Friday 11th January, 2008

My Peruvian Initiations

How glad I was to have the background knowledge and energetic experience from my time with the College of Healing to help and support me and give me some internal references during my journey to Peru.

I decided to do some voluntary work this year and my HS prompted me that it needed to be in a town in the Andes! I did not even know there was a placement there until I enquired.

It is a very friendly and hospitable town and the inhabitants are truly appreciative of anything we have to offer which seems very inadequate compared to what seems to me to be the needs of the people. Most of them live in poor and squalid conditions. Ayacuchuo is a sprawling town in a basin created by surrounding mountains of over 6000 feet. Not an easy environment to adjust to, what with the altitude, dust (unkept roads), heat (into 30s some days) and car fumes (from a fleet of motorised taxis) and, noise most of the night from the traffic and stray cats and dogs that took centre stage! I was struggling to breathe easily most of the time and was left to bring back a constant tickly cough.

However what little these charming people had, they were happy and willing to share, and I thought this did not show the more affluent societies in a good light, the more we have the less likely we are to share! .

My initial energetic preparation work was done in the UK with Mark before I set out. I was able to start to attune to the Peruvian energies by asking the expressions of the Godhead known in Peru as Pachamama (the feminine earth energy) and Wirakkocha (the male Divine aspect) to draw close and make themselves known to me. I also linked at the level that was right for me to the Apus, the mountain spirits and asked my Higher Self to guide my journey and experiences that they may be for the greatest good of all concerned. I also determined a good grounding reference point for me in my garden at home that I could use as and when I needed to, which I did.

While I was away, however uncomfortable I was physically, I tuned in and reinforced my connection to my HS, Wirakkocha and Pachamama and balanced myself each morning before I went out to my placement My main area of work was with the street children who were marginalised in their society and often were outside the normal education route, 12/13 year olds who were still learning to write their name! These boys had often been working with heavy metal porter trolleys for a few hours on the market before we arrived and the centre was a place of respite for them! The youngest were toddlers who were left there while their parents were working on the market.Wet-wipes proved to be a god-send for snotty noses and filthy hands!After a fraught couple of days, I remembered that I could clear and set the energy before we arrived which I started to do, and what a difference it made!The place changed from a chaotic, disruptive, aggressive, competitive atmosphere to one of a nuturing, calming and co-operative on. Even the older boys were sitting with me doing their creative handicraft for long periods of time and helping the younger children.I cleared the space energetically and set with a balancing symbol and asked the Divine feminine energy to hold that space at the level that was appropriate for the range of children to come to relax and play. I also spent time at the local orphanage with the toddlers who were well fed, clean and clothed but who were clearly lacking emotional contact. On each visit I had 3or 4 children clambering to get up on my knee and have a cuddle!Here and at the prison where we went to take the young children of the women pisoners out to the park for a few hours, I used a blue cloak of the Divine mother energy for my protection and to be in that energy for the youngsters.

Three weeks in the community allowed me to adjust to the high altitude and ground into the energies of the environment and the Peruvians, before I went to Machu Picchu. I had what felt like a rather precarious flight in a small light aircraft form Ayacucho to Cusco through the Andes which was breathtaking. I called upon the local apus 9montain spirits to keep us safe and truly honoured their role in this amazing landscape..

There is nothing I could say the would adequately describe the environment of Machu Picchu, truly"awesome."It took me all of my time to stay grounded in the powerful energies there and I had a real sense of coming "home". Esoterically the Andes are considered to be the place on the planet where the Feminine energies are grounded as opposed to the Himalaya where the Masculine energies are held.The mystery schools of the Andes believe that highly evolved spiritual beings conveyed electro magnetic energies from the universe to fed the earth civilisations with spiritual energy . It is also believed that a highly evolved civilisation later brought their technology and wisdom here as well as Mexico and Eygpt creating some of the pyramids and temples still standing and some of those ascribed to the Incas in fact are much older. Whatever the truth of all this Peru is a remarkable country and I feel I have undergone an initiatory journey being tested at all levels.

Thanks to the founder tutors of the College of Healing for grounding the teaching and wisdom of Helio-archanophus and for the friends and colleagues I have made through my connection with the College of Healing over the years. On this trip in particular I had energetic support from the healing group at Runnings Park, communication (through e-mails) love and support from friends and family and last but not least the love, support and anchoring that I needed on occasions from my husband, Mark without which I would have been struggling

I feel inspired to organise and lead a group of spiritually- minded people to Peru in the next couple of years so watch this space! If you may be interested please contact me either by phone or e-mail.

Tuesday 4th April, 2006

Walking your Talk

As we move towards the Spring of 2006, I have been reflecting on the theme running through my life at the moment and what it is asking me to become aware of and, do.

This year started very auspiciously with a new blue moon, which signifies the start of a new cycle and since the New Year I have been challenged on several occasions to stand up for what I believe in and empower myself in situations and, to challenge others' authority. I have been asked to stand in my own truth and not be swayed or confused by what is going on in the world, the environment and the people who come into my life.

The energies on the planet at the moment are challenging everyone to some degree or another, bringing up deep issues and long-standing conflicts to be cleared and healed. The Buddhists call this the 'age of the impure residue'. Astrologically, Pluto, which evokes the deep unconscious, is having a strong influence on us all. When this starts to happen, we tend to look for reasons outside ourselves for confusion and unhappiness. We tend to target those closest to us: "It's because you did that or didn't do this!", instead of going inside to see what is the source of the discomfort. Or, we will look to blame the weather, the government, lack of money, love, friends and so on.

If we are on a spiritual growth path, our perspective and values change, and we undergo an initiation, which is an energetic shift. This can unsettle others and we can become a target for much of this unrest in others (the brighter the light, the bigger the moth!)

These challenges give us the opportunity to self-reflect and check our own integrity and, to stand in our own truth, even if that means standing alone. The most important relationship is the one we have with ourself and we need to be comfortable and at peace with ourself and, that will enable us to be clear in our communication with others.

In the last couple of years, astrology confirms that we have been given opportunities to see where we are out of balance with our relationships, with ourselves and others and, to deal with internal blocks and conflicts. In June 2006, we are being challenged to re-align to our soul's path with that true balance between our selves and others, to be aware of our boundaries and stay living in our truth.

I feel particularly blessed in my relationship and close friends, as I have people who I can trust to be honest and loving when I need to discuss and clarify issues that are occurring for me.

However ultimately, it is as individuals that we need to decide what is our reality and to be able if necessary, to state that clearly.

Having said all of that, paradoxically (as it is for many spiritual truths) we need to be flexible enough to understand that our truth is also constantly changing and evolving as we are.

Wednesday 10th August, 2005

Spiritual Leaders

About 12 months ago, I sent out the message that I would like to meet some spiritual leaders, to act as a reference point for me and, to see what I could learn or understand from them.

I had occasion to meet three in the intervening period, all of whom taught me something and clarified for me, my perspective of what a true spiritual teacher is and, how they affect me. What responsibility was I willing to take for my own spiritual journey?

The first, I went to see in Crystal Palace, with all the trappings of a well-known teacher. This was Amma - a truly beautiful, diminutive Indian woman, who has an ashram in Kerala, where she can be seen sporting a pick-axe when a drain needs to be dug, and cooking for all those who seek refuge. Amma is an international figure, known as the hugging saint, who at a world conference of religious leaders, hugged each one in turn and stressed what was important for her: to remember in all religions, that their basis must be love of humanity and how we treat our fellow-man.

She exuded love and I felt was a channel for the Divine Mother energy, embodying that principle. She was still smiling and hugging well into the night and early morning, those who wished to receive darshan.

My second encounter was more local. I went to a satsang with Satyananda in a local village hall, not an inspiring place in itself. However, having arrived a bit agitated and stressed, within a short period of time, sitting in Satyananda's presence, I realised I was becoming peaceful and calm, moving to my soul place. There was no need to ask questions, although he was available for them. He spoke little, always trying to catalyse the questioner into finding their own answers, thereby empowering them. That night I had a profound dream that enabled me to understand and heal a deep issue that had been surfacing for a few weeks. I feel this was a direct result of the satsang.

The third encounter was with a well-known figure at a weekend retreat in Wales. He came with his own entourage and followers from Europe. His satsangs were more of an oratory, in which he spoke in paradoxs and conundrums, leaving the listener with a riddle or the need to decipher a spiritual teaching. There was the need to tease out an underlying message and I had the feeling that followers had been asking him the same questions for many years. I felt increasingly uncomfortable, as I could see the role he was in, was of the spiritual parent and, there was a subtle co-dependency that I felt was unhealthy, between him and his followers. I did not see him empowering the group members.

In my perception, in the Aquarian age we are being asked to find our own truths, to seek teachers and mentors whose energy will catalyse our own inner knowingness and whose wisdom will catalyse our truth. We are being asked to undertake steps to achieve our own spiritual 'coming of age' together, with the responsibility that brings.

It is useful to ask ourselves why we choose to go to a particular teacher and what we want from the encounter. Having spent time with a teacher, how are we left feeling? Peaceful, empowered, with a clarity of thought? Or, are we left confused, still struggling to understand? Initially, we may feel an emotional sense of well being but after a few months, may feel the need to top-up or arrange another meeting with our guru. If we feel however, that there is no need to see them again, although we may choose to do so as they have catalysed and reinforced our own divine connection, then I would suggest that we have been touched by a true spiritual teacher.

Perhaps, it is wise to self-reflect and look at our motives because the relationship between all teachers and students is a two way process; not just in the spiritual fields. Are we looking to find a teacher to follow and give us the answers or, are we looking for the teacher that will enable us by giving us tools and ways of using them? Some of the most powerful spiritual teachers in 21st century are still Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed and the Hindu deity Rama. They all gave us tools and guidelines for ways of living our lives and encouraged us to fulfil our own spiritual potential. Jesus supposedly said, 'what I can do you can do and more' and, this message has been repeated by many other masters. So, for me, the issue of self-responsibility, falls with the student as well as the teacher. This is something I have learnt on my journey and offer you these personal insights for your reflection.