Your Spirit Guide Meditation

 

With thanks to Sherry Wakeman for the voiceover and video creation

The Essene Brotherhood

The Essenes are thought to predate the Judaism which emerged out of the Babylonian exile in about 540BC. They were sun worshipping, bowing to the East on sunrise. The Jewish Encyclopaedia describes the Essenes as a branch of the Hasidim, from the Maccabean times. It is a name of great holiness, ascetic, pious and devout, and consecrated to God. They were Therapeutai or an offshoot of these healers, the novices wore blue, the adepts wore white. They sought to restore the rites of the First Temple of Solomon. They were Christian in theory and practice before the time Christ. 

Arthurian Llangollen

In Llangollen in North Wales we find some of the earliest references to the origins of King Arthur - not the knight and shining armour, but the dark age warrior who fought against the Saxons to protect his homeland. The Welsh traditions of King Arthur are the oldest in the world and in this area, we have place names and traditions attached to him and his companions.

Croes Gwenhwyfar. This is situated just off the Llangollen canal towpath where the remains of a base for a stone cross is situated. Croes Gwenhwyfar is Welsh for Guinevere’s Cross. She was the wife of Arthur, and she is also linked to the area through folklore. This is the only site with her name in Britain.

Ffynnon Arthur. On the south side of the Dee river on the old road over the hills to Chirk is the spring known locally as Ffynnon Arthur. The origin of this name is obscure but it overlooks the site of Croes Gwenhwyfar. 

Create a Lunar Altar

 From Moon Magic by Marie Bruce - An Element Book

“ Setting up a lunar alter in your home is a great way to connect with the moons power. Having a special place dedicated to the moon and your magical practice is one way you can begin to invite the magical light of the moon into your life. Begin by collecting items which depict all represent the moon, so postcards, pictures, ornaments, candleholders, crystals, mirrors, and so on. Find a place in your home to use as a moon alter. This could be a windowsill, a countertop small to side table. You might like to cover it with a white or silver cloth, but this is optional. Next arrange all your items in a pleasing way, ensuring that you have a couple of candles ready to burn, place towards the back of the water. I don’t incense burner and alter is ready for medical use. You can use the space to cast spells, perform rituals, lay out divination card spreads and lights in the sense in honour of any Luna dirties you are working with. Add a statue of the loan a totem animals you connect with and make the space that is personal to you and your magical moon journey Finally, that’s the space by sprinkling a little spring water over the altar, and saying the following words. I dedicate the sacred space to the loaner light and to the moon is magical grace.”

Betrayal

 I met her through a school friend because she worked near my home so we met for lunch, then my old friend wasn’t available but we kept up our twosome lunch dates. We also met socially sometimes. Her partner was very suave, French, a guitarist, well dressed, his hair always amazingly stylish, and he had an import and export business, said with a grin and a strong wink of the eye! They took their holidays in hot exotic places, always returning with a heavy sun tan despite her white skin and full freckles. She was depressed, not a good timekeeper, and would fight me to pay my part of the bill in the restaurant! Oh! Please just let’s keep it equal without a fuss! I have no time for attention seekers. Each time I thought would be the last time we met. 

Then one afternoon, we were alone in the restaurant, and she said, “Can I tell you something”, I looked and said nothing. “Do you mind if I tell you something private?” Lots of things came to mind. Her partner was a likely philanderer, was he involved with drugs I wondered? I knew he played in a band that probably took drugs. I wasn’t really wanting any kind of confession, and she blurted put “I’ve been diagnosed with melanoma! It’s quite serious” I felt sad for her. She was impossible to give up work since they needed the money to pay for a buy-to-let property that caused them considerable expense at a time when he was not bringing in much money. They were moving to be near her mother 90 minutes drive from her work station and the long commute strained her low energy levels. She decided she wanted to get married, having been with him for decades, her first love. She went to France to stay with his mother to receive treatment that was said to be better than the NHS but the appointments required considerable time off work. She was too unwell to travel. She got married in a wheelchair. His best friend’s sister was there at the wedding.

Ozymandias - A Poem

Ozymandias by Percy Bysse Shelley

I am sharing poems I remember from my childhood....

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

La Belle Dame Sans Merci - A Poem

 La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats

I am remembering poems from my childhood: 

Ah, what can ail thee, knight at arms,
  Alone and palely loitering;
The sedge is withered from the lake,
  And no birds sing.

Ah, what can ail thee, knight at arms,

  So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
  And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
  With anguish moist and fever dew;
And on thy cheek a fading rose
  Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads
  Full beautiful, a faery's child;
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
  And her eyes were wild.

I set her on my pacing steed,
  And nothing else saw all day long;
For sideways would she lean, and sing
  A faery's song.

Dowsing at Bradwell

I facilitated a small group to investigate whether a ley-line could be detected by using dowsing rods in the vicinity of St Peter's Chapel, Bradwell on Sea, which was built from stone recovered from a Roman fort which defended Essex from invasions from Europe. 

When the Romans left (early 400s AD) this fortress fell into dilapidation. In the mid seventh century, the Celtic Bishop, Cedd, sailed down the coast from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to preach Christianity to the pagans of the East Saxon shore, and he decided to build a chapel using the spare stone from the Roman fort he found on the beach at Bradwell. He dedicated it to St Peter, who was a fisherman, and at this site, sea and river meet, and at that time it was rich in all varieties of fish. 

Yoga Styles

Hatha Yoga: Physical, for strength, flexibility and balance.
Iyenga Yoga: Go slow and listen to your body.
Jivamukti Yoga: 1980s USA style, chanting, poses, philosophy.
Yin Yoga: Easy, ideal for elderly or injured. For flexibility and circulation.
Kundalini Yoga: Meditation, hand gestures, breathing, chanting, invigorating.
Yoga Nidra: Relaxation, meditation, visualisation, positive thinking.
Bikram Yoga: Hot! Challenging. You need to be in tip top condition.
Ashtanga Yoga: Dynamic, challenging.
Vinyasa Yoga: Athletic, originating in Ashtanga. Breathing orientated.

Kabbalistic Creation Story

This is a Kabbalistic creation story told to me many, many years ago. I hope I recall it OK. In order to be true to my teacher, the word “man” means here, both men and women, and all angels are described as male.

It begins at the time when God had created the heavens and our planet, and had finished creating human beings who worshipped him day and night. One day, he called his angels to him. God doubted, and said sadly, 

“Man worships me, but only because he knows no other God. Without freedom to worship an alternative, how can I be sure my beloved people, truly love me?”

All the angels were puzzled and God said “Call forth Lightbringer, the greatest of my archangels”. And the Lightbringer came forth. And God said to him,

“How do I know that Man truly loves me and no other?” 

The Great Lucifer could not answer.  God then said, 

“Lucifer, my very best and brightest archangel, YOU must oppose me and turn man’s heart and mind against me. I will know that my people, the greatest of my creation, truly love me because they will do good and stand by me and not attend to your wishes”. 

Lucifer was shocked. “I could never oppose you My Lord and Master, I could not turn Man’s heart against you. You are my Lord and Master.” “Yes, Lucifer!” God said, “This is what I command you to do!”