their disease has the function of knowledge to others.

Without illness our medical advancements wouldn't be needed, talented doctors and nurses and researchers would be out of work or forced into other disciplines such as cosmetic and enhancement medecine. Although we strive as a civilisation to be healthy and disease free there will always be health issues whilst the planet has us on it.

Serious illness can teach us to appreciate life and the goodness in it.  Until such a point that a person has to evaluate their life it's easy for them to take things for granted, rush and never relax or slow enough to appreciate the nature around them, the people who love them or the amazing diversity of life and the opportunity it can offer.

For some people it is poverty that brings ill health and all this too is soul choice. It sounds like an easy explanation and one that dissolves the responsibility of others to offer help and donation to charity but the reverse is true. Giving to charity, helping those less fortunate than yourself, being kind and having compassion for others all raise the energy vibration of the giver and their soul. It's important for us to be in contact with all kinds of people but those in need or who are disadvantaged in some way deserve our kindness and love to help support them through their more difficult experiences on earth. We should see them as an extension of ourselves and love them accordingly sending only beneficial thoughts.

Many people fight their illness, deny it, become angry at it but I see that as a waste of energy and the creation of negative energy within the aura. If a person has an illness, disease, temporary or permanent, mild or severe orlife threatening I have the opinion that acceptance is the key to management of the illness. Once a person has accepted their condition it will often abate as they have acknowledged its existence. Also it's important to recognise what the illness is in your life for. There can be many reasons such as to slow you down, bring you understanding of suffering, take you down a different path of life, take you to new people and environments and new experiences.

Once recognition of the disease's presence is made it will not necessarily leave the person and effect a cure. The illness has manifested from the soul but that's not to say that the soul itself is sick, the soul has ultimate control over the condition of the human body and even prayers to Jesus Himself cannot bring about an improvement or a cure to the person, it is not His will but the will of the soul.

People often struggle to understand this concept that there is a higher part of us controlling our lives here on earth, but it is a higher part of yourself, it is the you that exists in the eternal state and it knows what it needs to learn to bring about ascension and growth. That is why acceptance of the condition of disease can bring about a certain amount of relief rather than using the energy to contradict it which is counterproductive. 

It is right to seek treatment, to improve diet and living but also to improve your mind and coping mechanisms. To combat illness medicines can and should be taken, it doesn't matter if you take the alternative route or the scientific as long as you don't deny yourself the opportunity for treatment. 

Illness has a place in our world, whether we like it or not. Some healers are very good at working at soul level to achieve a state of balance and have some success, sometimes temporary and sometimes long term but if the person's soul is sending the illness to them then only the soul can heal the person, but if the reason for the illness has a bigger value than the illness itself then it will remain but treatment should not be denied.

Different illnesses can signify different elements of the psyche or behaviour that need attention. If you or someone you know has ill health try to meditate on the reason for it with them, or for them and ask what can be done to improve the situation. Let me know of your results.

Who does Jesus Pray to?

If you ask someone if they believe in God you usually receive a positive 'yes' or 'I'm an atheist' or 'I don't know, I want to see something with my own eyes.'

If you ask someone if they believe in Jesus Christ they usually answer 'yes' because they recognise that Jesus was a real man who walked the same earth as we do and his life is well documented and I don't mean by the King James bible that exists in the UK but by the ancient scrolls that are the original recordings of his teachings.

With this in mind and the knowledge that so many people pray to Jesus I sat in meditation to ask the following question;


If people pray to Jesus Christ to manifest their wishes who does HE pray to?

Because He must pray, He must meditate and contemplate to maintain his higher being. He may be all powerful and loving and forgiving but he must maintain that condition in some way because people ask and take so much from Him that he must replenish his energy somehow?

Here is the response;
The Christ when in receipt of a prayer in turn prays to the heart of the individual (you and me) on the earth. The heart of man is the purest connection to the Divine because it carries the Divine spark within it. (This is the chakra heart not the physical beating one.)

His Divine ray penetrates the hardest of hearts to bring compassion and recognition of beauty, life and charity to dissolve issues that cause pain, emotional and physical. The heart is used because it by-passes the interference of human thought and the heart belongs to the interior of man where the Divine connection is strongest and the interior of man is closest in its design to that of Heaven. (This relates to the energy body, its design, function and connections to its spiritual home.) The human thought process contaminates purity and must be by-passed for prayer and Divine connection to be successful.

Prayers are answered by your own Divinity and its connection to Christ, Your God, and not by human will. It is necessary to surrender yourself to Jesus Christ so that connection can be made but in truth all that is being surrendered is the human will and its interference in the process of developing spirituality and expansion of the mind.

When you invite the Divine into your heart by surrendering your human will the Christ then connects to the spark of the same energy. This enables the human heart to expand and be compassionate, loving, understanding and strong in decision making and intuition. A strong connection produces a balanced human being who is in contact with his exterior self (the physical body and its worldly functions) and his interior self (the Divine heaven that resides within him). To deprive either self of connection results in destruction either of the mental faculty or the physical.

Because God exists in each man/woman/child then you are in fact praying to the part of yourself that is capable of manifesting your dreams and wishes and in turn connecting to the Divine energy that can bring that wish about. You are part of the Divine and so Christ is forever connected to you regardless of if you recognise Him or not.

Thank you to my readers

I want to say a big thank you to all of you for your support and for reading my blog. It means a lot when people take an interest and the blog has readers from all over the world, for which I am very grateful. Love to you all in the UK, Northern Ireland, USA, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Bahrain, New Zealand, Ireland, Jersey, Isle of Mann, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Bolivia, South Africa, Malta, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Brazil, India, Latvia, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Turkey, Sweden, Lithuania, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Azerbaijan.

how to raise your energy vibration with diet

It's common knowledge in the psychic and mediumship industry that performing mediums don't have food for some hours before they are due to connect with the spirit world. Any medium will tell you that the vibration of the earthly body is higher and more sensitive when food and drink are not being digested. When the body is not busy with basic functions it is free for other uses you see. This has long been taught to trainee mediums although there are no strict rules, each person works differently and finds their own way.

So to raise your vibration for meditation purposes, for clearer thought and for spiritual communion one of the starting points is with diet. Those of you familiar with Reiki will know of the cleansing period recommended before your attunement. At that time you are to think peaceful thoughts, abstain from alcohol, cigarettes, heavy foods and if possible red meat. Abstinence from all of these will help to lift your energy as they serve to make your energy denser, heavier and alcohol and smoking particularly punch holes in the auric field also affecting the strength of your psychic protection.

The healthier you can be, taking exercise, getting fresh air, laughing, being respectful towards others and being kind to yourself all bring your energy into balance and strengthen the aura against negative influence.

So what does raising your vibration mean? 

When we are concerned with earthly, physical matters then that is where we are directing our thoughts and energy and so it is where our focus lies, but when we want to elevate and expand the mind we need to think and focus on higher matters such as soul connection, consciousness, the cosmos, life after death, reincarnation, our faith (if you have one), angels, living well and so on. We need to leave our physical needs and habits behind for a while whilst this expansion takes place, thoughts alone, at this juvenile stage of development, cannot raise the energy vibration of the aura to such a level as contact with clarity can be made. 

When you sit to meditate do so on an empty stomach or some time after a light meal. For spirit contact, mediumship, the same. Our emotions are keener when we are hungry and we are more sensitive to outside influences. A good tip is to cut out sugar and caffeine too, so that the body's endocrine system is clean and can work with the stimulus that the spirit world use to communicate with us. (The endocrine system is the main part of the human body that spirit use to create feelings such as an emotion or a physical symptom which eventually builds a picture of a spirit person and their character or of a message for you.)

Raising your vibration means cleansing the body of poisons, artificial stimulants, sugars and drugs and alcohol. When the body is clear of toxins the aura will reflect the health of the body it surrounds just the same as when the aura reflects ill health in a person. The healthier you are the brighter your aura will shine and the stronger its natural protection against negative psychic forces and physical illness will be.

Foods that are of the earth vibration are the best to eat, such as fruit, vegetables and natural unprocessed foods. Avoid contaminants as much as possible and especially the dreaded aspartame, responsible for so much imbalance and ill health both physically and mentally. Drink water as much as possible and other clean drinks where you can. Shower frequently too to keep the aura cleansed and if you can endure it make it a cold shower or at least finish with a cold blast, it helps to close the chakras properly and creates a stronger aura.

You have to eat at some time of course, so make sure that you eat well, healthily and regularly. There is no point in being so hungry that you can't meditate because you can't concentrate. My own personal opinion of mediums not eating for hours before they are due to work is of it being unnecessary to some degree. You can't work if you can't concentrate and neither is it healthy for blood sugar levels and weight management. I see any self imposed restriction in the form of do's and don'ts as a mental block being put in place. If I believe that I can work no matter what the circumstances then I will be successful to some degree, if I want to improve I can instigate some of the purifying measures but I don't need to be extreme in any way. I am the master of my own mind and it is the biggest tool that I and spirit use.

Adding knowledge to yourself is very important in development too. The more knowledge you have in your head the more full your readings will be and the more information there is for spirit to use. Read everything you can get your hands on, learn, learn and learn again. Never stop growing and being inquisitive about the world that surrounds you and answers will be given and brought to you constantly. Look after yourself in body and mind and your intuition will reward you and you will be a balanced individual. Work lovingly with spirit and you will make a great medium, perhaps not famous, perhaps not rich, but one who works from the heart and is genuine. Development of spirituality is about self growth, not profit and gain in material wealth and should be treated with the reverence it deserves, after all, it is the most precious gift you can five to yourself and the hardest thing you will ever accomplish.

in response to a question - contact?

Hello Avril My wife recently passed and I am a believer of the spirit world. aged 47 following a long illness. I have had trouble sleeping and early one morning i felt a presence above my face. This the hay fever season and my eyes have been sticky in the mornings so usually i have to open them with my fingers. Feeling the presence I tried to open my eyes but for this reason I couldn't and when i went to move my hands towards my eyes i was unable to do so as if someone was holding my arms down. I was desperately trying to open my eyes and then i felt soft hair sweep across my face. I could then move my arms and managed to open my eyes but saw nothing. I wondered if that could have been the spirit of my wife visiting me as she said she would if it was possible and that she had prohibited me from seeing her. What do you think? on do you have a question?

Hello Anon, thank you for your question and I'm sorry for your loss. It doesn't matter where you believe your loved one is, it still hurts to be separated and it's important that you acknowledge and accept the grieving process so that you are able to find joy in life and I wish you well with the hugely steep learning curve you have before you.

Now to your question. I'm sure you know about sleep paralysis and so I won't patronise you with that explanation because you felt as though something else was going on and your intuition is your most reliable tool. Reading between the lines and my experience tell me that you were more likely to be receiving healing than having an encounter with your wife, however don't see that as a setback or a negative response from me because that's not the case. Often we receive healing and 'adjustment' to our energy frequency before we are able to sense the spirit world or someone who is passed and is trying to reach us.

However more information from you will help to assess your experience more thoroughly. Did you feel any emotion during the encounter? Was there something that gave you a recognition of her? that could be a memory, a feeling, just words that she used, music or how you felt when she was close. I know it's hard to analyse these fleeting meetings but you will be surprised at how much information you have stored during those few moments and that is always key to determine between an imagined experience and a genuine one. Write down how you felt, what you remember, your deepest emotion, if the visitor felt male or female, if there was one or more, where their vibration is located i.e. in earth energy, spirit world or higher like the angelic realm. You will know the answers if you relax and allow the information to pop into your head. Take your first answer as being right, don't argue or fiddle with your responses and confuse your knowledge. Do this at a time when you are relaxed and don't care too much about the answer, you must be impartial not to influence the result and be distant emotionally.

Once you have your answers you will have used your intuition and natural ability to read energy to gain the solution to your query just as an experienced energy worker does.

If you find that you know, deep down and without doubt that this was a visit from your wife then keep that knowledge with you and expect her to visit again, if however you feel that she may have been nearby and observing the healing you were receiving then expect her to approach you as soon as the grief is clearer in your aura as this foggy cloud keeps her at bay (this is not deliberate of course but because she can't penetrate the murk just like other beings, spirit or higher friends). If you feel your wife was nowhere near you at this encounter then expect her to come to you soon but in the meantime welcome the healing you are receiving in preparation. Remember though to always ask for the Divine light of infinitesimal brightness to come to you and protect you and heal you, don't accept anything less than the highest energy and knowledge or you may be misled or confused. Go for the purest form of healing and information for ultimate truth. Either way your wife is on her way to you and I suspect that you would like to know that she passed over safely, yes she did and it was your gift to her, allowing her to leave, that made it much easier for her to go. You loved her enough to understand and have received blessings in return although some days it doesn't seem like that for you. It's early days yet and improvement is on its way to you, meditate for peace and love to surround you rather than spirit connection and at some point in the near future she will be brought to you safely and you will be in no doubt of her presence.

Thank you for your question and for reading my blog, it's good to know that people are gaining some understanding and comfort from my writing and are gaining confidence in their beliefs and own powers.

Try the creation of love exercise on the blog and imagine your wife within the love you create, surrounding her and protecting her, you can stop there knowing that you have sent her your love and she has received it or you can step into the love light and join her for a while of reunion. Expect that to be an emotional meditation if you try it but I think you can handle it. Afterwards step out of the light and back into your body and remember to close down and ground yourself with psychic protection around the aura. All the information is on here and I wish you success, let me know how it goes. love and light Avril.

mirroring

Mirroring is a simple behaviour that happens around us often but you have to be alert and step back from your situation to recognise it.

This is how it works; someone quite close to you (but not always - could be a friend or acquaintance) will exhibit behaviour that you don't like, you find it offensive, irritating or simply infuriating. The person concerned repeats the annoying behaviour many times and the relationship breaks down, you don't understand their actions and for some reason they are the most irritating person in the world to you.
A way of looking at such a situation is viewing it as mirroring.

When someone does something or says something that really ticks you off, that you find rattles you, take a moment to consider why it offends you so much. Sometimes, but not always, your offense may be rooted in your own behaviour and the person can be considered as showing you an area of yourself that you need to work on and modify - known as mirroring.

For example, if you are faced with a person that always interrupts your words, does not listen to what you say no matter what the topic, then you could consider what it is about that situation that offends you and if you yourself do it to others. Another consideration is that you don't listen to others as you believe that you do and perhaps you are missing the point of issues raised or need to examine on a deeper level the meaning within them.

So often we gloss over things that are said and done, we skip over the surface of problems and also joys in order to move onto the next thing, the next phase of life. Maybe we should pause more often and absorb what is happening in the present, good or bad, easy or tough, because there is always more to everything we experience, always more to gain from it in terms of knowledge and understanding. From our experiences we grow and our energy expands and in turn our soul reaches further understanding.

We need all the experiences that life can offer so that the soul can become peaceful, it must know of everything, be everything, know about all that exists from the inside in order to reach its full light and potential of being. In that state is perfection and oneness with the light, the soul becomes the light.

So do not be afraid to feel, to experience and to examine all that happens to you and around you, that's not to say you should dwell, be morbid about sadder times or be guilty about mistakes, it merely means that you should try to understand, see things from all perspectives and accept the way things are at the present time, knowing that improvement will be coming to you in time.

Some people have very difficult lives whilst here on earth and often such people are kind, patient, have time for others and seem to accept what life has thrown their way. They are to be admired because they are moving through life's obstacles with grace. Some people can't manage to elevate themselves above their trials and bad times and they are to be offered understanding and compassion whilst they come to terms with things as they are. Nobody said life was easy but sometimes it seems so unfair, even so we must tune into our higher selves and find the peace that we all carry to help us through, trusting in our own judgement is key to our success and confidence.

Try the exercise on the blog for linking to your own spirit in the heart centre and maintain that connection once made and learn to trust yourself, your decisions and intuition to travel through life more easily and with the valuable feeling that you're not alone.

is the colour black bad or protection?

Many times I have had people describe spirit encounters to me and explain the fear they had when faced with a being in black from head to toe. People it seems, fear black as a manifestation, they see a spirit who is shrouded in black as a threat, something ominous and unreadable.

There is a simple explanation why spirit use black to cloak themselves and it is also something that I do myself. It is not a negative thing but quite the reverse. However there are dark spirits but they don't always present as so, they can trick you and show you whatever they want, it's up to you to ask to see their true self, if you don't ask, they wont bother.

When I am asked to clear a house or building or location of unwanted energy and activity I often do not want to announce my presence. I want to be able to sneak inside unseen and take a look around without drawing attention to myself. I don't want to go to the location in my healing state which is one of brightness, light and power. In order to clear an area it's necessary to make an evaluation and to be able to observe quietly any activity and to sense any vibration of energy without feeding it with power and light.

When I go to clear a home I ask that the householder not speak of the activity for the week prior to my visit, not mention the spirit or the fact that it is going to be moved on. I want to lull the spirit (especially if it is an unpleasant one) into a false sense of security so that it behaves as it normally would when I do arrive and does not know who I am, otherwise the spirit is likely to hide from me, to pretend to pass on, or be someone else, anything in order to get what they want and be undetected by me.

I want them to cooperate but if they won't then I will take them over whether they want to go or not. If they are causing problems for householders or locations then they need to go and indeed even for their own good, they are learning nothing by clinging to life here.

So that the attachment/earthbound spirit doesn't realise who I am when I first arrive there is often a bit of acting required on the part of the householder. Prior to my arrival I ask them to invite me in and offer me tea, we will talk like old friends, no mention of the purpose of my visit will be made. I need to assess the energy, read the intention of the spirit and contain it before I reveal myself. Remember some spirits are downright nasty and do not want to move on. Someone like me has to be tough with them, outwit them and take them home albeit kicking and screaming.

I remember one clearance I did that was at an old slaughter house. I was invited in and behaved casually. The spirit soon revealed himself to me. He was a huge man, unshaven with a big face. A rough man who stood over me and listened to our conversation. He was rude and lewd and very unwelcome. He had been causing arguments in the converted building between the couple living there, aggressive behaviour had been manifesting and many objects had been moved and lost. Financially the couple were struggling and their relationship was going very wrong.

Before I entered the property I covered myself in a black cloak of energy to disguise my own light. I wanted to be able to get close enough to the spirit to work on him without him seeing me - and it worked as it always does. The black cloak is wrapped completely around me, the cowl is drawn over my head and the cloak wrapped under my feet, no part of me is exposed, I am then disguised and can travel wherever I wish to work. The male spirit could not see me, I merged with his own darkness. He could see me as a living person but not my spiritual power which was a threat to him.

He played the game and came close to me, I could hear his voice, his thoughts and the disgusting words he uttered and his vile spewings. I ignored him. I spoke normally to the client, pretended I could not see him.

Then suddenly and quickly I encased him and his energy in a crystal. A prison to him. He called me lots of names and swore, angry and taken by surprise. He flailed his arms, punched at me and then I unveiled myself. He was silent. Seeing my light he knew that he was beaten and would not linger on the earth anymore.

I took him across for rehabilitation and from that day the financial situation eased for the couple, they became closer, had a child, life improved and has continued to do so for the following eight years.

Rescue and clearance work is not easy but it is necessary. All the foulness of that individual, his dark thoughts, murderous intentions and sexual vileness was polluting the atmosphere and affecting the inhabitants of the property, but more than that it reaches further than that into the earths ether. The thoughts then filter through to the young, the troubled, the vulnerable and the weak and replays in uncountable scenarios. History repeats itself. The vibration of energy is a powerful one, it can linger in buildings, families, locations, roads, even jewellery, so why not attach to a person too? Most people shake off dark thoughts after a couple of days, but the vulnerable and those with difficult lives soak up the vibration more easily and become more affected by it than a balanced and less troubled person might.

Psychic protection is very important as I always say, laughing at negativity is vital to disperse it and cleansing of dirty energy no matter where its location essential. There are many healers working in this way but not all take the necessary precautions of protection and their own auras become muddied which in turn affects their own health and mental well being. If you are someone that finds themselves in uncomfortable situations through work or home life try the cloaking exercise, see if you feel safer, less vulnerable, less jittery, less indecisive by using it. If you struggle to use it as a spiritual technique then use it as a mental one, a coping mechanism, it works well for children who are timid or fearful of new situations as does imagining that they are donning armour for protection. Let the child have control and imagine it for themselves, it empowers them and teaches them to use the mind as a tool. Use it yourself too whenever you feel the need and take note of the results. Good luck.

sensible healing

I'm an Advanced Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritualist Approved Healer and Medium amongst other things that people call me.

I'm often asked if I receive messages for people I don't know when I'm out and about and the short answer is yes, sometimes I do and I also 'pick up' or sense a person's mood or energy or an event that is close to them either in the past or coming in the future.

Many fledgling mediums or people who are sensitive but don't recognise their abilities have a habit of telling people when they sense something around them. It's hard enough gaining respect in the field of metaphysics and paranormal activity without acting like a fruit cake when in public. Telling people everything is always a mistake but novice mediums make it time and time again, never learning when to keep quiet or more to the point, never asking their guides if they should speak up. A medium should always question the source of their information.

Just because a medium/sensitive has sensed something about someone does not give them the right to comment on it. People like their privacy and like to believe that their thoughts are theirs alone. Some people are terrified of the idea that spirit people can watch them and dip into their lives when they choose. More people than you would believe have had difficult lives or tragic losses and clumsy attempts at mediumship and advice giving by someone they barely know or is a stranger to them can do more harm than good. Others are deeply religious and view mediumship as coming from the devil himself. That's fine, they're entitled to their opinions. However, telling someone that you sense something or a spirit around them, that they have a message for them, or to be careful when they are driving etc., is an invasion of their privacy.
The only time a medium/sensitive should interfere and tell someone what they are feeling is if they are asked to. There is no grey area, no maybes, the answer to the question of should I? is a straight no. Do not meddle however strongly you feel that you should - you will not be thanked for it.

The same discipline should be applied to absent healing.

Many healers hear of someone in need and are indeed often asked by a well meaning friend to send absent healing to a person in need. That's alright I hear you say. Yes it is - up to a point.

The one thing I learned when I did my Reiki courses after I spent six years as a trainee spiritualist healer is that healing is the same, from the same source, with the same intention and neither method is better than the other, it is merely choice. But the difference in teaching varies drastically and one of the teaching elements of spiritual healing is to attune to the spirit of the person who is asking for healing. This was not taught in Reiki and I have never yet heard of if being taught to Reiki healers (if I'm wrong please correct me, I am interested to know). I did my Reiki courses like everyone else - quickly, but my spiritual healing required me to work with people at healing sessions and I did so for at least three hours per week for years and have a mentor who answered my many questions over that time.

Reiki is taught as a benign source of energy that we can manipulate in our auras and physical bodies in order to bring about balance and well-being. Anyone can access the source because the intention of healing someone or self cannot cause harm hence the benign description. There is no need to attune to the patient, it is not even mentioned but in spiritual healing it is a critical part of the process between patient and healer and one that takes practise to get right (hence the training period - now reduced to two years).

The spiritual healer will sit with the patient and meditate until they connect with the spirit of that person which resides in the heart chakra. Then the healer will ask the spirit if healing should be given and will be received. Permission is sought from the higher self of the patient because there is the possibility that the person should not receive further energy and there could be many reasons for this that the healer and even the patient themselves could be blissfully unaware of. If the healer then proceeded to channel energy anyway it may cause harm in the long term. e.g. A patient asks for healing, the healer attunes with their spirit and it denies acceptance of energy. The healer channels anyway believing that they know best. The progress of disease is accelerated or delayed, causing disturbance to the natural flow of events and experiences for the soul of the patient leading them to have to start the process again, causing the soul anguish. The soul being the highest part of the person and therefore of ultimate knowledge regarding their path and fortune, it is linked directly to the spirit which is linked further to the physical body - making a chain of energy and contact. Therefore the spirit of the person has the answers to their physical life path and events it should contain. The exploration of psychic and spiritual realms may not be in their remit and a distraction from the physical existence they should be experiencing for example and the spirit is the contact the healer should make to determine if hands on contact healing should be given, absent healing where the person does not know they are in receipt of energy at all or none to be given by a healer.

A healer should remember that just because they are not to channel healing to a person does not mean that higher beings are not giving help and energy where it's needed. Perhaps the healer is not developed enough to channel the frequency needed or maybe is just not the right person for the job? The healer may never know why, but must always trust.

In my experience a usual Reiki healer will miss the attunement step and channel the energy anyway without any knowledge of if they should.

I'm not down on Reiki, don't get me wrong, I have after all invested in it myself, I'm just pointing out that the attunement step is vital if healers are going to be effective and successful in improving patients and changing their health and therefore the medical perception of healing practise. Without attunement patients may feel the benefits of restful relaxation and healing energy but their improvement progress may be fleeting and they could return to their previous state of illness and dysfunction if not even worse for the experience. The healers job is to facilitate the healing process for their clients/patients and sometimes this means not giving them what they ask for but instead being a listening ear and support whilst they experience the journey of the soul - however unpleasant or difficult that experience may be.

blog amendment

Hi there, I have changed the settings on the blog to enable non-members to post comments and questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Avril

an extract from my novel Angelica's Promise

Verity and I take a walk with Rachel and Sean in the park as arranged. We feed the ducks as the sun warms our backs. The park is busy on such a summer day and I begin to notice all the things that people are enjoying that I will never do again.
A couple lie together on the grass and smile and caress each other. The dark skinned young man strokes his girl’s arm and whispers something in her ear that makes her laugh out loud. She flicks her long fair hair and the man kisses her neck while she giggles. I am jealous of their intimacy, something I may never experience again.
An elderly couple stand beside us feeding the ducks, they are so at ease with one another, smiling and holding hands when they leave.
A woman about my age is calling for her toddler son and when he comes running towards her she scoops him up and twirls him around with her cheek pressed against his. Then her husband joins them and kisses them both tenderly, he has his arm around her waist when they walk away.
A group of friends having a picnic laugh and joke around. They open a bottle of champagne, the cork flying into the lake causing more laughter and shouting.
All these things that seem insignificant on any other day to every other person are to me - piercing.

Monday morning comes around easily and the saying 'time waits for no man' is starkly clear to me. I want to suspend time, to have longer whilst I am well but the universe has other ideas. The sun rises and falls just to mock me and the moon orbits our planet to wink at me through the clouds and say 'won't be long now.'
I had no need to consider the horror of leaving my life before I was ready to, I was too busy enjoying it. Too busy grasping for the things I wanted in it. That includes Verity. I wanted a baby so much that I was willing to sacrifice my partner for it, burn his love in a flame of temper and desire to achieve my goal of being a mother. His opinions didn't mean anything to me while my injected hormones raged around in my veins. I was obsessed, some would say. Ben was the casualty in my campaign of war against the biological odds of my ageing and fertility - but it was worth it.
As I lie in bed now staring up at the ceiling, thinking over my actions and sometimes devious thoughts - I have to admit them - I feel ashamed and can feel the heat rise in my cheeks when I picture myself saying some of the hurtful things I threw at Ben. If I had been a man and not the woman he loved  he would have punched me and I would have deserved it.
A part of me feels let down that he didn't do something drastic like that to bring me up short. Wake me to my compulsion to ignore all that was good for me and trade it for something wonderful - yes - but something I allowed to cause destruction.
It wont do me any good to lie here chastising myself and feeling bad because it will set the tone for the rest of the day. This Verity's last week of school before the summer holiday and I need to tie up a few loose ends before I can devote our last summer to making it a memorable one.

creation of love exercise

This is a lovely exercise for you to try and was taught to me by a very dear friend (you know who you are). I remember the first time I tried it and was amazed at how easy it was to create the energy of love. Further to that it enables you to realise how easy it is to also create negative energy and how a thought has a form and power that has substance. You will understand more after you have tried this little gem.

As usual it's quick and simple to do and remember.

Find a quiet place where you wont be disturbed for a while and sit comfortably. The reason I tell you to sit and not lie down is simple, you are more likely to fall asleep if you get too comfortable and you wont have achieved meditation but you will have had a nice snooze!

Breathe deeply and regularly until you feel comfortable and at ease. With every out breath imagine all your stresses and worries leaving you and with every in breath imagine white light travelling into your lungs as it heals and brings peace to every atom of your being.

Now, think of love, how the feeling is, if it helps think of someone that you love deeply and then imagine your love as a pink light that is beginning to grow in front of you. Keep sending love to the pink cloud/bubble of love and do this until it is bigger than you are. Look at what you have created, admire what your mind is capable of. Take note of the colour and movement of your creation.

Now take a mental step forward and put yourself inside the centre of the love cloud you have created. It is safe to do so, afterall it's an extention of you.
What do you feel? What does it mean to you? What do you understand from this experience?
In your own time and when you are ready you can step back out of the love and return your full awareness to your own body. Don't waste the wonderful creation but instead ask the divine angels of light to collect it and use it where it will do most good, you don't need it anymore, you can create more whenever you like.

Do you now understand that creating negative energy is just as easy as creating love? The difference is that it takes more of your energy to create negativity whereas creating love is more natural to us and easier. You have choice over which you create and use in your daily life too.

Now you know how to create - easy wasn't it? - you can apply this to daily life. If someone is giving you a hard time, if they are grumpy, miserable, ill or grieving, whatever their circumstance you can either add to their misery (not deliberately) by feeding their negativity with sympathy, discussion, being angry on their behalf etc., or you can create love and surround them with it and help to dissolve their anger or misery. You can also add the white light of divinity and gold of the angels too if you want to, remember there is no wrong when you work with love, you can't harm another being with love as long as you don't attempt to control them. Love should offer freedom and learning and support, never control. You can use it for buildings and locations too where there is a stain on the atmosphere and also in conjunction with the cleansing exercise on this blog. Don't forget yourself too, cloaking your own aura in the light of love is the best psychic protection there is and creating love in the heart chakra brings about a feeling of self love. You could try the exercise in a pair or group and step into each other's love light and compare notes. Enjoy experiementing with the power of love and spreading it as far and wide as possible, the world needs all it can get.

See how you get on with this exercise and let me know how it works for you. Comments welcome.

how do you know when someone is close to death?

As a medium I am often asked if I can tell if someone is going to die soon and what I sense around such people. (I don't know why people ask me this I don't walk around with a black cowl and scythe.)

The answer is yes, I often can see if a person is moving to their passing stage but not always. Sometimes I just don't pick up on my senses if I'm involved in doing something else or simply not switching in or listening to my instincts, I can't be on high alert all the time, it's neither feasible, practical or worthwhile.

When a person is moving towards the end of their life, no matter their age, a breakdown of the aura can be seen. The aura is the electro-magnetic layer of the physical body and if the physical body is no longer requiring it, then it will begin to disperse. (There are plenty of google images of the human aura and chakra diagrams if you need to look it up.)

I usually see this as a greying aura, there will be no colour visible and there are thinned areas of the aura much like cotton wool when it is pulled and you can see strands joining the larger pieces together but it looks worn and threadbare. This thinning is a result of the spiritual energy no longer being fed into the aura but instead returning to nourish the soul in readiness for the return of an aspect of it i.e. your spirit. (I should point out here that the soul has many aspects to it and you, the being you are now in body, is not the only part of your soul experiencing some form of life right now, you are a fragment of your soul and its learning, not the whole). whew! that was deep.

Anyhow, if the aura is not receiving energy, then the physical body via the main chakras is not receiving energy either and that will in turn lead to a break down of the physical body and its major organs and blood system because it is not being fed properly.

I have seen living people cut off from their soul and this energy connection, they are usually ill, of grey pallor and struggle immensely with life but they keep hanging on because it is not their time to pass over yet. It is possible for such individuals to continue living in a body that is like a shell, it eats, sleeps, moves, has sex, talks but there is no reason or happiness, flow or pleasure in their lives, or feeling or expression of deep emotion.

When a person has reached their natural time, as I said - regardless of age or what we might determine to be their time to die, the aura will begin its natural degeneration.

The aura shrinks too at this time and moves in quite close to the body of the person. They might feel constantly cold, selfish (due to the disconnection with other earthly persons because the aura is no longer giving them emotional information) irritable, tired and frightened.

The conscious brain struggles to comprehend the destruction of the energy field because it is a subtle manifestation and the brain deals more with facts, figures and definite senses. However, those who are mediums or understand energy do recognise when they are becoming weak and nearing their own end as do many people who have never worked with energy, their intuition tells them that they are getting close.

As a healer there is nothing I can do to restore the aura when it has begun to degrade. I can meditate with the person and give them peace and some understanding, I can show them where to go and who will meet them removing any fear of passing that they might have and this gives enormous comfort to them. Neither can I slow the end for them, it's true that we all have a time slot and should we miss it by a long way we will then have to wait to be collected to make the short journey home. Our loved ones on the other side of life try their hardest to make us understand before we pass that they are waiting and excited that we will be joining them, (often through dreams and visions) but some people just miss the point and end up getting lost for a while anyway, usually through fear or atheism, but they will be fetched in the end, when their mind opens enough for them to see the beauty of life.

At the same time that the aura begins to break down the body's main chakras also begin to dysfunction and close. The first to go is the root, (as the energy system will close from the bottom up so as to end with the return to the soul which is from the crown of the head. It closes this way so that the human spirit, that rests in the heart will be pushed up to the crown and out the way it is safest and not be pushed down into the root and trapped by the lowest thoughts of existence that sit there in that chakra.)

When the root is in dysfunction incontinence will be experienced, this state may last for a long or short time depending upon the emotions of the person concerned or their acceptance of life and death, their overall beliefs, their view of ageing and what it brings and their health issues generally.

The next chakra to close is the sacral, bringing with it nervousness, kidney issues, liver problems, lower intestinal issues. Also regrets may be expressed and wishes of 'what if' and 'if only'.

The next is the solar plexus, bringing fear or peace depending upon the person. A disconnection with life and its demands and realism. A clinging sense and fear of being alone.

Then the heart chakra will end its cycle, freeing the spirit to roam out of the body and discover its new invironment whilst the physical body is still alive so the spirit can return to safety when in needs to. This is when the spirit friends and helpers will be around more closely to keep the passing person close.
There may be issues with the heart at this stage if not encountered already or through illness generally.
The person may be in and out of what we recognise as consciousness and be much sleepier than previously.

The throat chakra begins to close next and the person passing may find that there are things that they must say to ease their conscience, let people know that they love them or express their regrets. It's important that the throat ease out unsaid words as the spirit, that is now risen into the throat chakra, will be urging it to do so.

The third eye illuminates when the spirit reaches it. Suddenly things become clearer to the person passing as the third eye reveals a new world to them, one that they can go to, peacefully. The person can still deny this at this stage and many do, sadly, making it harder for them to pass on. It's also at this point that people who are considered to be at death's door often rally and seem lucid and bright for a short period before deteriorating further.

When reaching the crown of the head the spirit has the sensation of being born again back into the spirit world. They pop out to see something wondrous and often unexpected. There are loved ones to meet them and they become aware of the immense and powerful energy they carry now that they are out of the heavy and cumbersome physical body. This time should be one of great joy and often is, until that is they remember that they are also leaving people behind who mean a great deal to them. Such is life. It happens on the way here and on the way out again. We all meet together again in between those times and carry each other in our hearts. It is still possible even at this stage for the passing spirit to deny what is happening to them and become stuck in the gloom of the earthbound soul.

For the observer who can see energy at this last stage of leaving the crown the spirit is visible usually as a white mist, but one that has form. Not human form, but shape and outline. It moves quickly and is a beautiful sight.

There are clear signs when someone is going to be leaving us, if you know what to look for. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying has some interesting observations about the closing down of the energy on the outside and on the inside too. My observations are my own. It's not always nice to see that someone's aura is breaking down, especially if I know that person but acceptance is the key to most things in life and nothing I can do will change when their soul has decided to move on. Death is the choice of the individual, the means, the time, the pain, the duration of demise all amount to the soul's choice. A long life is no measure to a life well lived and the duration of a person's life is no measure to their achievements. So live well, laugh and cram in as much as you can! That way you will have a lot to talk about on the other side.

how to connect with your own spirit

As with any exercise or tip I will give you this one is simple and easy and quick if you need it to be and can be done anywhere. No special tools or props are required and you can do this alone or with a partner or group. There are no rules only good practise.

The first time that you try this do it somewhere quiet where you will not be disturbed but then later with practise you should be able to do any of the exercises quickly, no matter how much noise surrounds you and you will be able to trust your own instincts.

Either lay or sit quietly (don't get too comfortable or you will fall asleep), a good place to connect with your spirit is in the bath. The water helps you to relax and also aids visualisations and spirit connection and usually the door is locked so that you feel safe and will be undisturbed.

Breathe deeply, a few times until you fall into the natural rhythm of breathing, rest a moment, there is no rush. In your mind, to yourself state that you intend to connect with your spirit, the spirit that resides within your heart centre and in the core of your being, the real you, your light. (Or words to that effect).

Then place the palm of your right hand on your heart centre to mark your intention and the palm of your left hand over your solar plexus to keep your power inward instead of reaching out for guidance as is often done. You are closing your energy circuit to enable your energy to flow around and within you rather than out and searching in the ether for knowledge.

Next take your concentration to behind your eyes, you reside there, you see the outer world from there, you gain information from there about others', about your surroundings, signals to survive your daily life and its demands. From here we are going into your inner world, to find your truths.

Imagine the hara line through the centre of the body. This is a strong centre line that runs from the crown of the head through to the root and down to the ground, it lines up all the major chakras and roots us to the earth as well as connecting us to the divine higher realms. I see my hara line as white and cylindrical, poker straight and full of light. This is the line that needs to be brought into sharp focus when you are asked to centre yourself and is the mainstay of the energy system much like our physical spine is to the human body.

Picture your hara line as a lift shaft - but full of white light. Your consciousness can travel up and down this shaft whenever you want it to. You can access the interior of the chakras by using this method and can cleanse them individually or see what the light inside them is like, how each chakra feels when you enter its environment and what may need attention or healing. It's an interesting exercise to try but do keep an open mind about what you might sense and always take the first thing that you see or sense as being the truth however odd you find it, you can puzzle it out later.

Now take your consciousness from behind your eyes down to the throat chakra and pause. Take a look at the entrance to the throat, what do you see? what is the colour? is the colour bright or murky? don't enter the throat chakra yet but instead travel further down until you reach the entrance to the heart chakra. How do you feel standing before the entrance? what colour are you presented with? is the colour clear and bright or not? do you feel apprehensive or eager to get into your own spirit and meet it?

However you feel, take a deep breathe, keep your consciousness in the heart and step forward into the cavity of the heart chakra. Be open to feel and sense, to receive and to communicate with your spirit.

What does your spirit look like? is it like you or different? is it pleased to see you? does it have information for you? is it displeased with you for some reason?

At this point you can ask questions, feel the responses, put in requests, express your desires. Whatever you want to do can be done here in complete safety and honesty. You are communing with your interior self and anything is possible. Sometimes you might want to meet with your spirit just to obtain peace and connection and no information will pass between you and that is alright too.

When you feel that you have spent enough time there you can retrace your steps. Notice the colours again as you return your consciousness to behind your eyes and see if there has been a change or improvement.

Remember after any meditation to centre and ground yourself (exercises on this blog) it's very important that you are able to function in the real world and not be distracted.

Make a few notes on what you experienced and compare them next time you do the exercise. It may only take you a few minutes to complete the connection or it may take longer, everyone is individual and you should give yourself enough time to make a strong and meaningful connection. Remember that there is nothing to fear from this exercise unless you are scared of yourself! Enjoy.

dreaming of the dead

We all dream. We may remember our dreams we may not. Typically we usually remember the more disturbing ones because our brain and body react to the stronger stimulus within them however we also remember deeply emotional dreams. Sometimes in the waking stage where we are rousing and coming to consciousness we have vivid images that can seem very real. This is the time when you should take notice and attempt to remember the content you receive as it is often in this state that we try to achieve during meditation. The state of being relaxed enough to accept what comes but just alert enough to coherently remember details and understand our visions, thoughts and feelings.

If you have a vivid dream or vision or even daydream that concerns a deceased person known to you then pay special attention to your emotions at the time, as you will be receiving the emotions of that person trying to communicate with you. Emotions often tell us more than words or expressions can as people are very good at hiding their true feelings although spirit people rarely do this - whether they can or not I don't know for sure, but I suspect not as they are pure energy and thought.

When you have a strong connection with this type of vision or dream it is often the spirit person trying to give you a message, so try to listen. You may dream of them if they are on your mind or you are concerned about them and this can just be your psyche reaching out to them and creating a meeting with them but a real meeting will have the emotion attached and you may receive information that you were previously unaware of rather than if the meeting is of your own creation so take your time to understand what is happening and keep a notepad and pen handy to record your feelings before you forget.

The thing I regard as most important is our gut instinct, our feelings about situations tell us more truths than we can question. We should always ask ourselves what makes us happy, what gives us the most pleasure, what fires us up and enthuses us with ideas and excitement? The answers you receive are from inside yourself, from your own spirit and it will never lie to you or mislead you. If we sense danger we shouldn't ignore that feeling, we can investigate our fear, check it is grounded in reality or phobia or deep rooted anxiety before panicking or acting upon it.

By the same token we should express ourselves freely too. We shouldn't fear our emotions, if we want to cry at a film, give someone a hug, pay someone a compliment or laugh - then we should. Our spirit demands that emotion for a reason and often that reason is for a release of energy or for an intake of energy. The spirit lives moment to moment - children are a great example of this as they haven't yet been conditioned to control their emotions or time. They do what they want when they want to do it. That of course is not practical in every day adult living but living emotionally intelligently is possible and necessary for a healthy body and mind. Radiate your spirit from within and let the love and hope that your spirit carries reach other people and don't be afraid to be yourself. In doing that you will find immense strength, creativity and freedom and your energy will flow healthily leading to positivity and mental well-being.

When you stifle your spirit, ignore your desires, suppress your nature then your energy becomes stale and a sense of stuckness comes about along with feeling trapped, depressed, uncreative and unhappy.

Being free of course does not mean that you can be offensive, aggressive or self-interested. All your actions demanded of the spirit must be for the highest good and harm no-one. You are meant to be spreading love and light, that is everyone's life purpose. Tolerance and understanding and development of the mind are the aims of the human spirit.

Try the energy cleansing exercise on this blog then meditate with the intention to connect with your spirit self which I will add tomorrow.

destructive doggy

I was asked a question not so long ago concerning a dog and his sudden change of behaviour.
Here's the thing - the dog was ten years old. It lived in the same house for years without any problems. The owners of the house started digging new foundations for an extension and were changing the internal layout of the property causing disruption and dust and noise and all the other stuff that goes along with such work.
The dog was fine with the workmen, the mess etc. However since opening up the basement which had been sealed due to damp since before the owners moved in, he had been growling and barking at empty space, scratching at doors to get out of rooms, being destructive and biting the bottoms of the doors to escape. Howling at night and chasing around the house too. He was off his food and stared at his owners alot as well as past them. He was spooking them out but worse - the owners were considering having him put to sleep because his behaviour had changed so much that he was hard to live with. The vet had checked out the dog and could find nothing wrong and could only offer dementia and aging as a diagnosis.
The aging process is a possible solution but I would focus more on the change of energy that had invaded his environment.
The house is old and is on farmland that has been undisturbed for centuries. Perhaps there is an old burial site beneath it and the renovations had disturbed the ancestors buried there. It could be that a victim of crime is risen again after being freed from their hidden grave. It could be something that the builders had brought with them, a roaming or lost spirit. It could be the spirit of an animal. It could also be simply a change in the energy frequency caused by the land being disturbed. Or even an underground waterway that is affecting the energy of the house that sits above it because of the digging in the basement and surrounding area. Or electrical pylons, mobile phone mast, minerals in the water etc.
It could also be that the dog was reacting to his food or other foreign influence such as a poison or natural toxin he had access too.
It's important to consider all aspects when looking into such a case. Just because something appears to be paranormal doesn't mean it is and all logical explanations have to be looked at first.
Personally in this case I thought that there was a spirit of a boy in the house and that the building works had brought him to activity, but I could come to that conclusion because I had investigated properly using my senses and knowledge added to the fact that I could plainly see the spirit of the boy when I went to the house. That's where a trained medium becomes the only person able to deal with the energies being created and the spirit person that needs help. I spoke to the boy, assured him that nothing bad could happen to him anymore and that I could show him the way home to people who cared about him or to the angels who would look after him. After some convincing he allowed me to take him to the path that would lead him into the light and his recovery. He had been murdered by his father two hundred years ago and hidden in what used to be a pond. The boy guided me to the spot, which had been dug up by the builders and new concrete laid. He also guided me to a well in the grounds. No such well seemed to exist until the owner began to dig in the spot and found - you guessed it - an old well.
An exorcist would have banished the child, a witch removed him and cleansed the property but where would the boy go? A smudging or cleansing ceremony would not rid the building of its guest and a healer would not necessarily 'see' the spirit. Only a medium with clairvoyant or clairsentient or clairaudient abilities could help in this case, because the others had been tried by the owner of the house and had failed. As usual - I was a last resort before the men in white coats came to take people away. Sleep deprivation, arguments about differing opinions and lack of understanding meant that it took the owners three years before they found me and the 'problem' was cleared up in thirty minutes. There is a place for healers and mediums in our society, we do a valuable job that no-one else can do but the medium must be genuine, moralistic, compassionate and trained. I have done spirit rescue in lots of situations - some nicer than others - but it is always worthwhile and satisfying when done right, mistakes can be costly - to the medium.
The dog is healed, the house finished and everyone happy about a positive outcome.