The Great Bell Chant

For peace, truth, justice, kindness, compassion, and all spiritual values

Perfume Part Three

In India, resins, woods, spices and fragrant flowers are used for ritual, medicine and personal adnornment. Many wonderful aromatics grow there, including frangipani, hibiscus, sandlewood, jasmin, patchouli, gum benzoin, vetiver, aloewood, pepper, cardoman and connamon, and the sellers from the main centre for perfumery, Ghazipore, near Benares, are called 'gandhika'. The art of distilling the essential oils was brought from Arabia by the Moghuls.  The Indian book of sacred love, the Kama Sutra, prescribed fragrant oils to enhance allure and sandlewood and musk was rubbed on the body as an aphrodisiac. Indian cashmere shawls were steeped in patchouli, a heady scent, which had the added effect of keeping out moths. Its shredded leaves preserved the cloth during the long voyage to the west. 

Haunted London

48 Doughty Street to 13 Portsmouth Street WC2: When he was 27 years old, Charles Dickens, moved into this imposing house in 1837 with his new wife, Catherine. They lived here for three years during which time his sister-in-law, Mary Hogarth died here. Mary was the inspiration for the character of Little Nell, who worked in the little 'odds and ends' shop in his tragic novel, The Old Curiosity Shop. The concerned ghost of Charles Dickens, wearing top hat and tails, has been seen rushing along this route.
University College Hospital Gower Street NW1: The first operation with the use of a general anaesthetic was performed at this hospital in 1846 when a leg was amputated in just thirty seconds. In 1890, a young nurse, Lizzie Church, attended the bedside of her lover who was a patient here. She accidentally administered an overdose of morphine and he died. It is said she committed suicide in remorse and her ghost is seen to this day by hospital staff when morphine is administered to patients.
Lincoln's Inn Fields off High Holborn WC2: This is the largest public square in London and was one of the major sites of public executions that were carried out in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In1586, Anthony Babington was hung, drawn and quartered for his part in a plot to remove Queen Elizabeth I from the throne of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. His ghost roams the grounds.

Like Wake Vigil

In a communication to Wendy Stokes from Philip Lewcroft. October 7, 1999.

 "This is one of Yorkshire’s oldest songs, used by the poorer people for their funerals, especially those taking place on high points of the moors. This tradition is thought to go back to the Norsemen, or even further, to the Bronze Age. The tune is mentioned by the diarist John Aubrey in 1642. Its last recorded use for a funeral was at Kildale around 1800. The Lyke is the lych gate, where the coffin would wait for pallbearers to take it to the church for the service, the Wake (wake meaning vigil) was a dirge provided for the corpse on the night before burial. In recent years, the same name has been given to a pilgrimage ‘walk’ from Cleveland Hills to the coast at Ravenscar, 40 miles, which is undertaken by thousands annually, sometimes taking 24 hours)." 

Wendy Rule

Wendy Rule is an award winning Australian singer-songwriter. She has carved a special niche with her exceptional album compositions. 

A few track titles: Flowers, Thanatos, Dark Shadow, Above and Below, In Life is Death - In Death is Life, The Dark Earth Opened, The Curse, The Temple, All Is As It Must Be, The Ascent. 

Wendy Rule has been a practicing witch for the past twenty years and her music reflects the cycles of nature, tarot, astrology, and pagan/polytheistic beliefs. She tours extensively playing live at conferences and festivals.    

Meeting the Crow Tribe

Les Fuller Interview ‘MEETING THE CROW TRIBE OF EAST LONDON

Les is a trained healer and platform medium and has worked in the Essex/East London area for over 40 years with his partner Jacci (pronounced Jacky) who quietly supports him with her own healing and mediumship skills.

Les has had many tutors and mentors, but he also has worked closely with his own spirit guides to enhance the empathic and authentic spiritual life path that he walks. Over these many decades of working with Spirit, Les has been inspired and encouraged by his First Nation/Indigenous American spirit guides to work in new ways which provide relaxation, joy and upliftment and can be profoundly moving experiences for those who attend his workshops and meetings. One of his early mentors was the late Ernie Alexandra of Waltham Abbey, a recruiting medium who recruited Les and Jacci to his training circle. Edmonton was another early centre of gaining knowledge of spirit and spirit messages and he has worked at Cheshunt giving talks and at Manor Park.

Ancient Spirit of the Crossroads

In the days of ancient Greece, crossroads were dedicated to Hecate, Goddess of the Underworld, who was said to have 3 faces, each to observe the three way crossroads. Representations of her as a pole with 3 masks were placed where 3 roads met and cakes with candles were left so the ghosts that followed her would be fed and not haunt the living. Diana, Roman Goddess of the Witches was also Goddess of the Crossroads and a small altar was placed there for the protection for travellers who left gifts in return for good luck. In India, Rudra, the God of the Crossroads also ruled ghosts and evil powers, in Africa,  Elegua opened and closed all paths and carried a forked stick made of the guava tree. In Russia, vampires were said to lurk at crossroads, in Sweden witches were reported to dance at the crossroads in order to summon the devil.

The Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch accusations began in 1692 in Massachusetts Bay in a small, isolated community. Those involved were mainly uneducated and brought up in a radical puritanical environment where the preacher regularly spoke of the devil. The first to succumb to this hysteria was a 13 year old girl named Goodwin who thought some missing linen had been stolen by a washer-maid. The washer-maid's mother, a church going Roman Catholic, fiercely defended her daughter. Goodwin's brothers and sisters started to have fits and said they sometimes saw the washer-maid coming down the chimney! She was the first to be accused, sent for trial, tortured and hanged.

Dead or Alive! Burial Customs!

Burial Customs to prevent the dead from rising to haunt the living! In 2004, two extraordinary skeletons were discovered in a ditch on the perimeter of an ancient cemetery on the west coast of Ireland. Both skeletons had large stones wedged into their open jaw and had large stone slabs placed over their grave; their limbs were broken and bound. These skeletons were carbon dated to the seventh century when Ireland was becoming Christianised and new stories were told to the pagan people about what would happen in the Afterlife. Traditionally, Christian corpses were buried facing the eastern horizon, so that when the sun rose on the last day, all would stand and immediately see Jesus rising in glory with the dawning of a new day in Heaven. These two bodies, with their head in a ditch, would not greet their saviour along with all others in the cemetery, as they were buried to lie in a NW-SE direction.

Psychic Post Bag

Q: I’m recovering from a minor stroke and my clairvoyance has dimmed. Will it return as my health improves?

Wendy's reply: Any illness that affects our ability to think clearly will also affect our contact Spirit, so headaches, influenza, mental illness or strokes will be in this category. If we usually can easily deliver messages, we might find we are slower, have less depth or be more confused in delivering messages than usual. As we recover from the illness, our capacity for mediumship will return. This reduction only applies to illnesses that affect our brain. Our delivery can also be affected by tiredness, worry, alcohol and drugs and the best mediums have clear thought in their lives in general. If the illness affects our physical body only, our mediumship will not be affected by incapacity.   

Soul Rescue - Spirit Release - Exorcism book extract

Soul rescue is occasionally conducted in selected Spiritualist and mediumship groups and is the expertise of the Brazilian Spiritist movement. Not all earthbound spirits move quickly into the light. Some need help crossing over. There is a threshold area between this world and the next. It is a transition sometimes described as a tunnel, a bridge, a doorway, a stairway or similar. When a spirit is unaware that they are in the spirit realms or unable to let go of an attachment to the physical world, they seek a host person to live vicariously through. This makes soul rescue necessary. Many lost spirits are  disorientated and confused. They have often had a shock and returned to Spirit very quickly, without any preparation. Victims of traumatic violence, such as murder, accidents, war victims, etc., commonly need rescue, as do distressed children, elderly people who are upset, the mentally ill, or those who did not want to leave the physical world due to unfulfilled plans.

The History of Hauntings!

The historian, Tacitus documents an early haunting that occurred 2000 years ago. It happened to the philosopher, Athenodorus, who bought a house and discovered, one evening whilst at work, a ghost shaking chains at him. Dismissing the spectre to return to his work, the ghost eagerly beckoned the philosopher into the courtyard where he vanished. Marking the spot where the spectre stood, Athenodorus dug into the ground and discovered the corpse of a man in chains. The philosopher carefully separated the bones from the chains and conducted a dignified burial. The ghost was seen no more.

The story describes a typical ghost, a person who died with unfinished business and who cannot gain eternal rest until an act of restitution is supplied, in this case, release from the chains that we presume were placed unjustly. When the chains were removed and a proper burial was provided, justice and peace were restored.

In ancient times, many specialised angels were assigned the task of safely helping the dying to find their way into the regions of the spirit world. Many creatures are also said to perform this midwifery role. When people have been revived after clinical death, they frequently tell of a dog they had owned many years before which they see running towards them, tail wagging with delight, then running ahead and looking back to beckon the newly deceased forward on their transitionary journey. 

Church Visits

When you visit a church, take a compass. When you arrive at a church look up to see a weather vane if there is one. This was for pilgrims who needed to know the direction and weather for their next walk. 

Walk around the outside of the building. You may see a covered lychgate some 40 paces from the church door. When the coffin arrived on the carriage, the coffin was removed here and placed on the shoulders of the pallbearers. Take a walk around the graveyard if there is one. In the past, Christians were buried with their feet to the East. On the last day, when Jesus comes in majesty, the Christians will stand to face the rising sun. Priests were buried with their feet to the West so that, when they stand, they will face their flock. The northern side of the church is a cold and dark spot where the unbaptised were often buried. Because of limited space, this is sometimes not possible. 

For Halloween & The Day of the Dead!

The Valkyries Card is chosen from Stacey Demarcos' Viking Oracle: 

Through the blood and the screaming, I ride searching. Sweat, tears my horse rearing, I see you. Brave, dying, your hand still upon your sword, pain creasing your face. You see me, And all changes. A soft smile of redemption and recognition - for I am Valkyrie!

You can win the battle you face. Let go of your inner restrictions and of others' expectations. Explore your wild self. Redemption is always available. Be the hero in your own life.

It is said when we are near death, our whole life flashes before our eyes. But according to Norse mythology, as the Viking warriors lay dying on the battlefield, a beautiful, yet terrible woman, Freyja, beloved Foster Mother of the Valkyries, is seen flying in the sky towards them on a mighty horse, with her eyes blazing, and the song of blood and glory on her lips. 

Ark of the Covenant

What does the container contain? The value was within! 

When the Temple was built on Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the altar, placed in the Holy of Holies, contained a piece of furniture referred to as the Ark of  the Covenant (ark meaning container, such as a coffin, chest or box). Precise instructions were given as to how it was to have been constructed. It was to be built of shittim (acacia wood), which is still growing in Sinai and widely used today. It was to be an oblong box 2.5 cubits by 1.5 cubits, (3’9” x 2’3”) that within and without was to be overlaid, and inlaid on the lid with gold, and edged all around with gold. 2 golden cherubim were to kneel on the cover facing each other with their wings outstretched to overshadow the throne of mercy which was the top of the Ark. It was to be fitted with rings at each of the four corners, through which staves could be passed for carriage. These were also to be acacia and inlaid with gold.

”You place the throne of mercy on top of the Ark... there I shall come to meet you: there from above the throne of mercy, from between the two cherubim”.  

Ghosts and Hauntings

The Gilgamesh poem is 4,000 years old - the oldest story ever told. It contains the earliest written account about a ghost. It was written on an Assyrian clay tablet dating from around 650BCE. It was found in Nineveh during archeological excavations. It is inscribed with an appeal from a man who is possessed by a tyrannical ghost. The ancient Hindu scriptures, Atharva Veda, also detail demonic possession. We are familiar with the cases described in the New Testament where Jesus meets a possessed man on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and directly addresses the spirit by asking “What is your name?” and is told, “My name is Legion” (that is an entire invading and occupying Roman army). The man pleads with Jesus not to command the spirits to depart but Jesus saw a large herd of cows nearby and directed the demons out of the man and into the swine herd who charged to the cliff edge and threw themselves into the sea and were drowned.  

Halloween

Past times

The blooms of high summer had faded and cold winds had caused the first leaves to fall. After the cereal crops and hay were cut and stored, and the jams and pickles made, any animals that were unlikely to survive the winter were slaughtered.

In times past, as winter approached, many people were out of work and, because life was precarious, many of the community’s elderly and infirm wondered whether they would live to see another year.

Since ancient times, the farming year was divided into “quarter” days of the solstices and equinoxes, and the “cross quarter days” of which Halloween is the most important.

Message 4/ from Mandy

 

While listening to Joan Armatrading singing 'Love and Affection' some of her lyrics inspired me to put pen to paper.

I am not in love but I'm open to persuasion... What a beautiful and honest sentiment by Joan Armatrading!

Being open to persuasion while not feeling in love can lead to some fun and unexpected adventures.

Love is so often a complex and multifaceted emotion. Sometimes, it creeps up on you when you least expect it, often when you're busy doing something else, like nurturing friendships or pursuing your passions. And sometimes, it takes a little nudge, an invitation to explore deeper feelings, or perhaps an unexpected moment that catches you off guard.

Being open to persuasion means you're receptive to new ideas and experiences. Maybe it’s a friend encouraging you to go on a date, or a chance encounter with someone who shares your interests. It can also be about exploring your feelings in a safe and comfortable way, where you can allow yourself to feel without the pressure of expectations.

Janet Burvill's Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients:

approx 1 kg/2lb 4oz pumpkin;

40g or 1.5 oz butter or margarine;

1 thinly sliced onion;

1 crushed garlic clove;

900 ml or 1 pint of vegetable stock;

salt and pepper;

1/2 tsp ground ginger;

1 tbsp lemon juice;

3-4 thinly pared strips of orange rind;

1-2 bay leaves or 1 bouquet garni;

300 ml or 1.5 pints milk

Spirit Attachment

What is spirit attachment? Spirit attachment is an influencing energy from another soul - people see spirit attachment as being an energy from a lost or passed spirit, this initially is not a visual experience but more a change in behaviours whereby you do things you would not normally do or be - attachments are usually attracted to the energy of the recipient. In order for entities to attach to a person that person is more than likely open or in a vulnerable space in some way. Earthbound spirits have also been known to attach during a trauma, anesthesia, a blow to the head, when drunk, under severe stress, exhaustion, grief, anger, fear, guilt the list is endless. To understand this and relate to something that is known, living people that are closely attached in a relationship whereby the partner becomes so energetically attuned to the significant other that they respond and possibly begin to adopt their habits, expressions, words and body language. It is like an overlay, sometimes these living energetic influences are positive and sometimes negative, such as in abusive relationships, unrequited love, where the power of another personality influences another but also impinges in their life in such a way that is detrimental.

The Bee Blessing - A Tradition

 In the distant past, country people had a tradition...

Whenever there was a death in the family, someone had to go out to the bee hives and tell the bees of the terrible loss that had befallen the family.

The bees were kept abreast of all important family matters including births, marriages, and long absence due to journeys. This peculiar custom is known as “telling the bees”.

The practice of "telling the bees" may have its origins in Celtic mythology that held that bees were the link between us and the spirit world. So if you had any message that you wished to pass to someone who was dead, you needed to tell the bees and they would pass along the message.

The typical way to tell the bees was for the head of the household, or “goodwife of the house” to go out to the hives, knock gently to get the attention of the bees, and then softly murmur in a doleful tune the solemn news. 

Who Stole the Witch's Bowl? - A Story

I was celebrating Beltane 1996 at The North Lodge, Monks Walk, Waverley Lane, Farnham where I was told this extraordinary story that I wrote down that night. When Dr Kathleen Anne Ball read the story on Facebook, she was captivated yet saddened by the ending at first, but then realized, one was free to create any ending they’d like, so she did:

In the sixteen hundreds - so this ancient tale relates - a lone woman, gripped by appalling poverty, strayed onto the Waverley Estate and there took shelter in the ivy covered cave. She had no known family and hence no persons or property to protect here in her infirmity, and gossip quickly arose about her mysterious past. In the local inn, the farm folk spoke in hushed tones, saying that she was a witch who had murdered her husband and children, and that she carried the plague as a punishment for her sins. Within days, farm hands drove her from the cave, accusing her of blighting their crops. Children threw stones at her, many causing open wounds that failed to heal. Warts spread across her unwashed face and lice tormented her days and nights, and she thought maybe their taunts were true. She gleaned what she could from the footpath verges, collecting hazel twigs to make a broom to sweep away the leaves from the entrance to her den within a hedge of thick hazel. A small cat took shelter with her and they huddled together for warmth and companionship. Occasionally, the cat brought a gift of vermin, frog or bird to add to her gruel and prevent total starvation. Her comb broke under her matted hair and her skirt became torn and tattered exposing her scratched legs. The humiliation of such deprivation and her solitary situation gave her much distress. She longed to attend St Andrews church but she had no clothes, money or status, so she watched from afar and she got to know the townsfolk and those who worked and raised their family and livestock in the surrounding hills. She knew the fancy lives of the Lord and Lady who owned the great estate, though she would never trespass on their extensive and rich pastures or she would have been shot by the gamekeeper without question. One evening, she collected earth from the Downs that she fashioned into a small vessel and in this bowl she collected water from the river. Over a small fire, built of fallen twigs, she warmed meagre fayre. In the cold and dark abode she kept a few windfallen fruits which fermented and made a drink to aid sleep - for the pain in her bones was fierce and sleep was always fitful.

The Gathering of the Tribe - A Story

By Charles Eisenstein.

‘Once upon a time a great tribe of people lived in a world far away from ours. Whether far away in space, or in time, or even outside of time, we do not know. They lived in a state of enchantment and joy that few of us today dare to believe could exist, except in those exceptional peak experiences when we glimpse the true potential of life and mind.

One day the shaman of the tribe called a meeting. They gathered around him, and he spoke very solemnly. "My friends," he said, "there is a world that needs our help. It is called earth, and its fate hangs in the balance. Its humans have reached a critical point in their collective birthing, and they will be stillborn without our help. Who would like to volunteer for a mission to this time and place, and render service to humanity?"

"Tell us more about his mission," they asked.

Leisure - A Poem

Leisure by W H Davies

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

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Repetition Compulsion

 

What is Repetition Compulsion?  This is a Freudian term. When we had trauma, we didn't develop a good way to deal with it, so in our adult life, we unconsciously recreate the same situation in order to work through it to a good outcome, learning how to deal with it well. 

Codependency No More Book Extract

Dependency issues: Many codependents don’t feel happy, content, or peaceful with themselves. They look for happiness outside themselves. The latch on to whoever or whatever they think will provide happiness for them. They feel terribly threatened by the loss of anything or person they think provides their happiness. They didn’t feel love or approval from their parents. And they don’t love themselves. They believe other people can’t or don’t love them. Desperately they seek love and approval. They often seek love from people incapable of loving. They believe other people are never there for them. They equate love with pain.

Cathars

Cathars existed in France, especially Orleans, Provence and Languedoc areas and in Northern Italy and honoured the Gospel of St John. Raymond VI of Toulouse was especially lenient towards religious people and there was a medical school at Narbonne where Jews taught and practiced. These liberal values allowed women to own property in their own right. Cathars were ascetics, often holding high positions, such as artisans and tradespeople, within the community, especially the priesthood (the Parfaits). They were vegetarian - though ate fish, and were non violent. They regularly fasted and believed in sexual chastity, they also believed in reincarnation, and were dualists where the world was based on good and evil. They believed that the god of the Old Testament, Jehovah, created the world, but he was an evil god and the world was an evil place. Women were liberated and able to become priests. Many great philosophers of the distant past, followers of Mithras (who practiced in secret in the Languedoc caves) and the Persian Zoroasterians had many similar dualistic beliefs to Cathars. Manes (Manichaeism) persecuted in the same area was flayed alive for his Dualist beliefs. 9th century Paulicians, who followed St Paul’s writing were outlawed and sent to Bulgaria and Macedonia, and were the forerunners of Bogomils. 

Watkins Bookstore

During the Victorian era, the intelligentsia, rich and fashionable of London were fascinated by mysticism and spirituality. In this era of excitement, one of the leading lights of the day, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, encouraged her friend, John Watkins to open the first ever specialist esoteric bookshop. It bears the ‘Watkins’ name to this day.

Watkins is situated in the dignified elegance of Cecil Court, off Charing Cross Road, London. The shop’s logo depicts Thoth, Egyptian God of Wisdom in the act of writing with pen and paper. The store stocks the UK’s widest selection of esoteric information in 60,000 book titles, cards, CD’s, DVDs, talismans, artefacts and other interesting items. In its early years, customers included W B Yeats, Aleister Crowley, G R S Mead, Carl Jung, Aldous Huxley, Dion Fortune and the Society of the Inner Light, MacGregor Mathers and members of The Golden Dawn. 

Your Film Story Meditation

 With thanks to Erica Longdon for the voice over and the video creation
 Do.not drive or operate machinery. Get comfortable, close your eyes, enter your inner world…. 

The Holy Grail - Part Two

The Grail Knight chosen for the Grail challenge must be of the most sincere integrity. Merlin reserved seat at Arthur’s table, known as the Siege Perilous, for the knight who would seek the Grail. In Chretien de Troyes, Percival was to take that seat (Galahad in Thomas Mallory’s poem Le Morte D’Arthur). It was Wolfram von Eschenbach took his story from Chretien de Troyes, and write the poem Parsival. He placed Grail Castle in Jerusalem with Templars as its guardians of the Grail, here described as lapsit exillis, a stone. 

 

The fictional story of the Holy Grail was first written at the end of the 12th century by poet, Chretien (whose name means Christian). His patron was Mary of Champagne, the daughter of Louis VII and his queen, the illustrious Eleanor of Aquitaine. The Champagne Court loved music, poetry and entertainments. This story features a young knight, Percival, who stops for the night at an extraordinary castle. The owner is a disabled king. That evening, at dinner, a strange pageant takes place. Blood flows down the blade of a lance onto the hand of the man carrying it. Two boy servants follow him with a tray of candles. Then in walks a beautiful girl carrying a gold cup emblazoned with gems as another other girl follows her with a silver platter. A single communion wafer provides sustenance. Percival is told it is rude to ask questions! In the morning after the pageant, he learns that if he had asked questions, an important healing would have taken place. 

Getting to know the Goddess Course 4:2

Goddess-Pages online course. Visit: goddess-pages.co.uk
The Goddess of the Sea

I have always been attracted to the sea. I love the large skies, and the blue of the sea where the horizon meets the blue of the sky. There is a sense of the eternal, and of an everlasting and awesome beauty that is unconquerable by mankind. We can never change that picture.

Aphrodite is not a Goddess I relate to, perhaps her manipulative personality is one I fear. In my childhood 'the Star of the Sea', was Mary, Mother of Jesus, though why she is called this, I have wondered. We had a hymn, that I remember well. Maybe Mary Magdelene should have the  title of ‘star of the sea’ instead.

I did once make a Goddess doll but I buried it in a ceremony. I seem to collect dolls; people give them to me as gifts. Some are very special. I believe some can talk! :-)

We are very lucky that so many ancient artefacts have survived many tens of thousands of years. These earliest of objects made by human hands are statues of the Goddess. It is thought that She was the earliest of deities, and a peaceful, caring society developed under a strong matriarchal society. I would hope that we could look forward to a time when women are once again respected, given power and that men are supportive of this role for women in our world. Maybe the New Age will provide the opening for this to happen. By looking into the past, we can see where patriarchy has made mistakes, in war, materialism which destroys the planet and enslaves other species, does not properly care for children, gives women a second class status. We can address the problems of the future, and I think the Godesss, in all her guises, can help us to do that.

The Beauty of Mongolia

Uyanga Batjarjal says: My home country is Outer Mongolia. Mongolians are country people travelling with their camel and sheep herds from one pasture to another. The ancient culture and traditions still exist, and, as mainly Buddhists, we believe we have lived many lives before. My home in the only city, Ulaan Bataar, overlooks Mongolia’s tallest mountain. It's a holy mountain where people go to pray. Our climate is colder than the North Pole in winter, and, in the summer, we get sandy winds from the Gobi desert. It is a harsh landscape but the people are intelligent and happy and have a natural and instinctive spirituality. My country is six times the size of the UK, and has less than three million people scattered throughout its land area. This is an exotic place which has always appealed to travellers, it is sometimes known as 'Shangri-La. The rural countryside was brought to the attention of TV viewers when Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman filmed part of their motor-cycle adventures for the programme ‘Long Way Round’. This publicity brought many young motorcycle visitors. Mongolia is the destination for the annual London to Ulaan Baataar ‘Mongol Rally’ that has taken place since 2004, and is included on the itinery of the Blue Planet Run Foundation, which is a green issues fun-run from New York through Mongolia into China.  

 

Lee Harris - Tribute to his Dad

Lee Harris wrote this song as a love letter to his Father. And as a way of having a difficult conversation with him, at a difficult time for the family.

"I wrote it at my piano in California, August of 2019, nine months before he died, and I trusted his soul would ‘hear’ me over in England. I had no intention at the time that this very personal song, would be released publicly. Nor did I realize that it would become increasingly relevant in our world the more we travelled through 2020.

"My dear Dad, David Ernest Harris, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in July of 2019, just a couple of weeks after Steven and I had visited him with my family in England. During that trip, he and several members of my family had attended our workshop in London, which was lovely for all of us. It always lit Dad up to be at our live events, and I loved nothing more than seeing he and my mum chatting to those who attended. So that day is now a very special memory.

Mystics, Scholars and Poets! Ireland - A Visit

I bet you didn’t know that King Dagobert spent time in Ireland! Ireland was once known as “the land of mystics, scholars and poets” and County Mayo, on Ireland’s West coast, is highly charged with spiritual energies. It’s a wild, rugged and desolate landscape has attractions for the holiday visitor with coastal and countryside walking, mountain climbing, golfing and bird watching. The Atlantic coast is atmospheric, there is also sea, lake and river fishing for those who enjoy the great outdoors. It is an area rich in wonderful, historical sites, such as stone circles and cairns, round towers and monastic ruins. Throughout the summer there are many festivals of food, music, art and song. 

This area is steeped in Ireland’s famous connections to the spiritual world. For instance, this is a well documented event. On the evening of August 21, 1879, Margaret Beirne was

Melody Beattie - A Story

Once upon a time, a woman moved to a cave in the mountains to study with a guru. She wanted, she said, to learn everything there was to know. The guru supplied her with stacks of books and left her alone so that she could study. Every morning, the Guru returned to the cave to monitor her progress. In his hand, he carried heavy wooden stick. Each morning he asked her the same question. Have you learned everything there is to know yet? Each morning, her answer was the same. No, she said “I haven’t”. The Guru would then strike her over the head with a cane. This scenario repeated itself for months. 

One day, when the guru went to the cave, he asked the same question. He received the same answer, and raised his came to hit her in the same way, but the woman grabbed the cane from his hand, stopping the attack.  Relieved that the daily battering had been prevented, but fearing reprisal, the woman looked up at the guru. To her surprise, he smiled and gave his congratulations.  He said “you have graduated. You now know everything you need to know”. “What do you mean?” said the woman. “You have learned that you never learn everything there is to know… but you have learned how to stop the pain”.