August 2011

Welcome to the New Spirit News!

We are committed to bringing you information and articles about all the best things happening in the  spirituality and healing area. This is the first issue, and we plan the next edition for November. Your feedback is welcomed – enjoy!

Your Mind is Your Most Powerful Tool!

But how do you use it in the right way?

Mel Abbott

My main philosophy is that everyone has the capacity to use their mind to achieve remarkable results. Giving people these tools is a fast and effective way to empower people to create a full and happy life. I had a pretty miserable experience of my 20’s. I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (following a head injury) from age 18-29 and spent my 20’s at my parent’s house on the couch or in bed. I had fatigue and brain fog so badly that I felt like I lived in a Twilight Zone – not awake and not asleep. I had headaches, muscle aches, and weakness that meant that I had trouble walking up stairs.

CFS has now been recognized by the World Health Organisation as a neurological disease and is becoming more accepted by Doctors, as a real and physical condition. Despite enormous amounts of research, scientists have yet to agree on the cause of ME, or on any effective treatment for it. I therefore tried every mainstream, alternative and spiritual treatment that I could lay my hands on, at a cost of over $100,000 (shared between my parents, ACC and WINZ) and yet still, I was sick and on an Invalid’s Benefit.

The good news is that I am now fully recovered and have had three years of full health and wellness, I’ve travelled to 24 countries, worked full time, studied, socialized, exercised and more. People often comment that I am the most energetic person they’ve ever met and they want to know my secret. What was it?

It was a three day course based on the science of mind body interaction, called The Lightning Process. You are taught about the science behind mind body interaction, the physiology of the systems in your body and how they are affected by stress and illness, what thoughts, beliefs, behaviours and patterns have exacerbated the imbalance in your body systems and how to use a simple technique of movement, visualization and coaching to form new neural pathways in your brain that rectify the imbalances.

Does this mean that my condition was all in my mind? Absolutely not! I had a very real and physical condition and I was not making it up. But the mind is extremely powerful at overcoming all sorts of physical health conditions, if you know how to use it right. For example, I have seen clients with Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis make the same fabulous improvements to their health through using The Lightning Process. In a study of 1300 people last year, 81.3% said they no longer had the issue they came to the Lightning Process with and 93.4% said that they achieved at least 7 out of 10 changes.

There is more and more scientific research into mind body interaction. The Placebo Effect has been well documented. Studies have shown that people who have fake knee surgery (ie, the skin is slit but no work is done in the knee) recover just as well as people who have full knee surgery. People who are told that they are receiving Chemotherapy often have their hair fall out, even if they just received a saline solution.

And just recently, there have been some fascinating studies about Pain. People’s perception of pain corresponded more closely to whether they thought they were receiving painkillers than whether they were actually receiving them (www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12480310). A study found that looking at the photo of a loved one reduced pain as much as using Cocaine (www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1360227/Looking-photo-loved-reduces-pain-44.html). We are now realising that we can also have a huge effect on our physical symptoms, as well as our emotional symptoms, through harnessing mind power.

That’s why I have such a passion for the work that I now do. Throughout 11 years of illness, I always said that if I ever found a way to recover, I would dedicate my life to helping others achieve the same. I have therefore qualified as an NLP Master Practitioner and a Lightning Process Practitioner in London. I am now the first Lightning Process Practitioner to be based in New Zealand and have clients visiting me from all over the country. I have seen clients for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anxiety, Depression, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Lupus, Vertigo, Neurological Disorders (such as MND and MS), Chemical Sensitivities, Allergies, and have seen consistently high results in the amount of change that people are able to create.

For more information about The Lightning Process and the NLP Therapy that I offer, you can visit www.empowertherapies.co.nz. You can also join my mailing list so that you receive updates of Free Public Seminars that I hold and exclusive member deals. Contact 09 950 6295 or mel@empowertherapies.co.nz

2011 - Let it Rip!

Fern Mercier

An epidemic of uncertainty seems to have broken out this year – earthquakes swarm, volcanic ash clouds the sky, oil peaks, and perilous tsunamis swell the seas. The global economy teeters between recession and tentative recovery, and we watch many previously docile or traditional cultures fighting running battles for freedom from servitude. We’re gatecrashing into an unknown future.

The outer planets are at all odds with each other, each in tense angle in the cardinal signs. Uranus the planet of freedom is in Aries the sign of the individual. Saturn planet of tradition traverses through Libra, sign of justice. Pluto planet of big business and government is packing a punch in Capricorn. Cardinal signs demand action and are enterprising about going after what they need. Something just has to give when you get these kinds of power lined up in rivalry with each other. No wonder our tectonic plates are rattling!

All year Uranus is militantly declaring “no!” to anything that tries to limit or control its desire for innovative ideas and the freedom to share them. Wherever it is restricted or controlled it will push back hard, fast and suddenly. If you have planets in Aries, Libra, Cancer or Capricorn – it will not be possible to hold onto the status quo. You are undergoing a pandemic structure-buster in some part of your life. It may be exciting, it may be sudden, and you will have to endure all the stresses and strains of uncertainty. So hang on tight to the roller coaster of change. Ask yourself how best you can assert your freedom and empower yourself. Stretch and Grow!

Aries - Go get ‘em partner! But temper your passion for action with grace and learn some diplomacy.

Cancer - Apply tough love in the domestic arena. Be proactive rather than reactive. Stretch yourself beyond old limiting habits.

Libra - You are attracting different kinds of relationships that are liberating you from old patterns. Stay in your own integrity.

Capricorn - Whatever you do, don’t let denial, blame, guilt or doubt prevent you from exercising your freedom of choice. Fern Mercier www.tarot.net.nz

How do animals understand us?

Lillian Iten

I always knew that animals understood us in a way and accepted animals as beings in their own right. I believe it’s the way we feel toward animals which makes some communication stronger than others. The more we feel about animals the better the connection to them, and undoubtedly, animals sense that connection exceptionally well. We can’t deceive them. Their instincts and awareness are extremely refined and sensitive. We humans have lost the need for our instincts, and are, as far as that is concerned, by far inferior.

Animals sense what our intentions are - whether we fear them, what type of person we are, what’s on our mind at the moment and whether we are to be trusted or not. All animals are telepathic and if they are tuned in to us they are able to sense our thoughts and know what we are about to say or, what is about to happen before we speak. Animals who are used to communication have fewer problems than those who are spoken at or worse still, not communicated with at all.

All the same, sometimes, animals can become confused when tuning in to us telepathically, as we don’t always think clearly and usually we’re thinking about ten things all at once. This is often cause for misunderstanding.

It’s important, when we communicate with animals, to be focused on what we’re saying and not allow ourselves to be distracted. In this way our pet can perceive exactly what is being said. It doesn’t mean they will necessarily agree or like what has been mentioned, but it saves the confusion and gives them the opportunity to understand clearly. Animal communication is all about sensing, and becoming aware of how an animal feels, how they perceive a situation, which is usually completely different to the way we see it. Often we don’t even realise that our pets participate in our lives and that they understand our conversations, but they certainly do.

As we speak to each other, or even as we think, we are subconsciously sending pictures and feelings and these are constantly being received by our pets. This is the type of communication they understand, not only verbal communication. This is the way the heart speaks and this is how we bond with our pets. But also with other humans who are important to us. It’s not just about thoughts, it’s about emotions, feelings and most importantly, it’s about love. Without love we cannot bond and communicate on the empathetic level, which is so important for animal communication. It is a heart connection and we must recognise that not only humans, but also animals, exist on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.

Unfortunately, we often forget how sensitive animals are and assume they have no understanding of our thoughts and emotions, but this is exactly what they react to. People who have an open heart for animals attract them like moths to a light. Animals love to feel loved and bask openly in it whenever they feel the need. They also sense fear in a person and this makes them wary. There is no point in pretending or trying to hide it. This just confuses the animal and causes a greater reaction. The main thing to remember when working with animals is that “Honesty is the best policy”. lillian_iten@gmx.net

September 2011 - change, renewal, clarity, inspiration

Yolanda Cholmondeley-Smith

Coming to light, life coming to life

The month of September in our Gregorian calendar is a nine month. This September seems so special, simpler and holds the promise of more-than-usual beautiful things to come, things of ancient value and worth. Watch what springs into your thoughts and desires: this could be new ideas and new adventures, new choices and experiences. You will see your horizons expanding both at home and at work. Watch out for them, record them, make plans to action them

There is an excitement growing very quietly but steadily, full of promise, fun, and hope. This also asks of us faith, trust, and awareness of our apprehension and fears and how we allow them to stop us being happier, more spontaneous and playful.

• While the spring has already started early this year, we are also in the universal energy of nine, a number indicating both completion AND new beginnings

• A time of tremendous change related to inner and outer perceptions, values and creativity, other than seasonal

• It is a time for consideration, gratitude and wisdom as well as uplifted welcome to the sun and spring in our southern hemisphere

Simplicity, happiness in the small things, the everyday and seasonal constants of nature, fun with family and friends, topped with a heartfelt dollop of real appreciation for all that we often take for granted - these reflect the changing values of our everyday world

Facts about September

• In 46 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, renamed it the Julian calendar and made September the seventh month (Latin septum - seven)
• In 1582 the current Gregorian calendar was rearranged moving September from the seventh to the ninth month, the official starting date of spring and autumn in both hemispheres

Famous September achievers

We have some powerfully creative September achievers:

• Keanu Reeves - Matrix
• Ray Charles - singer, musician
• Agatha Christie - 'killer' novelist
• Will Smith - humanitarian actor, comedian
• George Gershwin - composer superlative
• Beyonce - singer extraordinaire

©copyright Yolanda Cholmondeley-Smith 2011

Yolanda has been practising as a specialist clairvoyant, Personal and Business psychic consultant / reader, writer, teacher and speaker for nearly two decades. She is also a practising Reiki teacher, Oneness trainer, Textile & Fashion designer and a qualified teacher.
www.yolanda-innervisions.com

The Sacred Landscape of New Zealand # 1 Northland

Gary Cook

We were a party of twelve that set off to walk the ancient trails of Northland together, as strangers, but returned forever bound within the strength that we gained from each other’s companionship and the spirit of the land from which we all imbibed. The journey has been made, the pilgrimage completed. Places were touched upon and we in turn were touched by them. Respect expressed and personal inner experience gained. We did not visit cathedrals and historic building in the sense of the Christian Pilgrims Way, but rather paid homage to the ancestors of this land who came from many distant parts of the world to seek the safety and peace that these islands promised. And still today, they are coming to our shores. We have to listen to the stories of the first comers to Aotearoa that we may share with others who have little knowledge of the founding people.

Our travels bought us into contact with a number of people, keepers of a collective wisdom based on an understanding of our vital relationship with nature and an awareness of ancient cultures. We learned of the passion that plays through many of these folk. Individual strengths they share willingly with all who wish to listen. And within this passion they embrace an understanding and a knowing of the direction we would all like to travel, but find we may have embarked on a side road to pain, sorrow and ignorance.

This is the essential power of the Pilgrims Path. To visit the sacred and the special, to meet with fellow travellers, to learn to sift through the extraneous material to find the gold of direction and understanding, to recognise the true spiritual quest that all should undertake. And when we met our fellow travellers for the first time, most recognised the common thread that linked us all, that of seekers of the truth and true guardians of all that is sacred and special. We gathered at Wenderholm Park, and as we prepared to commence our journey, I discussed the prospect that we would move over many ancient trails and forge many new paths, given that we were embarking on a personal pilgrimage to embrace the special nature of our land and to visit sites that were revered by the ancient people of New Zealand.

We sat with, and travelled in the company of, visionaries, writers, musicians, farmers, storytellers, healers and dowsers. From these remarkable people there came many wonderful revelations that empowered our individual purpose and opened our minds eye to the potential of the many places that we visited. On occasions, we were overwhelmed by the immensity of the forest. Towering Kauri, Karaka, RewaRewa and Totara standing in protective groves around ancient stone sites. We listened to Kiwi, Tui and Morepork. We watched the flight of Kahu and Kereru, and the dance of fantail. We stood in awe at the scope of natural splendour and wonder evoked by far seeing views from the high places we climbed too. The flowing waters where we slept at night were underscored by the falling rain from passing showers and the waves on the tide swept beaches. Within every day and every minute, we were presented with the incredible beauty of which we are an integral part, and had much to offer in return. Clambering to the top of massive sand dunes or moving through the deep earthquake rifts hidden beneath the immediate landscape, we stretched ourselves to embrace as much as we could take from the magnificence on offer.

And as we stood before stones placed carefully in alignments and stacked to protect the ancient dwellers and the gardens, many experienced a personal contact with the guardians. Many stood in silent observation, not clear to our human eye, but conveying a presence that could not be denied. And from within the band of silent watchers came the words and songs that acknowledged our recognition of whom they are. Some within our group had unique and personal experiences at such places. Others found much within their night time dream state. And yet some were touched, but have not yet realized to what extent.

We wondered at the power reflecting from within these ancient sites offering glimpses of how the first comers implanted an enduring legacy within the land that has survived the vagaries of nature and human intervention, to provide much information for the generations that followed. As we stepped on to the summit of Maunganui Bluff, The Place Where All of the Great Stars of the Universe Are Caught, we moved into the realms of the dwelling place of The Children of the Light. A sudden breeze gave rise to the spirit, Wairua, that acknowledged us for who we were and for what we, as pilgrims, had bought to this place. Powerful lines of subterranean energy flow from many directions to cross over the peak and continue on, linking many other powerful sites within the land.

The windswept hill of Puke Tapu was open to us and quietly displayed the ancient funerary cairns of the Waitaha. More than 150 carefully constructed stone cairns have been greatly reduced, some to scattered stones, by the action of man and grazing animals. The Waitaha Ta Whito Elder told me of the burial ritual that took place in ancient times, when the bodies of the deceased were placed on the cairns to be picked clean by the sea birds. Then later, to be gathered and prepared for burial, then placed in a sitting position within the soil or the sand.

We had been joined by local Iwi, and our numbers had swelled to twenty. We were in the village of Arahanga at Poutu on the North Kaipara Heads. We had time to sit and rest, to contemplate the beauty and wonder of this remote place. The gentle flow of conversation was diminished by the enveloping coastal forest canopy as we settled down for a time among the ruins of ancient earth ramparts and pit dwelling sites. Arahanga was the last of the major Waitaha settlements in the North. The place from which the great waka carried the people to the safety of the South Island villages. A village that still displays many unique construction methods set over a 1.5 km frontage facing south over the Kaipara Bar.
Gary Cook www.secretland.co.nz

Scientific Pioneer Sees NZ Place of Future

Kimberley Paterson

He’s a maverick, high-powered man of science whose textbook Quantum Mechanics graces university libraries around the world. Now retired from over 30 years as professor at the theoretical physics department of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Amit Goswami takes his message on the new frontiers of science to audiences around the world.

What this high echelon thinker most believes is that science based on matter is ending and that a new scientific frontier is rapidly unfolding – one that is based on consciousness, rather than third dimensional physical reality. In essence he says science is proving that there is a spiritual dimension to life. His ideas are particularly popular in Brazil, the USA, UK, Germany, Holland and Spain ... but Professor Goswami also sees a groundswell of interest coming out of New Zealand.

“Particularly as I’ve been invited to two consciousness conferences in New Zealand this year,” he says.
“There is a great uprising in the southern hemisphere toward this kind of new paradigm thinking and I think New Zealand will contribute greatly to the movement.”

A key grip on his quantum thinking is that material science isn’t the whole picture: that levels of reality exist other than the material world and that there is an essential unity underlying all reality. “Science is now capable of validating mysticism ... rather than a leap of faith being required, it can be empirically proven,” he says.
“The new experiments are very promising. Definitive proof now exists that brain electrical evoked potential can be transferred from one brain to another. We can now quantitatively measure subtle non material energy.”
Professor Goswami believes that we are in a rapid epoch of evolution and that the universe has a purpose. “If we integrate all fields of knowledge in a single unified paradigm we pave the way for a new holistic worldview in which spirit is put first.

“All the crisis conditions – global climate change, economic meltdowns, skyrocketing health care costs relate to the idea of quantum activism,” he adds, ideas of which he has written in another book How Quantum Activism Can Save Civilisation.

Professor Goswami was born in India and, until age 37, pursued a very mainstream science. He believed that god didn’t exist and that the meaning of life “came just from brain pursuits of glory in a profession”.
A life crisis changed him. He remarried, found meditation and eventually returned to science with a new vigour. “I came back to science with a new energy and new direction and to really investigate the truth, instead of investigating because of professional glory.” He says it took ten years – from 1975 to 1985 – for a “mystical breakthrough” to answer his deepest scientific questions.

Since then a stream of books and even documentaries (including the popular What the Bleep Do We Know!?) followed. He has even written about his scientific theories on survival of life after death and the possibility of reincarnation.

“More people are already saying that the basic idea of scientific materialism – that everything is matter – cannot be upheld. So we already have a post materialist science.
“From this to `consciousness is the ground of being’ is not far off.
“Quantum consciousness is what esoteric spiritual traditions call god,” says Professor Goswami. “Everything starts with consciousness. Consciousness is not material; consciousness is transcendent.”
He says the reception from mainstream science to his ideas “is getting better”.
“But there is still a lot of resistance, but as I pointed out in my book God is Not Dead, this is to be expected. The complete shift of paradigm will probably take a couple of decades ... but it will happen.”
Modern science is proving deep mystical truths, he says.

Professor Goswami will be speaking at events in Hamilton on August 3 and in Auckland on August 4 – 7, for more information visit www.lotusevents.co.nz.

The Stars in August

Christine Broadbent

JULY 31... New Moon in Leo
New Moon in Leo is the time to plant seeds of intention that support an authentic creative life. With Venus, Sun and Moon all lined up together, the big heart of Leo is its most sensitive. Feelings can be easily hurt now yet caring and loving behaviour is exactly what feels the most authentic.

AUGUST 3 TO 24...Mercury Retro. Business ‘Go Slow’ Period
These three weeks are a Mercury retrograde period when big projects should not be commenced, unless a level of chaos and returning over old ground is desired. Communication is easily confused now but it is an ideal time to look behind the scenes, to do research and find hidden factors previously overlooked. The illumination point is August 17 when information gathered all makes sense. Best results are seen by September 12.

AUGUST 5 to 8
A series of harmonious links between Sun, Venus and Saturn make these days a most productive and pleasant time, when heart-felt wishes succeed. The build up to Full Moon from August 7 to 14 is the ‘bright of the moon’ week when lunar energies and therefore emotional drive is at its strongest.

AUGUST 14 to 17...Full Moon in Aquarius on August 14
Celebrate the power of friendship and the blessings of community as a Full Moon illuminates Aquarius and love planet Venus conjoins Sun in fiery passionate Leo. High hopes for relationships are matched by emotional intensity. Venus is in this most intense invisible phase until September 20 and August 16-17 focus most strongly on love as the Answer. Beware unrealistic expectations – a pity to let pride block real empathy now.

AUGUST 23 to SEPTEMBER 22
Sun transits Virgo for a month and makes fortunate connections with four other planets. Opportune results are most obvious from August 26 to September 3. With doors opening Jupiter-fashion, it is a sense of service and strong work ethic that bring great good fortune.

AUGUST 29...New Moon in Virgo
New Moon in Virgo begins the most productive two weeks of a productive month. It is time to find a sense of purpose in the simple earthy rituals of everyday life, to put heart into work and plant seeds of intention for practical goals.

www.astrologyspot.com.au Email: astroha@bigpond.com

We welcome your feedback

Look out for our next edition of New Spirit News, coming to your email box in late October - the Rev Stephen Hermann, spiritual medium; Sylvia Shanti Vowless, NZ’s Grande Dame of spirituality, Events Listings; and much more!