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Wednesday 30 December 2015

NEW YEAR, NEW VIBRATIONS!


In my work as a Healer and Holistic Therapist I meet many people who say they are “too open” and absorb too much from the people and environment around them. The problem of course is the negativity they are absorbing rather than the positive. The key here is to rise above and deflect the negative and be aware of and open to the positive.

 

Many healers, therapists and readers take on the lower energy vibration of their clients. Other people worry about the state of the world, their loved ones and their own problems, all of which lowers your vibration. The solution is to be at a high frequency but not so open that you lose energy to others. When you look at highly spiritual people like the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and Amma, you can see it is possible to remain in a high vibration state.

 

The biggest issue we have to face during our time on earth is overcoming the dense vibration of fear. The aim is to live without fear, replacing it with love. This can only be achieved by working through our own individual fears. So our challenge is to reach a high vibration and stay there, not letting other people, situations, worries and fears drag us down. We can all call in white then violet light with the intention of psychically cleansing the energy body and use psychic protection techniques such as surrounding ourselves in a gold, blue or violet bubble of light. From an energy perspective, rising above negativity literally involves getting over ourselves (ego/Solar Plexus chakra) and up into the heart centre where we experience love for others. After all, how can you inspire others to rise up out of their own darkness if you are sharing the darkness with them?

 

There are several ways to achieve a higher energy vibration which are also highly beneficial for our wellbeing and relationships with others. Here are some suggestions:-

 
  1. Look for the beauty in everything. Nature is truly awesome if you stop and take the time to look.
  2. Practice gratitude. Write a list of all the things you are grateful for or happy about, whether it is supportive friends, a loving family or simply an act of kindness you witnessed that day which reminded you that there is kindness in the world. When you start looking for positives you become a more positive person. On occasions when you have a negative thought about someone or yourself, it is said that you have 17 seconds to turn that negative thought into a positive one before it turns into a negative energy pattern, ie. you experience the negative impact in your energy body.
  3. Look for something new every day which will increase your sensory awareness. It is amazing how much more you notice when you actually start looking, especially if you are someone who is usually rushing around living a very busy life.
  4. Practice meditation to restore the energy body to do guided visualisations to a place of peace and serenity which you are observing nature with your inner sight, hearing and feeling.
  5. Avoid speaking ill of others and stop yourself when you hear you are putting yourself down. When you see others as less than ideal, you are being judgmental and lowering your vibration because you are focussing on what is “wrong”. Accepting others as they are, and yourself as you are, is a form of unconditional love which keeps you in your heart centre. When you are coming from a place of love, your vibration is high.
  6. Work through and release your own issues and energy blocks. This will help you distance yourself from similar problems in others, preventing you feeling low afterwards. Empathy is one thing but wallowing in mutual misery is another! You can help people far more if you can let them know what has worked for you and how you came through your own challenges.

Despite many appearances to the contrary, we are not meant to live in fear or in a state of manic busyness where we are too exhausted to cope. The greatest gift you can give yourself this New Year is the awareness of how negativity affects you and making time for spiritual practices you can use to improve your wellbeing and personal growth.

 

Helen Shortland is a Spiritual Consultant, Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Angel Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path for 15 years and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

Thursday 26 November 2015

A Call for Light Workers to Shine their Light to all Humanity



I received this 'inspired communication' early one morning a few days ago and it seemed to come through with a real sense of urgency, a sense that time is running out and that we need to act now. Since then Turkey has downed a Russian plane and we seem to be heading ever closer to being drawn into a 3rd World War. Recent events in Paris have brought home to us how close this threat really is. It has been said that every war is fought up to the limits of the technology that is available at the time so now, in 2015, that means that the next one will be nuclear, threatening the destruction of the planet and annihilation of humanity. All because certain groups of people choose to focus on differences in ideology rather than what unites us as human beings.


For several years now more and more angels have been drawing closer to the earth plane and over the last decade more and more frequencies of healing energy have been transmitted to the earth plane by high level beings of light in other dimensions. I believe that the angels have been drawing closer to us recently because they know what is coming up for us. The explosion of interest in healing modalities such as Reiki, Angelic Reiki, Seichem, Sekhem and Tera Mai amongst others has all been designed to help as many people as possible raise their vibration not just for themselves but for the planet as a whole. The angels have been preparing us and supporting us for years. There is a Plan and we are part of it. Now it is time for all Light Workers (healers, angel therapists, spiritual teachers etc) to unite and start to consciously work to raise the vibration of humanity.


Whenever we hear of another terrorist attack on the news, it is very easy to sink down into the lower, heavier vibration of fear and hate. You can literally feel your energy level drop. Now more than ever, however, Light Workers need to stay strong in their own power of high energy vibration and send this light out to others, to the very people who appear to threaten our security and safety. Reiki practitioners will remember from the Level 2 training that whenever you are in conflict with someone, the best thing to do is to send them Reiki with the intention to heal the relationship/situation for the highest good of both of you. This sends light to the other person's higher self. Even if the healing is not fully sent with love, the act of sending light is the act of sending an increase in consciousness which the higher self receives and acts upon at a subtle level, causing a shift in energy between the people involved. Now we need all the Light Workers on the planet to send this healing light of consciousness to world leaders, politicians and, yes, to the terrorist groups themselves. I understand that some will feel resistance to this idea but the situation can only be helped if the higher self of all these people is reached and allowed to check and inspire their actions. When you send love and light to someone, the intention is to connect and uplift them into their higher self or soul, in other words into a higher consciousness. Remember that we are all bigger, and so much more, than the part of us in physical incarnation. If enough people set the intention to send healing to the terrorist groups, we can make a difference.  144,000 people is said to be the number of people working with the light required to shift the energy vibration of humanity into a raised level of consciousness.


It is worth mentioning here that everyone who comes into incarnation comes here with a plan for their life. Some people come here to do good works, others come here to be part of the chaos and destruction. Sending people hate is pointless; our only hope is a willingness to heal the situation. The threat we face now is part of the World Plan. If we manage to overcome our differences now and find a way to live in harmony, then we can truly live in the promised Golden Age that is possible for humanity to achieve. If not, the opposite will occur.


So why do I think sending people light and upliftment will work or at least have a positive effect?  Well there have been many times in my life when I have been aware of the forces of light and dark playing out in my life. Whenever I feel I am being dragged down into a fear-based mindset, I have been prompted to affirm to the universe "I choose light!" As ridiculous as this may sound, it always works. My energy field immediately brightens and I feel a shift, allowing angels to draw near bringing peace and calm once more. It is also excellent to use if you are under any form of psychic attack. If everyone currently on the planet at this time did this, the planetary vibration would be high enough to override all the fear and darkness on the planet today. Think how many angels would be able to draw close to us all then! Two spiritual truths I have learned over the many years on my spiritual path deserve mention here:  "Where there is light, there can be no darkness" and "A higher vibration always wipes out a lower one".


So how can we make a difference and send healing at this time? Whether you are a trained/attuned healer or not, it doesn't matter. Anyone can visualise their own aura lighting up - do this so that it is bright enough to feel like it is shimmering with pure white light. Now visualise the aura of another person or group of people lighting up in the same way, with the intention that they receive the love and wisdom of their higher self. All you need to do is visualise them surrounded with light.  I have even practiced this technique at the bus stop on a couple of occasions with interesting results! There seems to be a greater sense of consideration, care and courtesy between the people I surrounded with light than the ones I didn't. You can try this technique with anyone you are in conflict with, or with anyone you just wish to lift up into a higher vibration. It can be done either in person or by visualising them remotely. Another spiritual truth to bear in mind here: "The more harmony you create in your own life, the more harmony you have to spread to others".


If you are already a Light Worker, your mission in life is to spread light - the light of conscious awareness, love and healing. And that time is now. The world needs your light now. In the words of Light Worker Rebecca Campbell "The purpose of all light workers is to quite simply BE THE LIGHT". Visualise and intend your own aura to lighten up, then do the same for others.


Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Healer, Angel Therapist, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.



Monday 27 July 2015

RELEASING PAIN THROUGH BODY AWARENESS


Recently I was doing a body awareness meditation and my attention was drawn to a constant nagging pain in my upper back.  Focusing completely upon this area, I breathed into and through the pain and to my delight, it eased considerably.  In fact I would actually say that it disappeared…

 

During the meditation I was initially aware of heat and pain in my upper back for what seemed like a long time.  I could feel energy pulsing and throbbing around my spine. I then felt twinges moving outwards across my upper back muscles and twinges in the trapezius muscle across the shoulder blades above.  After about twenty minutes the pain seemed to be condensed into one particular part of the spine, which was the source of the problem.  In my mind’s eye I had an image of two pairs of hands over this part of my thoracic spine then, all of a sudden, the pain was gone.

 

During this exercise various impressions kept popping into my mind.  These, I realised, were the emotions and thoughts I had tried to ignore, suppressing them deep down into my physical upper back.  On a physical level I realised that the pain was due to over-worked muscles when I used my arms to give healing to others.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love my healing work and regard it an honour to give the gift of healing to another.  However, a deeper understanding arose that I also needed to give to myself the correct nourishment of love, positive attention and kindness that I gave to others. 

 

The following day my lower back was aching after I had been sitting in a far from ideal position. This area is weak from muscle strain a few years ago.  I did the body awareness meditation again and, once more, I felt energy circling around that part of the spine, then my spine felt stronger, more solid somehow.  I felt muscle twinges on the left side of the spine, and back muscles that usually ache initially felt heavy, which then eased.  No negative emotions popped into my mind this time.  I did however have an image of myself rushing about, trying to go through a door which was closed but when I did I ended up, somewhat embarrassingly, in someone’s private living space. I understood this to reflect my tendency to try to force things to happen quickly rather than allowing things to happen naturally in their own time.

 

How does it work?

 

So why does paying attention to a problem area ease it so dramatically? How can something so simple actually relieve pain? When we are in pain, our natural reaction is to fight it. We don’t like it, we want to get rid of it as soon as possible, so we suppress it with painkillers and carry on as normal.  Energetically we distance ourselves (with our conscious mind) from the pain, ignoring it and suppressing it deep into the unconscious.  Of course the problem causing the pain is still there, deep in the subconscious and in the cells and tissues of the physical body, which means that the pain can resurface as soon as the painkillers wear off.

 

When you meditate on pain with focused attention, the pain is allowed to express itself fully. When you fully acknowledge the pain, you can gain insights into any underlying mental/emotional issues that are contributing to the pain.  Pain is often the physical manifestation of unresolved mental emotional issues, so acknowledging these issues is the first step to healing.  You may also receive insight into what you are doing that is contributing to the pain, such as poor posture or repetitive muscle movement.  Let your intuition guide you to the source of the poor posture and literally follow the pain around the body.

 

As the muscles and tissues relax and let go as you breathe into and out of that area, they release the emotional and mental pain they were holding in there which was causing the pain and tension in the first place. It is interesting to note that ‘getting the message’ is usually enough for the pain to disappear.  The body just wants you to hear its message.

 

In addition, by focussing your attention on an area of pain, you are mentally giving that part of the body the extra boost of energy it needs to heal itself.  Attention is energy, so when you give attention to something, you are also giving it energy.  This method is almost like sending Reiki to yourself using the power of the mind. However you don’t need to be attuned to Reiki to get the benefit from this exercise. You don’t need to set any intention or have any expectation to heal – just allow what is there to make itself known.

 

Messages from your Body

 

Your body is always trying to give you messages. We usually prefer to ignore these messages hoping that the pain will just go away.  Giving attention to the pain is allowing your body to tell you what you need to know.  Quite simply our bodies are like a biofeedback mechanism.  Pain tells you that something somewhere is wrong and needs addressing, usually on a mental emotional level, and shouldn’t be suppressed long term.  Focusing fully on that pain by breathing into it and through it, impressions will arise concerning the mental emotional pain that has also been suppressed.  When you understand this message, the pain dissipates as it has served its purpose.  Now it is up to you to heed that message so that it doesn’t occur again!

 

Physical pain is often linked to deep-rooted emotional pain and you may be surprised or afraid to discover what has been buried deep in your subconscious.  It is worth remembering though that pain usually doesn’t just go away on its own and that sometimes we do need to face what is painful and fearful in order to begin the healing process.  By suppressing and ignoring pain, we are actually fighting it.  I learned many months ago now that accepting what is brings the greatest peace.  Sometimes we just need to allow our bodies to express themselves.  Focussing attention on them gives you the loving kindness and consideration you need.  If you listen carefully, your body will tell you what areas of your life need addressing and healing.

 

Healing Potential

 

By being willing to explore pain with loving attention, you are affirming that you are willing and able to face what is difficult in your life, what isn’t working for you, and that you are prepared to release it.  It is incredible to think that, in order to relieve pain, often all you need to do is get the message! This exercise also helps you to change your perception of pain and the role it plays in our lives.

 

This technique can also be used any time you feel anxiety, fear or worry in your solar plexus or wherever you carry your tension.  Focus your attention there and breathe into and out of this area.

 

This body awareness exercise is an excellent form of self-healing – it is so simple and so powerful. It is an excellent way for healers to deal with their own aches and pains, especially in places that are hard to reach when giving yourself Reiki.  However its strength and real potential lies in its ability to uncover the underlying causes of physical problem areas and release these smoothly and easily just by focusing on the breath and breathing through the pain. This is the key to real healing.

 

Body Awareness Meditation

 

If you would like to try this healing meditation, here are some guidelines to follow:- 

  1. Sit comfortably with your spine straight and feet flat on floor. Focus on your breath, letting it flow evenly in and out.
  2. After a few minutes, when you feel more relaxed, let your attention move to a part of your body that is causing pain or discomfort.  Be with the pain, breathing into it and breathing out from it.
  3. Be aware of other sensations around this area such as twinges, heat, pulsing etc. The pain may feel intensified and condensed in one spot – allow that to be, just keep focused on that spot, breathing into and out of that area. Notice changing sensations and changing intensity.
  4. After a while other impressions may arise. These are feelings and thoughts held here, usually painful and negative in nature, that are linked to your physical pain.  Whatever comes up should be acknowledged without judgement. Imagine yourself ‘opening’ and accepting.  If you wish, you can say to yourself “It’s ok, this is allowed, I can be with this”. In this way, you aren’t saying that everything’s fine if it’s not – you are just being open to acknowledging what is there.
  5. When the pain has eased, subsided or disappeared, it is time to bring your meditation to a close. Take a few deep breaths in and out. Start to become aware of the sounds in the room to come back to full waking awareness. Feel your feet flat and heavy on the floor, if necessary with long roots reaching down holding you securely to the earth.


It is worth noting that not every unwanted physical sensation will have a strong emotional charge or underlying mental emotional cause.  If that is the case, just stay with whatever sensations arise, breathing through them, letting them ease in time.

 

If the pain is still present when you have finished, return to it another time as there is more to be released.  On the second and third occasions you will probably find there are no more emotions to acknowledge but the loving attention is still needed to promote healing.

 

NB. If you are working on a pain that does not disappear, it is strongly advised that you see your doctor.

 

Feedback

 

I have been so impressed with the power of this technique, I would love to hear how you get on with it. If you would like to email me your feedback, I can be reached at helenshortland@live.co.uk. The names of all respondents will go into a draw on 31.8.15 and the person selected will win a free half hr Reiki treatment, either distant or in person at my base on Wheeler Gate.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

Monday 13 July 2015

HEALING CORE BELIEFS


We all hold beliefs about ourselves and the world which determine how we perceive ourselves and life in general.

 

People whose beliefs are generally positive seem to flow smoothly through life, effectively dealing with whatever challenges arise, usually becoming successful, happy and content.  Those who struggle with negative beliefs about themselves, other people and the world in general, are more likely to suffer with low self-esteem and self-worth and achieve less success and happiness in life.  Many people are good at being positive on the outside but if they are struggling to cope or achieve success in a certain area of their life, it is very likely that deeply held negative beliefs are still present which need healing.

 

Negative beliefs are the ones that hold us back, convincing us that we are not as good as other people, making us believe that we are unworthy and unlovable. I have discovered that they are always untruths and often result from the negative projections of other people.  These are illusions that we have bought into, usually at a time in our lives (childhood/early adolescence) when our own sense of self and self-esteem were not developed strongly enough to provide the discernment we needed.

 

Discovering your Core Beliefs

 

The first step in discovering whether your core beliefs need healing is to ask yourself honestly how you feel about life. Do you feel life is hard or do you manage to face and overcome any challenges with relative ease, achieving your goals effortlessly? How do you feel about each area of your life? In which areas of your life are you not achieving all you would like to achieve? Now start to think about what beliefs you have that are preventing you from achieving the success you would like to achieve. Write it all down, let it flow, without censoring anything that comes out. It is also very insightful to think about who you envy and why – what do you perceive they can do that you can’t? This can reflect back to you your own issues that need healing.

 

I found my own core beliefs centred around lack of confidence. The phrase ‘I can’t do it on my own and as I’m always on my own, it doesn’t get done’ came to mind. I had to admit I was envious of people who have the confidence and self-assurance to do whatever they want to do and go wherever they want to go. Exploring the lack of confidence issue further, asking myself what lay behind this belief, I ultimately reached the underlying statement ‘I’m not good enough on my own’.

 

A lightbulb moment occurred when I recalled how many times I have said “It’s just not good enough”, whether about my business premises, my finances, my home, my own abilities, or even just getting 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10!  When you examine the words you actually speak, you realise that you are constantly projecting your personal core beliefs onto other people and situations but the message is there, loud and clear, if you can recognise it. What you think about other people and situations is merely a reflection of how you think about yourself.

 

Now think about the events that have happened in your life that have contributed to your core beliefs.  Maybe you grew up in a very argumentative environment, receiving criticism about your perceived shortcomings and all the things you did wrong.  Many of us were bullied in our teenage years for whatever reason which reinforces the belief that we just aren’t good enough.  

 

When you examine your negative core beliefs, the underlying theme is always a version of ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I’m not lovable enough’.  These beliefs were formed in your early years; subsequent events just reinforce this one belief. You perceive offends and insults through the eyes of your wounded young self (the wounded child archetype). Emotions will inevitably surface when you do this exercise and identify these beliefs. However just acknowledging them is enough for now because by acknowledging them you are no longer suppressing them.  Once you have identified your core beliefs, you can now start to examine them more closely through the eyes of your adult self.

 

Reframing your Core Beliefs

 

In order to heal, it is essential to change your negative core beliefs.  What you believe and how you feel about yourself determines the energy you give out.  The universe responds to the energy you give out, bringing you the people, events and experiences that reflect your core beliefs. You really are the centre of your own universe!  As above, so below. The universe is not cruel – it is merely showing you which areas of your life need healing and bringing you the opportunity to do so. If you can change your beliefs into something more healthy, you will give out a different, more positive, higher, lighter vibration of energy, that will attract different, more positive people, events and experiences into your life. You really do have the choice of whether to keep buying into the usual, habitual experience of pain or choosing to adopt a more positive interpretation.

 

Now let’s take the main core belief ‘I’m not good enough’. Think about the events that took place that made you believe that statement. Now interpret them as a kind, caring, mature adult would. Arguments at home are always unpleasant for children but ultimately I know now that they resulted from issues between my parents, not me. Maybe I misinterpreted parental criticism – instead of belittling me, they actually cared passionately. I also know now that the horrible things that were said to me at school in my teenage years were not true and were most likely the result of jealousy and the fact that I was too quiet and shy to stand up for myself.

 

Reframing events in this way dissipates the painful emotions attached to them, releasing years of anger and resentment. Hard as it may seem, if you can hold the person/people who caused you harm and pain with compassion and understanding, you can start to turn your beliefs around.  Consider other explanations for their behaviour. There is always another, less painful explanation. It is all down to what you choose to believe. Remember that some people always see the good in others – try to emulate them; it is by far the kinder option - to yourself, not to them.

 

A Healing Choice

 

Disconnecting yourself from negative core beliefs enables you to set yourself free. Understand that only you are hurting; the other people involved have long since forgotten and moved on. When you make a different choice through reframing, you do not necessarily have to forgive the other person/people involved. You only need to find and accept a less hurtful explanation.  Most people who cause pain to others act on auto-pilot anyway, never really realising the consequences of their actions. It is up to you to choose not to let the mindlessness of others hurt you and stop you being all you can be.

 

At the end of the day the choice is yours. You can choose whether to buy into other people’s issues and let them create your reality or you can think to yourself ‘stop right there, that is about you not me’, and refuse to take it on board. Stay true to what you, as a mature adult, know to be true about yourself and detach from the rest.

 

Your life will change considerably for the better when you change your negative core beliefs. Taking responsibility for yourself is essential for healing. It makes you realise just how powerful we all are: our thoughts really do determine our reality.

 

Reframe → Reinterpret → Rebirth

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and has extensive knowledge of healing and the healing journey. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

Sunday 28 June 2015

The Fall: The Descent of Consciousness through the Chakras


Man Meditation Stock Photo

Recently I was reading an article which mentioned The Fall and the Garden of Eden. There are several theories about the concept of The Fall, such as Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden or fallen angels being cast out of Heaven, but it got me thinking…. what if The Fall is a metaphor for the descent of our consciousness through the chakras with each incarnation? It is generally accepted that the development of the physical body proceeds from root to crown but our spiritual self or Higher Self descends downwards from crown to root. At the beginning of each incarnation our spiritual self leaves the consciousness of the bliss of unity to descend down to the consciousness of the earth plane. Could it be that The Fall is actually this Fall of Consciousness?

 

The Garden of Eden is likened to the bliss of unity with spirit, which is a good description for the 7th chakra, the crown chakra.  Many who journey to the afterlife in meditation or near death experience describe being in a beautiful garden.  Many spirit communications have also reported existing in a beautiful garden.

 

As we descend from the unity of the 7th chakra, we enter the duality of the 6th chakra, or third eye chakra, which is represented by the dual forces of Chokmah and Binah on the Tree of Life.  At the third eye, our energy splits into conscious and unconscious.  I have always felt that the forces of light and dark play out very strongly in this chakra. This idea is depicted perfectly in the High Priestess tarot card with the two columns Boaz and Jachin, one black and one white, representing the subconscious and conscious minds.  Does the dark pillar contain all the issues/karmic patterns we come into this lifetime with, with the aim of bringing them into the light of consciousness for healing? Here lies the duality of good and bad – our potential for greatness and healing along with the destructive elements of the shadow self.  This chakra is where we have the opportunity to exercise our free will with our choice of action.  The question to ask when considering which action to take should always be ‘Is this action in line with my truth, with love and with my highest good?’  If yes, we stay on the right path. If not, we lose our way and suffer the consequences of not living as we should.

We are making choices throughout our whole lives. Even in childhood we are learning the consequences of the choices we make.  It can take years to undo the damage caused in terms of lack of self-worth and self-confidence and find our way back to Truth and Light.  When we understand that the dark Boaz column signifies negation and the light Jachin column signifies beginning, this makes perfect sense. This journey back to Truth and Love, otherwise known as the healing process, is the clearing out of the negative energy created when we chose the path of illusion over love.

 

At the 5th chakra, the throat chakra, we are learning to express ourselves and define who we are.  At the 6th chakra we had the choice to be true to ourselves or live in line with the demands or expectations of others. Here, the 5th chakra, is where we express the energy of that choice. If we have chosen the path of illusion and false beliefs, the shadow self is exerting its influence and we are afraid to be ourselves and we end up living according to other people’s paths, not our own.  If we are able to express our Higher Self using the energy of light from the 6th chakra we will make healthy life choices that support our growth and our truth.

 

As our energy moves down from the 5th chakra to the 4th, our heart centre expresses how we feel about the life choices we have made.  If we are living our truth, we will live in joy, contentment, inner peace, abundance and harmony.  If not, there will always be an underlying sense of dissatisfaction and frustration; happiness and inner peace remain elusive.

 

At the third chakra, the solar plexus, the energy of the 4th chakra descends and expresses itself as self-acceptance, self-worth and self-validation – or the opposite, self-doubt and low self-esteem.  If you are happy in yourself and with the choices you have made, you naturally value yourself much more highly that if you are anxious and depressed. The solar plexus chakra carries the energy of how we really feel about ourselves.  If you are living according to your highest potential and expression, your self-esteem and capacity for contentment and love will be high.  If you are struggling to find your path and struggling to separate truth from the illusions you have bought into over the years, it will always feel like you are struggling to find yourself.  How we think about ourselves affects how we relate to others.  Solar plexus energy stresses that our primary relationship is with ourselves.  If that relationship isn’t happy and healthy, other relationships we subsequently forge will reflect that lack of inner harmony.  That is why external relationships can never bring us the contentment we seek; that contentment has to come from within, at the solar plexus, first.

 

The focus of the 2nd chakra, or sacral chakra, is relationships with others and creativity.  Consider your relationships – are they healthy? What do the people in your life reflect about you? The people you meet and situations you encounter externally in life reflect how you feel about yourself and about what is happening within you.  When the sacral chakra is functioning well, your creative juices will flow. This creativity can take a variety of forms including creating plans and bringing new ideas to birth, creating art and craft work, singing, dancing and writing, as well as creativity in the form of fertility at the physical level.  When this chakra is blocked, the energy isn’t flowing down from the solar plexus at a high enough frequency. In other words, if our self-esteem and self-worth are low and we do not properly value ourselves, we are either not able to express ourselves creatively at all or it may be expressed in unhealthy ways such as violent or subversive tendencies.

 

Finally the energy reaches the base or root chakra, the 1st chakra, and fully merges with the dense energy of the earth plane. In most cases, the energy is now de-spiritualised, focusing solely on work, money and security. Life revolves around making ends meet, the hardships of life and the endless treadmill of working to survive.  However if the energy has remained high and healthy and is in line with the Higher Self, it can create a trust in the universe to provide for our needs, faith in a higher power and a career that is more of a vocation or labour of love.  You are now living your true purpose while here on earth.

 

To summarise this journey through the chakras then, I believe that The Fall is not a fall from grace at all (as was traditionally believed) but rather a fall of consciousness into the heavier density of the earth plane. We can make our journey a lot easier by aligning with our truth and living from our own higher spiritual ideals rather than buying into the illusions, prejudices and falsehoods of the society we live in. Wherever we are now, we can return to the energy of the 6th chakra and make a different choice and follow a different path.  Connecting to our own truth is essential for the great healing potential it holds.  When we make choices in line with our growth, we are choosing the path of love and light and making positive, life-affirming choices.  Our energy will start to flow more freely and naturally, attracting greater potential for happiness and wellbeing.

 

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Coach, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. Helen has been on the spiritual path since 2001 and, following a recent spiritual crisis, now finds she has a clearer, more intuitive communication with her spirit guides and angels who have encouraged her to share her extensive knowledge of healing on a broader scale than before. For further information about her Reiki courses and therapies please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

Image courtesy of www.FreeDigitalImages.net


 

Sunday 31 May 2015

LIFE ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH: HIGHS AND LOWS AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE


There is currently a greater awareness of spirituality than ever before and many different paths to follow. But why would you necessarily want to be spiritual? If you are drawn to this subject, it will feel like an inner yearning for deeper meaning in your life, a searching to understand the purpose of it all, an intuition that it can improve our lives in some way, a knowing that there is more to life.  More and more people are waking up to realising that the material world does not hold all the answers to our problems and that maybe, just maybe, we can do something to help ourselves and transform our relationships and the world around us. The knowledge that was once in the domain of only a privileged few is now becoming available to each and every one of us.

 

From April 2014 to April 2015 I went through my own personal spiritual crisis when many things I took for granted and believed in, most predominantly my health and my supposed abilities as a Reiki Master Healer, fell apart but towards the latter part of this time I ended up learning my greatest spiritual lessons.  When someone asked me at the beginning of this year how I was feeling, the only word that came to mind was ‘broken’.  Now, having built up my energy body with Reiki self-healing, mindfulness meditation, seed sound mantras, colour visualisation and plenty of walks in nature, I have discovered that I am channelling a greater amount of healing energy than before and have a clearer, more intuitive communication with my guides and angels who have inspired me to put together this list of what to expect along the spiritual path – and, yes, I do think this includes a spiritual crisis of some sort for us all at some point as part of this process, almost as a test to see how we cope and whether we have fully integrated what we have learnt, because when you think about it, most of our spiritual practices like meditation and reading spiritual books remain at the mental level without being brought down fully into the physical, material realm.  Now when I look back, I believe that my own crisis brought me to where I need to be in order to start the next stage of my healing work.

 

Below are guidelines of things to expect when you start to develop your spirituality. They can also be regarded as a paradigm for a new way of living as the planet emerges through its current chaos into the new promised golden age of peace. One important point to note is that spirituality and healing go hand in hand. As you develop spiritually, you will start to release a lot of the old hurt, anger and pain that was held in your energy body which is contributing to current health issues.  This hurt, anger and pain is what is often referred to as ‘negative energy’, ie. energy that is not vibrating at the correct frequency, which can cause blockages in the chakras which eventually leads to dis-ease and illness mentally, emotionally and physically.

 

So what does it mean to be spiritual and what can you expect as you progress along your spiritual path?

 
  • First and foremost, to me being spiritual means looking at the world in a completely different way. It is seeing the things we have in common as human beings rather than focussing on the differences that cause and perpetuate the illusion of separateness.  It is seeing what connects us rather than divides us as human beings. This implies seeing things from a higher viewpoint, through the eyes of the soul.  When you develop this higher level of sight, you will become aware of karmic patterns in your own and other people’s lives; how people seem to attract the same kind of experience until they address it in a different, better manner and the lesson is learnt and the karmic issue resolved.
  • An interest in and regular undertaking of spiritual practices such as meditation and/or prayer, as well as interest in crystals, Reiki and/or alternative medicine/holistic therapy. There is a subconscious knowing that we are all made up of energy vibrating at different frequencies and can use forms of energy medicine to bring about balance and healing.
  • The ability to practice forgiveness of yourself and others, recognising that holding onto past grudges or indulging in self-blame is futile and takes up valuable energy that can be put to better use in the present moment. Recognising when it is time to ‘let go’ of a situation that is draining you and offering it up to a higher power (God or the angels), asking it to be resolved for the highest and greatest good of all.
  • A belief in a higher force guiding our lives which we can actively work with through intermediaries such as angels and spirit guides.
  • Recognising that people play certain roles in our lives to give us opportunities to learn lessons we need to learn or to instigate changes we need to make.  We are all actors playing roles in each others’ lives, with no real conscious understanding of what we are doing and why. People often feel compelled to do things without knowing why. Maybe we don’t have as much free will as we think we have!  I do think it is important not to demonise others too quickly for playing the bad guy: these roles are determined before we even incarnate. If you bear in mind that our greatest enemies can be our greatest teachers, it helps you to look at your situation in a more empowering way rather than from the place of victim.
  • The development of greater tolerance, compassion and inner peace.
  • A growing desire to be of service to the world and to humanity. Self-interest, greed and materialism lose their appeal. Along with this comes a growing interest in peace and humanitarian causes, human rights issues and peaceful spiritual activism.
  • Many people are drawn to healing in its many varied forms, on a personal and/or global scale.
  • Increased sense of personal responsibility for your actions in terms of how they affect you and others. A greater understanding of the law of cause and effect.
  • Increased inner strength and self-worth as you honour your role and contribution to your community and the world, however large or small that may be.
  • Honouring and living your truth is essential: you can no longer live with what is not right for you. As you align more and more with your truth and ultimately your higher self, you start to move into your life purpose. This leads to a stronger sense of the importance of truth and authenticity in all your relationships.
  • A growing maturity and not taking things so personally. Staying strong when people appear to behave badly towards you, accepting that everyone has their own issues to work through.
  • Letting people go with love, not anger, when they move out of our lives. Not everyone can stay with us for ever. Some may only be in your life for a short time but have a massive impact in terms of lessons in love, forgiveness and self-reliance or to help you move onto a new path.
  • Attracting tests and crises to give you the opportunity to put what you have learnt intellectually into practice and, ultimately, to deepen your spiritual awareness and understanding.
  • Understanding that surrender and release bring the greatest peace and always, eventually, the greatest result. Relinquishing control can be a very difficult thing to do but sometimes you have no choice if you are to stay sane; fighting is destructive and resistance uses up valuable energy that can be put into other things. Offer difficult situations up to God to sort out for the highest and greatest good of all concerned and new solutions may just miraculously appear.

 An ability to look at the world in this new way implies that you are developing greater spiritual sight and understanding. The third eye chakra is activated, enabling you to see the inter-connectedness of all things and see the situations in your life from a higher perspective.

 

 If everyone starts to adopt at least some of these principles, we can all contribute to both healing ourselves and creating more peaceful, spiritual communities and countries and, ultimately, a more peaceful world.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Coach, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. For further information please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

 

Sunday 24 May 2015

MEDITATION: IS IT REALLY BAD FOR YOU?


An article has been published in several national newspapers this week stating that meditation can be a dangerous practice, leading to anxiety, panic and depression.  In the article the author, Dr Miguel Farias, clearly states that the problem lies with excessive meditation practice, the kind done for hours on end such as you would find on a meditation retreat. However once a statement gets into the mainstream media, it is all too easy for claims to be exaggerated and the entire subject of meditation to be viewed in a very negative light.

 

First let me say that the claims made would pose no problem for people who meditate fifteen or twenty minutes a day, maybe a couple of times a day, or for those who take a five or ten minute breather out of the day to re-centre and refocus.  We need to maintain perspective here and bear in mind that potential problems only arise when practices are taken to extremes.

 

The true goal of meditation is to go into the space between the thoughts with a view to expanding the sense of self and your concept of reality. It can take you beyond the mind and the ego and therefore beyond your sense of self. The ego is a construct of your beliefs and life experiences through which you define yourself. When you go beyond Mind into nothingness, the ego disappears and we lose our sense of self and who we are. Psychological breakdown can occur when you do not know what is happening and are not prepared to deal with it. The resulting ‘breakdown’ can send you in to what is termed ‘spiritual crisis’, some symptoms of which include anxiety, panic, fear and depression. Other symptoms include muscle spasms and jerking, ego inflation, confusion, vibration in the body and rushing/roaring sensations in the head.

 

Spiritual crisis is the extreme end of spiritual awakening. Many people are awakening spiritually at this time, exploring various healing modalities, crystals, meditation among others. Spiritual awakening itself is a journey of healing past trauma and wounding.  It is a process of learning, growth, healing and purification; learning to love yourself and forgive others who have caused pain and wounding.  A spiritual awakening can turn into crisis however when it happens too quickly, the person is no longer in control, and it is all happening too much too soon. The crisis can be triggered by excessive spiritual practices such as meditation and qigong as well as taking too many Reiki/energy attunements in too short a space of time. The speed of the awakening is unmanageable and the person is left experiencing terrifying symptoms of mental breakdown.

 

During intense meditation, the meditator opens up to the transcendental state beyond Mind.  Unresolved trauma and wounding that has been suppressed, repressed and denied over the years comes up to the surface seeking to be resolved and healed.  The inner wold takes over and the person often finds it hard to cope with everyday tasks.

 

Meditation can produce great highs and feelings of Oneness, inter-connectedness with all things, blissful inner peace and love but it can also be followed by great lows. When you have let more light into your energy body, more of the shadow self is exposed and thrown into that light for healing. Life can start to feel like a constant inter-play between the themes of light and dark. Ultimately however the goal of the psyche is always to heal, transform and move towards wholeness. Spiritual crisis is part of that process, albeit a painful one.

 

For those people who want to practice meditation as safely as possible, I believe Mindfulness to be the ‘safest’ form of meditation. It is body-focused, particularly on the physical senses of taste and touch. It is very grounding and is excellent for bringing you back into your body if you have a tendency to zone out and be carried away by your own thoughts and worries. For this reason it is very beneficial for anxiety and mild depression. If you want to try it, start off with something very simple: next time you have a cup of tea, eat a sandwich or brush your teeth, focus entirely on the sensations in your hands and mouth. Follow the sensations in your body as you drink the tea or eat the sandwich. If you can become totally absorbed in what you are doing, you are being mindful. With Mindfulness there is no attempt to go beyond the realm of mind into the space between thoughts; you are simply absorbed in what you are doing in the physical realm.

 

I hope I have provided some reassurance that meditation is perfectly safe when practiced sensibly and in moderation. There are great benefits to having a regular meditation practice (including lowered blood pressure and stress levels, managing anxiety and mild depression, and improving clarity, focus and creativity). It would be a shame to tarnish the reputation of such a beneficial spiritual practice unnecessarily.

 

Notes:

Help and resources are available for anyone who believes they are suffering from the symptoms of spiritual crisis. Visit www.SpiritualCrisisNetwork.org.uk for further information.

 

Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Holistic Therapist and Meditation Teacher based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. For further information please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.

 

 

Wednesday 6 May 2015

IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING DURING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK


The week 11th - 17th May 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Week.  The Mental Health Foundation will be staging events across the country to raise awareness of how anxiety and sleep deprivation can affect mental health.

 

Various complementary therapies are particularly beneficial for positive mental health and greater wellbeing.  Reiki healing, for example, calms the mind and emotions and restores balance, peace and harmony.  Healing is channelled through the practitioner into the body, chakras and energy field of the receiver using a light touch.  Many people report feeling lighter after a treatment as worry and grief are released from their energy field during treatment.  Indian Head Massage and Back Massage are very effective in terms of relieving tension and anxiety held in the neck, shoulders and upper back.  Reflexology can be beneficial in relieving the physical manifestations of stress, calming the adrenals and rebalancing the physical body.

 

Alternatively you may like to try some Mindfulness techniques to restore calm, control and perspective.  Mindfulness Meditation helps you to be in the present moment, not worrying about the future or the past or getting caught up in negative emotions.  Here are some suggestions which can easily be incorporated into your daily life.  Making them a regular habit is the key to success!

 
  • Take a 2 or 3 minute breathing space when necessary at work or at home.  Stop what you are for 2 or 3 minutes and focus solely on your breathing.
     
  • Become mindful of how you talk to yourself.  Become aware of statements such as “I can’t do that”, “I’ll never be good enough”, “I can’t cope”, “I’m not attractive enough” or “I’m not clever enough”.  Nothing destroys self-esteem quicker that negative self-talk.  The way you talk to yourself reflects deep held inner beliefs which, when negative, need examining and releasing.  Every time you catch yourself making a negative comment about yourself, stop the thought and choose a different one, such as “I can do this”, “I am as good as everyone else here” or “I always do my best”.

  •  Practice being fully present in the present moment.  Note where your mind actually is when carrying out routine tasks such as preparing or eating a meal, drinking a cup of tea, brushing your teeth, walking the dog or out with a friend.  Make the effort to focus completely on what you are doing instead of letting your mind wander off worrying about something else.

  •  Practice a simple Mindfulness breathing technique for a few minutes two or three times a day, such as just after waking up, on the bus journey to work, at lunch or before you go to bed.  Place one hand on your chest and feel your breath moving into and out of your body.  Notice the natural rhythm.  Be aware of the coolness of the air as you breathe in and the warmth of the air leaving you as you exhale.


 

Notes:


  1. For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week please visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk.
  2. Reiki healing, Indian Head Massage, Reflexology and other complementary therapies are available with Helen Shortland.
     

 
Helen Shortland is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist based at 15 Wheeler Gate in Nottingham city centre. For further information please visit her website http://helenshortland.com or ‘like’ her Facebook page Helen Shortland Holistics.