Still here, still strong

It has been a while since I posted here at Home to Heart. I tend not to post just for the sake of it, preferring to wait until I have the words or the guidance to write something useful or relevant to the channeling work done by the group. 

And this morning I thought, 'Crumbs, I had better say 'hello!' and check everyone is okay!' 

That is, if anyone is still reading. If anyone is still linking into the circle on Mondays between 7 and 8 p.m.

The statistics linked to this blog suggest not. Not that I am bothered about statistics. What do they tell us, after all? That someone has collected numbers that likely are not relevant to the core of life and who we are? Numbers that have been manipulated for a purpose, or have been supplied falsely or carelessly?

The space occupied here is space I appear to be occupying alone. It feels a bit echoey, but I shall plod on, if only for the purpose of providing a record of my own continued development. And I shall continue for the link formed by the sister circle in France (thank you, Vera!) as I know there is work going on there. It is difficult, though, when those who began with you, full of energy and motivation, suddenly shift away because their daily lives are so busy there is no time for reflection or sitting quietly for a tiny proportion a week. 

It brings to mind a poem I learned as a child:

What is this life if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep and cows.

No time to see in woods we pass

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see in broad daylight

Streams full of stars like skies at night.

A poor life this, of full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

But those of us left  behind must not mind. People come and go. People remain steady or change their minds. People have different values and purposes, motives and priorities. We can't all feel the same about this work. How dull would that be? Universal Energy has variety, so why not the people who link with it?

So, can one sit in circle alone? Does it take more than one person to form a circle? Mathematicians might say so, but mathematician I am not. What I do believe is that we are a circle, a 'wholeness' if you like within ourselves. So when I sit in meditation and am channeling I feel I am a complete link. I don't need to have someone with me, either in my physical space, nor mentally. Having said that, though, it is lovely to know there is someone out there linking into the Universal Energy at the same time as me. A companionship. 

Is there anyone else out there? If there is, know that I am still with you! 

With love and light.

A Magic Moment in a Special Place

This week I was fortunate enough to find myself in Worcester Cathedral. It is a beautiful building - hugely historic, sweepingly majestic and magically calm. It is one of those buildings I appreciate for all those features. It is one of those buildings I could happily spend hour upon hour in - especially as there was also the most perfect little tea shop attached! 

I love visiting cathedrals. It saddens me that sometimes there is a formal charge to enter these beautiful buildings. I know they require a lot of funding in order for their fabric to be maintained, but to make a formal charge and to issue a ticket? To me, it goes against the idea that church buildings should be open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay, because everyone needs somewhere safe and peaceful in order to reflect sometimes and if that place can't be a cathedral...well, I think it is a little sad, that's all. 

Worcester Cathedral, though, merely has a donation box sited by the exit. This is fine, I think. No pressure. No demand. Donation happily made. 

And during the visit I found myself in the chapel in the crypt. It is the oldest part of the original cathedral building, dating back some 900 years. Cool, silent, a place where time holds its breathe in order to  listen fully to the thoughts, worries, thanks and prayers of all those who are called to pause a while within its soft - to -touch stone walls. And the silence is neither threatening nor uncomfortable. I sat there, physically alone, yet surrounded by the energies left by thousands of pilgrims who have visited this place during the hundreds of years of its existence. I sat on a small, wooden bench to one side of the main reflection area, and let the stillness of the place settle on me like a familiar blanket. I let my thoughts just be... And I left that place feeling strong and blessed and with a renewed sense of purpose for my life's direction.

I wasn't expecting this. I was just making the most of an opportunity to sit away from the bustle and noise of 21st century living. Even when you live in the countryside and think you have the benefit of peace and quiet, there is still the sound of birdsong, gentle breezes, rustling leaves, sheep and insects.

But here, there was, actually, nothing. No sound. The most complete silence I have ever, well, heard! 

Emerging into the main body of the cathedral, echoing with the quiet voices and footsteps of respectful visitors, I was greeted by a volunteer guide. 

'So quiet down there, isn't it?' she said. 'When school parties come in, we take the children down there in small groups so they can experience the sense of complete silence.' And she sighed. 'It's a precious experience these days.'

Is she right? I think so. Sometimes we think we have silence, but we don't, not really. And on those rare occasions when we do experience it, like in that chapel in the crypt below the surface of the earth, complete silence can be a hard thing to bear, so used are we to having 'background' noise. And much as I love 'peace and quiet' when I am sometimes home alone, I find myself putting on the radio, just to hear another sound.

Sometimes there is comfort in noise. It can stop us thinking about things we do not wish to confront. 

And yet I think we mustn't forget that there is comfort in silence, too. In silence, we allow ourselves to hear 'us' in the clearest of ways. And when that happens we suddenly find ourselves supplied with surprising new thoughts - revelations or epiphanies even. Thoughts that have probably been in our heads and hearts for a while, but it has been too noisy for us to truly hear them. 

Thank you to those who linked in to Home to Heart this Monday just passed. My hope for you, this coming week, is that you, too, find yourself in a truly silent place and experience your own 'magic moment!' 

Departures and Arrivals

I am sorry I have not posted for a while. The arrival of my new granddaughter and the passing over of a colleague and friend have distracted my thinking somewhat, but all the while I have kept a thread of thought linked to Home to Heart and without the support of this circle and also its sister circle - Heart to Heart in France - I think this last ten days would have been a lot more angst-making than it actually was.

Life is full of circles, we all know that. Arrivals, like my new granddaughter, and passings, like my friend, are all part of the comings and goings in our private worlds that make up a balance in life. The fact that my friend passed over into spirit just a few hours before baby Elizabeth arrived into her new life made this connection even more poignant. The happiness of one event was tempered by the sadness of the other; the sense of loss balanced by the sense of gain. It was an odd twenty four hours and yet it was reassuring, too. No matter how up or down one might be feeling there is a common thread of stability running through all we do, day in, day out.

But sometimes it is difficult to keep sight of that stability. Sometimes it is hard to know how to reach out, and grab on, and know that if we are on the up or the down with our moods and feelings, an even keel of emotions is within our grasp to keep us levelled and steady and sane. 

Which is why a circle such as this is so important. All the time this circle is with me. Sometimes it is in the forefront of my mind, and sometimes it is drifting in the back. And yet it remains, like a constant and familiar picture on a wall or a ring on a finger. I don't always acknowledge the obviousness of its existence, but then I don't always need to. I can feel its comfort and its effect. Of course, on these Monday evenings the circle is first and foremost in my mind as I link in to connect with and channel the Universal healing energy. 

This week my focus will be partly personal - for this new baby life in my world and for this passing on which leaves a gap - and partly for those who have asked for channelling either for themselves or for someone they love and care for. 

And with that thought, I can already feel the links building and strengthening and will be making my way up to my quiet space in a few minutes time. 

I hope you can join with me. It will be a good circle this evening!

Sending love and light from me to you!

Denise x

Thanks For the Healing Energy

On this Sunday evening, I am very excited to share with you some news I received from a lovely lady who lives in Texas, USA, and who was one of the first receivers of healing energy directed from our H2H circle. She contacted the circle around two weeks before she was due to go into hospital for major brain surgery, and asked to be added to the weekly healing list. 

And, having gained her permission to quote her words, this is what she wrote to me recently...

'I thought I would drop you a note to let you know I got excellent news at the doctor's yesterday. I am healing quite a lot faster than he had expected and I am released to go back to work tomorrow. YAY!'

And when I asked if I could mention her recovered health on the H2H blog in order to enrich the hope and faith of all who connect with the circle, she replied...

'Of course you can mention my healing in your healing circle. I feel that all the meditation and prayers that were said for me were a big part of my healing.'

Isn't that wonderful?! 

And so I look forward to sitting with you tomorrow evening. Please contact me if you would like to be added to the list to receive healing energy, or there is someone you know who would benefit but perhaps is too reticent about asking for themselves. 

And so we sail into another week! 

Happy days, everyone!

Denise

Your Energy Counts!

Sometimes I think, 'How can me sitting quietly for an hour a week make ANY difference to a world where so much healing energy is needing to be channelled?' And I feel like a drop in an ocean, a grain of sand in a desert, an atom in the biggest of big blue whales. How CAN I be at all effective in the Grand Scheme of Things? 

Of course, when you start thinking like that then with that thought comes a danger. Perhaps you've had a bad week, and your meditation and channelling time is looming large. And you catch yourself thinking, 'I don't know if I can be bothered with this today. I'm not in the right frame of mind. I am tired/bad tempered/hungry. I feel upset/ sad/ angry/ let down. And look! There's a good programme on the telly! Surely me sitting out this session won't make any difference? I am such a teeny part of this massive planet, my missing energy will hardly be noticed. Will it?' 

And before you know it (and when I say 'you' I also mean 'me', too, because I speak from personal experience!) you've grabbed a biscuit, a cup of tea and you are slumped in front of the TV watching someone on Masterchef making another version of a deconstructed mackerel cheesecake, whatever THAT is?! 

And you have also, unknowingly, devalued yourself. Because OF COURSE you matter! OF COURSE your missed time will leave a hole in the channelling of energy. And OF COURSE you make a difference. You DO! 

Think about lavender. I have been thinking a lot about lavender recently because I have been busy using up last year's crop from the garden by mass producing lavender bags in the shape of hearts. And my, haven't I been sleeping well, surrounded by the scent of lavender as I work on the sewing and stuffing of these little hearts. 

And this morning, as I was stuffing bag number 39 (!) I paused a moment and studied a single lavender flower bud. A single bud of lavender is about the size of a grain of rice. Or an ant. A small ant, not one of those massive termite creatures. Just an ordinary ant. It is a tiny thing, a single flower bud of lavender. 

But when you squeeze that single bud gently between your thumb and forefinger, what a powerful scent comes forth! It amazes me how strong that scent of lavender can be from one little flower bud. I'm not even talking a whole stalk here. Just a single bud. 

Are you with me? That little bud on its own still has a strong effect. I have a lavender bag from my first ever lavender harvest six years ago, and it still smells strongly even after six years. How can that be? That something so small can produce an scent that lasts and lasts and never seems to fade?

Energy! That is what I think. The inbuilt energy of that little flower bud.

So think of yourself as a lavender bud. You might be small compared to the World. You might think of yourself as plain and insignificant especially when you are away from the glorious colour of the lavender border and your outward appearance belies what you have inside. 

You have the ability to be a strong and effective healing channel and yes, you would be missed if you didn't sit for a session. Your absence would be felt. It would be accepted and accommodated, of course, because sometimes life circumstances do overtake us and we all need time out for a cuppa and a biscuit and some daft TV.

But please don't think you are not wanted on this healing journey and that what you offer would not be  missed if you were not here. You are valued. What you do matters!!

Love and light to you all!

Denise 

Changing Rooms

Hello H2H Circle Members!

So this week I found myself sitting in a space different to my usual sitting space. And the reason for this? I couldn't reach my usual space because it was full to the rafters of furniture, books and other bits and pieces because I was in the middle of a spot of redecorating and rooms had to be emptied and the only place they could be emptied to was my study! So I took myself, my healing diary, a candle and the CD player off to another spot in the house - a newly decorated bedroom!

Of course, the lovely thing about sitting in an absent healing circle is that you can connect with the healing energies anywhere. It does not have to be the same place all the time. In fact, I have felt myself channeling healing in some pretty odd places - a supermarket checkout queue, a bus, a National Trust tea room and a classroom. Oh yes, healing energy is very portable! You don't need to find it - if you are open to being a channel, then the healing energy will find you! 

Anyway, I settled quickly into the circle energy and one focus that came through very strongly was the idea of 'Mini-tations.' What is a 'mini-tation? Well, a 'mini-tation' is a little meditation. A smaller version of what goes on in a bigger healing circle. A sense-byte, if you like, a little snapshot of healing energy that reaches its target like a blanket being wrapped around someone needing instant comfort.

So, for example, you might be walking along and see a child fall off their scooter, as small persons are wont to do. But do not worry! The child's guardian is there - they are picking up the child, dusting it down, tending to tears and runny noses with a gently applied tissue, and dabbing at scraped knees, and saying calming words. They are already acting as a healing channel for that child. But what if the child you see is alone? Or the person looking after them is less than sympathetic? Then you can channel, in a few mindful seconds of concentration, some healing to that child. You do not need to approach them, or say anything. You can keep your distance. Your healing input will remain unrecognised, unthanked. But that matters not. What matters is that instead of the physical words of thanks that will gratify our lower, human selves, the reward will be to our higher selves, will be a greater understanding of how it is to be a healing channel. Your faith in the Universal Healing Energy will grow because there will be no way of knowing if your 'mini-tation' has been successful. You just have to trust that it HAS been. And that is a great lesson to learn and to understand and be thankful for.

After I had closed the circle energies, I was glad I had been moved to another room for this particular session because I was able to lie down in this newly decorated room and receive healing energy for myself. It seemed relevant to be in a new space as I felt the circle was moving into a new aspect of itself, becoming more established and stronger in its bonds.

Of course, I dozed off and then I found myself having a bit of a cry. Do not be alarmed if you, too, sometimes react to the circle atmosphere in this way. It is just your body helping to 'clear' unwanted stuff from your mind and spirit. It is a bit like transferring money from your bank account to settle a debt - the money (stuff) has to travel away from the account (you) though a wireless transfer (the Universe) to another account (the settlement of the debt). And whilst this is happening your physical self finds itself in want of keeping itself occupied. And during meditation, this can take the form of sleepiness, a few tears, or even a mild headache. Because, just as in seeing our hard-earned money going to pay a hefty household bill, it can be an emotional experience! I could certainly cry when I see the Council Tax bill every year, couldn't you?!

But be assured that you will feel so much better for having gone through this 'clearing' process! Debt settled!! 

I look forward to being back in my usual circle space next Monday although I think I might make a few changes to it somehow. It will, after all, be Easter Monday - and what better time of year to celebrate renewal, progress and the healing energies than the festival of Easter? 

First Connection

Do folk ever set out with the deliberate intention of becoming channellers for the Universal Healing Energy? Is it ever a conscious decision, like thinking 'When I grow up I am going to be a teacher/ silversmith/ farmer/person who tests out Lego?' Well, I suspect not. I suspect that each of us who develop as channellers do so because we find ourselves drawn to the Light work (and when I say 'Light work,' I don't mean flicking a duster around the sideboard on a Saturday morning!!) through a variety of pathways. Certainly, the people I know who channel healing energy have all arrived at this place for different reasons and at different stages of their lives.

We all have our own stories, and I would like, if I may, to tell you mine...

In the Autumn of 1991, my younger sister was diagnosed with a particularly virulent and nasty form of bone cancer. Following diagnosis, chemotherapy was duly prescribed. Surgery was not an option. The disease had already spent too long invading her cells, and prognosis was not good. I felt helpless. And I was not used to feeling helpless. I am a person who is used to coping, to managing, to dealing with life - but this situation? Well, I just didn't know what to do. 

At the time I was neighbours with a lovely lady called Vera, who ran a healing circle from a large shed in her back garden. And when I say, 'shed' I want you to dispel all thoughts of cobwebs, spades and the scent of weed killer and creosote pervading the air. This was no ordinary garden shed. Oh no, this was a haven of a shed. It was carpeted and curtained. It had chairs with cushions, a table with candles, a heater to make it warmly Winter-proof and a music player. 

And this shed turned out to be one of the safest, cosiest and most meaningful of places for me.

'Come and sit with us in our healing circle,' said Vera. 'We can try and help your sister.'

And so, not knowing really what to expect, I arrived one evening to meet with the healing circle in Vera's back garden shed. 

The circle consisted of 6 people, and I made 7. It was a bit of a squash, but I was welcomed by folk who had never met me or my sister but were willing and determined to channel healing energy the best they could so they could help us. How lovely is that? 

I was sat on a chair in the centre of the circle. 'You are going to be a conduit for your sister,' I was told. 'She is too weak at the moment to handle the impact of the healing energy we are going to channel so we are going to sort of dilute it through you, to her, until she is strong enough to sit her herself.'

Right-ho,  thought I. And I sat still. And waited. 

'Just relax and breathe,' I was told. And so I did. Because, as I said, I was feeling helpless. What else could I do?

And what happened next has stayed with me as the strongest of memories from the last 23 years. For as I sat wondering what on earth it was I was supposed to see or hear or feel, and the group members linked their thoughts and hands around me, a surge of the most enormously powerful bolt of...well, I didn't know what then, but now recognise as healing energy...shot through me from the base of my spine and up through the crown of my head. 

Seriously, I thought I was going to take off and burst through the roof of that shed like a human rocket! 

Whoooosh!!!

It was completely wonderful. And humbling. And inspiring. 

And that was the moment I knew that developing as a channel for the Universal Healing Energy was a Very Important Thing to do indeed! 

Whenever I have moments of doubt about being a healing channel (because it would be unrealistic to even imagine that moments of doubts won't creep in to my oh so human way of thinking once in a while) I sit myself back in that shed and re-live that first healing memory. For it is the only proof I need that everything I have done since for this incredible healing force, this Light work, has been exactly the right thing to do. 

I have learned much since that day. I continue to learn. Sometimes the learning has been slow, almost exasperatingly standstill, and sometimes it has galloped on at a quite alarming horse-in-a-race pace. But it has always been, and always will be a warm, happy and humbling experience.

And so I look forward to sitting with you in circle again next Monday, 14th April. Remember, you can contact the circle if you have an specific requests for a healing focus.

Have a happy and peaceful weekend! 

To you, in Light

Denise

Clock On!

Hello All! 

Just a quickie to say I hope you remembered to put your clocks forward one hour yesterday, and that circle will meet as usual at 7.30 p.m BST (as it is now!) and not 6.30 as it was yesterday but isn't and...well, you know what I mean! 

I wonder how the Universal healing energy manages with these clock changes back and forth? I sometimes wonder if we should have clocks at all, and just listen instead to our own internal clock. Wouldn't that be lovely?! Rise with the sun, set with the sun, follow the seasons and eat cheese on toast at 3.30 in the afternoon rather than with the clock that dictates that cheese on toast time is between the hours of 12 and 1.30 also known as 'Lunch Time.'

What is that you say? You ALREADY eat cheese on toast at 3.30 p.m? Good for you!!

We have had some positive responses recently regarding the impact of the healing energies channelled these last few weeks. Lovely to hear from people about what a positive experience these Monday evening circles are being.

So let's keep on keeping on!

In love and light to you all,

Denise x

Guest Post - White Circles

The circle feels like it's settled into a rhythm. We've been doing it now for four weeks and I look forward to 7.30 on a Monday evening for a moment of quiet reflection and stillness in what is invariably a busy week.

I sit by the fire with the dogs asleep beside me, and my healing book containing all the names of everyone we are focusing on sending out help and peace to on my lap, and spend some time saying prayers for those in need and I always feel better for it. And quite often something comes through that provides an answer to a conundrum that has been bothering me. Sometimes all you need is a moment of stillness, of quiet, to let outside noises die down and to be able to hear your inner voice.

Denise and I unknowingly had focused on the same thought for this evening's circle, which was to pray for and send healing to all those affected by the disappearance of the Malaysian Aircraft. We both felt news would come, and this evening it did. The plane is probably lost in the waters of the South Indian Ocean, and all of those on board have already passed over.

This made me think. Given that there are now more of us sitting regularly on a Monday at 7.30 than simply D and I, would it be a good thing if we were to post a message here sometime on Monday to let those of you who sit with us know if there is a particular focus for the healing energies for that evening's session? Obviously, we wouldn't publish specific, individual and personal details without permission, I was thinking more along the lines of world-type issues? I think it would be useful- the more hearts and minds and homes sending focused healing and prayers and kindness to those in need the better.

One final thought to leave you with. In my healing work I often use visualisation. It is a powerful and life-affirming and often very simple tool, and the image that has come through to me on more than one occasion when sitting in the circle on Monday nights is one of a circle of bright white light with pinpoints around it that shine brightly at various places; these places mark where all the individual people who make up the circle sit. It goes all round the world, a circle of light connecting people.

If you would like to link in with it next week you are very welcome- all we ask is that you bring good thoughts for others with you, and a little bit of your own light to add to the circle.

Blessings all,

CT.






 

On Broader Things

My goodness, but what a beautiful frost appeared overnight here in Kent. Not so beautiful for those having to scrape it from their cars before setting off on their daily journey, I suppose, but just to take a moment or two to stand and look at the patterns it made on the first leafy offerings of Spring, and to breath in the sharp freshness it gave to the air, well, it made for a good start to the day, I thought. 

And as I stood, taking in the frostiness (and trying to ignore the hens who were saying something along the lines of, 'Oi! When you've quite finished your romantic gazing, we need feeding and we need feeding NOW!') I wondered about the focus for this evening's circle. We've had a couple of individual requests come in this week and they shall be added to the existing list, but what about something of a more global focus?

Sometimes, it seems easier to focus on individuals, whether they be family, friends, or friends of friends, work colleagues or other acquaintances. When we settle into the relaxed and restful quietness of circle we can see those people in our mind's eye. They have faces we recognise, and names and locations we know. We feel their personalities, their characteristics, their mannerisms, and all these things make a secure point of reference for us to channel the healing energy towards. 

But what about people and events we know little or nothing about? What about folk who live thousands of miles away and we hear of only through news events? We have never met these people. We know maybe one scant fact about them. There is no visual image on which to focus. What do we do then, as members of a healing circle who want to help fellow human beings?

Well, personally, that is when I focus on my candle light. I focus on the glow that emits from that light. I imagine that in the centre of that glow is the Earth itself, and that the candle light is a protective cushion around the Earth and all who are on the Earth can be reached by the healing energy through that candle light. So for me, if I am focusing on channelling for groups of people I don't know, then my metaphor for the rest of the Earth is candle light. 

I have met other healers who use other focal points. A flower or plant, maybe, or a beautiful piece of drift wood. A crystal or polished stone, a pendulum. A photograph or painting, a Buddha figure, a dream catcher. Something that gives off a gentle scent, like lavender, or that is beautiful to touch like a piece of velvet or silk. It is a lovely thing when you find that focal point that connects for you! 

Actually, as I think about this now, I wonder if I ought to broaden my own choice of focal point beyond that of my familiar candle light. Now there is a thought! Perhaps we, as healing energy channellers for the Earth, ought to have three or four things that we use our instinct to choose from which would best serve the purpose of a particular focus? What do you think? It would be lovely if you could share your ideas about focal points!

This evening, then, along with the list of folks I can put faces to, I shall be focusing on my candle light for the people who are on the missing Malaysian aircraft; for the safety of their physical selves if they are still alive, or for the safe passage of their spirits if they have passed beyond.  Such a mystery. And I shall also channel healing energy towards their families and friends, to the loved ones who have been left in a dreadful state of uncertainty, who are waiting and praying and trying to find answers so they can find peace within themselves.

Join in with this if you feel inclined towards these people. Or maybe you would like to channel for a different global situation. It does not matter. We are all joining together for the good of our Earth.

With love and light to you this frosty day in England!

Denise

Lemons!

Thank you to all who joined in this evening's circle sitting. Lovely energies. Much positive work done. 

Having closed the energy in my own home around 8 pm, I had to come and post here immediately because all the while I was sitting, there in the background was very strongly the message, 'Lemons!'

Now, I don't know if this means some of us are being told to up our vitamin C levels because a bout of the sniffles is on the way, or whether we are to surround ourselves with a splash or two of lemon colour to lift our spirits, or even have a sniff of that fresh lemony scent in anticipation of a long and lovely summer, but I am passing on the message and the image to use as you feel is right for you. 

I think, for me, it is something to do with some redecorating I am planning. But this wasn't a message just for me. It came through quite clearly for the whole circle. 

Enjoy your lemons, then! Even if it is with a G and T! Or perhaps a lemon meringue pie? Now there's a thought...

The Healing Link Habit

And so we are approaching our third circle sitting! We are forming stronger bonds with the healing energy and developing a habit, a pattern, a regular meeting. This is good. It means that the Universal healing energies are linking into an establishing link. I liken this to going to the loo in the dark. 

'Oh really?' I hear you think. And in reply, I think back, 'Oh yes!'

In your own space, wherever it is you live, or call your own, a space in which you feel a familiarity (unless you moved in only last week and are still living out of boxes!) I bet you can venture to the loo in the middle of the night without switching on the lights. You know where the doors are, the directions to take, the features of your bathroom facilities. And this is because you are aware of your surroundings and their features are imprinted in your brain because you have formed a regular habit with their use.

It is also a bit like driving a familiar route. Hands up, then - who has driven along a route they have travelled many, many times before and then, on reflection, can't actually remember how they arrived at their destination? I know I have. And whilst this is not necessarily a good thing, because in honesty we all should be engaging with our surroundings in new and different ways all the time to keep ourselves vibrant and full of a zest for life, it is a demonstration of how familiarity creates a path. 

In my front garden there is a trail of squashed lawn. It leads from the driveway and forms a diagonal route across the grass where it disappears under the hedge. It is a trail used every night by a fox. The grass has recorded the route of the fox for everyone to see, and although I have never seen a fox travel across this path, I know the fox exists because of the path way it has trodden in the grass. And should this path on the grass ever fade and vanish completely I shall know the fox is no more and, to be honest, I shall be quietly thankful of that because I keep hens! 

Memories have been imprinted - in Nature, in habit and in our brains. 

And so I believe it is with sitting in a circle. The healing link to the Universal energies is formed and grows stronger with each sitting. Like wearing in a new pair of shoes, the habit may be awkward to develop in the beginning - there may be physical discomforts as our bodies become used to sitting 'in peace' where we are so used to living busy and fidgety lives; there may be mental discomforts as our minds become used to calm and focused thoughts rather than filled with fretfulness about all the irritations that accompany 21st century living. And there may be what I call 'Time Guilt.' When you have promised yourself you will do something like make time to sit in a circle, and then daily circumstances overtake you and you find you cannot keep that appointment and guilt strikes.

  

But do not worry about this. Do not let it cause you anxiety. Because when a healing link is established, it will 'know' to be there at the appointed time and will still reach you regardless of whether you can sit and be still. As long as you are thinking about it, you will be helping maintain its memory. You will still feel its effects. It won't forget you any more than your body will forget to remind you that it needs feeding or thirst-quenching or, for that matter, a jolly good wee! 

Tomorrow, then, we shall be sitting in circle at 7.30 pm GMT for a third time. Thank you to those who we know are sitting with us, and helping to build this precious link with the Universal Healing Energy. From feedback already received it is forming great benefits already! 

How? And why?

Hello everyone, and here I am in Kent enjoying a lovely spot of sunshine after what seems like endless weeks of rain. Sunshine makes a spirit feel so much better, doesn't it? Chipper is how I am feeling today because of the sunshine. Yes, that's it - chipper! 

So, I was thinking about this evening's circle and a question came to mind. Well, two actually. And they were, 'How does the healing energy work?' and 'Why does the healing energy work?' They are questions often asked of me by folk who are either having a session of contact healing (which is where that person and I are both in the same room and not miles and miles apart as we shall all be this evening when we sit at 7.30) or who are just interested in what I do. 

And my answer? Unfortunately, an often dissatisfying, 'I'm afraid I don't know. I really do not know.'

It isn't that I am not interested in how this amazing healing energy can move from one living being to another. It is just that for me it is not the 'Hows' and 'Whys' that matter - it is the faith and acceptance that it just 'Does.' 

For me it is such a wonderful thing that it needs no justification or explanation. 

Of course, mention of the word 'faith' opens a whole new can of caterpillars. I have substituted 'caterpillars' for 'worms' here in celebration of seeing butterflies over the weekend! And in an effort to manufacture some kind of loose analogy!

And that analogy is this. Do you remember when you were a child and you learned that caterpillars turn into butterflies? And how amazing this process is? That a long, fuzzy torpedo of an insect can wrap itself in a cocoon, hidden away from prying eyes, and just dangle there from a twig, minding its own business until one day, when it is ready, it breaks free from its cocoon and there - ta da! - is a delicate, colourful creature full of fluttery wing and flighty direction and amazing beauty. (Not that caterpillars aren't beautiful in their own way, before I get the We Love Caterpillar brigade on my case.) 

But you see, the energy that changes the caterpillar into a butterfly happens. And no-one sees it happening. They can't because of the cocoon. And yet no-one questions its effect because it is there, for all to see, when the butterfly emerges. 

And yes, I know that scientists have recently found a way of putting tiny camera inside a cocoon in an attempt to capture that caterpillar turns into butterfly magic. And I am a little bit sad about that happening because there will now grow up a generation of children who will no longer see that transformation as a piece of magic. They will be able to say, 'Well, I know exactly how that happens,' instead of, 'Wow!' 

Well, I still think it is magic. And I believe healing energy in its own way is a bit of 'magic' too. I have faith that it can be used in so many good and loving ways to help us all.

And that is how I think about healing energy and the 'whys' and 'hows' it its working.

Looking forward to linking in with you all this evening at 7.30 p.m. 

Your Home to Heart Friend

Denise

Guest Post - Follow Up To Last Night's Inaugural Session

Hi all,

CT here. Just touching base after our first ever healing circle session last night.

I sat down by the fire with a candle burning and the dogs asleep in their baskets beside me, and my notebook on my lap with the names and details of everyone who had asked for healing or help at 7.30 last night, and I felt peaceful. That sense of warmth and inner calm lasted all evening, and that is what the circle is about really.

It came into being to focus healing thoughts on those in need, and also as a means of sharing time with friends, of knowing that, at a certain time, on a certain evening, you can sit down, think good thoughts, send them out into the world, and know you aren't the only one.

I hope, if you sat with us last night, that you got some peace and space and time to breath and that, afterwards, you felt calmer and more centred and ready for the next day.

Either Denise or I will keep you updated here after each session. From time to time I will post interesting information to do with health and well being and healing that might be of use or interest.

And on that theme, I've got two thoughts that I want to share with you today that came out of last night's session.

Making subtle changes to the way you think can have a profound affect on your well-being and health. One very simple way to do this is to check any negative thoughts that pop automatically into your mind and turn them to something positive. An example would be: instead of greeting a challenge with a thought that starts 'I can't' tell yourself 'I can if I choose to'. This is going to hand back control to you and that is an empowering thing in itself.

Another simple but important thing is to de-clutter your life, thoughts and time periodically. Letting go of things that are out-dated and no longer useful to you is one way to do this and it will free your energy up. Outdated things can really drag you down and they are not helpful. 

If you feel under pressure, stressed or over-tired, try taking a piece of paper and writing down the things that you think are causing it. Try to keep this list simple, ideally identify 5-10 things. Next, write down ways you can either remove them from your life or cope with them better. Finally, make a list of all the things you don't do that you would really like to (this can be almost anything, from physical achievements through to emotional or mental responses). Writing things down and seeing them before you in black and white is the simplest way to organise your thoughts and find a way to act on them.

We set the circle up because we wanted to do something positive to help people who need it, and to bring a focal point for anyone who would like to join in. We both really hope that this circle feels like a nice thing to be part of, whether you use the time to meditate, pray, think, send love and good wishes and thoughts to friends and family, or simply just to relax and have some me time, to be peaceful and know that there are others doing the same thing at the same time with the same good intent towards others.

If you want to share your experiences of the sessions feel free, but the circle is open to all whether you want to comment or remain private.

Remember, if you would like to ask for healing for something specific, there is an email form on the side bar of the blog which is private and confidential and will only come through to me or Denise. Sending healing out is really about focusing thoughts and attention on the person in need and the problem, whatever it may be, and asking for help for them. It's that simple.

If you would prefer, you can just leave a name either via email or in the comments box.

Have a good week all,

CT.

Our First Circle

This is Denise speaking to you on behalf of Home to Heart...

Hello! 

There is a sense of eagerness in the air, as it seems with all new ventures, new beginnings. Tonight, at 7.30 p.m. GMT the Home to Heart Meditation and Healing Circle will be...well, born!

Already we, CT and I, have been contacted by a few people with requests for focused healing energy, and by other like minded folk who will be sharing the circle time with us. Of course, you don't have to tell us you are joining us; feel free to 'sneak in at the back' if you like. You are welcome to share this time of calm and peace, of gentle focus and positive thought.

'But how does all this 'circle' malarkey work?' we hear some of you ask. 

Well, for a start it requires some serious notebook shopping! I keep what can be called 'Healing Diaries' or 'Channelling Books'. These are notebooks whose purpose is specially to record brief details of who has asked for healing energy - things like a name, a location, a word or two about why healing energy is needed - and then, if feedback comes from that person, the recording of any outcomes or progress that have occurred after the circle meeting. And in honour of the newness of the circle,  I have purchased a new notebook in which to record these details. (And to be honest, I don't need much of an excuse to go stationery shopping!) 

I have already compiled the first list in preparation for this evening's circle. In a way, by writing down details of people who have asked for help, a healing link has already begun to form. We have our focus. We have a link. You are already held firm in our thoughts. 

And just before 7.30 p.m we shall both go to our quiet places and prepare for the circle to start.

This involves saying a few simple words asking for the protection and welfare of those who are sitting in the circle. That our healing links will open easily and with purpose, and be clear and calm. We will leave behind the rigours and irritations of our respective days because for the following half an hour or so, the most important focus will be on sending positive thoughts and the Universal healing energy to those who need help. We shall NOT be distracted with thoughts about that enormous gas bill that has just arrived, or that some thing unexpected or annoying has happened. It is important that these things take a back seat in the grand scheme of life.

And after we have sat and sent out positive thoughts and healing energy, we shall say 'Thank you' to the Universe for allowing its energy to flow between us all - givers and receivers both - and it is in these words of thanks that the circle is closed safely for the evening. 

Usually, I find myself sitting for a few minutes more, enjoying the peace and quiet and the overall sense of well-being that sitting in a circle inevitably brings. I might take my healing diary (which has been sitting in my lap all this time) and jot down any thoughts or ideas that came into my head during the circle sitting. 

And then, as the healing energies lessen, I will suddenly become very alert and hop off to make a cup of tea! 

We are looking forward to sitting with you this evening. We hope it will prove a positive and beneficial experience for us all. 

The Journey Begins!

'Wouldn't it be rather lovely,' I have been thinking for while, 'to start a healing circle? A distance healing circle? And link its members together via a blog?' And then I thought, because I can tend towards procrastination sometimes, 'Stop asking rhetorical questions, and just DO IT!'

I connected with the healing channel pathway in 1991. I have worked with and learned from many like-minded people since and it is time, now, to set out and start to grow my own beam of healing light. So, beginning on Monday 3rd March at 7.30 GMT (goodness knows what time that will be for those of you living beyond Great Britain so I apologise if it is something like 2.45 in the morning!) I shall be sitting down in a quiet place at  home in order to be peaceful, think positive thoughts and act as a channel for the Universal healing energy that I believe is around us and within us all the time. I shall sit for between half an hour and one hour, to be guided on the evening itself.

What matters to me most though, is that we, wherever we all are, are joining together at a shared moment in time for a shared experience towards a shared purpose for good.

So if you are thinking, 'I like this idea of sharing this time once a week, to sit and relax, maybe channel or receive healing energy or just enjoy the quiet reflection and positive thoughts because it has been one heck of a day/week/month/year/life,' then please...join in! Don't be put off by the word 'meditate.' For me, 'meditation' is just a word that describes the process of sitting in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere in order to think positive thoughts and enjoy a bit of meaningful calm and stillness.

You could try it once and decide it is not for you. Or you might pop by for random visits here and there to suit your life and needs. Or you might tune in regularly for as long as the life of this circle is meant to be. The choice is yours. No obligation, no pressure, no fuss.

The joy of this circle is that floor space is no obstacle. It can hold numbers as limitless as the size of the Universe itself - but let's not dwell on the science of infinity as it makes my head hurt thinking about it! All you need is between half and one hour of time once a week, a heart of good intention and a spirit of peace. And maybe a cuppa and a biscuit for afterwards because it is always important to replenish your energy stores!

You will find an e-mail contact form to the right hand side of this blog should you wish to contact me with a specific healing focus that is private and personal to you. The content of these requests will remain confidential between you and me. Otherwise, feel free to use the comments box for requests you don't mind sharing (maybe with a common community or global focus) or indeed for sharing your experiences after each Monday tune-in.

And please pop by to read the posts on this blog. I am excited about how the circle will develop and want to share with you regular news, updates and progress.

I offer you Home to Heart Meditation and Healing Circle in a spirit of peace, love, honesty and
friendship. I hope its community will help you as much as I know it is going to help me as I continue my development as a channel for healing and sender of positive thoughts.