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Monday 31 March 2014

AN INTRODUCTION TO ANGELS


Who are they?

 

The word 'angel' is derived from the Greek word 'angelos' meaning 'messenger'.  Angels can therefore be thought of as divine messengers or messengers from God.  They are members of a divine hierarchy who guide, protect and inspire us.  Their role is to help us and encourage us to grow, find our life purpose and expand our consciousness.  The number of angels is incalculable: early writings refer to a numberless host of angels, as abundant as the stars.

 

Angels are not part of the human stream of consciousness and do not incarnate in human form on earth (although they have been known to assume human form temporarily to provide assistance).  However there are two exceptions to this rule in relation to the Archangels Sandalphon and Metatron, who were originally mortal men.  Sandalphon was the prophet Elijah and Metatron was the wise man Enoch.  It is said that God granted both men their immortal assignments as Archangels in reward for their good work on earth.

 

Angels have been with us since the beginning of time.  They span all religions and are referred to in the Bible and other religious texts.  Our ancestors looked upon angels as remote beings, as unknowable as God, and believed that only saints, mystics and prophets could perceive angels.  Over time humans developed a more personal relationship with angels and there are many stories of angelic contact.

 

Our perception of angels is often clouded by the many religious paintings depicting them as beautiful human-like beings with wings and halos.  Angels are in fact pure beings of light:  they are androgynous with their masculine and feminine aspects in perfect balance.  One person may perceive a particular angel or archangel as female, while another person perceives its male aspect.  Angels are beings of pure energy who vibrate at too high a frequency for us to be able to perceive through our physical senses.  It is possible for us to perceive them in a deep meditation/trance state but normally they step down their vibration and appear as we imagine an angel to look so that we are able to recognise them.

 

As you evolve and dedicate your life to a spiritual path, the angels find ways of helping you with your mission, constantly drawing you towards your destiny.  Your personal guardian angel is with you at all times but as you grow spiritually you will find that higher level guides, Ascended Masters and even Archangels are drawn to work with you to fulfil your particular life purpose.

 

Your Guardian Angel

 

We all have our own special guardian angel who accompanies us throughout all our incarnations.  This angel loves us unconditionally and knows us inside out, both our faults and our greatest potential.  The main purpose of the guardian angel is to help us achieve our life purpose.  However they cannot intervene in our lives unless we ask them to.  Our guardian angel is always sending us love, compassion and encouragement.  We can choose to listen or not, as we have free will, but occasionally they can intervene in a sudden, urgent need for help.

 

Guardian angels want us to communicate with them and are delighted when we make contact.  They can guide us to our true path in life and help us achieve our highest purpose if we foster a strong relationship with them.  You can ask your guardian angel to resolve problems and difficult situations in your life for the greatest good of all concerned.  Your guardian angel helps you to manifest peace and good in all areas of your life.

 

Connecting with your Guardian Angel

 

The best way to connect with your angel is through meditation. Alternatively just sit in a quiet space and ask your angel to be with you.  Some people like to make it a daily ritual to sit in a specially dedicated place.  It is best if you can purify and raise the vibration of the space you are sitting in, perhaps by playing some angelic music, lighting a candle and placing a few crystals around you. Still your mind and surround yourself with white or gold light. Now communicate your wishes and requests for help to your angel and be open to any kind of response such as a feeling, a knowing or even a message. Sometimes answers come to you later, perhaps through a conversation with someone or a coincidental event.  Usually when you call upon your angel the communication will come through feelings such as peace, clarity, feeling inspired, a feeling of love or of being cared for and protected.

Your angels truly are a source of immense love and support who will bring you comfort and strength through all your trials and earthly challenges.  Once you discover your connection with your angel, it will bring you increased faith in yourself and the knowing that you are never really alone.

 

If you are interested in learning more about angels and connecting with your guardian angel, look out for my introductory workshop ‘An Afternoon with the Angels’ in early summer 2014.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at Little London Herbal Stores on Kings Walk in Nottingham city centre. She runs a range of spiritual themed workshops including Developing Intuition and Connecting to your Spirit Guide. Please ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics  or visit her website http://helenshortland.com for further information.

 

Monday 17 March 2014

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR DRY WINTER SKIN


Harsh winter winds can leave your skin feeling dry and tight. Here are some natural remedies you can try at home that can help!

 

Protect from the Inside

 

Guard against infections and boost collagen with vitamin C.  Vitamin A helps to feed the skin from the inside out and vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant which fights skin-ravaging free radicals and speeds the healing of scars.  The minerals zinc and selenium aid the regeneration of skin.  It is also important to have a balanced diet including 5 daily portions of fruit and veg so consider taking a supplement if you feeling you aren’t achieving this.

 

Exfoliate

 

Winter skin can all too soon become dull and lifeless.  Exfoliating once or twice a week can restore brightness and radiance.  You can make your own exfoliant by mixing 1 cup of almond oil and 2 cups of Epsom Salts together in a jar and add a little grated lemon zest for fragrance.  The scrub will keep for up to 6 months in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also buy exfoliating scrubs if you don’t fancy making your own.

 

Moisturise

 

Look for an oil-based moisturiser which will provide better protection against cold harsh winds.  Avoid butter based shea moisturisers which can clog pores and opt for almond, jojoba or avocado-based products instead. Alternatively coconut oil can be applied straight onto the face. You can also make your own by adding 5 or 6 drops of almond oil to a couple of drops of water and rub into your face.

 

Chapped Lips

 

If your lips are chapped and flaky, apply a little honey, which has antifungal and antibacterial properties, and they will soon heal.  If you find this too sticky, try a honey lip balm instead.

 

 

Notes:

 

  1. A range of facials, including Collagen Facial, Bee Venom Facial and Rebalancing Facials are available with Helen Shortland.  For a longer facial massage try the half hour Vitality Lift Facial Massage with rosa mosqueta essential oil.
  2. All vitamin and mineral supplements, plus a range of natural skincare products, are available from Little London Herbal Stores, 9 Kings Walk, Nottingham, NG1 2AE. Tel 0115 9472854 or visit www.all-ages-vitamins.co.uk.

  

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at Little London Herbal Stores on Kings Walk in Nottingham city centre. Please ring her on 07748 591690 to book a treatment or visit her website http://helenshortland.com for further information.

Her current special offer for March is a Hydrating Facial for just £23!

 

Sunday 2 March 2014

READING THE HUMAN ENERGY FIELD


All living things (humans, animals, plants) have an aura or energy field.  So too do all physical objects such as pebbles, crystals, furniture, although the aura of a living thing is much more colourful and vibrant than that of an inanimate object.  The aura is the electro-magnetic field that emanates from all matter. It oscillates around the human body as multi-coloured waves of light.

 

The human energy field or aura is comprised of numerous different layers. In this blog I will be looking at the three levels closest to the human body – the etheric body, the emotional body and mental body.  These three layers together provide a guide to a person’s energy, emotional and mental health.

 

Etheric Body

This layer is closest to the physical body, extending up to 1” away from the body. Its colour varies between light blue to white and it can most easily be seen around the fingers.  Clairvoyants can interpret illness in the body through the presence of dark energy. Pain or inflammation can be indicated through the presence of red ‘hot’ spots.

 

Emotional Body

This layer extends 1”-3” from the physical body.  It is concerned with emotions and feelings and varies in colour between bright, clear colours to dark and muddy shades. Because our feelings can change frequently throughout the day, the colours in this auric layer also change.  Bright clear colours relate to healthy emotions. For example light blue would indicate a peace-maker, someone is a calm, caring and sensitive; while orange would indicate someone who is lively, witty and sociable.  Muddy shades relate to more negative character traits, such as muddy green indicating jealousy and envy.

 

Mental Body

This layer extends 3”-8” from the physical body and is concerned with the mind and thought processes.  People with a positive mind and strong intellect have a vibrant mental body. This layer is usually predominantly yellow as this colour is most concerned with the mind but I have also seen blue here (indicating the blues) and a dark indigo blue indicating a serious, introverted character or depression.

 

Viewing the Aura

 

Here are two methods you can try:-

 

  1. Look at the side of a person’s head, about 6” away, and let your eyes go into soft focus.
     
  2. Look directly at a person, let your vision go into soft focus, and allow colours to form in your peripheral vision in the other person’s energy field.

 

In both cases, relax the body and mind first with some deep breathing and basic meditation. You can also try the eye exercise below to improve eye sight, particularly your peripheral vision, and strengthen the eye muscles.

 

Exercise to improve your peripheral vision

 

  1. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. With your eyes still closed and keeping your head still, look up to your forehead as high as you can, then look straight down as far as you can. Repeat this up and down movement 8 times.
  2. Return your eyes to the centre. Without moving your head, look to the left then look to the right. Repeat this left-right movement 8 times.  You should be able to feel the eye muscles working!
  3. Return your eyes to the centre. Again, without moving your head, look up diagonally to the top left corner, then down diagonally to the lower right corner. Repeat this movement 8 times.
  4. Return your eyes to the centre. Again, without moving your head, look up diagonally to the top right corner, then down diagonally to the lower left corner. Repeat this movement 8 times.
  5. Return your eyes to the centre. Without moving your head, look upwards as high as you can, then move the eyes round in a clockwise direction to form a circle. Repeat 9 times.
  6. Then from the point at the top of your vision, move the eyes round in an anti-clockwise direction forming a circle. Repeat 9 times.
  7. When you have done, rest a few moments with your eyes closed.

 

An Exercise to Strengthen the Aura

 

When a person is tired, run down or very ill, the energy field as a whole shrinks down in size. This can also happen when a person has been emotionally and mentally drained, such as through bullying or abuse. In this case the aura becomes dim and difficult to read.  This exercise will help to strengthen, clear and balance your aura. Ideally it can be practiced once a day.

 
  1. Close your eyes and imagine the colour red.
  2. As you inhale, try to feel your breath drawing the red up the back of your body, from your feet to the top of your head, then pause, holding the colour at the top of your head. As you exhale, feel the red flow down the front of your body before sweeping under your feet.
  3. Still imagining the colour red, breathe in and draw the red up the right hand side of your body to the top of your head, then pause. As you exhale, send the red down the left hand side of your body, again taking the colour under your feet.
  4. Move the circle of colour further out from your physical body and continue for 4 breaths, this time focusing on the colour orange.
  5. Each time, move the circle of colour further out and continue the 4 breaths with yellow, green, sky blue, indigo then violet/lavender.
  6. Finish off the exercise with a white or golden light.

  

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at Little London Herbal Stores on Kings Walk in Nottingham city centre. She runs a range of spiritual themed workshops including Developing Intuition and Connecting to your Spirit Guide. Please ring her on 07748 591690 to book a treatment or visit her website http://helenshortland.com for further information.

 

Upcoming workshops:

Developing Intuition workshop  Sat 26th April 2014, 2.30-5pm, £15.

Please email me at helenshortland@live.co.uk for further information/booking.