Articles that are thought-provoking and interesting ... Ten Top Tips for Healing Ourselves Dying, Death and Bereavement Re-energize Relaxation and the Breath of Life Natural Energy Healing We want to help you to become aware of the way you think about your life and everything in it. The content of this section will be changed regularly to keep it fresh and interesting but if you would like articles on any particular topic or you would like to make constructive comments about the topics, please email us through the Contact Us page.

1. The Breath of Life
2. The awesome power of thought
3. Living in the present
4. Accepting our bodies
5. Forgiveness
6. Gratitude
7. Generosity
8. Being
9. Life as a series of experiments
10. Healing the world


We have access to a large number of organizations and individuals we can contact when we have a health imbalance or even if we are just lacking in energy. We can also access lots of information about how to keep ourselves healthy through diet, exercise, recreation, reducing our alcohol intake, avoiding tobacco products, and much more. All of this is useful and valid if we wish to keep ourselves healthy.

But there are other aspects to maintaining a healthy body and mind that are often not covered in the information about health that is available to us. These are issues that may, at first glance, seem irrelevant but they are often the most important factors in achieving a good quality of life.

Before we think about specific issues that help us to heal ourselves, we need to have a basic respect for our body. The body is a wonderful creation that is resilient and responsive so much of the time. It often takes a long time for the body to succumb to our ill treatment of it, whether we are aware of what we are doing or not. Even prescription drugs taken for a health imbalance when it manifests in our body can cause serious side effects that, in some cases, create more imbalances than they resolve!

The one fact that we have to keep in mind is that our body has to last us for the whole of this lifetime so we have to treat it with respect if it is to remain in as good a condition as possible until we no longer need it. If we are not prepared to do this, and accept that this usually means a very poor quality of life in old age, then it’s fine because it's our choice. Many of us want to party until we drop when we’re young and then live a serene and healthy life in old age – but for most of us that’s an impossible dream!

The following tips are the result of working with many people on their healing, my research on healing and how the body responds to our treatment of it, whether that treatment is good or not so good.

1. The Breath of Life

Breathing is an automatic response for all of us – if we don’t breathe, we die. But it’s the way we breathe that is so vital to improved health for all of us.

Breathing efficiently is the first and essential practice for self-healing. On a physical level, breathing effectively allows oxygen to penetrate every cell in the body so that these cells can work at optimum efficiency. At an emotional level, breathing deeply and easily brings us a sense of peace and calm, and makes it easier for us to cope with life generally. Take a couple of deep breaths now and breathe out with a big sigh – feel the renewed sense of calm that this brings.

To find out more about how to breathe more effectively, click here.

Breathing through the belly area maintains calm because it is very difficult to be tense when we are expanding and contracting the muscles here, so it is a good exercise to remember when we start to become tense for whatever reason. Focusing on how we breathe takes our attention away from the tension, gives clarity of thought and a greater sense of calm.

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2. The awesome power of thought

Everything is energy – all the objects around us that look so solid are, in fact, bundles of molecules and particles vibrating with energy. We ourselves are individual masses ofvibrating light. Nothing is static; everything is constantly on the move and full of energy.

Thought is no different – it is energy. And every cell in the body is responding to our thought energy. The power contained in this phenomenon is vital to our health and well-being. If we visualise our own individual body as unhealthy and diseased, this is the message we are sending to our cells and they will respond to comply with this picture. If, on the other hand, we visualise our body as healthy and whole and we live our lives through this visualisation, our cells will receive this positive message and respond healthily.

Even if we are currently experiencing ill health in the form of one of the numerous chronic diseases that are so prevalent, we can improve our health. It takes many years to create a chronic disease in the body so it may not be possible to heal ourselves completely of such a well-entrenched imbalance. However, we can improve the quality of our lives by our thoughts and help ourselves to cope better with these diseases.

But thought energy doesn’t just help with chronic diseases, it can improve, speed up the healing or even heal completely less serious conditions, such as colds and flu, headaches and skin complaints. We just have to visualise our bodies as whole and healthy and allow that picture to guide us as to the actions we take to bring ourselves back to fitness.

What we focus on is attracted to us, so maintaining healthy thoughts about ourselves is vital to our ability to heal ourselves of whatever ails us.

Thought energy can be equally effective when we think about other souls who have health imbalances or emotional issues. Again, we only allow thoughts of them that give us a picture of health because every single thought or word is an energy that goes out into the universe and affects everyone and everything on the planet. Repeated destructive or negative thoughts cause disruption.

This is equally important in healing the planet. There are many people around the globe who are holding a picture of Mother Earth in their minds as a planet of balance and harmony, in the environment and the people that inhabit it.

The power of our thought energy is a great responsibility for each and every one of us both in terms of how we influence our own behaviour and how we impact on others.

Our thoughts create the quality of our lives – we really can think ourselves healthier than we currently are. The choice is ours.

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3. Living in the present

Many people – and particularly younger people, surprisingly – talk about how poor their memory is. This may well be due to the fact that they are not concentrating on each moment as it happens – how can you remember anything if you’re not taking it in at the time? We all have a selective memory but that is very different to having a poor memory.

Living in the moment allows us to focus fully on each activity so that we do everything much more thoroughly and learn new activities more easily. Giving part of our attention to anything does not lead to quality actions or outcomes.

We also give our full attention to those around us, affording them the respect they deserve just as we deserve their full attention. Our loved ones would benefit greatly from our full attention more often – particularly our children who often miss out on our time and interest because we are rushing off to the next thing. And that next activity is just one more on which we will probably not focus fully!

People who live in the present for most of the time enjoy life so much more and are therefore much healthier – life is to be enjoyed, not to be endured!

There is no point in living in the past or the future – one has passed and the other is completely unknown. And the present is fleeting – what you were thinking a moment ago is now in the past; that is how fleeting it is. For most of the time the present moment is good and if it is not, it lasts such a short time that it is not really a problem.

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4. Accepting (and preferably loving) our bodies

Most of the things we perceive to be wrong with our bodies are as a result of our abuse of it – they are our responsibility. The body that has to last us the whole of our life needs to be nourished with healthy food, fluid, sleep, rest, recreation and exercise.

This is not difficult if we listen to our bodies when the cells communicate with us. If we experience pain, we usually stop doing whatever is causing us the pain. So if we find that something we put into our body is causing us pain, discomfort, indigestion, joint pain or any other difficulty, we simply need to avoid that substance, whether it is food, alcohol or drugs. We need to be kind to our bodies – but it is a choice!

Every cell in the body is responding to whatever thoughts we allow ourselves to have. If we constantly regard our body as ‘not good enough’ either in appearance or function, our cells will respond by creating a body that is always falling short of our wishes – but not our expectations! If, on the other hand, we view the body as fit, healthy, attractive and able to cope with whatever we need it to do for us, the cells will respond positively and co-operate with us to bring this into reality. It really is a case of being careful what you wish for!

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5. Forgiveness

Throughout our lives we usually find that we perceive that many people harm us by what they say and do; equally, of course, we do the same to others. The majority of people who seek healing have been harbouring angry, resentful, or painful feelings asa result of these situations, directed at others and at themselves.

Forgiveness is a very effective healer. We all need to let go of the emotions that arise when we remember these situations and, better still, move on in our lives by choosing not to remember them at all, having forgiven ourselves and others for whatever was said or done.

Letting go of these emotions also allows the person to whom they are directed to move on – that thought energy will be doing its work if we hold on to grudges, although our target may not be aware of it! In many cases the person we feel has treated us badly in thought, word or deed is not even aware of it. So, while we are going over and over a situation and getting more and more angry and resentful, they are often blissfully unaware of our distress. This means that the only person suffering as a result of this perceived ill treatment is us! What a waste of energy!

Planet Earth is not an easy place to live so we have to remember that:

Everyone does the best with the knowledge, wisdom and experiencethey have at any given moment.

Remembering this helps us to forgive others more readily. It also helps us to forgive ourselves because our own actions can often cause us greater distress than those of others. We can beat ourselves up for years about something that would probably seem trivial to others. It is almost impossible to forgive others effectively if we cannot forgive ourselves for our own actions. Lighten up by learning from the situation, letting go of the burden and moving on! We are all only human and we’re all learning every day – that’s what we’re here for!

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6. Gratitude

We are all so very lucky, even when we think we are not. Most of us in the western world live an extraordinarily privileged existence. Pardoxically, those who are not so fortunate are often much more grateful for the few good things they have in their lives than those who have so much.

There are many jokes about this next suggestion, and it may seem trivial, but counting our blessings and being grateful for them before we sleep can be a great healer. A significant number of people who seek healing have no insight into their own blessings and often experience ill health as a result. Their anger, resentment, envy and dissatisfaction eat away inside of them and can create health imbalances that may be impossible to resolve because of their attitude to life. Their interaction with their cells is far from healthy!

At the very least, thinking happy thoughts last thing at night will help us to sleep better. Trying to sleep when we are holding on to negative and destructive emotions can be very difficult.

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7. Generosity

Being grateful often leads us on to become more generous. Whatever we have or have not, being generous with everything in our lives helps us to focus on something other than ourselves for a while. And this is not about money necessarily, although financial generosity is valid as a way of passing on positive and creative energy to others. But it’s equally valid and helpful to be generous with our time, our patience, our encouragement, our willingness to help and our creative thoughts about others rather than always thinking the worst first.

Being generous with our love is one of the greatest healers. Unconditional love is vital to all of us – and this is not a sentimental love. It is a practical love. Unconditional love embraces all of the suggestions above and anything else you can think of.

It is easy to show our close family and friends unconditional love, although that is not always the case for some souls. But it is much more difficult to demonstrate such love to those we don’t know as well, or perhaps not at all. Read the paragraphs about Forgiveness above and the nature of unconditional love becomes clearer. Those families who have lost loved ones during wars and terrorism, and who forgive the perpetrators of these atrocities as soon as they possibly can because they wish to bring peace, understanding and love to the world, are a wonderful example to us all. Anyone who can forgive such dreadful acts is a very special soul.

They have learned to separate the individual from the deed. They understand, knowingly or unknowingly, that we are all here to learn and that some souls find the learning more of a struggle than others. We are all from the one Source so we must try always to be generous in our opinion of others, knowing that they are doing the best they can with what they have.

If we were all to learn to give unconditional love to everyone and everything on the planet, there probably would be very little illness and certainly less, if any, violence and war. But it is not easy and, if it were, it would not be, what I believe is, the ultimate meaning of our lives here on Mother Earth. It takes understanding, willingness and courage to be able to offer unconditional love to all souls.

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8. Being (instead of doing)

Activity in the world is speeding up and we are all feeling the pressure that this creates. If we are not engaged in some form of activity, we seem to feel we are wasting our time, but this is a fallacy. Taking time to sit quietly and go into deep relaxation every day for 10 to 20 minutes is a very effective healer and gives us more energy to accomplish the tasks of the day

Twenty minutes of deep and complete relaxation is equivalent to two hours sleep, although it should never be used as a substitute for our full quota of sleep each night.

Sleep is not necessarily the time when we are at our most relaxed. If we think of those who, as they sleep, grind their teeth, talk, walk, move around excessively in bed or wake several times in the night, it becomes obvious how little deep relaxation sleep can bring.

During deep and complete relaxation we allow our thoughts to flow through our minds but do not follow them with further thoughts other than checking that each part of the body is fully relaxed. (See Relaxation)

If we can do this once – or perhaps even twice – a day, we will start to feel the benefits in a short time. The mind becomes clearer. We can concentrate more easily and for longer. We become less irritable, calmer and more at peace with the world.

If we have a health problem, this may well improve and, giving ourselves this time for ourselves, can improve the immune and other systems in the body. Blood pressure can also be reduced.

We are giving ourselves a greater chance of being generally more healthy and alert, less tired and more serene. We give the body a chance to regenerate so that it can operate at a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness.

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9. Life as a series of experiments

I believe that we come here to learn and that every experience is like an experiment from which we can learn. Scientists are detached from their experimentation so that they can gain the most insights from them. Without losing our compassion or love for life and other souls, we can do the same with our own experiences.

This may be difficult for some people to accept because it may seem as if I’m suggesting we stop caring about our lives and others around us. But when we take a step back from our lives – detach at some level – we are able to be much more objective about what is happening and what we truly desire in our lives.

Viewing life in this way can take the ‘sting’ out of the unpleasant events in our lives and we can live more effectively and without the stress of taking everything personally, because most of what happens to us is not necessarily aimed at us personally but is just available to us to learn from.

Concentrating more on what we can learn rather than how dreadful we find the actual events can offer great healing and can help us to avoid uncomfortable situations in the future.

Together with living in the present, detaching to a certain degree from the emotional roller-coaster that life can become also allows us a greater capacity for being true to ourselves in all that we think, say and do. We can give ourselves the space to be able to decide what, in fact, is being true to ourselves, which offers a calmer and more harmonious way of living.

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10. Healing the world

We are not separate from each other or from the rest of the flora and fauna on the planet. How we think and live has a direct impact on everyone and everything around us whether we accept it or not.

Whilst we are focusing on healing ourselves, the suggestions above will also help us to heal those around us. We are all inextricably linked with one another and with the Source – whatever we do to ourselves, we do to every other soul on the planet. If we are behaving in a creative, rather than a destructive way, in all our thoughts, words and deeds, this benefits us – but the spin-off is that it also influences and benefits everyone else.

Equally, if we consciously work to heal Mother Earth, this can also have a beneficial effect on us and everyone else. Everyone can make a difference by sending out creative and positive thoughts and words into the world as often as possible.

Before sleep at night, turning our thoughts to a vision of the planet as whole and healthy with peaceful and loving inhabitants will eventually help to make that happen. We have tried the other way and it has been a failure so what have we got to lose by thinking in a different way? We can all be peace warriors, regardless of our age, ability or state of health.

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Dying, Death and Bereavement
Written by Jenny Jones Wednesday, 28 May 2008 09:56

There are no limits to how spiritual healing can help us. We do not have to have a specific illness or condition that we wish to have resolved; experience has shown that healing works equally well on emotional challenges and indeed this is the origin of many of our health challenges.

Healing into death


You may have read in other places on this website and elsewhere that the healing energies help to calm our emotions and to give us greater clarity to deal with whatever health or other challenge comes our way. When a healer is asked to channel healing to someone with a terminal illness, the benefit of the healing lies in the effect it has on our ability to accept our illness, to make our final years, months, weeks or days more serene and calm and to ease our passing, or death as many people prefer to call it.

Many people who receive healing just before their passing make peace with themselves and those around them, often after years of turmoil, discontent and disharmony. So it is never a waste of time to request healing at this time - distant or hands on. The healing can also help to ease the pain that some suffer at the end of their lives because of their illness. Loved ones and others who are left behind find it much easier to accept a passing that is accomplished without torment

Our beliefs about what happens after our physical body wears out and gives up can be crucial in how well we cope with our own passing and that of someone close to us. My personal belief is that our soul does go on and that dying is a great deal easier than being born, from a physical and emotional point of view. Birth is a very traumatic event for both infant and mother - this trauma can be reduced by the environment in which it happens and the support mother and baby receive from others but it is nevertheless a dramatic event.

When we pass over, I believe we simply drift back easily to the source from which we originated, and reports of 'near-death experiences' support this view. I believe that returning to Spirit is a homecoming to our true home, having lived a life of learning lessons that encourage our personal spiritual and emotional growth, which serves to support all other souls, incarnate and disincarnate.

This may not help some of us who cannot accept that this could be the case - and they are entitled to their opinion, which I respect. However, the following poem was sent to Sheila Hancock after John Thaw's death and it was reproduced in her book about him. I think that it could be a great comfort to many in their grief after the loss of someone close to them.

You can shed tears that he is gone
Or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that he’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him
Or you can be full of the love you shared.
Or you can be happy for tomorrow and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what he’d want.
Smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

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Healing for the bereaved

Healing can, of course, also be of great benefit to the bereaved, whether it's the loss of another soul, a much-loved animal, a job, during divorce, a home, a limb, an ability, or anything else. We grieve over the loss of many things other than those we love because we give of ourselves in many different ways so that any loss will be distressing to us.

Grieving for anything is a natural process and one that we have to go through but it is our choice as to how we respond to it, like any other situation. It cannot be rushed; there are no shortcuts. We have to allow ourselves to feel the emotions that naturally arise one by one until we reach a point where we have not forgotten our loss but we remember them (or it) with affection and gratitude for what they brought to our lives and the lessons they helped us to learn.

This acceptance of our loss often happens without our awareness - we just realise one day, perhaps on waking in the morning or when we're doing something totally unrelated to our loss, that we have accepted it and moved on.

Spiritual healing can often help to ease the pain of loss and gives us greater clarity about our relationships, both with those who have passed over and those who are still with us. It allows us space to grieve in a constructive and creative way, making it another experience that we learn from. We can keep the soul who has disincarnated close to our hearts so that we can add to our emotional foundations and use this strength to help us to live our lives from that point in a slightly (or perhaps radically) different way.

This doesn't mean that, during the healing session, we become very emotional, although that can happen with many people and it is often a relief to be able to release those emotions with someone unconnected with our family and friends. Frequently, however, people find that the release comes later when they are alone - and this release can often have a different 'feel' to it than any emotion they have felt before. It can be like a cleansing that helps us to release the deepest emotions that we have not been able to let go of up to that point.

I believe we are here to enjoy our short stay here on the Earth plane with the tragedy, loss and disappointment being the dark side that helps us to appreciate the light. We are not here to wallow in destruction, pain, anger and self-pity - what would be the point? When we focus on our serenity and contentment we are much more open to the joyous part of life, the creative side of our lives, and the love and acceptance that we can have for ourselves and others.

This poem is from the book, ‘The Smoke Jumper’ by Nicholas Evans, and it gives a really creative view of loss.

If I be the first of us to die,
Let grief not blacken long your sky.
Be bold yet modest in your grieving.
There is change but not a leaving.
For just as death is part of life,
The dead live on forever in the living.
For all the gathered riches of our journey,
The moments shared, the mysteries explored,
The steady layer of intimacy stored,
The things that made us laugh or weep or sing,
The joy of sunlit snow or first unfurling of the spring,
The wordless language of look and touch,
The knowing.
Each giving and each taking,
These are not flowers that fade,
Nor trees that fall and crumble,
Nor are they stone
For even stone cannot the wind and rain withstand
And mighty mountain peaks in time reduce to sand.
What we were, we are.
What we had, we have.
A conjoined past imperishably present.
So when you walk the woods where once we walked together
And scan in vain the dappled bank beside you for my shadow,
Or pause where we always did upon the hill to gaze across the land,
And spotting something, reach by habit for my hand,
And finding none, feel sorrow start to steal upon you.
Be still.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Listen for my footfall in your heart.
I am not gone but merely walk within you.

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Re-energize!
Written by Jenny Jones Friday, 25 April 2008 09:59

This article is based on a free lecture Jenny gave at the Vision For Living Health Show in Cardiff on 19 April 2008.

Everything is made up of energy. Everything material - all our possessions, the buildings we live and work in, the vehicles we drive - is simply a mass of vibrating particles and atoms. Our physical bodies can be viewed as bundles of light energy, seen as solid on the Earth plane.

Energy cannot be destroyed but it can be transformed, and energy is infinite. So, if we feel we have little or no energy for most of the time, it's either because we are allowing our energy to drain away before we've used it effectively, or because have a health imbalance - often brought about by allowing our energy to drain away.

The more energy we use, the more becomes available to us, so the phrase 'use it or lose it' means a great deal in this context. We know that, from a physical point of view, if we are feeling tired (but not completely exhausted), doing something physical like a brisk walk, gentle jogging, swimming or cycling, makes us feel energized afterwards. Energy is there for us to use if we choose to.

Relaxation

One of the greatest ways to expand our energy is to relax deeply. Allowing ourselves between 5 and 20 minutes once a day (or preferably twice a day) to really relax has a huge effect on the way we respond to the events in our lives. It is a wonderful investment of time to commit ourselves to focused relaxation on a regular basis.

The relaxation exercise that follows can give you the type of deep relaxation that is so beneficial, and which can lead into meditation if you wish, but relaxation is the main focus here. You need to find yourself a time and place each day where you will not be disturbed by anything and allow yourself this vital re-energizing session. If we do this on a regular basis, those we live with soon accept that it is 'our time' and leave us alone - but only if they can see that we are deeply committed to the practice!

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Sit in a comfortable upright chair and push your bottom into the back of the seat and allow the back of the chair to support you.

With your feet flat on the floor to keep you balanced, place your hands loosely in your lap or flat on your thighs.

Close your eyes, if you can, or if not direct your gaze downwards to a point a few inches in front of your knees.

Take a few deep breaths, breathing out any initial tension you can feel. You are going to relax down through the body using the breathing to release any residual tension.

Allow your breathing to return to your normal level.

Focus on your face and allow any tension in the jaw and mouth to be released as you breath out.

Moving down to the neck and throat area, breathe out any tension in the muscles here.

Focus on the shoulders and, as you breathe out, allow them to drop by a couple of millimetres as you relax them.

Feel your spine supported against the back of the chair.

Check that your hands and fingers are also relaxed and that they feel a little heavy in your lap.

Focus now on your hips and feel the chair under your body and the weight of your body on the chair as you breathe out.

On the next out-breath, let your thighs relax and allow your knees to move apart to allow these joints to relax.

Breathe out any tension in the ankles and feet and let your heels and all your toes feel the floor under your feet.

Finally, take a deeper breath and feel any tension leaving your body and flowing down into the Earth.

The only thing that matters at this moment is now - there is nothing that cannot wait for our attention until we have completed our relaxation session.

Know that you are safe in your own space and that you are allowing yourself to focus on relaxing and re-energizing over the next few minutes.

Promise yourself that you will simply observe the thoughts about your life that might come into your mind while you're relaxing - nothing will remove your serenity.

When you feel comfortable that you have relaxed for long enough, keeping your eyes closed or your gaze downwards, gently wiggle your fingers and toes.

Feel your body once again on the chair; feel your feet on the floor.

And when you are ready, open your eyes and just sit for a few moments making sure that you are fully aware of everything around you before you get up from the chair.

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Living in the present

When we focus on relaxation, we are living in the present moment. We are not concerning ourselves with the past or the future.

The present is the best place to be, even when life is unpleasant, because it lasts for a very short moment. We can adjust to cope with anything that only lasts a moment. If we have a block of unpleasant moments, living just in each particular moment allows us to adjust gradually. We are very resilient if we allow ourselves to be so. Agonizing over the past and the future is one of the greatest drains on our energy. And it is futile because we cannot change the past, and we don't know what's going to happen in the next few minutes let alone the next day, week or year.

Our influence on the future is greatest when we live in the present for most of the time, making the best use of it by learning from every single experience in our lives.


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Our thoughts

Our thoughts provide us with the greatest potential for expanding our energy and the greatest potential for allowing it to drain away uselessly. We have hundreds of thoughts in an hour - we can choose to think creatively or we can choose to think destructively.

There is a two-way communication between our thoughts and every single cell in our bodies. When we think creatively, our cells respond healthily and collaborate with us in living our lives in the best way for us as individuals.

Whatever we think is reflected in our outer lives - as within, so without. So, for example, if you feel a relationship is not as good as it could be and you continue to hold this thought, the relationship will probably continue to be disappointing. Conversely, if you think before an interview that you are the best possible person for the job, you multiply your chances of getting that job.

Experiences are attracted to us because of what is within us - they are a reflection of our inner selves.

But how do we talk to ourselves in our heads during the constant chatter that is our inner thought process. What's the tone of voice we hear? Is it a teacher, parent, carer or boss who criticizes us at every opportunity? Or is it a loving friend who gently encourages us to be the best we can be?

If we are constantly criticizing ourselves, we are allowing our energy to drain away without using it creatively. If we remember that each of us does the best with the knowledge, wisdom and experience we have at any given moment, the voice in our head can become that of the loving friend. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. After the event, we have moved on in our growth, development and knowledge and we would approach any situation differently now.

But now is a great time to be living - we have a fast pace of life that allows us so many opportunities for growth and development, but it can also be a fearful time for many people.


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Fear

This is another huge drain on our energy reserves, and the planet is fear-based right now, consciously and unconsciously.

There are many things that souls tend to fear on a daily basis, for example, failure, success, unhappiness, happiness, loss of a job, financial insecurity, lack of friends, intimacy, life ... and even fear itself. This is just a very small list of the numerous fears that many souls have. When channelling the healing energies I have frequently felt the fears that people have, most of which have actually impacted on their physical health.

The best way to reduce or eliminate fear is to identify exactly what our fears are and this can be difficult for many people because they are often well disguised by our subconscious. We often bury our fears deep inside us so that we don't have to deal with them. Instead we just start to feel uneasy and edgy when they start to surface as a result of a trigger. So this requires great honesty and courage for many souls.

Once we have identified our fears, it is helpful to try and understand the origins of our fears, which are frequently found in our relationships with other souls. Painful past experiences can often be traced back as far as our childhood in many cases, but it can also be related to events or situations in the more recent past, which can make the process of identification easier.

As children and in our adolescent years moving through to our early twenties many relationships, situations and events can cause us great pain emotionally, which can remain with us into our later years. But once we have identified our fears and understood where they come from, we can take back control of our responses so that our fear levels are gradually reduced or perhaps even eliminated.

It is a fact of life that most of the things we worry about - or fear - on a daily basis will probably never happen. We often use up a huge amount of emotional energy worrying about and fearing future situations and events only to find that they either never happen or are much better than we had anticipated.

If we can learn to accept that every single thing that happens in our lives is simply there for us to learn from, we take the emotional sting out of them and allow our fear to gradually disappear. We have not come here to the Earth plane to suffer; we are here to enjoy the life experience.


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Breathing

If we wish to be more active physically in reducing our fear levels, we can do this through our breathing.

Many of us tend to breath by expanding and contracting the chest only to allow for the expansion of the lungs. This is a very labour-intensive way of breathing because we have to expand the ribs, which are quite cumbersome to move.

If we can allow the diaphragm to move downwards to give room for the lungs to expand, it requires less energy. And the way to allow this is by expanding the belly area as we breathe in and to contract it as we breathe out. On the out-breath, the contracted belly area encourages the diaphragm to rise again and allow a full out-breath.

Breathing effectively in this way makes the best use of the air we breathe - it allows more oxygen into the blood, the brain and every cell of the body. This gives greater clarity of thought, more physical energy, and greater optimism about everything in life.

Another advantage to this type of breathing is that it is impossible for the belly and solar plexus muscles to remain tense, and this is the area where fear tends to reside. Releasing the physical tension helps to release the emotional tension.

If you practise this type of breathing until it becomes your natural method, you will prevent the tension of fear before it gains a hold.

The three core certainties of life
These are the certainties that many people tend to fear:

Uncertainty: we never know what the future will bring

Change: nature is constantly changing through the tides, the cycles of the sun and the moon to bring day and night, the weather, the seasons - these are natural processes that we do not question. So it is inevitable that we, as souls evolving on the Earth plane, should also change and bring change constantly. Change is what promotes our growth and development.

Death or disincarnation from the planet.

And the order of priority for these three certainties is different for all of us.

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Change is happening at breakneck speed right now and it can be a huge drain on our energy or it can expand our energy. Many people tend to either resist change instead of going with the flow and conserving energy, or they are rushing around trying to keep up of get ahead of the changes, thus creating tension in their lives which drains their energy.

If we are to expand our energy, we need to accept change as a natural part of our learning process and allow it naturally into our everyday lives, so that we can enjoy the many changes that can be very exciting. We can never stop change but we can adjust our response to it so that it rarely knocks us off balance.

Taking responsibility

When we think about this, it can sound as if it is a heavy load to carry but, if we take responsibility for everything in our lives, it can make us feel lighter because it is part of living a full and rounded life. The only time it becomes a burden is if we take on responsibility that is not ours, for example, that which should be taken on by others.

If we accept that we always have a choice in all that we do, we can choose how we respond to what's happening to help us flow with our lives instead of resisting.

We always have to remember that it is our choices and decisions that have got us to this point. Taking responsibility means being honest with ourselves by identifying and understanding our fears, identifying what gives us security, satisfaction and joy, and which issues are, in fact, our responsibility. This includes being honest with others without causing hurt, although this may not always be possible.

Taking care of our body is our responsibility by not putting things into it that we know damage it or leave us feeling drained of energy, and working our bodies in the right way for us as individuals. If we honour our body as the vehicle for our soul in this lifetime, we will naturally do everything that is necessary to keep it in good condition.

We need to be true to ourselves by being the sort of person we want to be, not what our friends, family, teachers or others want us to be. This is what enables us to participate fully in our lives rather than holding back all the time because we don't resonate with the way we live our lives.


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Going with the flow

However much life changes, we need to go with that flow and that means making sure we take care of our selves by being kind to our selves, which is not something that many of us do.

Giving our selves time to assimilate the many changes into our lives instead of expecting that we will just bounce through life from one crisis to another conserves our energy. Regardless of how we have lived in the past, we do have time to stop, absorb and adjust to change - the relaxation exercise above is one way of achieving this.

Allowing our selves to experience a passion for life, not by rushing around trying to fit as much as possible into this life - quantity rather than quality - but by slowing down and actually appreciating the infinite beauty around us. Valuing our relationships with family, friends and co-workers, accepting our children as miracles and viewing it as the honour it is to nurture them in this life, appreciating the beauty of nature, art, music and literature. There is beauty all around us if we stop and look for it and when we find it, our energy expands with the awe of what we discover.

We live in a wonderful age where we can have or do almost anything we like - it is the stuff of miracles and yet we take it for granted.

Reminding ourselves to be grateful for everything in our lives is another wonderful way of lifting our energy levels. Briefly running through all that we have to be grateful for just before we go to sleep creates a serenity and joy that can bring us a sound night's sleep surrounded by the light of love for everything in our lives.

We also need to remember to be grateful for everything that has happened to us up to now - the good and the not so good because the lessons we learned have brought us to where we are today - all the choices we have made have provided us with lessons to help us grow and develop.

Learning to say 'no' in a loving way when we know we cannot take on anymore is the kindest thing we can do for our selves and others. Our energy is not used effectively when we either fail to do what we promise or do it poorly for lack of time.

Going with the flow means learning to just 'be' rather than constantly 'doing'. Taking a little time each day to simply relax and 'be' re-energizes and rejuvenates us, if we commit ourselves to doing it with a passion.

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The global picture


Up to now, we have only considered ways of expanding our energy on a personal level but looking at the global picture can also expand our personal energy and that of every other soul on the planet.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, everything and everyone on this planet is connected - every plant, tree, animal and soul. And we are all part of this incredible universe.

Building good relationships with all those with whom we come into contact, and particularly those closest to us, is essential and it would not be overstating the case to say that this is a lifetime's study for every soul.

I know with every fibre of my being that we are all also connected to the Source from which we originated - the Source of infinite love.

Whatever we do to ourselves or another soul, we do to every single sould on the planet. So whilst you may think that what you have read up to now does not apply to you - think again. You just still view yourself as separate!

We need to honour everything on this planet and treat it with respect. The animals and plants give themselves up so that we can be nourished. Any mistreatment of them or waste of food is a dishonour to the sources of our nourishment and only serves to allow our energy to drain away without effective use. Wherever possible, only eating food raised or grown by those who respect the living organism, preparing food with loving care and taking the time to enjoy it fully in a focused way is how we expand our energy.

There is a significant energy drain from most of us because we forget that we are all one.

We engage in behaviours that separate us - elitism, sexism, racism, competition, wars. We are allowing our energy to drain away because we are not using it creatively in looking for the many, many things that connect us. We are inextricably linked and when we accept this and live our lives accordingly we have a healthy exchange of creative energy with all other souls.

Putting aside the spiritual aspects for the moment, logically we are all connected:

We all breathe the same air - for example, some believe that we all have a molecule within us of the air Socrates breathed!

Our physical bodies are the same.

We have to work together to be able to live on the plant - those countries where there is disharmony and war are impoverished so the evidence is there for us all to see.

We all feel the same emotions - happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, contentment, joy - and particularly love.


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The greatest energy expander of all

I believe that our purpose here - and the reason why we keep reincarnation - is to learn unconditional love for everything and every soul on this planet.

Every time we give love to another, our energy is increased.

Every time we feel compassion, our energy levels rise.

Every time we feel the welling up of love for those closest to us, we can feel our energy expand.

And, most importantly, every time we love, accept and forgive ourselves and others for any perceived harm, disrespect or disagreement, our energy expands the most.

All loving exchanges create love energy, which is the most powerful there is.

This is the Spirit of Oneness.

Relaxation and The Breath of Life
Written by Jenny Jones Monday, 31 March 2008 15:57

The Breath of Life

Our breathing is controlled by our autonomic nervous system and, as the name suggests, it is an automatic response - we don't have to think about each breath, our brain and body does this for us. As a result we tend to take for granted the air that gives us life and the response that allows us to breathe.

The first thing a baby usually does when it comes out of the womb is to breathe. And we need to go back to our first few days, months and years in order to learn again how to breathe in a way that is easy for our bodies and which is relaxing.

If you watch a baby sleeping, you can learn again the best way of breathing, which is the natural, unforced method of breathing using the belly area. When we breathe in, our bellies expand and when we breathe out, our bellies contract. This allows the diaphragm to move downwards giving a greater area into which the lungs can expand, and thus a larger amount of air is sucked into the body.

It is fascinating to see people in workshops returning again to this form of breathing - the studied facial expressions while they try to master this forgotten skill are quite comical. Many of us find it very difficult to achieve this because we have spent so much of our time breathing through the upper chest. Expanding the rib cage is much more labour intensive because of the cumbersome nature of the skeleton.

The reasons for our change in breathing to using the chest area are interesting:

Life has become so fast-paced now that we don't take time to slow ourselves down properly at any point.

Whether we are aware of it or not, many of us live in a state of stress, at one level or another, for most of our lives so we breathe in the same way as cavemen would have done when they were hunting - 'fight-or-flight' mode. In other words, we are deciding all the time whether or not to stand our ground and deal with the many and varied situations that arise in our lives or whether to back off and deal with the frustration that it causes.

For women, we have been urged for many years to make sure that we have flat stomachs. And how many times have we heard someone say when they're trying to squeeze through a small space, 'Breathe in'?

Whilst this kind of stress is harmless for very short periods of time, lengthy periods keep adrenaline pumping around our system for too long and can do a great deal of harm. Breathing through the upper chest is a symptom of this situation and also a primer for further stress - it's a vicious cycle.

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Relaxation

How often do we need to relax?
At least once a day and preferably twice a day, and it's helpful if we can arrange one of these sessions for the period just before we go to bed so that we're in the right frame of mind to sleep soundly and effectively.

Trying to get a good night's sleep after working or studying during the evening is very difficult for most people. It doesn't allow time for the brain to go into a state of lower activity so that it can wind down ready for sleep. Equally, many people find that doing strenuous physical exercise not long before bed without effective 'cool down' and relaxation periods prevents them from settling down easily and/or sleeping through the night. Although some people find that exercise before bed actually helps them to sleep!

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Preparation for relaxation


It is important to make sure that you won't be disturbed during your relaxation session because it can be quite a shock to the system if the telephone rings or someone rushes into the room. So, if you live with other people, you need to negotiate with them for some privacy and quiet as far as possible, or perhaps arrange your sessions for when no one else is around. They will soon get used to the idea that this is 'your time' if you show that you are committed to it.

It's best to be in an enclosed space of some kind - a room with a door that you can shut or a garden that is secluded and as quiet as possible. To shut out surrounding noise, you might consider playing quiet, relaxing music and perhaps use headphones.

An oil burner containing aromatherapy oil contributes to a relaxed atmosphere if you're in an enclosed room - lavender or rose are good for relaxation.

A comfortable chair that supports your body all the way down your spine is essential; otherwise, you'll tense up in those areas where you're not supported. Take some time to get yourself comfortable before you start so that you don't have to make any radical movements during the session.

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The relaxation session

Before we can genuinely relax, we have to learn how to breathe in a relaxed way; otherwise we'll just get more and more frustrated at not being able to completely relax.

So start by closing your eyes (or looking downwards to a point a few inches in front of your knees) and focusing on your breathing and take slightly deeper breaths - taking very deep breaths tends to lead to over-breathing which can induce as much tension as breathing through the upper chest. Notice what happens to your body as you breathe - is it just your chest that is moving in and out? Is it a little difficult to breathe?

Shift your focus to your belly and place your hands over this area. Allow your belly to expand as you breathe in - if you're not used to this way of breathing, it can be helpful to actually push your belly out gently. Feel your hands lifting and then softly falling as you breathe in and out. Your chest should only expand at the end of an in-breath and even then it probably won't be a significant expansion.

Once you've mastered this mode of breathing, you'll begin to feel very relaxed and you can then let your breath become more shallow and light so that you are not working hard at breathing at all, and you can allow your hands to relax in your lap.

Now imagine there is a ball of warmth under your feet - feel it warming your feet and feel them start to relax into the warmth of the ball. Allow this ball of warmth to travel up to your ankles and feel them relax also.

Allow the ball to travel up your calves and feel the muscles loosen as the warmth fills them; then allow it to travel up to your knees, through your thighs and hips, and focus on the warmth flooding your muscles with relaxation.

Let the ball work its way up your spine, warming and relaxing each individual disc and making the fluid between the discs warm so that it lubricates your back and makes it feel flexible. Feel the ball spreading its warmth across your shoulders and down through your arms into your hands so that they feel heavy in your lap.

Now feel the ball moving up to your neck, spreading the warmth up into the back of your head and allow it to stay there on the back of your neck so that the warmth and relaxation you feel throughout your body lets you relax the muscles in your face and your throat.

Visualize all the tension from your body flowing down through your feet and into the Earth.

Feel your whole body relaxed and heavy on the chair and, in this relaxed state, focus again on your breathing without trying to change it in any way - simply observe your breath. As you breathe in, think about calmness and serenity; as you breathe out, think about letting any tensions go from your body down through your feet into the ground.

Sit like this for as long as you're able or, preferably, for as long as seems right to you and, when you're ready, with your eyes still closed or your gaze downwards, become aware of your feet on the floor, your body on the chair and picture in your mind the room or garden around you.

Wiggle your toes and fingers gently and then gradually open your eyes and return to the scene around you.

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After the relaxation session


Clearly, when we've been in a state of deep relaxation, it's not a good idea to leap out of the chair and do anything strenuous. We need to gradually ease ourselves back into normal life and, if we've been relaxing before sleep, the next thing to do is to just get into bed and allow ourselves to drift off to sleep.

But if we're relaxing at some time during the day, it is a good idea to view the easing back into normality as a part of the relaxation process so that we gain the most benefit from the session.

Relaxation is a valid part of taking good care of ourselves - it has nothing to do with being lazy (unless, of course, you're doing it for most of the day!).

When we get used to making these sessions a routine part of our day, we will start to experience the real benefits:

a more relaxed way of living so that we actually achieve more in our days than we did before;

a better relationship with our selves and those around us - fewer situations irritate us and we learn to go with the flow of life more easily;

our minds are clearer and sharper;

we appreciate life more - the fun, the laughter, the beauty, the serenity.

Relaxation is not just an option ... it's an essential part of a balanced life. Try it and see for yourself!

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Other websites related to health and wellbeing:

www.simplehealing.co.uk

Natural Energy Healing
Written by Jenny Jones Monday, 31 March 2008 15:39

Natural Energy Healing

If you would like to have distant healing sent to someone or for yourself, please click here.

I am a member of the Universal Association of Healers - for more information, and for distant healing requests from all members of the Association, please go to www.uahealers.org

Healing is probably one of the most natural activities in the world. We all do it to one degree or another: comforting those left after losing a loved one; allowing someone the space to talk to us about a problem; giving a child a hug when they fall over and hurt themselves. Whenever we offer help to another soul in whatever form, this is a form of healing because we have the intent to soothe their spirit - to help them to know that the world is not as scary a place as it might seem at that moment. We are all healers.

But some of us have the need to take this to a slightly higher level where we consciously channel healing energies to other souls. Often, healers channel consciously for the whole of their current life, or they just feel the urge to find out more about it and find that it seems 'right' to practise, or others have had some tragedy or enlightening experience at some point that nudges them into channelling healing for the rest of their lives.

What is Natural Energy Healing?

Natural energy (or spiritual) healers draw through their bodies the healing energy that is all around us and channel it to others. The source of this energy is a matter of the healer's own particular faith (which does not mean religion). Examples of how it is viewed by different healers are: as a universal consciousness; Divine Spirit; universal spiritual field; God; Jesus, the Goddess, and many more origins. Wherever they believe it originates, it is a universal belief that this energy triggers the self-healing function within the person receiving the energies. Natural energy healers do not use their own energy to heal; they allow themselves to be used as a conduit through which the healing energies flow.

These energies work on emotional and physical challenges and it is not up to healers to decide which areas the healing energies will effect, although they may place their hands close to where they feel the imbalance might be located. They only know that the energies will work for the highest good of the person receiving them.

Natural energy healers have a two-year probationary period of training and practise that allows them to learn how to channel the energies effectively and to resolve any emotional issues that prevent them from being an open channel. This can be emotionally quite gruelling because healers have to commit themselves to this process and work hard to achieve a balance in their lives that allows them the peace and serenity to open themselves fully to these energies. (Click here for more information about training)

Choosing to accept the gift of being a healer is not, therefore, a life path to be taken on lightly.

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The healing session

This can take from twenty minutes to an hour to complete. The healer will usually take a brief medical history first, discuss any particular difficulties that the client is having, and explain what will happen while the healing is taking place before starting the healing session itself. Time is set aside for discussion and questions afterwards. The healer will also advise you to visit your doctor to discuss your health concerns if you have not already done so.

Most healers will indicate that the healing session has started by placing their hands gently on the client's shoulders, and then place them there again to indicate when the session is over. This allows the client to relax totally and the healer will often take them through a relaxation exercise at the beginning, particularly if they feel there is difficulty in releasing some tension.

Many people fall asleep during a healing session and find that they sleep very soundly!

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Potential effects of healing


Everyone has a different response to receiving the healing energies - from a slight to a more radical reaction. But the most common reactions, felt either in various parts of the body or all over, could be:

tingling slight pressure heat or cold seeing beautiful coloured lights in the mind slight movement within the body mild pain no reaction at all All of these responses are perfectly normal and it is unlikely that any of them will be so pronounced that they become alarming. After the healing session it is advisable to avoid any strenuous exercise or stress because the healing energies will continue to work after the session is over if the client remains relaxed.

For some conditions, the healing can actually take place later because that's the best time for the body to absorb the energies and gain the most benefit.

Some people will feel nothing happening during a healing session but will have some minor effects afterwards, like thirst, lethargy or mild pain.


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Claims about healing


As with all complementary therapies, no genuine healer will claim to be able to cure anyone of any disease or condition.

We are all here to learn particular lessons during this lifetime and illness is a great teacher. This may seem harsh but many have found that their illnesses have shown them wisdom that they would never have accessed in any other way. Equally, those who experience ongoing ill health act as teachers for others.
Healing can still help those who don't experience a resolution to their health challenges. Because healing works on emotional issues as well as physical, the healing will always help everyone to cope more easily with their symptoms.


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Belief in healing


Many people expect that natural energy healers will be members of a church, and often a Spiritualist Church, but this is not always the case.

Religion and faith can be too entirely separate issues: there are many people who practise a religion but in reality do not have a faith in God - they just attend church because it's part of their family tradition or because they want to be seen to be religious. Equally, there are very many people nowadays who are disillusioned with religion and choose not to attend a church, but still have a very deep and abiding faith in a Higher Power. Many healers fall into this category and indeed some are pagans, believing in the Goddess and God and in nature as sources of healing energies.

No genuine healer will wish to convert anyone to their own particular faith or beliefs, within or outside of a church. They simply want to help others by channelling the healing energies to them for their highest good.

There is also no need for the client to have a religious faith for the healing to work. It is, however, sensible to have faith in the abilities of the healer. We don't take our cars to be serviced without a belief that the garage can do the job effectively and efficiently so why should it be any different when we're looking after our bodies?
If we seek healing, it is sensible for the us to open ourselves to the full effects of the healing, in the same way as the healer is opening up to channelling the healing energies. If we don't believe that the healer working with us is not the best healer we could have or we're seeking healing because we've been forced into it by family or friends, the effects will be minimal.

Healing, like other complementary therapies, requires engagement between the healer and the client in an atmosphere of trust to gain the optimum benefit.

Pharmaceutical drugs and surgery are so radical and invasive that our minds don't have to engage for the effects of the treatment to be manifested, often masking symptoms rather than treating the root cause. Regrettably, we have now become so used to handing over our bodies to doctors, nurses and consultants that we've become apathetic about making an effort to contribute to the healing of our bodies. Healing and other complementary therapies require that we are active and take responsibility for the temples that are our bodies - the vehicles for our souls in this lifetime.


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Distant healing


Many healers offer healing at a distance because the healing energies are not subject to time and space as we perceive them. As with contact, or 'hands-off' healing, physical and emotional imbalances can be helped.

Each evening at around 9.30 pm, I sit and ask for healing to be sent to those wish to receive it through me. When I am at health shows and events, I leave free healing rosettes on my stand for people to take who would like to receive healing or who know others who would benefit.
These rosettes are useful in focusing attention on the healing energies, so I suggest, on the back of the rosettes, that anyone who needs to receive healing sits quietly between 9.30 pm and 10.00 pm on any evening and know that the healing energies are coming to them to help them to heal themselves. But you can also receive the healing in the same way by sitting quietly without the rosette.
The issues for which healing is requested vary from those with cancer, heart disease or injuries from accidents to those who are caring for sick loved ones, those who are grieving for someone and people suffering from depression and other mental imbalances. In fact, as with one-to-one healing, the energies can help with any imbalance of health or emotion.

If you would like to have healing sent to someone or receive healing yourself, please use the Contact Us page to let me know and I will send healing to them with my love and blessings.

This is just a brief overview of natural energy healing but if you have any queries or comments on what you have read here, please contact me at jenny@spiritofoneness.co.uk I'd be happy to hear from you.

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Training


For more information about healer training courses, contact the National Federation of Spiritual Healing by visiting their website, www.nfsh.org.uk, or the Universal Assocation of Healers (www.uahealers.org).

Important Note: All the advice and information that appears in this website has been researched and much of it is also the result of my personal experience during healing sessions. But if you have any challenge with your health, you should always speak to your GP first to get his or her advice.

The pictures you will see in this website are all original. They have been taken by my son, David, and I during our travels around Wales, Sussex and other parts of the UK, and also Australia.


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