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