Q: How can I refresh my dream-life?
Wendy replies: Pull out the furniture and vacuum behind everything. Turn over the mattress and give both sides a vacuuming. If possible paint the room sky blue. Put away winter woolies and place your favourite Spring and Summer clothes at the front of your wardrobe. Throw away feather pillows that can cause stuffy noses and red eyes and launder fresh sheets and duvet covers. Buy some new nightwear - or for the best and luxurious sleep ever - go naked and prepare for the very best dreams of the year.
Using an aromatherapy eye pillow will stimulate vivid dreams and provide a refreshing sleep.
How to make an aromatherapy eye pillow:
Buy a new face flannel, fold it in half and sew the long side and one short side to form a pouch. Fill the bag with rice. Sprinkle a few drops of lavender or tea-tree oil or place a few sprigs of sage or mint in the bag with the rice and sew the last short side to keep the contents inside. When you are ready to sleep, lie down and place the bag over your eyes for ten minutes.
If the weather is very warm, cool your aromatherapy eye pillow by placing it in the fridge before use.
Q: Can you explain to me the theory behind the energies in colour? Pat, Bath, Somerset
Wendy's reply: The ancient Egyptians painted the floors and walls of their temples in bright colours. The Greeks, Romans, Asians, Orientals and the Aboriginal peoples of Australia have always loved colour and used it in their pictorial language to create effects that were both pleasing and powerful. The colours of the clothes that people wore reflected the natural dyes of their country and some were highly sought after and extremely expensive, such as the purple dye made from molluscs and worn by Roman emperors. Cleopatra was said to have loved the colour purple. Temples, churches and mosques have always been places of colour, with stained glass, mosaic tiles, paintings and embroidered cloth.
The colours of the prism were first recorded by Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) and the colour wheel of harmonising and complementary colours was shown in detail. Goethe wrote a book on the theory of colour.
Healing energies and knowledge of colour is relevant because it affects mood. Prisons are decorated with pink as this reduces violence. Hospitals, especially operating theatres, are decorated with green to induce the idea of being surrounded with nature and therefore this colour helps with relaxation and health. Yellow is thought to reduce depression and is used for psychiatric wards, though babies do not like it. Weightlifters lift best in blue rooms. Red tends to stimulate and motivates action. It can raise the respiration and pulse rate. A restaurant with red décor will send a message that it is not vegetarian. Colour associations in art are quite traditional. For instance, the Mother of Jesus, Mary, usually appears in royal blue to denote sadness. Colour is very cultural. Yellow for Westerners signifies Spring and energy whereas to those from Indonesia, it is associated with funerals. Therefore it is the opposite of what we would expect. In the West, we wear white to weddings and black to funerals. This shows that the healing nature of colour is cultural, although the general meaning of white throughout the world is a sign of purity and innocence.
Preferences in colour are not only cultural but can also be very individual. A colour associated with healing might produce stress in a certain individual depending on their associations and their level of health and vitality. It is best always to consult with a person and learn what their individual preferences and association are.
Dear Wendy: What is shamanism? Just recently I have met several people who are interested in this subject. LD
Dear LD: Shamanism is the oldest religion throughout the world and it is still practiced by indigenous people in isolated areas where ancient spiritual traditions have managed to survive. The word “shaman” is a Siberian word for a medium who accesses wisdom, advice, knowledge and healing for their tribe. Trees, stones, mountains, animals, and all natural products are thought to possess their own living spirit and honored. Shamans travel the spirit realms often with the use of a drum, they fast and pray and receive inner wisdom and maturity that helps them to contribute to their community.
During the 1960s, an American university graduate wrote a number of books under the name of Carlos Casteneda based on the life of a native shaman of the Yaqui tribe of North America. This revived a world interest in shamanism.
If you are interested in exploring shamanism, be very wary of going abroad with a group to a place where hallucinogenic substances are imbibed. You might have a reaction and be far from a good hospital. (Fly agaric mushroom and peyote are just two of the toxic substances used in South America to produce visions of the spirit world.) I can suggest you visit Outer Mongolia where drugs are not used and you can study with selected animal whisperers, herbalists, magicians, witch doctors, overtone chanters, sacred clowns, bone setters and other natural healers.
Dear Wendy, Who or what is Satan? PT
Dear PT: The word “satan” stems from the Arabic word “shaitan” which means “to be hostile”. It was used in the Old Testament to mean an adversary or enemy. This concept of evil was depicted as a half man, half goat, with bat wings, and was not considered a pure specimen of humanity. Humans are above the animals because human beings have been given intelligence to be aware of their actions and therefore be responsible for them whereas animals act instinctively without conscience or knowledge of consequences. There are many evil spirits named in addition to Satan, such as Beelzebub and Lucifer which are also associated with evil. Though personalised in this way, evil is a concept and many eminent people have tried to explain the difference between good and evil, but there are complex values at work. Basically, Jesus’s teaching on this subject is related to “do as you would be done by” and, as he did, attempt to relieve suffering and practise truth, compassion and justice in all aspects of life.
Is there really such thing as free will? Mary Hill Glasgow
There are many differing ideas about this subject, Mary. Personally, I believe some people have more free will than others and that prosperity, education, family prosperity and maturity and country of origin enable us to choose our life circumstances, our partner, our career, our hobbies, our religion and where we live. We are immensely fortunate that the UK is not suffering war, famine, disease or serious poverty as this reduces free will to a minimum. Many people who believe in reincarnation believe that our good fortune is dependent on good deeds that we have carried out in previous lives. Though I believe in the spirit world and in reincarnation, I believe that other people's choices often govern our own. For many, circumstances are entirely haphazard and we are the lucky ones - and should not forget it.
First published in Eternal Spirit Magazine
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