In Pure Spirit

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The healing power of a simple smile

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We all sometimes take the little things for granted. And there’s one simple remedy for many of life’s ills that we all carry around with us every day but probably rarely give a second thought to — our smiles.

Sure, we look for smiles to see whether someone is angry with us or enjoying our company, and we offer a friendly smile to a child or someone who could use a little reassurance. But how many of us ever consider the healing possibilities of that simple little facial expression?

Smiling flower (slightly creepy)

Smiling enhances your mood.

It may seem contradictory to recommend putting a grin on your face when you’re down, but wearing a smile even when you not feeling happy can put you in a better mood. Of course, thinking of those things that inspire joy and happiness will put a smile on our faces and thus lead to a better disposition. But even the act of smiling itself can trigger a brighter frame of mind. Emotions are not only activated by thoughts but also by physical cues. The next time you find yourself in a sour mood, try lifting the edges of those lips and see if it doesn’t lift your spirits.

Smiling can reduce stress and lower your blood pressure.

An added benefit of the elevated mood our smiles bring us is its effect on our physical well-being. Sour moods can cause our bodies to tense up, tightening our muscles and restricting blood vessels. Not only is this a recipe for discomfort, but it can also noticeably increase our blood pressure. Taking a deep breath, thinking happy thoughts, and putting a smile on our faces will relax those tense muscles and allow the blood to flow more freely, improving our health in the short and long run.

The healing of a smile is contagious.

Not only does smiling make us feel better, but wearing a warm smile can brighten the mood of other people around us. Human beings have a natural tendency to imitate, or ape, others people around them, often subconsciously. One or two moody individuals will usually bring down the whole group. But the reverse is also true. Going into a social situation with a large smile on your face will trigger a reaction in the faces of others in the group, and before long, everyone is smiling and feeling happier. Smiling regularly within a group you frequent, such as work or school, can set into motion a chain reaction that improves the overall atmosphere for everyone.

Smiling even has its own day.

You may be wondering why, if smiling has so many amazing benefits, it has not received more recognition. Well, it has. Graphic designer Harvey Ball, famous for creating the iconic smiley face design, founded the World Smile Foundation in 1999 to promote “good cheer and good works”. In addition to backing several children’s charities, the foundation established World Smile Day on the first Friday of each October. The event’s motto is “do an act of kindness — help one person smile,” a worthy gem of advice to follow every day of the year.

In Pure Spirit

Do you believe in the healing power of smiles?

All Angels Day – A Celebration of Life

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All Angels Day is a holistic healing event dedicated to spreading Light and Love. The event on the 22nd of May attracted positive reviews from mainstream media and the second event for 2009 is scheduled for December 5th.

Held in the Athenaeum on Angel Hill at Bury St Edmunds the day offered angelic readings, crystal energy, Reiki, EFT, spiritual guidance and children meditation sessions.

Cosmo Verner, one of the group of nine lightworkers supporting the event, described the day as a great success. Cosmo, who owns the Crystal Merchant, told the press, “The community embraced our holistic approach to life and our wish to encourage communication, inspiration, love and light.”

The event was home to over 40 exhibitors which included organic produce suppliers as well as natural good and jewellery stalls. The Athenaeum was decorated with drawings of angels provided by the local primary school. May’s All Angels Day raised £500 for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and St Nicholas Hospice Care. And it is hoped the December Day will raise more.

The Group of Nine

Cosmo Verner – Crystal energy therapist, energy interference patterning practitioner and owner of The Crystal Merchant

Debbie Rye – Dowsing, crystal energy, EFT

Jo Duffy – Crystal energy healing, distance healing, reflexology and EFT Focus Group.

Angela Hahn – Angelic healing with talks, training, workshops and healing sessions

Ria Wilson – Crystal energy

Marie Huggett – Reiki master teacher, holistic therapist, angelic and spiritual guidance, angels and spiritual workshops.

Glenda Parkinson – Angelic Reiki

Jayne Franz – Angelic artwork and children’s meditations

Linda Graham – Astrologer, clairvoyant, spiritual opening medium, tutor for Indian head massage, Reiki, meditation, 7th level breathing, spiritual development and spiritual artist

The Angelic Orb

The photograph used to promote All Angels Day is described as an “Angelic Orb” by the group of nine. It was taken by Cosmo Verner while visiting Glendalough in Ireland. Glendalough is the site where St Kevin founded a monastery around 600 AD.

In Pure Spirit

What’s your opinion of events such as All Angels Day? Should communities do more to encourage days like this or are they a drain on resources?

More information about All Angels Day can be found on their website.

Oxford hosts spiritual healing for pets

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On Saturday spiritual healers turned their attention towards beloved family pets.  The North Oxford Christian Spiritualist Healing Church has run spiritual and holistic healing for a number of years but this year the session was opened up to pets.

The idea is credited to Oxford Brookes University tutor Humphrey Truswell. He told Oxford press, “Healing works for human beings, so I thought we could try it with animals.”

Families and pet lovers travelled for miles to attend the event. Lynwood and Lorraine Hagin travelled over 240 miles so that their dog Elbie could benefit from the healing. Elbie suffers from suspected mouth cancer.

Mrs Hagin said: “It was well worth the trip and hopefully it will have an impact on Elbie. It certainly had an impact on me – I found it very moving.
“We wanted to try every avenue we could to help him.”
It is reported that nearly two dozen pets received treatment in the church.

“We were pleasantly surprised by how many people came,” said healer Jane Blain.

Mrs Blain made the local news earlier this year when she launched a range of knitted jumpers for ex-battery chickens.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Is it good and appropriate for the church to open its doors in this way?

How to add more yin to your life for the Chinese New Year

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We first looked at the possible problems of having too much yin and ways to add more yang to mark the start of 2009. This article is timed for the start of the Chinese New Year – the year of the Ox.

The first thing to note is that it is entirely healthy and common for people to be either more yin or more yang. Each is a different type of chi. Yin (the shady side of the mountain) is a cooler, slower and more dispersed chi. Yang (the sunny side of the mountain) is warmer, swifter and more compressed chi.

There are many positive benefits of being particularly yang in nature. People who have natural yang qualities tend to be more focused and precise. If you have a lot of yang then you’re likely to active and lead a more dynamic lifestyle than those people with an abundance of yin over yang.

Far too much yang, however, can be bad as these attributes become negative. How can you tell if you’ve too much yang? Compare yourself to the following list of symptoms;

  • You often feel stiff or your limbs feel tight
  • You or your body is often too tense
  • You suffer from dry skin
  • You are often coping with stress
  • You are quick to angry
  • You may suffer from constipation
  • You have a need to always be in control

Feng shui is one long term solution to these symptoms as it may be improving the flow of chi through your home will help you accentuate and boost your natural yin qualities. After all; too much yang is just the same as not enough yin.

There are also a number of steps you can take to directly give your natural yin a boost. In many ways, these steps echo the natural qualities of yin – the cooler, more disperse of the two types of chi.

  • Find some time to meditate
  • Try to eat more fresh fruit and salads
  • Drink more juices and still water
  • Wear pastel coloured clothes
  • Wear loose and comfortable clothes
  • Try stretching exercises
  • Spend time outside and with nature
  • Listen to calming and relaxing music
  • Make use of softer lightings and candles

In Pure Spirit

Did you find this short collection of tips and tricks useless? Please feel free to share any tips of your own for boosting yin and coping with a naturally high amount of yang.

All the best for the year of the Ox.

Topping the New York Times Best-Seller List: The Power of Soul

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Zhi Gang Sha
Image via Wikipedia

Doctor Zhi Gang Sha was nicknamed “The Soul Man” by USA Today. Sha’s third book in the Soul Power Series makes its debut in the number #1 position in the highly prestigious New York Times Best-Seller list in the hardback section.

The Power of Soul: The Way to Heal, Rejuvenate, Transform, and Enlighten All Life* (UK*) goes beyond the notion of mind over matter and reaches the realm of soul over matter.

The book’s success on the best-seller list shows that the American audience still has a healthy appetite for spiritual healing techniques. In reaching the number one position The Power of Soul beat Randy Pausch‘s The Last Lecture* and Liz Vaccariello’s Flat Belly Diet*.

Dr Sha is a spiritual healing academic. He is an acknowledged expert in over 5,000 years of Chinese medicine as well as Buddhist teaching, holy and Taoist saints, healing angles, archangels, Indian gurus, Tibetan lamas and other forms of traditional and spiritual techniques.

Judith Curr, Executive VP and Publisher of Simon & Schuster, the publisher behind The Power of Soul: The Way to Heal, Rejuvenate, Transform, and Enlighten All Life, told press; “Dr. Sha is touching millions of souls and affecting them in very positive ways,” and “We consider ourselves privileged to be the vessel that the doctor has chosen to help spread his message.”

The Power of Soul follows Dr Sha’s Soul Wisdom to the number #1 position in the New York Times’ list.

In Pure Spirit

Is it good news to see a book like this doing so well? It’s worth noting that the book is out in hardback currently and its position in the New York Times’ list is in the hardback section. Soul Wisdom sold well in paperback, however, so there is little reason to believe The Power of Soul will fail to do so.

Disclaimer: Links marked with star* are revenue links.

Acupuncture works. So does fake acupuncture.

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Acupuncture needles.
Image via Wikipedia

A recent study from scientists at the Technical University of Munich has suggested that ‘faked’ acupuncture can work nearly as well as the real thing. The research also showed that acupuncture worked as well as drugs and traditional medicines for headaches and migraines.

Scientists studied 6, 736 acupuncture patients. Some of the patients enjoyed real acupuncture but some had a ‘fake’ form where the needles were simply placed close to the surface of the skin rather than on the appropriate pressure points. Both sets of patients reported improvements in their conditions but the patients receiving the real thing did better.

Doctor Klaus Linde, from the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at the German University, led the review and said; “Much of the clinical benefit of acupuncture might be due to non-specific needling effects and powerful placebo effects, meaning selection of specific needle points may be less important than many practitioners have traditionally argued.”

The research focused on the commonly occurring tension-type of headache. This included both severe migraines and more frequent but milder migraines.

Given the successes acupuncture showed at relieving the migraine pains the researchers have suggested that doctors should be willing to prescribe it to patients more often.

“Doctors need to know how long improvements associated with acupuncture will last and whether better trained acupuncturists really achieve better results than those with basic training only,” said Klaus Linde.

In 2008 Linde conducted a review into the effectiveness of St John’s Wort. The research followed conflicting reports on the abilities of the plant to counter depression. Linde’s 2008 project looked at 29 different studies into hypercium perforatum (St John’s Wort) and showed it to be as effective as Prozac.

Doctor Linde recommended doses of 300mg of St John’s Wort as the optimal amount.

Five female deities with some masculine traits

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The goddess Ma'at, showing her feather in her ...
Image via Wikipedia

Channelling deities, asking for their guidance, support or blessing is common. Whenever you attempt to involve a deity in a blessing or ritual it is important to know exactly with whom you are dealing with. Deities have their own personalities, preferences and traits. Further more, these aspects of the deity can begin to have an effect on you as well as your rituals. Sometimes rituals and blessings should be done in conjunction with a female deity but would also benefit from not being overwhelmingly feminine.

We’re certainly not suggesting that any of these deities are butch, far from it. Instead the following five deities each have an aspect or two which is also commonly found in male deities.

Artemis (Greek)

Artemis shows her masculine aspects through her hunting and use of bow and arrows. She is twinned with Apollo. If you do channel Artemis with her masculine side in mind then it also equally important to remember she is a virgin and does also represent fertility.

Ma’at (Egyptian)

Ma’at, also sometimes known as Mayet, is a deity of balance, justice and truth. She is a very magical deity and a powerful one. Some Egyptian traditions equated Ma’at with the male deity Thoth.

Frejya (Norse)

Frejya is one of the two main female deities from the Norse tradition. While she is a deity of love, beauty and fertility who would assist in childbirths she is also associated with war, battle, death and wealth.

Ninsar (Babylonian)

There are few significant female Babylonian deities to choose from other than Tiamat and channelling any aspect of Tiamat is not recommended. Ninsar is the daughter of Ninhursag the mother-goddess. Whereas Ninhursag is one of the seven greater deities from Sumer Ninsar is a much smaller entity. She is the Green Lady and a goddess of plants.

Oya (Voodoo)

Oya is a deity of the winds, of the marketplace and cemeteries. Oya is channelled when a change is needed; particularly a business change. In the Yoruba tradition Oya is also a warrior-goddess responsible for hurricanes and tornadoes.

In Pure Spirit

Who would you recommend a female deity appropriate for channelling and who might bring some suggestion of masculinity diversity?

An introduction to five Feng Shui schools

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Research suggests that Feng Shui is around 6,000 years old, it started in China, then became popular in surrounding countries and latterly the world. It is perhaps not surprising that there are different schools and techniques within Feng Shui. This post looks at five of the most popular Feng Shui schools still used today.

The Eight Directions School

The Eight Directions School uses the Bagua map to calculate and orientate the eight directions over the home’s floor plan. Each direction carries a different energy variant which can either be calmed or enhanced depending on the need. This Japanese technique suggests that both your sleeping and sitting position can influence how much energy you absorb.

The Eight Mansions School

Your date of birth is used to calculate your Kua number (the amount of chi you were born with) and whether you belong to the east or west-life group. Homes facing in one of four directions are a benefit to people belonging to the east-life group and ones homes facing in one of four different directions are beneficial to people from the west-life group. Furthermore, the Eight Mansions School suggests that one half of your home can be positive to you but the other half can actually be negative.

The Flying Star School

This Feng Shui school works in close conjunction with an astrology chart and the date in which the building was constructed.  The Bagua map is orientated by the building’s structure and surroundings. A special lo pan compass is then used to help interpret readings.

The Form School

There are four mystic animals in Feng Shui; the dragon, phoenix, tiger and tortoise. The Form School studies the surroundings and landscape to identify the presence of these animals. An ideal home would be able to position some low, solid protection or wall on the right (the tiger) and a lighter but taller structure on the left (the dragon). There should be an open area at the front (the phoenix) and a sturdy area, mountains, trees or hills (the tortoise) behind.

The Three-gate School

The Three-gate School makes significant use of the Bagua map. The Three-gate school uses the front door to centre the Bagua map and uses the life areas on the map to study how chi will flow around the home. The Three-gate school is a relatively new technique and was developed in the 1970s in New York.

Compass and non-compass schools

Feng Shui schools traditionally fit into two different types; compass and non-compass. Compass schools originate from flat plains of China and focus on the movement of the sun. Non-compass schools originate from the mountainous regions of China and focus more on surroundings and shape.

  • The Eight Directions School is a compass Feng Shui school.
  • The Eight Mansions School is a compass school.
  • The Flying Star School is a compass-based school.
  • The Form School is a non-compass school.
  • The Three-gate School is a compass Feng Shui school.

In Pure Spirit

Have you any experience in the different schools in Feng Shui? Which of the schools has worked best for you?

Crystal Children

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Just as Indigo Children represent a further step in the human evolution process so do Crystal Children.

The presence of Crystal Children was first noticed in about the year 2000 although some lightworkers have been aware of them for longer.

Crystal children are born either as Indigo children and have progressed in their spiritual transformation or are children or adults who have transitioned from no special qualities to an awoken crystal self.

It is thought that we all have the potential to become crystal children.

Whereas Indigo children are so named due to the indigo visible in their auras crystal children tend to have multi-hued pastel and opalescent auras.

Indigo children are often very active leading some traditional medical workers to label them with conditions like Attention Deficit Disorder or ADHD. Crystal children, by contrast, are extremely calm and may, therefore, be wrongly perceived as being slow. Traditional medical workers may sometimes label some Crystal children as suffering from autism.

Crystal children, whether they are quick to verbally communicate or not, are often able to communicate empathically with their parents and guardians. Crystal children have acute senses and easily detect dishonesty, malicious intent or guilt.

Doreen Virtue, author of The Crystal Children: A Guide to the Newest Generation of Psychic and Sensitive Children* (USA *), writes;

I noticed that not only were the Crystal Children highly spiritually sensitive, but so were their parents. The souls of Crystal Children were obviously selecting parents who could raise them in a spiritually nurturing environment.

Occasionally, I met children who came through parents who were spiritually unaware. In these cases, their grandparents were highly evolved lightworkers who helped to protect and hone the child’s spiritual knowledge and gifts. Most people told me that their Crystal Child was a profound spiritual teacher, who taught parents a great deal about being an exceptionally loving and kind person.

In Pure Spirit

What are your views on Indigo and Crystal Children? Is there a danger in labels? Should we all try and awaken our crystal self?

Disclaimer: Links marked with a star* are revenue links.

How to add more yang to your life in 2009

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Yin yang
Image by exfordy via Flickr

Yin and yang are different forms of chi. Yang is a faster moving chi than yin, it is more compressed and hotter. The literal interpretation of yin and yang is that of the shady side of the mountain (yin) and the sunny side of the mountain (yang).

People tend to have a mix of yin and yang and it is common for someone to be more yin than yang or more yang than yin. Most of the time this is healthy and good but sometimes you can become too yin. Too yin can be unpleasant and unhealthy.

If you are a natural yin then you’ll have many positive qualities; you’re likely to be creative and imaginative. You’re likely to be sensitive and gentle. People who are a very yin are flexible and easy-going. These attributes are very much inline with the aspects of yin itself. Yin is a slower chi than yang; it is more dispersed and cooler.

If you have too much yin – not enough yang – then these attributes begin to turn negative. Here’s a quick check list of symptoms;

  • You often feel cold
  • You often find yourself fighting of infectious illness
  • You often have cold and clammy skin
  • You find yourself suffering from lethargy
  • You find yourself feeling depressed
  • You find yourself suffering diarrhoea
  • You have a victim mentality

If one or more of these symptoms seem to fit you then you may find benefit in applying some feng shui to your life and home.

There are a number of steps you can take to become more yang. These tend to involve becoming more active – just as yang is a more active chi than yin – adding heat, speed and neatness to your life.

  • Try martial arts
  • Have a go at competitive sports
  • Wear bright colours
  • Favour smart clothes over loose clothes
  • Socialise and meet people, face to face contact is best
  • Eat cooked foods and warm drinks
  • Eat more root vegetables, grains and fish
  • Have a tidy up and try and get rid of household clutter
  • Exercise and stretch

In Pure Spirit

We hope this short collection of tips and tricks are useful. Do you have any tips of your own for ways to become more yang?

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