For many herbalists like myself this is a sad day, yes there have been problems, with some people abusing these medicines and or running into problems. However if they are stocked and supplied with clear instructions and warnings surely as grown ups we should be allowed to choose for ourselves. This leads me to another EU directive a few years ago, when they dictated we cannot buy anymore than 32 paracetamol at a time, they say its for safety, however 10 taken at once can cause fatality, and what's to stop someone going buying packets from different stores. I feel it's time the EU kept its nose out of UK affairs. Up until the early 20th century all medicine was herbal, something that needs to be remembered. As for isolating the active ingredients, this is not how herbal medicine works. The plant often works as a whole, its not just the so-called active ingredients, but all of the other structures within the plant that gives it it's efficacy. Herbal medicine is a Holistic medicine, it works on the body as a whole, something the orthodox establishment, or more likely the big pharmaceutical companies, need to accept. Often when you try to extract what clinical pharmacists, call the active ingredients, the remedy no longer works in the same way.

There is more to this than worrying about safety I feel the big pharmaceutical companies have a hand in all of this.

Herbal medicines banned as EU directive comes into force

Patients have lost access to hundreds of herbal medicines today, after European regulations came into force.
Sales of all herbal remedies, except for a small number of popular products for 'mild' illness such as echinacea for colds and St John's Wort for depression have been banned.
For the first time traditional products must be licensed or prescribed by a registered herbal practitioner.

The Government allowed access to some unlicensed manufactured herbal medicines via a statutory register

Both herbal remedy practitioners and manufacturers fear they could be forced out of business as a result.
Some of the most  commonly used products were saved after the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley approved a plan for the Health Professions Council to establish a register of practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines.
However, many remedies were lost as it was only open to those who could afford the licensing process which costs between £80,000 to £120,000.
At least 50 herbs, including horny goat weed (so-called natural Viagra), hawthorn berry, used for angina pain, and wild yam will no longer be stocked in health food shops, says the British Herbal Medicine Association.

The 2004 EU directive demands that a traditional herbal medicinal product must be shown to have been in use for 30 years in the EU – or at 15 years in the EU and 15 years elsewhere – for it to be licensed.
The UK drug safety watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency, has issued more than a dozen alerts in the past two years, including a warning last month over a contaminated weight loss pill called Herbal Flos Lonicerae (Herbal Xenicol) due to concerns over possible side-effects.
Mr Lansley, in a written statement, said the Government wanted to ensure continuing access to unlicensed herbal medicines via a statutory register for practitioners ‘to meet individual patient needs’.
Acupuncture falls outside the EU directive and so remains unaffected.
Prince Charles, a long-standing supporter of complementary therapies, has voiced his support for formal regulation of herbal practitioners.
Up til now the industry has been covered by the 1968 Medicines Act. This was drawn up when only a small number of herbal remedies were available.

But recent studies show that at least six million Britons have used a herbal medicine in the past two years.

Professor George Lewith, professor of health research at Southampton University, said: ‘Evidence for the efficacy of herbal medicines is growing; they may offer cheap, safe and effective approaches for many common complaints.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1382135/Herbal-medicines-banned-EU-directive-comes-force.html#ixzz1L1UPR5nR

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ASTRIDESTELLA'S PHILOSOPHY JOY AND PAIN TWO SIDES OF ONE COIN

To understand Joy we need first to experience pain

Finding this story on the face of it I can see the benefit for some real bad memories but if you debate on this issue I feel it could become over used and dangerous. Trauma, mistakes and experiences even bad experiences are learning experiences. I am not looking for sympathy here far from it but I and many others have gone through trauma and come out the other side. And when you do go through something dreadful, you don't forget it ever, the memories are still there but it doesn't hurt anymore, its just a memory and its a memory that has taught us something. Pain is a necessary part of life for without it, how would we appreciate happiness and joy and relief. There are many therapies that can help cope with painful memories and trauma and ease the pain but we don't need to forget them. Its all those experiences that make us who we are.

Erase painful memories: Scientific breakthrough could let us delete trauma from our minds

End of trauma? Scientists have discovered a link between a protein called PKM and our recollection of disturbing events

All of us have wanted to erase a painful memory at some point.
Now scientists claim they are on the verge of a breakthrough after finding a way to potentially delete trauma from our minds.
They have discovered a link between a protein called PKM and our recollection of disturbing events.
Their study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could have profound implications for war veterans, the victims of violent crimes and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lead researcher David Glanzman, from the University of California, Los Angeles, said: 'I think we will be able to alter memories someday to reduce the trauma from our brains.
'Not in the immediate future, but I think we will be able to go into one's brain, identify the location of the memory of a traumatic experience and try to dampen it down.
'We can do this in culture, and there is no essential difference between the synapse in culture and the synapse in your brain.'
Professor Glanzman, a cellular neuroscientist, and his team reported that they have eliminated, or at least substantially weakened, a long-term memory in both the marine snail known as Aplysia and neurons in a Petri dish.
The researchers said they have gained important insights into the cell biology of long-term memory.

They discovered that the long-term memory for sensitisation in the marine snail can be erased by inhibiting the activity of PKM, a protein associated with memory.
The research could also help treat drug addiction, in which memory plays an important role, and perhaps Alzheimer's disease and other long-term memory disorders.

Researchers claim they have eliminated, or at least substantially weakened, a long-term memory in both a marine snail and neurons within a Petri dish

The researchers studied PKM in the marine snail, which has simple forms of learning and a simple nervous system, so that they could understand in precise detail how PKM's activity maintains a long-term memory, a process that is not well understood.
They looked at a simple kind of memory called sensitisation. If marine snails are attacked by a predator, the attack heightens their sensitivity to environmental stimuli - a 'fundamental form of learning that is necessary for survival and is very robust in the marine snail,' Professor Glanzman said.
They succeeded in erasing a long-term memory, both in the snail itself and in the circuit in the dish.
The researchers are the first to show that long-term memory can be erased at a connection between just two neurons.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1381802/Erase-painful-memories-Scientific-breakthrough-let-delete-trauma-minds.html#ixzz1KwB6wGF6

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HOW STRESS AFFECTS US IT CAN MAKE US FAT

 I came across this article and since this is a Holistic and well being site, it seemed only appropriate. As I have written before and it also mentions in here, stress is fine short term and the effects of short term stress will do us no harm, it's the effects of long term stress that is detrimental. The problem too with junk foods is that as well as being high calorie, high in salt, high in fat and low in fiber, they also contain many additives which in themselves are addictive. One example is MSG monosodium glutamate research has suggested it has a detrimental effect on the pancreas by tripling the amount of insulin it produces. So if long term stress causes some to crave sweet and fatty foods, the chances are they are also laced with MSG, this therefore will compound the effects.

High stress levels can make you fat, researchers claim

By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 8:11 AM on 10th May 2010
Forget that punishing exercise regime or elaborate diet.
The key to losing weight could be as simple as putting your feet up and relaxing.
Scientists have found a gene that makes us crave sweet and fatty foods and pile on the pounds when under stress.
The 'comfort eating gene' has also been linked to type 2 diabetes - the form of the disease that usually occurs in middle-age and is related to obesity.

Weight problem: Stress activates a gene which affects the metabolism and contributes to our cravings for sweet, fatty foods, according to a new study

It is hoped that studying the gene will lead to new diabetes drugs as well as weight loss pills.
But it seems finding time to relax could also do us the power of good.
Researcher Dr Alon Chen set out to find out why so many people reach for the biscuit tin when under pressure at home or at work.
In studies on mice, he pinpointed a gene that pumps out a protein called Ucn3 at times of stress.

 

Produced in the brain, the protein has profound effects throughout the body, affecting organs including the heart, muscles, liver and pancreas.

It increases appetite and affects how full we feel as well as the way the body uses insulin, a hormone crucial in the processing of sugar into energy.
Mice that were made to make more Ucn3 than usual began to show the first signs of diabetes, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.
Ucn3 also seems to trigger a taste for sugary and fatty foods - providing the body and brain with extra fuel when under extreme stress.
But when the system is constantly activated by everyday stresses and strains, we can become fat and ill.
Dr Chen, of the Weizmann Institute-in Israel, said: 'Stress is good when you have to cope with an event, like when you meet a lion.
'Your metabolism is changing, you consume more sugars and more glucose goes to the muscles to help you escape the lion.
'But the stress response needs to be a tightly-regulated system. The
genes need to kick in at the right time. If they are not working properly it can lead to psychiatric and metabolic disorders.'
Drugs that target the 'comfort eating gene' or the Ucn3 protein could help prevent diabetes and keep weight down.
Previous work by British researchers has shown that almost two-thirds of people in the UK carry other 'junk food genes' that cause them to crave fatty and sugary foods.
Those with the genetic flaw eat 100 calories more at each meal - the equivalent of a Kit Kat or a bag of Wotsits.
Over the course of a week, that amounts to an extra 2,100 calories - or an extra day's food.
The findings, by researchers at Dundee University, help explain why some people find it hard to resist fast food - and why some diets are doomed to fail.
Britons are also the world's worst junk food addicts, beating even the Americans in their appetite for fat and sugar-laden snacks.
Figures show the average adult in this country eats just over three portions of fruit and vegetables a day and will get through 22,000 ready-meals, sandwiches and sweet snacks in a lifetime - little short of one a day.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1273866/High-stress-levels-make-fat-researchers-claim.html#ixzz1KqnHbqDh

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SPIRITUAL PHILOSOPHY~THE PAST IS GONE

The past is gone. Whatever mistakes you have made you must forget. You come into your world to make mistakes and to learn from them. Forget the past. It is the present that matter. Philosophy of Silver Birch pp137

See every day as a clean sheet, you cannot relive the past. None of us on Earth are perfect for if we were, there would be no need for us to be here. Nor should you worry too much about the future. If you spend time worrying what might happen you will miss out on what is happening at this moment in

time. It is the present you are in control of, it is the present you can change.




A BIGGER PICTURE

I wish I had a magic wand
To make things right that are wrong
I'd change so much I dearly would
And bestow happiness if I could
But life is not fair, its not meant to be
For the lessons in life we would not see
We are here on Earth to be educated
Not in academia  but compassion and empathy it's fated
To understand we have to see the other's side
To feel and experience and from pain we cannot hide
It's only through experience we can learn
Even though we wish for better that we yearn
We have to look at life from a different view
And know each lifetime will be different too
Some will be joyful and in that we should relish
To see through the tough times that will be hellish
Remember this there is no magic wand
No fairy dust, nor magic spells to change whats wrong
That doesn't mean things wont change
And to you this philosophy might seem strange
But for all souls there is retribution and compensation
Hold on to that thought and make it you life's mission
No experience is wasted but cleverly crafted and designed
This lifetime you are on is but a grain of sand
Within a bigger picture  to be viewed
To enrich and educate that soul within you

MPB ©

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AYURVEDIC MEDICINE Cayenne pepper suppressed the appetites of those who rarely consumed the spice (Funny this is not new!)

Having come across this article today it does not surprise me one only has to look at Ayurvedic medicine to understand why. There are three different constitutional types or doshas known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. If you take note of the Kapha constitutional type, these types tend to be very sluggish, everything about them tends to be slow, so to balance this dosha, more heat and fire is needed, so can you see how Cayenne would work. Ayurvedic Medicine has been around from ancient times, so this story is not new Ayurvedic practioners have known this for centuries. Funny how things have come full circle so to speak

The Vata Type

• Vata types tend to be fast, wiry and creative types.
  
• The Vata's primary organ is the colon.
  
• You need routine in your life to ground your moving energy.
  
• Travel, especially air travel, can imbalance a Vata.
  
• Vatas are aggravated by cold, frozen or dried foods.
  

In order to be balanced, you need to eat foods that warm you, avoiding extreme cold, raw and frozen foods. Moist rather than dry foods are also recommended.

Maintaining a regular routine is important.

The Pitta Type

• Pitta types are determined and strong willed with good digestion.
• The Pitta's primary organs are the small intestine and stomach.
• Pittas tend to be hot, oily, and light.
• Pitta is associated with the fire element, and tend to have a fiery quality.
• When a Pitta becomes imbalanced, he or she may notice skin rashes, burning, inflammation, fever, ulcers, anger, jealousy, copious urine.

In order to be balanced, Pittas should remain cool, avoiding excess heat, steam or humidity.
They should also avoid excessively oily food or fried foods as well as caffeine, alcohol, red meat, hot spices, or salt, choosing instead to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

Pitta types should also try to get plenty of fresh air. Expression of emotions is also important.


The Kapha Type

• Kapha types have good endurance, strength and stamina.
  
• Although it is easy for you to follow routine, it is healthier for you to periodically break from routine.
  
• You tend toward inertia and tend to attach to people or things.
  
• Food and security are important to you.
  
• The primary organ is the chest.
  
• Kapha is often correlated with the production of mucus.
  
• Kapha types have a tendency towards congestion, sinusitis, sluggishness, weight gain, diabetes or water retention.
  

In order to be balanced, Kaphas should be physically active, consume little fried or fatty foods, avoid icy drinks, sweets or excessive amounts of bread. They should enjoy plenty of fresh vegetables.

Kapha types should allow excitement, change and challenge to become a regular part of their lives.


KAPHA
Balancing Foods
Fruit - Apples, Apricots, Berries, Cherries, Cranberries, Dried Figs, Mango, Peaches, Pears, Pomegranate, Prunes, Raisins. Sweet fruits such as bananas and dates are aggravating, as are sour fruits such as lemons, sour oranges and grapefruit.

Balancing Foods
Vegetables - Asparagus, Beets, Beet Greens, Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Eggplant, Garlic, Green Beans, Horseradish, Leafy Greens, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Okra, Onions, Parsley, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Spinach, Sprouts, Turnips, Watercress. Raw, pungent and bitter vegetables are balancing. Sweet, juicy vegetables are aggravating.

Grains - Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Corn, Granola, Millet, Oats, Oat Bran, Quinoa, Basmati Rice, Rice Cakes, Rye and Wheat Bran are balancing. Cooked Oats, Brown or White Rice, and Wheat are imbalancing.

Legumes and Nuts - Adzuki beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Chickpeas, Flaxseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Lima Beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Red Lentils, Split Peas, White Beans are balancing. Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashew, Coconut, Macadamia Nuts, Peanuts, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Psyllium, Sesame, Black lentils, Mung Beans, KIdney Beans, Lentils, Soy Beans, Tempeh, Walnuts and Tofu are imbalancing.

Meat - Chicken dark meat, Turkey dark meat, eggs are balancing. Beef, Duck, Freshwater Fish, Lamb, Pork, Seafood, Shrimp, and Venison are aggravating.

Herbs, Spices and Condiments - allspice, Anise, Basil, Black Pepper, Caraway, Cardamom, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Cumin, Dill, Fenugreek, Garlic, Ginger, Horseradish, Mint, Mustard Seeds, Nutmeg, Onion, Oregano, Paprika, Parsley, Peppermint, Poppy Seeds, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Star Anise, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric, Wintergreen are balancing.

Dairy - Ghee, Goats Milk and Diluted Yogurt (diluted 1:4 yogurt:water) are balancing. Butter, Cheese, Buttermilk, Cow's Milk, Ice Cream, Sour Cream and Yogurt are aggravating.
 


Cayenne pepper suppressed the appetites of those who rarely consumed the spice
Spicing up a daily diet with a sprinkling of chopped-up chilli peppers could help weight-watchers to curb their appetites.
Researchers from Purdue University, in Indiana, found that capsaicin, which gives peppers their heat, can reduce hunger and increase energy expenditure.

Red hot: Capsaicin is particularly effective at curbing the appetite in those who don't regularly eat chillis

'We found that consuming red pepper can help manage appetite and burn more calories after a meal, especially for individuals who do not consume the spice regularly,' said Professor Richard Mattes.
'Dietary changes that don't require great effort to implement, like sprinkling red pepper on your meal, may be sustainable and beneficial in the long run, especially when paired with exercise and healthy eating.'
The study, published in Physiology & Behaviour, measured the effects of the spice in half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper - an amount most people could manage.
Other studies have looked at consuming capsaicin via a capsule, but the latest study demonstrated that actually tasting the red pepper may optimise its effects.
Professor Mattes said the sensory experience of eating a chilli maximises the digestive process.

'That burn in your mouth is responsible for that effect,' he said.
'It turns out you get a more robust effect if you include the sensory part because the burn contributes to a rise in body temperature, energy expenditure and appetite control.'

This study used ordinary dried, ground cayenne red pepper. Cayenne is a chili pepper, which is among the most commonly consumed spices in the world. Most, but not all, chili peppers contain capsaicin.
Twenty-five healthy weight people - 13 who liked spicy food and 12 who did not - participated in the six-week study.
The preferred level of pepper for each group was determined in advance, and those who did not like red pepper preferred 0.3g compared to regular spice users who preferred 1.8g.
In general, red pepper consumption did increase core body temperature and burn more calories through natural energy expenditure.
The study found that those who did not regularly eat chillis also experienced a decrease of hunger, especially for fatty, salty and sweet foods.
'The appetite responses were different between those who liked red pepper and those who did not, suggesting that when the stimulus is unfamiliar it has a greater effect,' the authors said.
'Once it becomes familiar to people, it loses its efficacy.'
The authors said previous studies failed to account for individual differences in liking the burn of chili peppers, which could explain why their results varied on capsaicin's impact on appetite suppression.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1380636/Weight-watchers-A-sprinkling-red-chilli-peppers-dinner-keeps-hunger-pangs-bay.html#ixzz1KeudgF4w

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TAROT "THE SUN"

"THE SUN" HAPPY TIMES ARE COMING.

When this card appears in a reading it often denotes a period when things in the querient's life are becoming more settled. In a reading, the card of Apollo the sun god in the picture signifies a time of clarity, optimism and renewed trust. Its a time for moving forward and not looking back. It is a card also to trust your gut instincts and know that everything will be ok. If this card appears in a reading where the other cards are not so positive, it will neutralise their effects. All in all a wonderful card to show up, for its saying everything will be ok.

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NEW DEPRESSION TREATMENT

The reason I have included this story in my blog today is, this blog is about WELL BEING and not totally devoted to psychic subjects and Wicca and the spiritual aspects of our lives. I believe well being and beauty come from within therefore I take the Holistic approach.

I have been saying for years that there is no shame to suffering from depression for too long this complaint has a stigma and their are many causes BUT what is clear depression is no different from suffering any other physical ailment, such as diabetes, thyroid toxicosis etc. where there is a hormonal/chemical imbalance as this article below demonstrates. 

For those who suffer depression, it is not all in your mind and it is also down right cruel to have someone tell you to pull yourself together, its akin to have someone tell someone with a broken leg to shut up and heal the leg yourself.

I am all for more research into this field, we don't know enough about the complexities of the brain but what is coming out of research so far is this: "ITS NOT ALL IN THE MIND". So if I can publicise and enlighten a few more ignorant people about depression I will do.

The nasal spray that can tackle depression in just two hours

Some of the chemicals in the nose spray are thought to be involved in how the brain regulates behaviour and mood

A nasal spray could be a new way to tackle depression and anxiety.
The spray, based on a natural brain chemical, could be effective within two hours, compared to several days for some of the most widely used antidepressant drugs.
The liquid is released at the top of the nose and is designed to penetrate the brain areas involved in mood.
A clinical trial is now under way looking at the feasibility of the treatment.
Researchers say future studies could look at the effects of the brain chemical in patients with other psychiatric disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is estimated that one in four women and one in ten men will require treatment for depression at some time in their lives.
One of the downsides of antidepressant pills is that they can take a long time to work — between two and eight weeks.
In a new trial at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, researchers are investigating the use of a nose spray containing a brain chemical called neuropeptide.
These are chemicals used by nerve cells in the brain to communicate with each other.
Some of the chemicals, and one in particular — neuropeptide Y — is thought to be involved in how the brain regulates behaviour and mood.
This compound is the most abundant peptide in the human brain, and is found in nerve fibres alongside another chemical called norepinephrine, which is thought to be involved in regulating mood and anxiety.
Previous research has also shown that stress leads to the release of the chemical, and a recent study by University of Michigan researchers, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that people who have a genetic predisposition to have low neuropeptide levels may be at higher risk of developing depression.

It is estimated that one in four women and one in ten men will require treatment for depression at some time in their lives

But though research has suggested neuropeptide Y may be effective for treating psychiatric disorders, there have been problems in moving the compound into the brain. This is mainly because it is a large molecule, and has difficulty passing through the blood-brain barrier which protects the brain from potentially harmful compounds in the blood.
However, nasal sprays can overcome this problem.
The upper part of the nose is like a back door into the brain because the nerves involved in smell provide a pathway straight into the central nervous system.
The new trial, which involves 15 volunteers aged 25 to 45, is designed to investigate how well the spray and neuropeptide Y work in the brain, and the effects will be compared with a placebo.
Researchers, who expect results in about two months, use an extra-powerful device to get the liquid as high as possible in the nose, into the area at the very top which is rich in nerves used for detecting smells.
Commenting on the research, a spokesperson from mental health charity Mind says: ‘This research is at an early stage and it remains to be seen whether this trial will lead to a new treatment.
‘It is important to recognise that alternative approaches to antidepressants, such as talking therapies and exercise, can also have positive results.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1380588/The-nasal-spray-tackle-depression-just-hours.html#ixzz1KcWm2NIH

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POSITIVE THINKING AND AFFIRMINATIONS

POSITIVE THINKING AND AFFIRMATIONS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

 

The benefit of positive thinking has been proven through much research. What Affirmations do are to consciously harness the power of positive thinking and direct it to specific areas of your life that need attention or where you want to bring about change. 

 

Affirmations work and can really transform your life!

Affirmations and positive thinking are very powerful tools that can bring about healing and change. However negative thoughts are just as powerful and can be very self-destructive. Although we have no control over all what goes on in the world and certain aspects of our lives, we do have control over the way we interpret and how we deal to it.

"The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences"

You experience your interpretation as an internal dialogue. Thoughts, judgements and feelings are ceaselessly swirling through your mind. Thoughts like: I like this; I don't like that; I am afraid of this; I am unsure about him/her. This internal dialogue is not random, it is generated from a deep level by your beliefs and assumptions which have been formed and accumulated from the time you were born. It is worth remembering that a lot of these assumptions and beliefs were formulated as a child and have never been re-examined and therefore may be highly inappropriate to you as an adult or just simply wrong. When someone's interpretation changes, a change subsequently takes place in their reality. Thus we can make big changes in our lives by changing our thinking. We can start simply with positive thinking and Affirmations and then go further with Neuro Linguistic Programming.

The first step is being aware, being aware of how we are thinking, it is then we can change old patterns and mind set.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is  therapy  which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective communication, and to change their patterns of mental and emotional behaviour".

The co-founders, Richard Bandler and linguist John Grinder, believed that NLP would be useful in "finding ways to help people have better, fuller and richer lives".They coined the term "Neuro-Linguistic Programming" to emphasize their belief in a connection between the neurological processes ("neuro"), language ("linguistic") and behavioral patterns that have been learned through experience ("programming") and can be organized to achieve specific goals in life.

It is often noted as a "science of excellence", derived from the study or "modeling" of how successful or outstanding people in different fields obtain their results. Bandler and Grinder claimed that if the effective patterns of behaviour of outstanding therapists (and other exceptional communicators) could be modeled then these patterns could be acquired by others.

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WHY DOESN'T MY SPELL WORK?

Something I have noticed as I have been doing a bit of research into this area. I have come across various people online complaining their spells didn't work or after paying a spell caster to do the spell it hasn't worked. Well to explain why this may be the case let me explain.

WHAT IS A SPELL?

A spell is in effect a concentrated 'thoughtform'. A thoughtform is a thought, but every thought any of us has, has an energy. All our thoughts go out into the Universe and have an effect. somethings for good, sometimes for bad, but they are akin to ripples thrown into a pond, they spread and effect the pond as a whole. Everything in the Universe is comprised of energy and this energy is controlled by the Universe's Laws. Take the law of attraction, where like attracts like, so positive energy is attracted to positive energy, so the more positively you think, the more positivity is attracted to you.

We also chose to incarnate on Earth, we chose our parents and we incarnate in soul groups, each taking a different role, with each incarnation in order that we can experience, a different role, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad so that we can experience how it feels from both sides. We incarnate with this lesson in mind, however that memory is wiped from our conscious memory, but remains in our subconscious memory, for the sole reason if we knew what was ahead of us, we would try an avoid it. However our subconscious still retains it and drives us on. To complicate things further, we are given 'free will', it has to be this way, so we can choose to experience and learn and its up to us we do it willingly and not coerced.

All of this effects how a spell will turn out. The laws of the Universe govern how it will work, but the most important part of all spells, is the positive belief that THEY WILL WORK, for all a spell is, is a CONCENTRATED AND ENERGISED THOUGHTFORM.

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Reincarnation

As a Spiritualist reincarnation is something I believe in. I believe we have many lives, we each choose what challenges and lessons we wish to learn in each incarnation. Of course we each have a choice whether to incarnate or not, we can still learn and grow in the spirit realms, however as we see it the Earth is our class room. As a Spiritualist, we believe we incarnate as humans unlike some other religions and we incarnate in soul groups, each taking a different role in each incarnation, sometimes the parent, others the child, the victim or the aggressor, in order that we experience both sides of a situation, this teaches us empathy and understanding, what it is like to be in each others shoes. Our soul has no sex, sometimes we incarnate as female others as male and we incarnate as different races. It is said the only thing we bring with us to each incarnation is our eyes, hence the eyes are the windows to our soul.
When we do readings spirit come back to their loved ones in a form their loved ones will recognise in order to identify with them, this does not mean they spend their time in the spirit realms as an old person if they were elderly when they passed over.
Animals also incarnate and have their own soul groups and progress up through the animal kingdom.
The reason I have chosen to feature Dr. Brian Weiss here, is because he is well experienced in this field of past life therapy using hypnosis to regress the subject. I have read most of his books and they make very interesting reading and have included an excerpt from one of his books

FEATURE ON DR. BRIAN WEISS

As a traditional psychotherapist, Dr. Brian Weiss was astonished and skeptical when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks. His skepticism was eroded, however, when she began to channel messages from "the space between lives," which contained remarkable revelations about Dr. Weiss's family and his dead son. Using past-life therapy, he was able to cure the patient and embark on a new, more meaningful phase of his own career.

A graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School, Brian L. Weiss M.D. is Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

Dr. Weiss conducts national and international seminars and experiential workshops as well as training programs for professionals.

Only Love is Real

Brian Weiss MD

Chapter 1

Know, therefore, that from the greater silence I shall return.... Forget not that I shall come back to you.... A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me.
KAHLIL GIBRAN

There is someone special for everyone. Often there are two or three or even four. They come from different generations. They travel across oceans of time and the depths of heavenly dimensions to be with you again. They come from the other side, from heaven. They look different, but your heart knows them. Your heart has held them in arms like yours in the moon-filled deserts of Egypt and the ancient plains of Mongolia. You have ridden together in the armies of forgotten warrior-generals, and you have lived together in the sand-covered caves of the Ancient Ones. You are bonded together throughout eternity, and you will never be alone.
Your head may interfere: "I do not know you." Your heart knows.
He takes your hand for the first time, and the memory of his touch transcends time and sends a jolt through every atom of your being. She looks into your eyes, and you see a soul companion across centuries. Your stomach turns upside down. Your arms are gooseflesh. Everything outside this moment loses its importance.
He may not recognize you, even though you have finally met again, even though you know him. You can feel the bond. You can see the potential, the future. But he does not. His fears, his intellect, his problems keep a veil over his heart's eyes. He does not let you help him sweep the veil aside. You mourn and grieve, and he moves on. Destiny can be so delicate.
When both recognize each other, no volcano could erupt with more passion. The energy released is tremendous.
Soul recognition may be immediate. A sudden feeling of familiarity, of knowing this new person at depths far beyond what the conscious mind could know. At depths usually reserved for the most intimate family members. Or even deeper than that. Intuitively knowing what to say, how they will react. A feeling of safety and a trust far greater than could be earned in only one day or one week or one month.
Soul recognition may be subtle and slow. A dawning of awareness as the veil is gently lifted. Not everyone is ready to see right away. There is a timing at work, and patience may be necessary for the one who sees first.
You may be awakened to the presence of your soul companion by a look, a dream, a memory, a feeling. You may be awakened by the touch of his hands or the kiss of her lips, and your soul is jolted back to life.
The touch that awakens may be that of your child, of a parent, of a sibling, or of a true friend. Or it may be your beloved, reaching across the centuries, to kiss you of her lips, and your soul is jolted back to life.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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DIVINE TIMING~NOT A COP OUT FOR IMPATIENCE

 DIVINE TIMING

Time and time I hear from clients, when will it happen? can you give me a time? Sometimes I am lucky and I am given dates and timings but more often that not I am just told Divine Timing. It's not a cop out to give to the impatient but firstly there are no clocks nor is there a sense of time as we know it in the spirit realms and secondly it takes time to manifest the optimal times for the best result.

If you want to experience more harmony, happiness and effortless manifestation of your desires in life, you have to let go of all resistance towards whatever that comes your way. The reason why we fight against what comes is because we think that we are being kept from having our way. But the truth is whatever that happens is exactly what is meant to be, and it is all part of the process of the manifestation of our desires. Everything is happening in divine timing and we can flow if we do not limit ourselves.

Sometimes you were expecting to meet someone on a certain day but when that day comes, the person cannot meet you for some valid reason. Flow with it and meet that person on another day. The reason why you might be resisting change of events is because you have been anticipating it and thinking a lot about it. But when it doesn’t happen at the expected time, you don’t know what to do in place of it because you don’t feel like doing anything else other than that which you already had in mind.

If something doesn’t happen at the expect time in the expected way, it means it’s going to happen at a better timing in a better way. Don’t resist what is happening but instead focus on doing something else. You will discover things gone a much better way after the whole event has passed. You did something important which enhanced the meeting with the person that would not have happened otherwise. Hence it is better not to resist what is happening when it isn’t necessary, but to just go with the flow.

Just know everything happens at the RIGHT TIME AND THE BEST POSSIBLE TIME and only spirit knows this and we have to learn to trust, they do know what is best for us because spirit love us. Spirit have the ability to know what is ahead and any complications so they decide what is the best time to manifest our wishes. If we were to rush things before the optimum conditions were reached it could prevent our wishes manifesting, this is why we need to trust and believe in Divine timing.

Maggie Brown (Author)

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CELTIC RELIGION AND MYTHS

Being of Celtic origin myself its only right that I draw attention to this on this blog. It is often said that Wicca has its origin in the ancient Celtic religion, certainly the festivals have the same name as the original Celtic ones (see below)

When we consider ancient Celtic myths and Celtic legends, we are confronted with two rather conflicting mental images. On the one hand, there is the mighty, ferocious Celtic warrior, famed and feared throughout the Roman empire, fighting naked or painted blue, screaming like a Berserker, and cutting off the heads of the enemy.

The Irish epics replace headhunting with cattle raiding. Warriors sit around a smoky hall, feasting and drinking and telling tales - who is the mightiest? The most famous story, the Tain Bo Cuailnge, tells of such a cattle raid. The Scottish Highlanders made their living and took their entertainment from stealing their neighbors' cattle for well over a thousand years.

On the other hand, Celtic mythology is incorporated into the popular image of the druids. Merlin in his tall hat turning Wat into a fish or a squirrel. A powerful nature religion peopled with druids and bards who spent as long learning their craft as Buddha spent under the banyan tree seeking nirvana. A religion of magic and wonder with one foot in our world and the other in the land of faery. This "Disney" version of druidism ignores the bloodthirstiness of the Celtic pantheon and the human sacrifice involved in their propitiation, often by fire and, possibly, by boiling alive. In ancient Gaul, until Roman Christianization, the Celts decorated their homes with the heads of the enemy.

There is a lot of academic confusion and debate about the origins of druidism, some feeling it spread west as the Celts themselves migrated over hundreds of years from the eastern steppes into Europe and, eventually, the British Isles (via Spain for the Irish). On the other hand, at the time of the Roman empire it seems as though the Isles were the stronghold of the religion, training druids and sending them back to Europe. So, did the "classic" Celtic religion originate in the British Isles and slowly replace the older, bloodier, more pantheistic and less refined religious beliefs the Celts had originally brought to Europe? We don't know.

We do know that the Celtic religion was nature based (trees, water, etc.), what neopagans now call "earth spirituality". It is thought that there were three classes of "clergy", druid, bard and ovate, with differing functions, though it's difficult to pinpoint these differences. Some feel it was a question of degree and level of training. Seership was a highly developed and a very important function. Druids not only led spiritually, but functioned as arbiters and judges. There is some evidence to suggest that the druid hierarchy spanned Celtic Europe with some archdruids having ultimate jurisdiction over large areas.

It is very difficult to interpret the archeological and historical evidence since the Celts had no written language. Aside from digging in the ground and trying to make sense of what they find, scholars must rely on the Greek and Roman historians and the myths as they were finally written, centuries later. These manuscripts were Irish and Welsh, with the Irish being earlier. Since this site deals with Scotland, it the Irish tradition we will discuss, as that is the mythology that went to Dalriada along with fledging Christianity and that informs Highland folklore and customs to this day (as well as many of our own).
The Celtic Wheel of the Year - Festivals

The Celtic calendar was lunar based, with thirteen months. Extra days as needed were added at new year's as a "time between times." The wheel of the year was divided into eight segments, each with a corresponding festival. The four fire festivals take place on the last evening of a month and the following day because the Celts, like the Jews, count a day from sunset to sunset. That's why we celebrate All Hallow's Eve, Midsummer's Eve, and so on.

These four fire festivals are tied to the agricultural cycle as follows:

Samhain is celebrated on October 31-November 1 (our Halloween). It is the end of the harvest, the beginning of winter and once marked the Celtic new year. At Samhain, the barrier between our world and the Otherworld thins, allowing contacts between the spirits (faeries) and humans. Normal rules of human conduct do not apply and one may "run wild". Great bonfires are lit and participants join hands and circle the fire, or young men take blazing torches and circle (sunwise) their homes and lands to protect them from evil spirits. This was also a festival of the dead and the church was easily able to transform these holidays into All Saint's Day (November 1) and All Soul's Day (November 2).

Imbolc is celebrated February 1-2 (later transformed into Candlemas by the church, and popular now as Groundhog Day). Imbolc marked the beginning of Spring (hard to imagine where we live!), the beginning of new life (in Britain the beginning of lambing season). Dedicated to the ancient mother goddess in her maiden aspect, it was later transformed into a feast day for the Irish saint of the same name (and attributes), St. Brigid.

The third festival of the agricultural year is Beltane (Bealtunn in Scots Gaelic, meaning May Day), celebrated April 30-May 1. The myth surrounding this festival is common to many ancient pagan religions. The god, Bel (or Cernunnos, the horned god of Ireland) dies but is reborn as the goddess' son. He then impregnates her ensuring the neverending cycle of rebirth. This is very basic fertility worship. May Day traditions includes young people picking flowers in the woods (and spending the night there), and the dance around the May Pole, weaving red (for the god) and white (for the goddess) streamers round and round. A great bonfire celebrates the return of the sun. In Ireland, the first bonfire was lit on Tara by the High King followed by all the others. On May Day itself, the Highland tradition has the entire community leading the cattle to summer pasturage, not to return until Samhain.

The final celebration of the agricultural year is Lughnasadh (Lammas in England), the feast of the god Lugh and the first fruits of the harvest (generally wheat or corn). Lughnasadh is celebrated July 31-August 1. In Scotland, the first stalks of corn are called "John Barleycorn", of course, and were used to make the first beer of the fall season. Now, John Barleycorn refers to that greatest of Scots drinks (many distilleries are closed for August, reopening for the fall whisky-making season on September 1). This festival, as celebrated in England, gives me the willies, reminding me of that great horror novel by Thomas Tryon, Harvest Home. At Lammas, the Corn King dies (to be reborn at spring), ensuring plenty for the winter.

The Solar Holidays - Solstice and Equinox

The other four holidays of the Celtic year celebrate the spring and fall equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices. Each name contains the word "Alban" meaning "Light of". The name for ancient Scotland was Alba.

Alban Arthuan (Light of Arthur), like winter solstice celebrations all over the world, celebrates the return of the sun following the shortest day in the year. It's no wonder the church adopted these holidays as the birthdate of the Son. From ancient Celtic and Norse mythology we enjoy such holiday traditions as holly and mistletoe (sacred to the druids), the yule log, Santa Claus in his aspects of Father Christmas or the Holly King. Supposedly, King Arthur was born on the winter solstice (and he, too, will come again). Ireland celebrates Christmas much more enthusiastically than Scotland. Under the Kirk at its strictest, Christmas was viewed as an idolatrous celebration and not observed. Today, the Scots put most of their merry-making efforts into Hogmanay, the New Year's celebration.

The spring (vernal) equinox is celebrated as Alban Eiler (Light of the Earth). The equinoxes were considered a time of balance, not only between dark and light, but between worlds as well and, therefore, a time of high magical potential. More mundanely, this festival signified the time for spring planting and fertility rituals.

Alban Heruin (Light of the Shore) is celebrated as Midsummer's Day with games, picnics, and all manner of light-hearted fun. The antics of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare well captures the spirit of this festival, including the interaction between our people and those of the faery world.

Finally, Alban Elued (Light of the Water) is observed at the autumn equinox and, like the spring equinox, is a very sacred time when the line between worlds is thin and magical possibilities abound.

Much more seems to be known about the four fire festivals (which are still celebrated in many traditional ways) than the four solar festivals. Were the solar festivals mainly druidic sacred times in which lay participation was minimal (it would seem that some of the neo-druids have taken this view and make rather more of these dates than the Irish and Gaels do)? Or could the solar celebrations pre-date druidism, belonging to the Stonehenge builders, and falling slowly into disuse? This seems a possibility since the Celtic calendar is lunar based, rather than solar.

In any case, we find in Celtic mythology a strong foundation in ancient goddess (mother earth) and fertility religion (common throughout the ancient world), merged with the peculiar emphasis on the Otherworld and its accessibility to mankind found in the druid religion. More than any other people, perhaps, the Celts live with one foot in this world and one in the other. The druid belief was that we are composed of mind, body and spirit (Christianity likewise believes this), with spirit acting as the bonding agent between body and mind, rather than an elevated or qualitatively different state of being. Thereby, we are enabled to travel between worlds, if we know how, or if we are born with the gift. Combined with the druidic belief in reincarnation, there is little fear of the Otherworld and the faery world is simply an alternate reality, rather than a higher plane.

Information from http://www.heartoscotland.com

Maggie Brown (Author)

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