Let's close our eyes, sit upright and relax …

We breathe deeply and slowly to centre ourselves …

We sense a light filling us and the room, the light of Divine love …

We ask that all our work this evening comes from this light …

We ask that we become channels for love to flow through us in appropriate measure and form, for us and for the person being healed …

We dedicate them our full attention and concentration so this love can flow …

We ask that everything comes from the highest,. . .

is for the highest good …

and is blessed for the entire time we are working …

We give thanks that it will be so. Now we will open our eyes and prepare for the healing.

Let's close our eyes and centre ourselves in the light … We make a connection of unconditional love and non-judgement amongst us, including X (the healee) …

For the duration of the healing, we will give X our total and undivided attention …

(Part B)

We ask that all unwanted energies from this healing may pass from us into the earth to be absorbed during the whole time the healing takes place…

(Part C)

We ask that we become pure channels of divine love for the healing, so that just the energy that X needs can flow through us, according to our capacity to pass it on …

Sometimes it feels more 'real' if parts B and C are done with imagery, for example:

(Alternative B)

Let's imagine that we are trees, with roots going down deep into the earth …

These roots will take away any unwanted energy during the healing …

(Alternative C)

Let's imagine a column of light passing through us … From the column, just the right amount is drawn off for this healing, passing down our arms, through our hands and / or into our voice, as necessary …

Since this is a 'practice', to learn the technique, the healing itself is by-passed and the triad goes on to Part 3.

3. Finishing

The lead healer says:

Now the healing is gently coming to a close. . .

Remove your hands from X, so gently that they don't even feel them going …

Release your connection with X, leaving all the energy of the healing with them …

directing any surplus energy into the earth…

and retaining all your own, personal energy…

Now, affirm your own regular identity by repeating your own name silently to yourself…

When you are ready, open your eyes.

The triad then checks if the lead healer has mentioned all the points in the above meditations and swaps around, until each person has practised the technique.

The reasons for formalising the technique come from experience. Parts 1 and 2(A) establish the group in light and love at the highest level on which it is capable of functioning, abolishing day to day criticisms and judgement of others.

Part 2(B) is necessary because healing does not only involve giving energy. The person being healed may release energy and you don't want to take that energy in. There is no point in the healee getting better and the healer getting worse!

Part 2(C) is to ensure that you don't, in your desire to heal, give your own physical energy to the person being healed, as this only results in the healee feeling temporarily stronger and you weaker! By being channels for Divine love you are involved with a limitless energy source benefiting both healers and healee.

Part 3 is important because, in the intensity of a healing, you sometimes bind yourselves together energetically. If you don't fully return to your own individual and distinct self, there can be a disorienting sensation of not knowing who you are!

Thus, these short meditations have a purpose and value for everyone in the group. If more than one healing is to be performed in an evening, Part 1 need only be done once, but, until the group is experienced, it is better to do it before every healing.

Having learned the preparatory meditations, we can now move to the real healing itself.

 

Doing a Healing

After Part 1 is completed, the lead healer welcomes the person to be healed and invites them to lie down on their back on the mattress. A healing can be performed in any position, but lying down full length on the back makes a 'healee' feel more open and vulnerable. It also allows the group to be around the person comfortably. Someone offers the healee a blanket and, if it is wanted, spreads it over them.

The lead healer then asks the healee to describe their problem. Everyone listens carefully and may ask for clarification, such as, 'How long has it been going on?'; 'What treatment have you already sought?'; 'Were there significant circumstances when it began?'; etc. This helps to relax the healee and indicates real interest.

Notice that we are all good at fabricating explanations of our problems which don't necessarily go to their source. In the healing, trust your intuition. Incidentally, the problem need not only be a physical complaint; one can have a healing for any problem, from the seemingly trivial to the seemingly devastating. Each problem is given equivalent attention by the healers. Who knows what is really hidden behind a superficial explanation?

Then the lead healer tells the healee:

All you need to do is to relax and be comfortable. Is it alright if we lay our hands on you during the healing?

Most people like this; it gives reassurance, but it is not essential. In a very few cases, people prefer no physical contact. The group leader continues:

I may share images with you during the healing, and we may make sounds or sing.

Then the lead healer leads the group into Part 2, to prepare for the healing.

In a group healing, the lead healer is a little like the conductor of an orchestra. The group obeys them implicitly. Even if, as an individual, you are not happy with what is going on, abide with it and share your feelings afterwards. Otherwise, the energy will be disrupted.

In the conductor's repertoire are:

* energy passing through the hands (which might have a colour or hue);

* sharing of images;

* verbal guided meditation or symbols or 'stories' (only told by the leader);

* sounds made by the leader, which the group takes up for as long as the lead healer thinks appropriate, or even songs, which the group also takes up.

As lead healer, you 'hold the energy' in the room, your faith ensuring that it expresses Divine love and light alone.

The basic theme is harmony of divine love flowing through the healing group to the healee, with whatever energy the healee releases flowing back into the earth. Everyone has their own way of leading a healing; everyone has a different nuance to give. 'Strangely enough', usually the healer and healee are 'just right' for each other.

After completing Part 2, the lead healer opens their eyes gently and tells the group to do so as well. From then on, you must trust your intuition implicitly. You position the group members around the healee as it feels right to you, and instruct them to place their hands on the healee's body accordingly. (There shouldn't be heavy hand pressure or any kind of massage. You are working with energy.) Eyes can then be closed again.

Next, you begin to allow the energy to flow through the group to the healee. If it seems to have a colour, tell the group to channel that colour! After a while, you may 'feel' words, or 'see' images; share them! You may, at some point, sense a sound waiting to be made. Instruct the group to make it with you! When it seems sufficient, stop! Sometimes there is humour. Sometimes there is total silence. Trust your intuition! You have set its source with your preparatory meditation.

Eventually, when it seems that the healee has absorbed all the energy they are able to take, bring the healing to a close, with Part 3.

After some moments, ask the healee to say how they feel. Don't let them go into details or ask for explanations. The very best thing for them is to go straight to bed. If this is possible, one of the group - a friend if one is there can be asked to take them. If the healee is part of the group and the group is going to do another healing, lie them down in a corner somewhere to relax and doze. Don't let them take part in the next healing.

All this is done because it is easy to 'talk away' the energy of a healing, or lose it in further activity. A group channelling love is powerful treatment; it needs to be absorbed. After the healee is out of earshot, the group can discuss the impressions and images they had. If the person who received the healing belongs to the group, they can share at the next meeting.

 

Notes about Healing

This way of performing hearings is simple and uncomplicated. It can be adapted easily to do individual hearings. (You can do the preparatory meditations silently, telling the healee that you are preparing yourself. But never skim over them!) You will never be given more than you can handle. Trust this and have confidence.

Sometimes a healing releases stored pain and grief. If a person starts crying heavily during the work, encourage them to breathe deeply, until they return to their normal breathing. Very occasionally, a healee may have tremors as the energy 'works' .Again, lovingly regulate the breathing and the tremors will subside after a while. Have confidence in your preparatory meditations. You are a pure channel of Divine love; nothing can go wrong. You don't need any intermediate 'beings' or 'helpers' for the healing. Divine love itself is flowing through you. It is your highest, limitless energy — your ultimate truth.

Here are some pitfalls to avoid. Do not get hung up about results. Healing works only to the degree that all parties allow it. Trying hard doesn't make for better healing; it just tires you out. Relax, allow the energy to flow through you. That way it will work best.

Perhaps the healee is just starting to work on their problem. Your healing will be a contribution, though much still remains to be done. Perhaps the healee is just ready to release a problem; then the results may be more dramatic, but your contribution was only the very last touch to the break through. A stone doesn't necessarily shatter the first time you hit it. But the tenth blow which breaks it may only be a tap; the other nine have done the main work.

Secondly, anything that happens is love's work, not your ego's. Don't bathe yourself in the healee's praise: 'I feel wonderful, the pain's all gone', or feel useless if they say: It's just as bad as before'. Your responsibility is to channel unconditional love as appropriately as you can and to lead the group through in harmony. That is all.

If you like to practise healing, be careful not to confuse it with self-confidence. A person who only feels good when they are healing generates around them illnesses to heal. Such a healer's good feelings depend upon other people's pain; don't be a 'do-gooder', but do channel love! That will do you good and bring you closer to your ultimate truth, Love itself.

'Miracle' hearings area product of faith, confidence and grace; perfect confidence on the part of the healer, perfect faith on part of the healee. As Jesus said: "Your faith has made you whole." Such hearings are a result of perfection, so let yourself be a trainee and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere, good experiences and fine company of doing hearings with a group. You are on your way.

In two of the exercises so far, you have supported your partner verbally by describing their 'house' and by giving them a verbal healing (in the triad exercise). This verbal work can be developed into something you do in a group with others, an intense and uplifting experience.

The group divides into subgroups of 4 or 5 people (3 are too few, and 6 would made the subgroup too big), but you don't need an overall group leader for this exercise, except to start the proceedings off. Once the groups are established, you can come together for a preparatory meditation, which does need a guide. As usual, this is to set the energy for the work and everyone should be familiar with it by now. The group sits in a circle round the candle:

Relax, close your eyes …

Breathe slowly and consciously to bring yourself fully present …

See an inner light shining from the group, filling the whole room with light …

We ask that everything we do in this exercise is in the light, comes from the highest and is for the highest good …

We ask that the exercise be blessed, so that each member receives exactly the information they require, in ways they can accept …

We give thanks that these things will be so …

Now, gently, open your eyes.

The subgroups then form, each having the maximum available space (but stay in the room you have filled with light). Everyone will need paper and pen and there should be enough chairs and/or cushions and blankets to make yourselves comfortable.

One person in the subgroup now becomes temporary group leader and another, X, becomes the one to share a 'problem', again, of any sort. The subgroup reforms in a fan shape, so that everyone is directly facing X, close together, giving each member the same access to X.

After the problem is shared, the first leader guides the group in a little meditation, as follows:

We close our eyes and feel the light embracing the group …

We make a connection together, of non-judgement and unconditional love …

and allow our highest intuition to give us information relevant to the problem that X has just shared …

We give thanks for this opportunity …

Whoever is ready can begin.

The subgroup stays with eyes closed, except for X, who takes up pen and paper. The temporary group leader can both take part and keep aware of what is going on. Bypassing the rational thought process and trusting the preparatory meditations, each person now shares the images or words that come to them, one person at a time.

If you feel brave, inwardly ask for an interpretation of symbols or images, but don't let your reason take over; the aim is to work with Divine intelligence. Also, don't think anything that comes is silly or inappropriate; just share it. When all the 'readers' have shared, have another go. You may well find that something someone else has said stimulated you. Don't forget to keep your eyes closed the whole time.

X writes everything down. When it all seems complete, and without leaving a ponderous pause, the temporary group leader says:

Is everyone finished? …

We give thanks for the information we received …

and release the special connection with X, sensing our own name ringing within us …

We now open our eyes.

Without any chatter, the group rearranges itself so that another member becomes X and someone else is temporary leader. Then the whole procedure is repeated, including the meditations at the beginning and the end. Since this exercise involves concentration and a lot of sitting still, it is good to take a little break after the second session, without losing the atmosphere or talking about the work..

In turn, the remaining members of the group take on the roles of X and temporary group leader, repeating the meditations for each session, till all have had their turn at being 'read' and leading the group.

The final temporary group leader then adds the following sentence to the concluding meditation:

We give thanks for each other's loving attention and caring …

And we open our eyes.

After such a period of intensive concentration, the group usually feels tired but uplifted, ready for a group hug and home!

Study what you received when you were X. If it feels irrelevant or cryptic, read it last thing at night and ask for a dream about it. You may get insights that way. Don't get hung up if somebody says something you feel is totally wrong. Just write it down and notice it. Remember, as in all the other exercises, the point is to learn to open yourself to Spirit in different ways. Each of you is learning: the subgroup members to contact higher wisdom; the Xs, acceptance and surrender. Learn to accept that the temperament of each member of the group will 'colour' their words or actions. Let them be who they are — they'll change faster that way - and expect the same for yourself.

After repeating this exercise several times in the group, you may feel confident enough to ask some friends in to 'have a clinic'. Do explain to them carefully what is going on, and don't let them take part in the group apart from receiving information. They need more experience first. Believe it or not, by the time you've come to the point of asking friends in for Exercises 9 and 10, you will have moved a lot in yourself. You'll find you have new insights, new challenges, and more powerful tools for looking at the world and a greater degree of detachment from it. The light in your eyes will be glowing brighter!

This exercise is the basis of learning how to channel — to receive messages from a higher source. It is not necessary for any channelling to actually occur, but the exercise is a further way of learning how to trust. We cannot demand to receive messages from a higher source, for we are still ego-bound and not in control of that source. We can 'set' our energy to the highest and see what happens. This is what is done in the exercise.

It starts with a meditation to set the energy at the highest, and then, for a set period of time, the group members allow whatever comes to each individual to be written down. This is not the same as 'automatic' writing, where the hand writes without the volition of the writer. That sometimes happens in this exercise, but mostly, words, images or ideas come, letting the source, our highest consciousness, play on them and to give us what we need.

What we need is not always what we want. In one group a member had always been a 'good' girl, and was most upset when she found, during her first attempt, that she just wanted to scribble and slash the pen across the paper. Of course, this was what she needed to break free from the straitjacket of worldly 'goodness' she'd imposed on herself throughout her life. Later, she received some beautiful messages.

The challenge is to abandon judgement and censorship of what goes on, and dare to write down whatever may come. Maybe, for you, the 'right' thing just now is to free material from your unconscious mind. Or to break away from the conformity of your education and be creative. Or to exercise your imagination in the realms of fantasy. Some people write 'stream of consciousness' passages. Others draw. Some write frenetically for the whole duration, others jot down a few 'key' words. Occasionally, people find themselves writing in strange 'scripts'.

The important thing is not to say that only such and such is appropriate and enter into self-censorship or judgement. In some cases it may be appropriate to write nothing at all, but usually this indicates that the ego has entered into a game of resistance and censorship. If that appears to be happening, write it down, too: 'I'm getting nothing'; 'I'm resisting putting my thoughts down', as this often acts as a bridge to writing. Trust the meditation. You may be being shown how your thought-forms stifle your potential.

Here is how to do the exercise.

 

Part 1: Writing

Everyone will need a pen and plenty of paper, with a spare pile in the room, in case someone runs out. A writing board or large book may help. If there are tables available, chairs can be set round them. Then everyone seeks out a 'good' position for themselves, settles down with pen and paper and the group leader begins, as follows:

Close your eyes, relax your bodies, allow your deep, slow breathing to centre you …

Let's imagine a light, shining from each one of us and filling the room, the light of Divine love, our highest Self…

We ask that this light be our source in this exercise, and that we receive exactly what is appropriate for us to receive today …

We ask that the exercise be blessed; that, for its whole duration we are guided by the light and are in the light …

In this knowledge, we joyfully open ourselves to whatever comes to us, without restraint or self-censorship … We give thanks for this opportunity …

Now, open your eyes and begin writing as soon as anything comes to you, thought, image, symbol, story, good advice, whatever. Don't wait for things to be complete in your head before you start writing. Just begin. You have 25 minutes.

(Twenty-five minutes is an appropriate amount of time for a group to work with.)

The group leader should participate, but with half an eye of awareness on the rest of the group, in case their support is needed by someone with strong emotions. Intervene only if the process is really disrupting the energy in the room.

At the end, the group leader says:

The time is over …

Finish the sentence you are writing …

Everyone close their eyes and do an inner check. Did you write everything that came to you, or did you think some things were inappropriate and leave them out? If so, notice it without judging yourself …

We give thanks for this time and for everything we have received …

Releasing this state by repeating our name to ourselves inwardly, we open our eyes.

• Part 2: Sharing

The second part of the exercise is to share what has been received. It is just as powerful as the first part. There is no obligation on a person to read out or show what has come to them, but if the group is loving, supportive and non-judgemental, all will find themselves able to share.

The group members form a circle round the candle, get comfortable (for the sharing may last a long time), then the group leader starts with an attunement, all holding hands:

We see the room filled with light and give thanks for this time of sharing together …

As we share, let's remember that no one has received anything 'better' than anyone else, that each person got what was right for them and that sharing gives us the collective wisdom the group received …

Let's now open our eyes.

Before they share what they have received, each person explains what happened for them during the exercise. After they have finished, questions or comments are in order, but no criticism or judgmental statements. Anything like that breaks trust and can kill the atmosphere very quickly. Be supportive to every person in the group, whether they 'heard Cod's words', or got nothing at all. Every group member gives each sharer their full attention.

At the end, a normal closing attunement finishes the session.

 

Notes

The exercise can be repeated by the group every so often. You will discover that what you receive changes and develops with time. Also, intuitive writing can be done individually at home.

If you try it, remember never to skim over on the meditation, for that sets your energy to the highest level. Always allow a limited time period, after which you stop, no matter how eager you are to continue. The physical body gets tired, holding such a high energy. There is always another time and the Higher Self won't go away or forget! As you practise, you can extend the time you take. Remember also that you don't need to rush to write down everything that comes. Find your own calm and relaxed pace. Nothing will be lost; but by rushing, you might have difficulty deciphering what you wrote!

For some people, the love that these messages express is very moving. Perhaps you haven't realised that you are loved in this very personal way, that God is with you. Eventually, you may develop confidence in this higher contact. The way to do so is by checking it carefully against your day-to-day experience. If it consistently does not contradict your common sense and conscience, it can become a way to assist in guiding your life.

It has become fashionable and popular to 'channel' wisdom from 'disembodied beings'. This may happen to you; but surely, it would be more preferable to channel from the highest source of all, the reality of life which is your own essence - Divine love itself. It will joyfully express itself through you if you give it the opportunity. That is the point of all these exercises.

There is something of glamorous consumerism about the 'New Age' tendency to 'get wisdom from the masters', play with crystals and various 'magical' phenomena. This book is written for those who want to go beyond all that and find Truth and the reality of Divine love in themselves. Seek the highest and you will find it.

The foregoing exercises provide a basis for an ongoing spiritual group, centred itself on spiritual healing and intuitive counselling, as described in Exercises 9 and 10. The group may meet regularly, fortnightly or monthly. But always begin with a meditation and spiritual sharing — make sure you avoid gossip and general sharing about the state of the world, etc. Then it can continue with healings and / or intuitive clinic. If group members have other exercises of value they'd like to introduce, that is fine, although it is best to have an ongoing theme.

As soon as the group develops enough confidence, friends should be invited to visit for hearings or counselling. It concentrates the mind wonderfully to have to work with someone from outside, and gives a sense of service to the activity. With more experience, you may also want to work with strangers, who have been recommended by those you have already practised with.

After a while — perhaps in a year or two — the 'natural life' of the group will come to an end. Each member will then put the experience which they have gained from it to work in their ongoing lives; some may even go on to be healers or spiritual counsellors. So let the group go, with gratitude, and without regret.

Working with these exercises, repeating them, and expanding from them, will provide a means of focusing the activities of the 'good company' you need, and help to strengthen your spiritual commitment. They can increase your confidence in the practice of love.

As you grow in strength, take what you learn in the group out into life. Life is the biggest exercise you have to take part in. No one can evade the challenge, but it helps to approach it consciously. Approach life seeking the ephemeral and it will mirror the ephemeral back to you. Come the day that your life ends, and you will have nothing. All will have been wasted, all will have to be repeated!

Approach life seeking happiness through love and it will unfold for you like a great story book, each page showing the way from 'here' to 'there' .Although, when you finally get 'there', you will find that you are still 'here'! However your consciousness will be totally transformed so that you see with God's eyes — your own true eyes.

Don't be fainthearted. Above all, don't think of yourself as a miserable, hopeless sinner. There are bound to be many mistakes and setbacks as you explore life. But see them for what they are - mistakes and setbacks. Resolve to learn; forgive yourself. Aspire to love now. You don't need to postpone it for other lifetimes. It is offered to you now. Set out on the voyage of life's journey to love and you will reach the harbour. Happiness begins to be yours as soon as you set off, for you have a purpose which will constantly engage you, never bore you, and will inflame you with transformation.

The journey from self to Self is exciting. It doesn't take place in a church, monastery or temple - they are but spaces where you can breathe calmly for a moment. The journey begins as soon as you wake up and goes on until your head touches the pillow and your eyes close even then it goes on, as you absorb the teachings and opportunities the day has brought.

The message underlying each part of this book is: change your focus from the desires, objects, and connections of the outer world to the love that is the essence of all these things. Then, the outer things become your servants on your path to the realisation of love, not powerful masters which beset and tempt you on your way.

'Good company' strengthens your courage, helping you to be aware that a deeper truth lies behind outer forms. Devotion provides you with the easiest way to transcend your ego, so that it gradually becomes redundant.

Seek love; understand it; practise it … until one day you know it as your very nature. Then the happiness which you experienced in your search will become the bliss of discovery. You will be an empowered servant of humanity, knowing your path and freely choosing it!

Nature is a reflection of love, an aspect of the Divine system clothed in form. These forms can strike a chord of beauty in our hearts, uplifting us. For the so-called 'Earth peoples', especially the Native Americans and Australian Aboriginals, the natural world was a temple, infused with the Great Spirit, chalice of the Dream Time. For Western civilisations, on the other hand, nature has for a long time been something to be conquered and then ruthlessly exploited. The result is the contemporary ecological crisis.

In order to rectify this, the ecological movement is not enough. We need to learn once more to find reverence in nature, to be moved by love for her, and to expand our awareness of the Divinity expressed in natural forms. Only then will the devastation of nature become untenable and our environment recover.

So here are a few exercises, derived from the Native American tradition, that a group can do together. They are exercises which will help us to develop this reverence.

 

Finding a Power Spot

Choose a pleasant day for an outing together; take a picnic. It shouldn't be too hot, nor rainy, nor extremely windy, but a day which will allow all of you to give pleasurable attention to the country. Go to a place removed from urban noise and bustle, where there won't be many people around. It doesn't have to be a famous beauty spot but, if someone in the group has a 'special' place they like, and it meets the above requirements, that will be a good place.

Having arrived at the chosen spot and organised yourselves, the group leader for the day leads an attunement, with the group standing in a circle:

Let's close our eyes …

Breathe deeply and slowly and become calm …

Let's feel an inner light surrounding us, shining from the circle and the country around …

In this light, we now ask blessing for all our activities today …

May we be open, with respect and reverence for the experiences nature gives us …

We come to this spot in peace and goodwill and ask the spirits of nature here to work with us and be our guides, all the time we are here …

Let's listen a little to the sounds around us …

Let's feel the sun and wind on our faces …

Now, we open our eyes.

The next thing is for everybody to separate and start a slow ramble, allowing the feet to take you wherever they 'want' to go, and stopping to look at this and that.

When you come to a spot that draws you, sit down there for a few minutes. How does it feel? If, after five minutes or so, you feel just as you did before, then you have found a neutral spot. If you feel slightly restless and irritable, you have found a spot 'unfriendly for you'. If you have a definite, palpable sense of well-being, you have found a positive or 'power' spot for you. You'll be surprised how easy this is, if you don't let your rationality get in the way!

Carry on exploring till you have definitely identified places of all three types. Then return to one of your positive 'places of power' and sit there for some time, enjoying it, letting it drain tension and stress from you. Before you leave your spot, have a moment of inner attunement and give thanks to nature.

After about two hours, return to the group so everyone can share their experiences.

Learning to find beneficial spots in nature is a major step forward. You can 'make friends' with such a spot and, once you know how to find one, you will be able to go out alone and find calm and balance in such a place. Some spots are in general 'human friendly', and others human unfriendly' .Many are neutral. But some spots will be personally friendly, so you can feel a well-being there which other people may not.

Always, when you go out like this, spend time in an attunement to the light within you and invoke the aid of the nature spirits of the place. It will calm and sensitise you, and alert them to a friend. After a while, you will be able to feel the value for you of other places; where you work and live, for example. When people were closer to nature, they intuitively chose good locations for buildings and places of worship. Indeed, it became an art in China (Feng Shui).

But nowadays, almost all buildings are located for purely commercial reasons and some of them are in very 'unfriendly' spots. People wonder why they get ill, depressed and irritable. An unfriendly location can contribute to such distress.

 

Using Your Power Spot

Later the same day, or on another day, the members of the group may, after an attunement, return to one of their beloved spots, bringing paper and pen with them.

Having settled yourself down in your pleasant place, begin to examine it in very close detail, focusing on the detail and form of little plants, the movements of insects on the ground, the way the spot lies in relation to its horizon, trees, rocks and natural features. Notice how the sun strikes the vegetation and throws certain parts into relief. If you like, allow your imagination to build pictures and symbols from all these shapes and forms.

In doing this, you will be making a 'close connection' with the natural world, something even country ramblers usually fail to do. You are not doing it for some botanical or zoological purpose, but for the enjoyment of the intimacy itself. You may find yourself suddenly moved by the meanderings of a beetle; or you may 'make friends' with a tree or plant, which seems especially warm and connected to you.

After about an hour of sitting — most people cannot concentrate for any longer — take your pen and paper and start writing down whatever comes to you: it may be a description of the place; or perhaps your imagination weaves a story; perhaps a poem comes. Perhaps you start imagining how this spot was hundreds, thousands, millions of years ago: write it down. Perhaps you 'hear' messages from the nature spirits around — the energies organising the growth of plants and life of minerals. In the special space of your power spot, spend half an hour or an hour jotting down all your impressions.

The group can come together for lunch and share all these writings in the afternoon. Or do the writing one afternoon and share together 'at home' in the evening. Through such writing you become more aware, more connected, more loving to the natural world.

 

Using the Power Spot to Make Inner Contact with the Natural World

The world of water, rocks, earth, plants and animals has little consciousness in the sense that we know it. It is, and goes on being. In place of individual consciousness are the regulating energies of the natural forms. All peoples close to nature symbolise these as invisible inhabitants of nature spots; fairies, leprechauns, elves, gnomes, trolls, and so on. Some old people in remote areas still claim to be able to 'see' such beings, but they are mostly relegated to fairy stories and fantasy novels.

By being still in a positive power spot, we can develop a strong rapport with the energies governing nature; and through it, love and respect for the wonder of the natural world and the essential oneness underlying all this; Divine love.

As usual, the group starts with an attunement, then separates to seek positive power spots.

At your spot, settle down, feel the well-being from the 'good vibes', and begin to focus your attention on one point. Perhaps it is the branch of a tree, the shape of a plant, a spot framed by leaves, or an area of ground close by. Then you spend an hour just gazing lovingly at that spot, not straining the eyes, but moving as little as possible. You are not seeking anything except loving rapport, but, in time, what you are seeing may subtly change. At the least you will become entranced by the scene you see; perhaps you will 'see' lines of energy flowing around your point; perhaps a miniature 'alternative reality' will form itself for you. You may have visions; or receive advice.

After your time, close your eyes, make your breathing conscious, and give thanks. Then walk back to the group for a sharing.

Through this kind of practice you will gradually become not just a nature lover, nor just someone aware of ecological crises; but someone living now in the oneness of all life, with a respect for each of its forms. Not to leave litter around is no longer just part of the 'Country Code', for instance. It is simply unthinkable.

Nature as Healer and Therapist

Sun Bear taught people in emotional pain or trauma to find a hole in the ground and howl into it, releasing the problem to Mother Earth. Similarly, this exercise enlists nature as a supporter, helping us to move on. As with the other exercises, it involves intuitive rapport.

The group attunes in an appropriate nature spot. For this exercise, even a large garden will do. Each member finds a partner and shares a problem or challenge they would like support to resolve. This is done in order to articulate the problem and fix it firmly in the forefront of consciousness.

When everyone is ready, the group comes together again and stands in a circle. The day's group leader begins the following short meditation:

Close your eyes …

Become calm, by breathing slowly and deeply …

In love and respect for the natural world, we ask the co-operation of the natural energies of this place for assistance in solving these challenges we face …

We open ourselves for this assistance for the duration of the exercise …

And give thanks for it …

Now, we open our eyes and wander off, letting our feet carry us, stopping where it feels appropriate and being open for experiences, symbols, and insights given to us from the natural world around us.

Everyone goes off on their 'healing walk' .After a prearranged time (half an hour to an hour), the members return, bringing with them anything that feels appropriate (and doesn't damage the locality by the taking) to share what happened to them during their wanderings. It is a good feeling to discover that natural forces will co-operate with humans if respected and loved, and that such co-operation may be mutually beneficial.

These exercises are not part of any 'shamanic path', but a way of practising love, respect, co-operation, and closeness with nature and enhancing a sense of oneness with all life. All these qualities are involved in spiritual development and bring benefit to all beings.

There are so many books and many different approaches to spirituality, even apart from the established religious traditions. It is important that study does not become a substitute for practice; but books can, of course, guide and stimulate. Here 1 have listed only a few of the books that have guided and stimulated me, in no sort of order or priority.

* The four gospels of the New Testament.

* Original Blessing by Matthew Fox (a Christian approach that is not 'sin centred').

* The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels (describes a rich and varied Christian tradition about which, until recently, we had very little information).

* The Course in Miracles (a channelled book, purportedly from Jesus Himself; it's all there, but rather heavy going).

* Siddharta by Herman Hesse (a brilliant fictional account of the search for enlightenment).

* Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castaneda (all his books are fascinating, but, for me, this one is the best; consciousness training from a master, using the nature tradition).

* Selling Water by the River by Jiyu Kennett (a manual of Zen training).

* God Spoke to Me and other books by Eileen Caddy (channelled wisdom, pure and beautiful).

* The Holy Man and the Psychiatrist by Samuel Sandweiss (a very impressive introduction to Sathya Sai Baba and His teaching).

* Sathya Sai Speaks, 27 volumes of discourses by Sai Baba, and translated from Telegu (here is the essence, spoken to all kinds of audiences in India; the revised editions, just coming out, are much easier to read).

* Discourses on the Bhagavad Gita by Sathya Sai Baba (34 discourses to students by Sai Baba, beautifully edited by Al Drucker - the quintessence of Sai Baba's teaching).

This is a link to part one ***

This is a link to the Starting Page ***