Post No. 336 - Hide and seek, firewalking, M.A.U.L. and uncooperatives

Heard an interesting explanation of the "purpose" of reality: that it is Deity playing hide-and-seek with itself. That is interesting if you've read Jane Roberts' "Oversoul 7" novels, where the protagonist, the Oversoul known as Seven, is directing and experiencing the lives of parallels, and growing as they grow - partly through, more or less, being reminded of parts of itself.

Certainly my growth, at times, feels as much about "remembering" or re-discovering parts of myself that are parts of Deity - well, I know the whole lot of me is actually Deity, but this is different to the developing of new skills, attributes, awareness, etc type of growth.

That in turn ties in with:

• the notion that the Order of Scathach is eloquent on, which is that Deity is something within us, not something outside us, and that we (in my words) tune in, rather than invoke,
• the definition of Deity in "Briefing for the Landing on Planet Earth" by Stuart Holroyd, which I reviewed here (and the successor book, "The Only Planet of Choice", published under the name of the medium from Briefing and subsequently, Phyllis V. Schlemmer, I reviewed here), that Deity grows on love;
• the concept of giving up one's life experience to "The Eagle" in (the controversial) Carlos Castenada's work; and
• the concept of involution and evolution in Wicca, whereby parts of the Goddess split off to create souls, and then journey back to become one with her.

Our experiences, our learning, our growth and our love all help Deity to grow ... and, as we are all, in essence, parts of Deity, I can see all that as a sort of game of hide-and-seek that Deity is playing with aspects of itself - us.

Another point from the talk was about learning to firewalk. Now, I'm in two minds about whether this is connected to laws of physics or metaphysics (follow the link, have a read, and then a think :) ), but, in any case, I think with such things I would rather use the Six Yogas of Naropa techniques and learn to handle fire in the astral (i.e., while dreaming) first, and then think about whether I want to try it in the physical ... but I'm not too big on "miracles" anyway.

A third point triggered by this talk was on the subject of the "opposite of Light". Many people, in my experience, tend to view this as being whatever is "evil", and tend to use words such as negative or "dark". Now the energies can, indeed, be murky, but black itself can be a positive colour (e.g., it can be used for grounding or protection), so using "dark" as the "opposite" of light is not really correct (and has the problem of all the connotations I've raised previously). In fact, the opposite of enlightenment is "unenlightenment" - things like ignorance, or ignorant behaviour, not being aware. When I was a Buddhist, failing to think carefully and learn was probably the greatest "sin". When I was a human rights activist (well, I still am that), education - particularly to increase awareness was the greatest tool for achieving change fore the better. So ... in future, I will aim to train myself to use "unlight" as the "opposite" of Light, much as I use BPF rather than DLF - see here for an explanation :) .

In my usual quirkiness, I am tempted to use "Murkiness and Un-Light", which gives me the acronym M.A.U.L., but ... nah, better just stick to "unlight": I can live with explaining that, M.A.U.L. gets a bit much ...

Oh, by the way, I think a lot of the start of what we now consider unlight is disharmony - simple clashes between people's energies that they didn't have the awareness and skill to manage in a mature (there's that theme again :) ) way.

Finally, I'd like to share a link from the Spirit Rescuers website to one of my other favourite rescue sites, the UK Spirit Rescue &Clearance website, about one approach towards what I term uncooperatives: turning them "around", into positive entities - see here.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear")

Tags:

First published: Sunnudagr, 6th November, 2011

Last edited: Sunday, 6th November, 2011

Post No. 076 - The trouble with change: your other yous

If there is something spiritual growth ain't, it's easy. Sure, you've got to learn new stuff, and change perspectives, and force bits of the psychic/spiritual anatomy to work - like learning to walk as a toddler, or forcing newly acquired bits of brain to work as a young adult, but sometimes it seems like ... you learn and know and do something, and all of a sudden its like you don't know that. What happened (to my grammar, if nothing else!)? :)

Well, my opinion is that ONE of the problems with change, apart from all the dealing with new ideas and learning new skills and so forth, lies in the realm of what is often termed "the unconscious".

Now, Lobsang Rampa is a writer with his good aspects (such as much of his knowledge) and his bad aspects (such as his sexism, verging on misogyny), but one of his, in my opinion, "good bits", is his explanation of the unconscious: parallels.

Rampa's take on this is:
- we have a Soul (or Higher Self, or Atman, or any of a number of other terms)
- that Soul experiences, learns and grows as we do
- that Soul is also responsible for sustaining our existence on various levels, and influences our behaviour through its own essential characteristics
- that Soul often does not limit itself to directing just one of us: there may be a number of other entities who are part of the same Soul
- these are termed parallels (or soul parts, or part of the same Soul Group, and so on and so forth)

At our level, our awareness of these other parts of our Soul is through our unconscious (by the way, I prefer to use "unconscious" rather than "subconscious", as the latter term implies some sort of inferiority).

Rampa goes further, and explains the apparently unused capacity of our brain as being those that are allocated to use by our Soul for the purpose of directing other parts of our Soul group. On that, I'm not so sure ...

Going back to parallels, our inherent connection with them means that we do share their attitudes and urges. That is a two way street: if they are having a bad day, we can be dragged down by that, or we can do something to lift them and relieve their angst.

In terms of change, it basically means that, for a change to be permanent, we have to change mot only ourselves, but also our other parts: our Soul, and our parallels. So, as I wrote in the title, (one of) the trouble(s) with change is your other yous - you other soul parts.

Then again, that can always be one of your strengths: they could actually be more evolved than you, and you could be the one dragging them back :)

It's worth thinking about: it puts a different perspective on the effort and repetition that is sometimes required to effect change, whether for the better or the worse.

You can also, if you wish, start to take some control of this process. I've emphasised a few times in this blog of the importance of self knowledge, of being honest about what one is feeling and thinking (even if only to yourself). Well, if, while doing this, you feel like your almost talking to another person, you could well be. To effect the change, you have to, basically, talk your Soul into believing in the change, and ALSO talk your other parts into believing in the change.

That might not seem fair, but remember that those other parts of you represent your experience in reality to date: to deny a reluctance that comes from that accumulated experience, perhaps because it is not convenient or "nice", is to deny who YOU really are, what you have been through, and what has made you who you are now - both good and bad. It is to take a superficial, selfish view of who you are, and what your responsibilities are.

It is far, far better to deal honestly with your urges, including those urges of yours that have their origin in another "person" who is really simply another part of yourself. Do so, and what you are seeking to do is more likely to become a genuine part of yourself. Fail to do so, and you will be spiritually trite, glib and facetious in all that you do or say.

It also throws a new aspect open with respect to the view that we are all connected ...

As a final point, by the way, parallels almost NEVER meet (although I've often wondered, given the similarities and connection which may be there, if twins are sometimes parallels?): if they do, it is generally for a major task.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr

This post's photo is yet to be posted.

Tags: growth, personal responsibility, selfishness, selflessness, Seth, parallels, Soul, soul parts, unconscious, subconscious

First published: Saturday 24th October, 2009

Last edited: Saturday 24th October, 2009

Post No. 029 - Protection [Content Warning: interpersonal interactions, problems, karma, life lessons, psychic attack]

I'm writing this to get it started, but will be adding more. The notes at the end of this post are significant, and I also have bundled a few links at the end as well. At this stage, my main point is probably that I want to make the case for a bit of common sense, here.

If I walk onto a railway line close in front of a train travelling at significant speed, I will get hit - if I don't get out the way. To prevent this happening, I would suggest there is a case for some sort of separation for the good of - predominantly - me. That doesn't make the train evil. If I open my aura to strong energies, energies that are stronger than my capacity to handle energies at that time and place, I may find myself experiencing the psychic equivalent of being hit by a train.

If I go overseas, I could wind up with stomach bugs and diarrhoea - perhaps because of poor hygiene practices, but - in some cases - perhaps equally because I am simply not used to the local water (it may, for instance, have a different salinity or iron concentration). In those later cases, the water is also not evil. If I try a new psychic methodology or practice that I am not familiar with, I may experience some discomfort. This is also somewhat akin to the situation of needing to develop one's psychic strength that I alluded to in the previous example, and have posted about elsewhere in this blog. That doesn't make the new practice evil, nor even mean that one shouldn't pursue it.

If I try to play classical and pop music at the same time, my ears may regret my musical inclinations. If I have an aura that is predominantly one particularly colour, I may regret the consequences of wearing a colour that clashes with it. That doesn't make either colour or music style evil.

There are actions that can best be described as evil - I consider H_tl_r, the Cultural Revolution, the apartheid regime and Robert Mugabe's current appalling regime in Zimbabwe to be examples of such. Some crimes fit into that description as well. When I say this, I am taking a harder view of evil than that expressed by M. Scott Peck in "People of the Lie", which argues that evil is (in my paraphrasing) around people trying to control others (see my post on control): I am referring to conscious, deliberate, choices. 

PS - for a more up to date version of how I view evil now (in 2024), see http://gnwmythrsglossary.blogspot.com/2014/11/evil.html  

However, in the overwhelming majority of cases, protection is against things like disharmony, or one's overestimation of one's own abilities.

I have some procedures I have set out to "enshrine" a few common sense elements of establishing protection for oneself, for a group that one is part of, or for others who are not present (it is important to respect free will under those circumstances). Over the next few months I will put those into a Word flow chart (I will be doing that as part of preparing to establish the Grove of Gyhldeptis anyway), then convert them to JPEG files and upload them to this post. One of the key aspects of this is checking that whatever one has done to establish protection has actually worked: if you ask for protection, but find you are not, then you have a problem which needs to be solved before you do whatever it was you originally wanted protection for - which, on the extremely rare cases I have encountered it, was annoying, irritating and frustrating - and due to my guides wanting to make sure I would actually show some personal responsibility and check.

Because of the forthcoming uploads, I won't add a photo to this post.

The other point I wish to make is that I am as thorough and precise as I can be. Some examples of the prayers I use for protection follow. (If you use these, you don't have to read out the "See Note ..." :) ) Another one is one that I was taught more recently, when studying Correllian Wicca, and is effective as a quick prayer at any time you need it:
"There is but one power in the Universe and I am a perfect manifestation of that Power. As such, I will that the boundaries of my aura be strong and healthy, repelling all negative and unwanted energy while allowing positibe and healing energy in."

Prior to writing this post: 

at the start of each day:I ask for maximum protection, healing, guidance and white ballasting [see Note 1] from constructive forces [see Note 2] for the Highest Spiritual Good [see Note 3] for myself, my family, friends and my and their supporting units [see Note 4], and all units that will affect or be affected by us [see Note 5], in all times, places, dimensions, levels and realities [see Note 6] throughout this day until I ask for such protection again [see Note 7].

when going to sleep:
I ask for maximum protection from constructive forces for the Highest Spiritual Good for myself, my family and friends, and my and their supporting units, and all units that will affect or be affected by us, in all times, places, dimensions, levels and realities throughout this night/sleep until I ask for such protection again.

for a ritual (I combine this prayer with other work to establish - and check - protection):
I ask for maximum protection from constructive forces for the Highest Spiritual Good for myself, my family and friends, and my and their supporting units, and all units that will affect or be affected by us, in all times, places, dimensions, levels and realities throughout this working until we ask for such protection again.

After writing this post: 

at the start of each day:I ask for maximum protection from constructive forces for the Highest Spiritual Good for myself, my family, friends and others as is for the Highest Spiritual Good, and my and their supporting units, and all units that will affect or be affected by us, in all times, places, dimensions, levels and realities throughout this day until I ask for such protection again.

when going to sleep:I ask for maximum protection from constructive forces for the Highest Spiritual Good for myself, my family, friends and others as is for the Highest Spiritual Good, and my and their supporting units, and all units that will affect or be affected by us, in all times, places, dimensions, levels and realities throughout this night/sleep until I ask for such protection again.

for a ritual (I combine this prayer with other work to establish - and check - protection):I ask for maximum protection from constructive forces for the Highest Spiritual Good for myself, my family, friends and others as is for the Highest Spiritual Good, and my and their supporting units, and all units that will affect or be affected by us, in all times, places, dimensions, levels and realities throughout this working until we ask for such protection again.

Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr

This post has no photo, as it will soon have some figures added.

Tags: protection, planes of existence, interpersonal interactions, karma, life lessons, Lobsang Rampa, love, past lives, Psychic attack, Seth,

First published: Saturday 10th November, 2007
Last edited: Saturday 1st Decmber, 2007

Note 1:
Although this request is basically for protection, my experience is that protection is more effective when it comes with a few extra add-ons (and my teaching at ASPECTS was to ask for these). Not doing so is a bit like sending a SWAT team in to rescue someone who has been kidnapped and critically injured without then providing any medical care: the organisers would look silly if they had someone saved who then had a preventable death from injuries. You may well need a small boost to your energies and state of being, which in itself would re-energise your aura and enhance the natural protection that a healthy aura can provide. Similarly, a little judicious guidance may be a case of "spend a penny, save a pound", or "a stitch in time saves nine": it's a bit like saying to someone, don't drive round that blind corner, there's a cliff round there. As a metaphysical example, consider "Don't walk through that alley, there's a cloud of depressive energy there you don't need to experience."

The term "white ballasting" is a reversal of "negative ballasting", which refers to things which tend to drain or drag one down. White ballasting is a request for things which are uplifting, healing, inspiring, constructive, etc - whether that is a shop attendant smiling, seeing the sun come out from behind some clouds, overhearing a comment which inspires one to patience or a balanced perspective, having positive thoughts forms packed into one's aura, etc.

Note 2:
Just on the off chance that some of the evil dudes (pardon my use of an Americanism) I alluded to are listening in and decide to but in and give their idea of "protection", I specify that I want the help of constructive forces. These are not necessarily all "nice, white Light" type people (the term I was originally taught to use at ASPECTS was "Divine Light Force", and I frequently still use that, but with a much broader understanding of what is "good" than when I started off a few decades ago :) ) - although they are often are. In some cases, I can best be helped by forces that some would consider "undesirable", perhaps because they focus on involutionary aspects where one's focus is on inner reflection, getting to know oneself and focusing on oneself rather than selflessly serving others (and that period will typically be followed by an outwardly focused period, much as the [Wiccan] year is divided into Light ["evolutionary"] and Dark ["involutionary"] halves).

I also consider that making such a specific request demonstrates that I am reasonably aware, and less likely to be gullible or naive (and perhaps thus deserving of better protection?).

Note 3:
Sometimes I have to go through an unpleasant experience for the benefit of my long term spiritual good, whether that is to pay a karmic debt, to strengthen me by being challenged or pushed to the limit or to trigger something in someone else (it is truly amazing what friends will do for each other: Richard Bach's novel "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah" [pub. 1977, ISBN 0-440-20488-7; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusions_%28novel%29, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bach for more on that author] proposes an interesting, but extreme example of such behaviour; on a more common note, I have had people thank me for something which seems minor to me but is major to them - and I owe others debts for such favours, for instance, the people who introduced me to Lobsang Rampa, sailing and Wicca). In such cases, I am asking that my request to - effectively - have smooth sailing be overridden if I should undergo an unpleasant experience for the ultimate good of myself. You could think of it as something like having to undergo a short term, relatively short (relative being in the view of the soul, not this lifetime) pain for long term good - a bit like the short term discomfort of a massage for long term comfort and health.

(That comment is a bit arguable, if you consider gentle massage techniques like myotherapy [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotherapy]. I was originally going to use having shin splints broken off during a sports massage as an example: that was originally described to me [in the 1980s] as overworked muscles trying to stabilise themselves by latching on to nearby bone, and I could feel such attachments on the side of my shin being dislodged when I had my first ever sports massage [after around a dozen years of fairly athletic competition in sailing], and felt a dramatic improvement when I next went for a run. However, when I've tried Wikipedia for a reference, I found a different description [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_splints]; I don't know if that is a cultural variation or not, but I've changed the example anyway.)

Note 4:
If you ask most people who are the most important, supportive people in their life, they'll often go through a bit of a sequence like partner first (that's good, counts as "family"), parents (family again) and maybe other family members (not all families are constructive organisations, however - for instance, some parents are abusive of children, some adult children are abusive of elderly parents, and a number of families have splits of varying severity across various lines). Friends will often get a guernsey - old colloquialism there - sorry :) ; it means, young whippersnappers, that friends will often get the credit they deserve as being important, supportive parts of people's lives. In fact, my initial reaction to someone who doesn't mention friends is that their life may be lacking balance and be unduly focused on family. But important, supportive people go well beyond family and friends: teachers (with apologies to grammar teachers), mentors (I have had several of those, in various fields of life), good bosses (in fact, I'm writing this in the city where I was able to go to while my mother was ill [and for her subsequent death and funeral, and afterwards to help my father get established in his new phase of life] largely because of a good boss), good neighbours, etc can all be important and supportive - one might even find a telling off by a judge or cop when going off the rails is enough to turn some people's lives round and qualify that judge or cop as a "supporting unit".

A "supporting unit" is a person, place or thing that helps one to be all that one can be: I've focused on people, but it could also be music that one finds relaxing (after a stressful time) or reinvigorating (after a tiring time), a special physical, astral or mental place that one goes to, or an organisation where one is learning or being given the opportunity to serve. All of those deserve to be included when you are asking for protection in their own right; more realistically, people tend to get motivated into asking for protection for those who are of significance to them, which means the subtle people, places, energies and things that are supportive of oneself and those one is close to. To take a specific example, if a special mentor gets a great deal of pleasure from a music system, you want that system looked after and kept safe and in good working order as well, so the special mentor can keep doing their special mentoring :)

As I worked through this, I've become aware just how self centred this is, and I will now propose to use a variation to include people who are deserving of protection, even though neither I nor those significant to me may not know them - whether that is someone who is making a special effort, or getting a hard time and deserves a break, or someone else. To do this, I will add the phrase "and others as is for the Highest Spiritual Good".

Right, now for the next essay (this has wound up being juuuust a tad longer than I anticipated :) ).

Note 5:
"And all units that will affect or be affected by us" came originally out of refining the request for protection for a circle where specific work was being done: it is a way of asking specifically that those one is seeking to help (whether "those" are people, places, things or energies) be given whatever help is necessary, including but not limited to protection (my legal influences are showing!), to enable the help to be as effective as possible.

This request is also extended to those who could interfere with or unduly influence that request. Now, those people are not only people who are evil: in fact, most such influences are perfectly ordinary everyday people. For instance, consider the child who wants a tired parent to give them some attention when it may be that the parent needs sleep now, after which they can give quality time to that child; the child would be a unit who is influencing the parent, if healing and/or help is being sent to them. By making this request, what may happen is that the child may see the parent is desperately tired and say "Mummy/Daddy, you go get some sleep" (such miracles can and do happen). On a slightly harder note, think of someone who does someone unforgivable to you or your family - perhaps harm one of your children, if you have any, or harm a parent or a close friend if you don't have children. Under such circumstances, what tends to happen is that many people want revenge, rather than justice, and that desire can carry through into future lifetimes (see my posts on past life regressions and working with karma as an energy). Now consider the possibility that you may well have done such harm to others (if you can't admit the possibility, you may well be wasting your time reading this blog): you may well have changed from the person you were two hundred or two thousand or twenty thousand years ago when you did that harm, and be perfectly willing to admit you made a mistake, but that grudge and hurt held by your victim could still be restricting you. Under those circumstances, if you are a reasonably evolved person, you generally wish to make up for your past wrongdoing and wish your victim well, but you still want to be able to get on with your life and with making yourself a better person. So, include those people as "units affecting you" and they could well be given enough healing to change their attitude - maybe even enough to acknowledge past reparations you have made in other lives.

I'll finish this with one more example: let's say you forget to properly secure your car's handbrake, and it rolls down the hill and damages the bumper of another car. For the you immediately apologise, loan your car to the "victim" while you arrange and pay for repairs (or hire them another car, if that is on your car insurance or you are rich enough to do so) and make further reparations (e.g., tickets to favourite events). However, the person concerned may be so wrapped up in their car that this isn't enough for them, and they want to keep milking the accident for all it is worth, or maybe they just want to thump you or smash your car because of their problem with anger (remember that, in my opinion, anger is a behaviour, not an emotion). By asking for protection to include "units affecting" you are asking that you be kept safe from such unreasonable, troubled people - and also your family & friends and others of significance to you. Furthermore, the prayer (particularly the modified version) would also include others who are possibly affected by that person - such as their family. If they are behaving this way with you, a complete stranger in this example, they may (it's not guaranteed!) well exhibit such irrational extremism with others as well, including perhaps their children.

Note 6:
Most people interested in metaphysics know about the different levels of reality - physical, etheric, astral (some have a couple of levels here), mental, spiritual and soul (with possibly causal as a further level). We exist on all of these levels: we have an astral body (which leaves the body during sleep and at death, which it survives), an etheric body (which is capable of leaving the body: in my experience, there can be some confusion about whether one is experiencing astral travel or etheric travel). The higher levels of our being are what we interpret as our Higher Self, and at even higher levels, connect us to all of creation. This request is asking that the protection and help be at all levels of our existence: to use an analogy, there's not much point making sure the tyres on a car are safe if the body is going to be allowed to fall apart because of rust.

The request further extends to include all places that all of these units will be, and all times - until the next request for protection has been made. (Perhaps this request would even cover the alley with the cloud of depressive energy I mentioned in Note 1, particularly when combined with what I wrote about in Note 5?)

It goes further to include alternate realities and dimensions, and I refer you to the works by Seth, as channelled by Jane Roberts, to gain an understanding of these.

Note 7:
Out of respect for those who are providing the requested protection, etc, I specify a time. If I don't, I consider that I am being a bit like someone who, say, calls an ambulance officer in for a shift, and then says "now please that shift going for all the rest of eternity". By including a time element, I am - in my case, given my awareness and the way I think and have agreed matters with my guides - demonstrating my awareness that I may be receiving this protection from a range of entities/units.

Links for references made in the text of this post:
- my post on developing psychic strength: Cross-training , persistence, priorities
- M. Scott Peck's "People of the Lie": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peck
- my post on control: Control
- ASPECTS and John Fitzsimons: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~johnf/welcome.htm
- Lobsang Rampa: http://www.karenmutton.com/rampa/intro.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Rampa
- my post on working with karma as an energy: Workshop on Past Lives - Part 1: working with karm...
- my post on past life regressions: Workshop on Past Lives - Part 2: regressions
- my post on anger being a behaviour, not an emotion: Anger is not an emotion
- levels of existence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plane_%28metaphysics%29
- astral travel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_plane
- etheric travel: I will have to find this in some of my books: for now, try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etheric_plane
- Seth and Jane Roberts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Roberts 

Remember: we generally need to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering” (just as binary gendered [men’s and women’s] sporting teams are either both given the gender descriptor, or neither).

Copyright © Kayleen White 2007-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-ShareAlike basis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/  

 

 

 

Post No. 020 - The secret science of hugs

I recently had the compliment of a friend saying he needed one of my hugs: that's nice, and it's not the first time I've had compliments on my hugs. I've even had a couple of people who commented on my "secret" for a great hug: opening chakras (specifically, the heart chakra). 

PS - hugs, as with all physical contact, must be consensual  

If you have had much to do with psychic development work, you will know that protection is important, and that will include issues such as closing or sealing one's aura, grounding, flaming, psychic strength ... and closing chakras. Various psychic exercises will then require opening those chakras.

Each chakra is associated with a certain function: for instance, the forehead or "third eye" chakra is commonly associated with clairvoyance, the throat chakra with communication (including clairaudience, in some systems), the solar plexus chakra with emotions and will power, and the heart chakra with the various forms of love. The respective function is maximised when the chakra is "opened" (the function never completely shuts down, however: it is not as if, for instance, we are incapable of any communication whatsoever if our throat chakra is not opened - or we are utterly incapable of love if our heart chakra has been "closed" by one of the techniques that are available).

(For some group work, people try to harmonise their chakras; I'm considering whether or not using the Sephira of the Qabballah can be used as an alternative to that - watch http://qabalist.org/q-blog/ [now a dead link] for more on that :) )

Most people know of seven major chakras, but there are others - for instance, the hands and major organs of the body will typically have a (minor) chakra, and I will shortly be studying a system which seems to look at harmonics or octaves of chakras. I currently work with thirteen chakras: the only one I want to mention here is the "Earth Star" chakra (which I think I first read about in a book by Katrina Raphael about crystals that has gone walkabout: unfortunately, I can't find the two books of hers that I do have, so I'll have to post the details of that some other time). The Earth Star chakra is about 6" (15cm - we've been metric since the 70s or 80s, but some things I haven't changed over) below our feet (yes, that's right, dear reader: below our feet - after all, our aura does happen to extend beyond our body ... ), and is the chakra which connects us to Mother Earth. I personally consider the loss of common knowledge of this chakra to be part of the problem that humanity has in caring for our world. That, however, is a pet peeve for another post :) What I will add to this post (after my signature) is an edited version of an article I wrote for the Temple of La Veda (see ), which I'm not sure I actually completed and posted - it is based on some notes on chakra system (at that stage twelve chakras) that I sent to a few friends a few years ago.

When friends hug, it is the heart chakras that line up; if the people concerned are feeling fond of each other, their heart chakras will tend naturally to open up, and allow a free flow of energy between the two (I've not actually thought about this for group hugs; my initial reaction is that the heart chakras don't line up or connect, but maybe the group hug creates some sort of temporary energy centre where energies can flow through to each other).

This psychic openness is what gives a fair part of the nice feeling that goes with such a hug. It can be quite natural, and tends to happen more with people we are in harmony with, or who we like (those matters tend to be related, but aren't necessarily always related. Incidentally, when we relax, or feel comfortable, it isn't only our body language that is more at ease and "open": our auras and energy centres tend to also be more open and relaxed. (That is part of the problem when some people get drunk: their aura becomes so open that they can be partly possessed [technically, overshadowed or obsessed] and undergo a change of personality [usually to a personality far less pleasant, possibly even violent.)

If you want to give better hugs, allow your heart chakra to open. I find that quite easy, but if you don't, you may have to do some exercises (e.g., visualising doors opening, or a flower blooming, or perhaps the sound of the chakra increasing). As always, do such exercises with appropriate protection established first.

I mentioned protection: there is a risk with this openness, and that is that one may get a slug of unpleasant energy. That doesn't necessarily mean your friend is being malicious: it may simply be that, if you have more energy, they receive some of your energy, or that you are able to do some healing or clearing of negative energy. It may also simply be that there is a certain amount of incompatibility between the two of you.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing: think of two colours that clash, or two scents that don't agree, or two sounds that jar. Each on their own is fine: it is the combination that is unfortunate. Most sources I read suggest that as we all evolve, we will become more in harmony with each other. I don't necessarily agree with that: I suspect there could well still be some moments of lack of harmony (especially on this world, where so many of us are going through such vastly different expressions of our soul - different paths, if you will), but the true showing of evolved beings is that they will be able to overcome any such lack of natural harmony and be able to work together.

Going back to hugs, if you've received a slug of something unpleasant, calmly and without rancour or anger clear or dissolve it, and then go on to be brave enough to open your chakras again when you next hug someone.

I wish you good hugging :)

Love, light, HUGS and blessings

Gnwmythr

This post's photo was taken in the valley where the MacKenzies Falls are located, in Geriwerd.

Notes on chakras:
Following the recent "First Keys" workshop, I though I'd put some of my thoughts regarding chakras down. I considered the "First Keys" workshop to be excellent, and I was particularly interested in a comment along the lines of chakras and energy pathways being potential - they have to be worked with to become "actual" (my words). That rang a bell with me - particularly as I recently read an article somewhere on the net challenging the notion of chakras, and also because I work with a twelve major chakra system (I am not referring to the other chakras in the hands and at major points within the body, which I first read about in one of Lobsang Rampa's books [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobsang_Rampa, and other posts where I have referred to Rampa - particularly http://gnwmythr.blogspot.com/2007/08/purpose.html]).

And at this point, I have to humbly make an apology, as I haven't been able to find the article challenging chakras nor the original source of the twelve chakra system (I THINK it may have been Katrina Raphael's third book on crystals [as a digression, I consider that she is the best author on crystals]), but I recall that one of the chakras, between the heart and solar plexus chakra is attributed in that source to Shirley Maclaine (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Maclaine).

I can say that the breathing exercises for the traditional seven main chakras I will write about are from "Energy Ecstasy: Your Seven Vital Chakras", by Bernhard Gunther (pub. Newcastle Publishing Co. Inc., Van Nuys, CA, USA, ISBN 0-87877-066-6).

Assuming everyone is familiar with the seven traditional chakras, I'll start describing my extra five with the lowest chakra: the "Earth Star". This chakra is located in the aura, around 6" (sorry - 150mm) below the feet, and (going from memory, as I couldn't re-find the original reference) has the function of connecting us with this physical reality - ie, Mother Earth. My personal opinion is that the lack of awareness of this is one reason that humans as a whole tend to be somewhat disconnected from Mother Earth.

Going upwards, the next extra chakra (this one is, I think, attributed to Shirley Maclaine) is between the heart and solar plexus chakras, and was described as having the function of connecting our emotions (solar plexus) with our love centre (heart chakra). From memory, this chakra was being manifested as part of a perceived trend towards a more loving, centred population (ie, emergence of New Age/Age of Pisces).

The last three extra chakras are: - Soul Star, to connect us to our Higher Self, located just outside the head but behind the crown chakra - Spirit Star, located about 6" or 150mm above the head, to connect us with the world of Spirit generally (much as the Earth Star connects us to physical reality; I see the Soul Star as a personal chakra, connecting us with our spirit personally, and the Spirit Star as connecting us with "all the spooks up there", to be a bit irreverent) - Causal Star, located about 12" or 300mm above the head, to connect us with Deity.
I'm not going to claim that this is a correct description of these extra chakras, but it's the best I can do, and reflects my personal practise fairly well.

Bernhard Gunther's book "Energy Ecstasy: Your Seven Vital Chakras", which I mentioned, describes a coordinated system of breathing and visualisation to promote good functioning of the seven traditional chakras; I've extended that in a way which suits me for the twelve chakra system, and the result is as follows.

Earth Star - I visualise the chakra as a mini-Earth, and as I breathe in (ie - visualise flowing in with my breath as I inhale) green, red and brown, and direct the energy to the Earth Star; as I breathe out, I visualise any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" flowing out of that chakra and leaving me with my breath, leaving the chakra bright, shiny and new (to be a little facetious). I may need to do this several times till I feel that the energy in that chakra is right (or, to put it another way, that the chakra is functioning properly). If I am doing this with my alternate nostril breathing, as I usually am, I aim to do this for one complete cycle of in right - out left - in left - out right, for the sake of balance. As I do this, I mentally chant either "Malkuth" or "Adonai" (which come from the Qabballah) or (since the First Keys workshop, as this practise evolves and changes as I do) "hum".

Base chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book: I visualise a rectangular, red coloured box in front of the base chakra, at the level of the base chakra; as I breathe in I visualise drawing that red energy from the box into the base chakra, and as I breathe out I visualise any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" flowing out of that chakra and leaving with my breath. Again, if I am doing this with my alternate nostril breathing, as I usually am, I aim to do this for one complete cycle of in right - out left - in left - out right. As I do this, I mentally chant "ba".

Second chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book, I visualise an orange pyramid with the top cut off in front of the second chakra (which he refers to as the "spleen chakra"; I've come across other terms as well and at this stage generally just say "second chakra", even though it isn't in the system I work with: I may change that shortly), at the level of the base chakra; as I breathe in I visualise drawing that orange energy from the box into the base chakra, and as I breathe out I visualise any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" flowing out of that chakra and leaving with my breath (Bernhard Gunther has visualisations for dispersing this energy for each chakra - e.g., allowing the pyramid to collapse and direct the expelled energy in all directions in this case; I haven't used those for some time and find just generally either directing the expelled energy into a ball of light, or Mother earth for recycling, works as well for me - but that may not be the case for others). I aim to do this for one complete cycle of in right - out left - in left - out right. The mental chant is "la".

Solar plexus chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book, I visualise a green cylinder completely around me; as I breathe in I visualise drawing that green energy from the cylinder into the solar plexus chakra, and as I breathe out I visualise any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" energy leaving the chakra with my breath. I aim to do this for one complete cycle of in right - out left - in left - out right. The mental chant is "ra".

Chakra between heart and solar plexus - I tend to light-heartedly call this Shirley Maclean's chakra, but that is only because I haven't really through of a more appropriate name for it. I visualise the earth in front of the chakra, and draw in blue and green (and exhale the disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" energy) while chanting - since the First Key's workshop "Hum". (Obviously, I'm not worried about using a chant twice.)

Heart chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book, I visualise a gold cross (or an ankh) in front of this chakra; I breathe in the gold energy from the cross or ankh into the heart chakra, and breathe out any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" energy, for one complete cycle of alternate nostril breathing. The mental chant is "ya hm" (I think I've got the spelling wrong there). This is probably my favourite of these exercise: it is the one that I get the most from.

Throat chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book, I visualise a light blue cup (this is actually a simplification of the symbol used by Gunther) in front of this chakra; I breathe in the blue energy, and breathe out any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" energy, for one complete cycle of alternate nostril breathing. The mental chant is "ha".

Third eye chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book, I visualise an indigo six pointed star in front of this chakra; breathe in the indigo energy, and breathe out any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" energy, for one complete cycle of alternate nostril breathing. The mental chant is "ah".

Crown chakra - from Bernhard Gunther's book, I visualise a purple lotus above this chakra; breathe in the purple energy, and breathe out any disharmonious, inappropriate or "negative" energy, for one complete cycle of alternate nostril breathing (or more, if needed). The mental chant is "om".

For the top three chakras I do not visualise a flow of energy: i simply visualise the colour in the location of the chakra. I mentioned in this that I am continuing to develop this technique as I change with time, and the techniques I use for these top three are probably most fluid. I am interested in anything others find works well for these chakras.

Soul Star - visualise white light and chant either "Eheieh" (which comes from the Qabballah) or (very occasionally) my spirit name for at least one set of alternate nostril breathing

Spirit Star - visualise pure brilliance (this is meant to be something beyond any conception of being any one colour - or more colours) and chant "Kether"

Causal Star - this is a bit hard to describe (and no doubt harder to understand - sorry :) ), but I visualise almost the concept of energy. To understand this better, I would suggest reading some of the "Seth" books channelled through Jane Roberts (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Roberts), and can suggest a few in particular if anyone is interested (and given some time to check through them). I sometimes chant "Kether", sometimes don't chant and just enjoy the stillness.

Tags: chakras, Lobsang Rampa, New Age, interpersonal interactions, Seth, energy work, healing, responsibility,
First published: Thursday 4th October, 2007