Dear Wendy
I’ve not taken part in a healing course but when I put my hands just over someone’s body, the palms of my hands feel hot to me and other people can feel the heat radiating from them. What is this heat? Des, Lincs
Dear Des
Some healers are taught to rub their hands together vigorously before giving healing on the assumption that all illness requires heat. Some certainly do, such as illnesses that involve tension and restriction in a joint or muscle. Heat tends to reduce tension, just as a hot water bottle is recommended to soothe, warm and relax. Many circulatory conditions and also emotional distress can also cause coldness to many regions of the body, even in the warmest temperatures. Spirit know this, and use the healer’s body as a transmitter for heat directly to the affected areas. I was taught that some conditions naturally generate a great deal of heat, such as infection, inflammation, prolonged physical exertion and some hormonal conditions. Spirit then will work accordingly through the healer, producing coldness in the hands to transmit this refreshing coolness to the recipient.
Dear Wendy
I’d love to have knowledge of everlasting life but when I hear about people who can communicate with those who have passed over I do think, why them and not me?
Paula Scott, Glasgow
Dear Paul,
I believe that the ability to communicate with the spirit world is our natural state. It would appear the ancients, primitive societies and children have greater ease of communication. I think there are a vast array of abilities, for instance, some might be precognitive (glimpses of the future), some might be hear spirit voices (clairaudience), some can allow spirit to take over their hand and write (psychography or automatic writing), some can dowse (dowsers) some use cards, such as tarot, some of course are healers and there is a vast array of different abilities within healing too. I think in the UK we have generally lost the ability, perhaps through education, lifestyle, modern technology, all kinds of reasons. Some people have managed to retain some ability and some manage to develop what they have left. We all have varying amounts. The reason why there are so many methods is that sometimes it can help a medium to use something to focus, such as a palm, this can lead into a trance like realm where the object is no longer used to focus and their spirit guides can take over and inform them. I would suggest you try a number of different methods to see what best suits you. I think you will achieve something if you try. Some make quick progress, for others, the progress is slower. However, I have taught psychic skills and I can tell you that those who don’t get anything for ages can suddenly put on a spurt and overtake the quick learners, and also those who sit quietly getting nothing can suddenly come out with some outstanding and stunning information when they do get it. Spirit is nothing if not full of surprises!
Dear Wendy
I have just watched a TV programme “Most Haunted” and hardly slept the night. Is there any evidence for ghosts? Sally K by e-mail.
Hi Sally
Parapsychologists use magnetic detectors to trace electromagnetic fields in the area where phantoms are reported. It would seem that there is also an increase in radioactivity and radical temperature fluctuations that can be measured. Ghosts are enigmatic spirits that rarely cause anyone any harm and do not usually communicate directly. They seem to have a desire to keep a memory of a certain event alive. These ghostly spirits are usually traumatised or lost and continually return to the site of the event, playing the situation over and over like a video recording in order to resolve an internal conflict that was current at the time of their death. They appear never to change, as though they are caught in a time warp and are unaware of their current surroundings. If any spirit being creates fear or distress to anyone on the earth plane, a ceremony can be performed to help the spirit to be released from their pattern and to go on its way to its rightful place in the spirit world. This should only ever be a healing ceremony not one of confrontation or conflict.
Dear Wendy, What are the origins of the Green Man? Garry, London.
Dear Garry
The Green Man is often depicted as a large, hairy, bearded man with a club. Sometimes, he is represented as half-man, half-plant with twigs and leaves for features. His image dates back to Pagan times and can be seen on church and house architecture. These representations are symbols of rebirth, of health and vitality and of the enduring strength of nature.
Gamekeepers and forest verderers (as the latter French word suggests) still wear green clothing as camouflage so they can move through their work surroundings without disturbing wildlife.
Verderers care for the natural environment of the forest and green places to this day. Often a public house called the 'Green Man' denotes that the area was once forested and that in the area there was a man who was a herbalist and healer.
I heard an interesting story form an archivist that I have not been able to confirm. She said that most of the 'Green Man' pubs are near a hospital because the verderer was a doctor who had access to knowledge and the herbs that could heal both animals and people. He built a shelter for his work and this was the first hospital building. These 'Green Men' had access to fresh water and to fish, meat and vegetables that would be required to restore health.
The Green Man is also a symbol of the greening of nature and represents the spirit of plants and trees.
In his role as Jack-in-the-Green, he takes part in May Day celebrations. During these ferstivals, he is said to mate with the Great Mother Earth, thereby ensuring fertility and fecundity for the land in the coming year.
What is the meaning of the celebration held on 1st August? Derek, London.
The first of August is one of the oldest festivals of Britain when beacon fires would be lit on hill-tops to encourage the dying summer sun to shine more strongly into autumn so that the land could raise a second harvest. This time of year is called ‘Lammastide’ or ‘loaf mass’, as it celebrates the grain harvest. It is called “Lughnasah’ in Ireland, the feast of the Gaelic God Lugh. In these ancient pagan times, the first of August was known as the Gule of August. The word “gule” means red in heraldry. There were times in the distant past when human sacrifice was still practised in Great Britain. Sacred kingship dictated that as the King represented the land, a good harvest would reflect a good, strong king. When the corn in the fields was ripe and ready for cutting, and when the King was no longer virile, the King, like the grain, would be cut down. King William Rufus (the name Rufus referred to his red hair) died at Lammastide in the year 1100 when he was hit by a stray arrow while hunting. Many think he was the last of the sacred kings and that this was not a stray arrow but an intended human sacrifice. In the countryside today, when the first grain is cut in the fields it is plaited into a corn dolly which is kept on the mantelpiece in the home until the following spring when the corn dolly is ploughed back into the land.
In many areas of our country we still have ancient Lammas Lands that exist from a time when tenant farmers would pay their rent to the Lord of the Manor on the first day of August. A bad landowner would raise his crops and celebrate a good harvest while the poor landless tenants starved, but a good landowner would throw his private land open on Lammas Day. The poor landless people had rights to glean what was left of the harvest crop, graze their cattle, and they would try to raise a second crop, giving the land back to the landowner on 25th March
Dear Wendy
Can you tell me something about mazes and labyrinths and how it is possible to tell the difference? I am fascinated by them. Harry, Lincs.
Dear Harry
Both mazes and labyrinths have been known throughout the world since ancient times and the word has been used interchangeably. They are sometimes known as ‘Troy Towns’. There are hundreds in the UK and many more in Europe, North and South America, Australia, India, Nepal and as far as the island of Java in the Far East. There are enthusiasts in many countries who travel throughout the world to visit these enigmatic sites. Why were they built? They provide physical activity, mental stimulation and emotional enjoyment! Anyone of any age can walk, run or dance through to the centre and out again.
There is a wonderful story that comes from the Greek island of Crete. The King of Crete built a complex prison for a great monster called the Minotaur that was half bull and half man. Every year the monster demanded human sacrifice and young men and women were thrown into the confusing dungeon to be killed. One day a young man named Theseus volunteered to go down into the dark cave and kill the beast. Ariadne, the King’s daughter, immediately fell in love with the caring Theseus. The task was impossibly hard. Firstly Theseus had to find his way through the underground system of tunnels to get to the Minotaur, secondly, he must kill the beast, and lastly, find his way out. Princess Ariadne helped Theseus by giving him a spool of red thread which enabled him to find his way back to the entrance. Theseus was not just a caring young man, but also brave and intelligent. He killed the beast and won the heart of the princess.
What is the difference? A maze is a puzzle which involves frustrations. It requires that you make decisions to find yout way through a series of dead-ends, re-tracing your steps to eventually arrive at your destination. Then you have to find your way out! This is often difficult, as you will need to remember, in reverse, the pattern of the maze! The experience of the maze is often fun but also requires some concentration to recognise and remember the pattern. Hampton Court and Longleat are examples of hedge mazes.
A labyrinth is a single narrow path. There are no choices to be made. The path takes you, by a circuitous route, directly to the centre. Having arrived at the centre, you then walk the route again from the centre to the entrance. Because the path is so narrow, on the way to the centre and out again, one meets other people also using the path. The experience is usually one of peaceful relaxation and the joy of meeting like minded people along the route. Communication needs to take place as to who takes initiatives and who gives way. Willen Park in Milton Keynes and Tapton Park in Chesterfield are examples of turf labyrinths.
You can make a maze or a labyrinth on the sand at the beach or on grass using chalk paint that disappears after a downpour of rain.
Dear Wendy
This is just a snippet of a dream. I’m on a cruise-liner, everyone looks stylish and is enjoying the high life, but my cabin is on the lower deck which is noisy, and stormy weather is brewing. Chris T by e-mail.
Dear Chris
This is a warning dream that changes are about to happen and you must take avoiding action. On the surface, you are floating along enjoying a rather trivial lifestyle, and you present yourself to the world as though you are really a superficial person. However, you find keeping up with others quite stressful. Due to this you need to make certain changes to your lifestyle that will provide you with real happiness. You are the designer of your destiny, and you can change your circumstances. Remember, you are in control of your future and just as good as anyone else. Find those people who you can relax with and who you really enjoy being with.
Do you have a dream you would like interpreted?
Contact Wendy: w.stokes@btinternet.com
Dear Wendy
I know someone who smokes cannabis and says it helps his mediumship and especially his healing abilities because it helps him to relax. Could this be so? Malcolm, Carmarthen.
Dear Malcolm
Recreational substances, of which cannabis is just one, have psychoactive properties and therefore should not be combined with mediumship or healing. Strong chemical substances can seriously upset the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual systems for weeks requiring intensive detox to remove them. Psychoactive substances, of which tranquillisers, alcohol and tobacco are included, affect judgment and behaviour and should not be indulged. It is possible that many earth-bound spirits were addicted to drugs in their earthly life and cannot rest without them. Obviously, prescribed medicines can be used by mediums and healers but these also can be addictive, as in the case of painkillers or sleeping tablets, which should also be avoided.
Dear Wendy
I have heard that Emanuel Swedenborg started a new church. Can you tell us about him. Carruthers family, Lincoln.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688 -1772) was a Swedish mining official and son of a Bishop. At the age of 56 he began to experience trances where he could talk with demons, angels and all kinds of spirits and for the next 28 years wrote all that was told to him from the spirit realms. His writing influenced William Blake, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Baudelaire, Balzac, W. B.Yeats, Carl Jung and Helen Keller. They do have a church movement, called the New Church, such as in Barnet and in central London at Pembridge Villas, Notting Hill Gate. They regularly have workshops on angels, spiritual growth and other related subjects. They also have a retreat centre for conferences and courses at Purley Chase, Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
On my arrival at Purley Chase Centre, I was very impressed by luxurious new wing to the mid-Victorian house, and was pleased that many of the fine features of the old entrance hall had been retained. We were a small group of eight women for the Secret Garden weekend workshop, ably facilitated by Helen Brown, a Jungian psychotherapist, and Rita Russell, a minister with the New Church. It was a sunny weekend that included some enjoyable early morning walks and some leaf clearing and bulb planting in the magnificent gardens that surround the centre. The weekend was very varied with plenty of time for discussion, and we enjoyed ourselves with a re-enactment of the Biblical stories and the retelling of the New Testament parable of the sower. We also had time to watch a Warner Bros film entitled The Secret Garden, based on a book by the Victorian novelist, Frances Hodgson Burnett. All these activities were interspersed by meditative circle dances to the accompaniment of beautiful music. It is always a pleasure to be at Purley Chase and spend time with the Swedenborgians in this splendid spiritual setting. The meals were exceptional and if you haven't visited the centre yet, I would recommend it.
Dear Wendy
I've seen a couple of mediums who have given me names and also described people who I have known and who have passed over, the trouble is no matter how good the evidence, I still have doubts about living after we die. I wish I could believe. Why do I still have these doubts? Caroline West, Loughborough.
Dear Caroline
It is natural to doubt because we live in a society where people live for the 'now' and do not think about the soul surviving into the Afterlife. In other societies, it is normal to believe, and it would be very unusual for someone not to believe. I think that people are either believers or they are non-believers, and that no amount of proof will make an atheist into a believer or a believer, doubt.
For doubters, there are no consequences for actions or omissions. This is a very convenient belief for those who are self-serving. However, for those who believe that our soul lives beyond this life into the eternal realms, we must live with an active conscience knowing that good deeds will be rewarded and evil actions will be punished. We have greater responsibility because we have greater knowledge.
this aspect of my recovery and I am now convinced that I have lived before. I have tried to find other people who are also believers in re-incarnation but when I tried my local Spiritualist Church, I got a cold reception to my experience. S.M. Salop.
Dear S.M.
I’m sorry that you did not find support at the Spiritualist Church you attended. Reincarnation is a highly controversial subject for Spiritualists. You might find Buddhists more accepting of your experience, especially Tibetan Buddhists. Tibetan Buddhism is thought to be the oldest religion in the world and they base their philosophy on a belief in reincarnation. I’m sure you know that the reigning Dalai Lama was chosen by the Regent of Tibet who had a vision when the previous Dalai Lama returned to the heavenly realms. In this vision, the Regent was shown the home of a two year old boy. He and other high ranking officials searched for this child and found him where they were guided. The Regent wore a disguise, yet the young boy recognised him as the Regent and also identified many objects belonging to the previous Dalai Lama. Hindus also are believers and there have been many studies in India of children who have remembered previous lives. Prof Ian Stevenson of the University of West Virginia is a reincarnation expert who researches memories and birth marks that relate to previous incarnations. He is convinced that at least some people have lived before.
Dear Katy
I suggest that you purchase a good quality garnet. This jewel comes in all colours but the most common is a deep pomegranate colour. The rarest is a blue stone that changes colour according to the light source. The properties of all garnets are excellent for travellers as the garnet provides rational and sober thought. As a ring can get a great deal of wear, purchase a pendant on a lengthy chain. This will enable you to keep your stone private. In some poor countries, you might have to pay more for goods if you are seen with an expensive jewel. If you run out of money whilst abroad, you can always sell your gemstone, therefore it is an investment and provides protection against mishap. One of the most auspicious stones you might ever buy is one that you are offered in the country you will visit. Make sure it has been ethically mined and pay full price for it.
Dear Wendy
Can you tell me the origin of Candlemas? Shirley Mason
Dear Shirley
Candlemas is a Christian light celebration that occurs at the beginning of February, mid way between Christmas and Easter and it heralds the return of sunshine. At Candlemas candles are lit in churches. It is actually the feast-day of St Brigit, an important early Irish saint who had connections with pagan Ireland. She lived amongst a community of women, said to be three sisters, all called by the name, Brigit. They tended the tribal fire and therefore were very powerful women in the area of Kildare where they resided. The tradition of fire-keeping by women was known in ancient Greece and Rome. As a fire-keeper, she is patron saint of the forge and the hearth. She is also patron of those who work with inspiration, such as poets, writers and healers. She is also associated with wells. It is said she came to London and set up a convent at Brideswell in Fleet Street where a church is devoted to her. If you are able, visit St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, EC4, or place some flowers at a well on this day. As Brigit is said to walk on the night of 1st February, pieces of clothing can be left with a small equal armed cross by the bedside to receive her blessing.
Dear Wendy
I recently went to Glastonbury and saw the great ruin of the Abbey. Can you give me some details about this ancient site? Erica
Dear Erica
Glastonbury Abbey was once the largest and most influential cathedral in England but during the dissolutions of the monasteries during Henry VIII’s reign in the early to mid 1500s, the Earl of Somerset’s soldiers smashed the holy statues, burned the ecclesiastical library and almost levelled the entire building. In 1908, it was suggested that it could be reconstructed and a surveyor, Frederick Bligh Bond investigated the ruin with a view to renovation. To find the ancient foundations, the slow process of digging trenches was avoided, as he instantly marked out an outline on paper of the suspected positions of the main altar, twin towers and the Edgar and Loretto Chapels and his suggestions proved correct. By dowsing over a mapped area, he discovered dormitories, refectories (dining rooms), washrooms, cloisters, herb gardens and other parts that were not shown on the historical plans. He also uncovered secret tunnels, watercourses and drainage systems which were investigated and identified as he had accurately predicted. This extremely quick work puzzled the authorities and it remained a mystery for the next ten years until Bligh Bond published a book entitled “The Gate of Remembrance”. In this book he revealed he had worked with a medium who used automatic writing to contact “the Watchers” a group of monks who eventually led him into contact with a monk who was present at the building of the Abbey. After his book was published, the original written scripts of the séances were published. The Dean of Wells was furious and cut the funding for any further research. He also sacked Bligh Bond from the survey. It proved, however, that map dowsing was being used in 1908 and also how map dowsers can use mediumship to contact spirit guides for information about such matters as this.
Dear Wendy
I need healing, can you recommend someone please? Kathy
Dear Kathy
If you are in need of spiritual healing, please join the Harry Edwards healing Sanctuary at 10am and 10pm each evening when healing is sent to those who are in need. A spontaneous prayer can be said or the following prayer recited.
May I be thankful for all the blessings I already have. Grant me relief from pain and sickness, protect me from all ills and grant me good health in the days to come. Remove all causes of imperfection and bring Thy Healing Ministers close to me that I may be conscious of their presence and so receive guidance and inspiration. Grant me courage and fortitude to overcome all adversity. Let me be conscious of Thy strength in all times of need. Grant me confidence to overcome my fears and not to anticipate harm. Teach me, how to live rightly in Thy sight, to do only that which is right and true. I pray that good guidance and right influencing will inspire all Thy peoples to be as brothers, one to the other, and that peace shall endure for all time. Amen.
Can you tell me about a book called “The Secret”. I am told by friends who have read it that it has changed their lives. Sara, Norfolk.
A film entitled “The Secret” was released by Prime Time Productions and they market the film mainly through the Spiritual Cinema Club. The film has been very big sellers, especially in the US where the companion book by Rhoda Byrne, released by Simon Schuster which has topped the New York best-sellers list and its supporters have appeared on Oprah Winfrey Show. The Secret is described as ‘an ancient knowledge known only to a few masters of success which is being revealed to selected people within our time’.
The Secret promotes ‘The Law of Attraction’ which states that you attract what you think about most, so if you have negative thoughts, you will attract negativity and if you think positive thoughts, you will attract positive experiences. The same applies to people. If you surround yourself with losers, you will become a low achiever, and if you surround yourself with successful people, you too will become successful. It suggests the way to achieve your ambitions it to write down your life objectives and the ways to achieve them. This formulates a clear picture in your mind of the direction in which universal forces can assist you. Also suggested is that you make a collage board placing upon it pictures of items that you would like to have in your life.
Basically, you must ask for what you want and believe you will receive it, and be grateful for your good fortune. I would not dispute these basic tenets, however, it also promotes a sense of self serving financial advancement where anyone who has had an accident, a disease or disability is responsible for their own hard luck, and I cannot endorse this mentality.
The Secret is not ‘green’ philosophy, nor is it a caring philosophy. It is undeniably about wealth enhancement, which is not bad in itself, providing we have boundaries, ethics, standards, morals, and scruples about how and what we are prepared to do to gain it and what use we will put it to. Much of this psychology is self serving in my opinion, and based on a childish belief in wish fulfilment. Reality thinking is what is required. The basis of the Law of Attraction is not new. It was in vogue a hundred years ago. The thinking style was described in a book entitled ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ by Wallace D Wattles and other books have also ably described the basic premise without the mystification. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale is another. I would suggest, if you like this sort of self help book, you try ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle and ‘Making Time’ by Steve Taylor. Both are best sellers in the positive thinking field. I would also recommend a book entitled Nexus – a neo-novel by Deborah Morrison and Arvind Singh, which is an excellent antidote to the Secret
Well, most religions and philosophies seek to answer this old chestnut of a question! Personally, I think we come into this life to learn, and this includes some painful and difficult life lessons. The aim of this life is to learn from each obstacle, so that when we meet another obstacle, we have access to more life wisdom to draw from. I also think that these lessons are a test, to check if we deal with each problem with wisdom and understanding, with compassion and empathy. That is what ‘spirituality’ means. Such a way of life acknowledges that our spirit is eternal and that we face judgment one day. Generally it is thought that our spirit is housed in this physical body to do good work and we must do ‘what is right’, that is, to be honest, care for others less well of than ourselves, have gratitude, kindness and generosity. If we do our best, despite difficult circumstances, we will get to heaven one day with flying colours. By doing what is right rather than for self-centred motives, we act as a good role model to others, showing a good example of what it means to be a believer in a generally unbelieving world. If we look at the great books written by the best spiritual masters of our world, we see a search for peace, love and goodwill is the thread that runs through all texts of ancient knowledge, which may have different paths but arrive at the same destination.
Can colour therapy really work? It just sounds rather fanciful to me. Samantha, Cheshire
Dear Samantha
Marketing consultants have done a great deal of work on how colour influences our mood. Food is not happily purchased in purple, black or blue containers, yet a person’s appetite increases if the same foods are sold in green containers. The colour of science favours golden yellow and royal blue and many popular medicines are sold in containers of these colours, yet hospitals and schools prefer green and definitely not brown or purple. TV studios place stars in the ‘green’ room to encourage relaxation before their appearance on the show. Other studies show that weight-lifters lift most weight in a blue room, babies cry most in yellow rooms, prisoners react badly to red décor and are easiest to manage in more calming pink. Many people report that colour influences their reactions to people, places and purchases. Throughout the world, people have vastly different associations towards colour which tend to be cultural, personal and traditional. For instance, if you attend a funeral for a Chinese or Japanese person, you would wear white; for an Iranian, wear blue; for Thai wear purple; for Egyptian or Burmese, wear yellow and for a South African, wear red. In our culture, black is for seriousness, brown and green for growth, red for physical and emotional energy, yellow and orange for intellectual stimulation and white for purity. I suggest you experiment with wearing colours to see how they affect you and notice whether other people’s reactions to you vary on account of what colours you are displaying.
I've read in several books that we are born with the innate longing to return to God. I can't say I know anyone around me who has that feeling! Do you believe it?
Angela Brighton
Hi Angela
There are some marvellous meditative tests, such as ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ that describe well this seeking for spiritual enlightenment. We all have an instinctive wish to be comfortable, secure, peaceful and in a loving environment. This is what ‘heaven’ is like and one day we all hope to experience the promised feeling of bliss and utter happiness. The presence of God and his angels provides such a sense of holiness that we want to be as close as possible. Our physical world is one of material enjoyments. We are told money and fame will bring us happiness. However, we get caught up in the rate race and we are surrounded with possessions that we cannot take with us, we think we are getting something out of it, but we are not. When the chips are down, it is the caring love and devotion of family and friends that matters, and health and contentment. It is not the outer world of illusion that is ultimately important, but our inner, spiritual life. It is not what something looks like that is valued in the Spirit World but what something really is on the inside and its usefulness and goodness. God, the deity, is not deceived by outer trappings. One day, when we are lost, tired, bereaved, in pain and alone, he will come and hold our hand and take us on our last journey. When you reach out your hand, as we all must, you will also know that desperate longing to return to your one true home.
I am interested in remote viewing. Can you explain how to do it? Harry Lorimer, London. Remote viewing is the ability to project the awareness of the mind to visit a location and gain information about it. The Stanford Research Institute in California conducted many experiments and a New York psychic, Inigo Swann, scored highly in their tests. He was able to supply accurate details of passwords to a top secret military base! If you would like to test your remote viewing skills, take a pack of playing cards and shuffle them. Remove three cards from the pack and without looking at them, place them face up on a high shelf space. Now sit down on a chair and close your eyes and relax. Take your perception to high within the room where you have a vantage point above the cards. Look down at the cards. Which three cards are they? Now check whether you guessed the cards correctly.
We are immensely fortunate to live in the UK in the 21st century as we have access to amazing records of the many gurus, prophets, wise teachers, healers and mediums who have lived in the past - and many also living in the present - who we could visit if we wanted to meet them. What makes Jesus different from all the others is the time in which he lived and the mysteries that surround him, which will never be proved or disproved. It is said that the Jewish God was a jealous and sometimes angry God and that Jesus came to this world to show us what sort of a person God truly is. Jesus was a gentle and wise teacher, an extraordinary healer, a prophet and also a person who suffered due to the selfishness, cruelty, greed and thoughtlessness of those people around him. For these reasons, Jesus takes a higher place in the minds of many who believe he was God incarnate, the equivalent of God made man, on earth. Whatever path a person chooses to walk or whatever person to follow, it is the path of kindness, truth and generosity that is the true spiritual path.
The unconscious mind holds all kinds of repressed fears, frustrations and hurts and delivers messages to our conscious mind in the form of symbols.
Dream interpretation decodes these symbols. In a one to one session, meditation is usually used to re-enter the dream to gain as much information as possible about these messages. In a group, there is the opportunity to re-create the dream with members of the group so that symbols, ideas and feelings can be explored and repressions can be worked through to bring release and re-evaluation.
Most dreams are about personal every day matters but sometimes we have what is called a ‘big dream’. This type of dream is not just about personal daily concerns but is the sort of dream that shamans, prophets and spiritual leaders have regarding the bigger picture of society, its direction, difficulties, values and leadership.
We are all affected by society and our place within it. We need to be on our guard, careful we are not vulnerable to being duped or attacked. It is a defensive position rather than an open one and one that causes stress and exhaustion.
We had a suitable, spacious and delightful venue for a dream workshop where P worked on a dynamic and intense dream. P has kept an extensive dream diary for the past 15 years and chose a dream which featured her nephew, A, as he could take part in the dream re-enactment.
Her dream reveals threats from places where evil can hide and cause chaos, confusion, pain and suffering to entirely innocent people. As shamans go into the Underworld to bring back something which has been lost, so this dream took the dreamer to the darkest place from which something important would be revealed.
P's Dream “I was running through a street late at night. There were lots of people running behind me. I was running the fastest but I did not know why.
I saw people standing in front of me. They were not moving. They were just smiling. It was not until I got closer that I realised why! The people all had knives and stabbed everyone as they passed. I thought, so that is why we were all trying to escape. They had small knives and they stabbed everyone multiple times to make sure they were dead!
I ran really fast down alane of a motorway but the people were still there. I turned left down a lane and the people who were killing were wearing black all in onesuits with a pattern of a skeleton.
Eventually we all came to a dead end and we were all lined up. I was in the front and everyone else was behind. The ‘skeleton’ dressed people had captured a few of us. My nephew, A was amongst them.
They explained to us that if we surrendered, they would return those who they had taken captive. So I surrendered. Briefly, I saw A but then the ‘skeleton’ people all stood in front of him and then he suddenly vanished! I was now extremely stressed and was shouting for Alex at the top of my voice. I could sense all the panic. I shouted “Is Alex there?” Then, a young boy about twelve years old with blonde hair and wearing a striped shirt stood out from the crowd and said “Of course I am here”. We all knew at this point that he was not A because A was dead.
I went looking for A in a massive car park but when I could not find him, I screamed out the name, Steve. Then I woke up.”
The violence in this dream shows P's concern that a lack of caring boundaries, discipline and restraint in society causes stress and confusion and can leave lives shattered. In the dream, she is quick to escape the danger but others are more vulnerable and fall prey to the attackers. When it is necessary for someone to make a self-sacrifice, P offers herself as a replacement so others can go free. As a Reiki healer, Paige is often in a role of doing all she can to help others, often at cost to herself. A is P’s nephew and is soon to join the army, a calling which will place him in highly dangerous and violent places. He is no longer the young boy she knew and he will not be there for her when she calls upon him because he is embarking on a new life. She will need to find someone else to take his place. As P read out her dream to the group, Paige’s mother was in the group and was tearful. No loving mother can bear to see her daughter dealing with such frightening scenarios, even in dreams. Paige’s dream is showing her mum she is quick thinking and can escape danger and protect herself from the dark forces that are around us.
The next part is to re-enact the dream as P would like the dream to have been. Here the attackers are overpowered and instead of capitulating and surrendering, P is proactive and powerful. Alex, who had disappeared and was replaced by a child in the original dream, has become a policeman and arrests the perpetrators. He is proving himself in the world as a man of courage and authority.
Everyone who took part was de-roled at the end of the workshop to make sure they were not left with uncomfortable feelings.
There is a dream technique where symbols from a frightening dream are converted into gifts to be used for good rather than evil. As the interpreter, I took the symbols of the skull and knives and converted them into symbols of the Goddess Kali. I spoke the words to P:
“I give you the shirt of the perpetrator to win the fight over all evil. I give you the knife which cuts through illusion, and I give you the skull of eternal honour. You are empowered by the Goddess Kali who brings forth good from evil.” This reframes the dream, converting a negative into a positive experience. Paige’s response was“these dream re-creations were great fun and it was wonderful to bring so many people together who wanted to take part. It not only put me directly in touch with my dream and explained it, but also then reframed it. By digging a little deeper into this dream – I have been given a different outlook. It was new, exciting and revealing to work in this way!”
“During the replay, I felt in control of the situation, making decisions and doing what is right. I wanted it so that the perpetrators were caught, detained and prevented from doing further harm. I didn’t want more violence and I hoped they learnt their lesson in a productive and positive way. I was so happy as Alex assumed a new role, in charge, in uniform, and as a man entering his prime. If he cannot be there for me when I need him, someone else will be! I don’t know who that is yet, but I have every confidence, though I will miss him when he joins the army, all will be well.”
“Standing in my power with the symbols of the Goddess Kali, I felt as though I had successfully removed the danger from the perpetrators and that any danger is in my safe and responsible hands. I felt indestructible, as though no-one would ever challenge me! I realise that though I hold the symbols of the Goddess Kali’s power, they are mine to do as I like with. In my hands, these objects are symbols of my empowerment to help those who are vulnerable and most in need.”
Dear Wendy: When is the Chinese New Year and what year will it be? Jason, Derby.
Dear Jason: The Chinese New Year falls on February 14 February, 2010. It will be the year of the Yang Metal Tiger, a year of courage and independence. It completes its cycle on 3rd February 2011 when the Year of the Yang Metal Rabbit will begin.
New Year’s Day is just the first day of a fifteen day Chinese celebration which should be celebrated by booking at your favourite Chinese restaurant and celebrating in traditional style, with blue and white china, fireworks, lanterns and fortune cookies. Wear your favourite red dress or shirt to bring in good luck (definitely avoid wearing black and white as these are the colours associated with death). Order a seafood platter, with prawns and oysters and an edible seaweed salad. Finish off the evening off by playing cards or board games. If you cannot book at a Chinese restaurant, make your own fortune cards that offer good luck and happiness and send them, to friends in a red envelope. Celebrations include lantern lighting, lion dances, firework displays and door to door visits.
To increase your Feng Shui and provide good energy, you should clean your home and buy good luck charms of three coins with a square hole in the centre. These are tied together with red cotton and hung in the southeast corner of your home. Other emblems of good luck are bells made from clay or metal placed in the northwest of your room, an ornamental glass or metal fish placed in the north west of your room, an ornamental china frog, usually with three legs and sitting on a bed of coins, in the northwest to attract career luck, and a statue of the Buddha which should be placed in the northwest to stimulate spirituality and carry away bad energies.
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