Defining Freemasonry - Part One - The Craft

Freemasonry plays a big part in my life and I would like to take this opportunity to explain a little more about it and the various Orders and Degrees of which I am a member. I have always been very open about my membership and find that most people are genuinely curious as to what it is all about. If this article whets your appetite a good point of reference is Wikipedia’s page on Freemasonry. I am also a member of the LodgeRoom International UK Forum which welcomes anyone, whether a member or not, and you can contact my there under my pseudonym of EnglishBard.

As I expand on each of the subjects that I would like to take the time to explain to you I must stress that this is purely my opinion and relates to my own journey and ideas. Each member finds his own way through the many colourful, interesting and varied ‘degrees’ in his own good time with each individual developing their own understanding. I do not therefore presume that my opinions are the ‘be all and end all’ on this subject.

I am member under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) and the information I provide relates to the structures under this banner. In other parts of the world there are other jurisdictions that are affiliated to UGLE which have many similarities but there are also many differences, this does not mean that any one is ‘better’ than another – simply different.

To become a member you have to be a man aged 21 years, have good morals and have a belief in a Supreme Being. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that Freemasonry is not to be entered in the hope of personal gain or advancement. Admission must not be sought from mercenary or other unworthy motives. The aim of the true Freemason is to cultivate a brotherly feeling among men, and to help whomsoever he can.

The three Grand Principles on which the Fraternity is founded are: -

Brotherly Love - Every true Freemason will show tolerance and respect for the opinions of others and behave with kindness and understanding to his fellow creatures.
Relief - Freemasons are taught to practise charity and to care, not only for their own, but also for the community as a whole, both by charitable giving, and by voluntary efforts and works as individuals.
Truth - Freemasons strive for truth, requiring high moral standards and aiming to achieve them in their own lives.

The foundation of all Fremasonry is found in ‘The Craft’. This is the known as Craft Masonry in England but Blue Lodge Masonry in the States. I am a member of two ‘Craft’ Lodges and I am currently the Director of Ceremonies in one and in the chair as the Worshipful Master in the other. When a person first becomes a Mason it is the Craft that he joins.

As Freemasonry is a society of men concerned with moral and spiritual values, its members are taught its precepts by a series of ritual dramas, which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons' customs and tools as allegorical guides. Within the Craft there are three ‘degrees’ – Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and Master Mason. To achieve these degrees you must go through three separate ceremonies known as – Initiation, Passing and Raising.

Once you have been initiated you will be known as a Brother (Bro.) until you work your way up to the chair and become the Worshipful Master (WM), the equivalent of a Chairman or President in other organisations and clubs. Once you have served a full year as WM you will then always be known as Worshipful Brother (W.Bro.).

The Ceremonies are conducted by the WM assisted by the Lodge Officers and are enacted in the form of a play with each participant committing his lines to memory. These lines are known as ‘ritual’ in the Masonic world and a good ritualist is well respected for his ability to learn and orate but everyone, no matter what their level of ability, is supported and encouraged to play their full part in the proceedings.

Some members are avid historians, some pride themselves in their command of the ritual and others are searching for no more than friendship and warmth – Freemasonry provides for all. Many deep and lasting friendships blossom under the canopy of Freemasonry and I personally prefer a night at a Masonic meeting to ‘a night out in the pub with the lads’. Entertaining Ceremony to stimulate the heart and the brain followed by intelligent conversation, warm companionship, good humour and a hearty meal – what more could you want out of a night out!

If there is anything else that you would like to know or you would like to comment please do so – they will be gratefully received and faithfully applied.

Take care and thanks for your time.

W. Bro. Damian

Writing for Positivity - Receiving from Giving

Woo Hoo – another milestone reached – Blog number Twenty.

I’ve never done any creative writing before and when I started this Blog I had no idea where it would lead or if my ramblings would find a connection with anyone else. I still feel that I’m finding my feet and each day brings new discoveries in the Blogosphere and I’ve spent whole days just following the connections from one Author (I hate the word Blogger) to another and the gems of information that people are offering up for viewing are an inspiration in themselves.

I’ve already met some excellent people through this endeavour and know that there are many more just waiting at the end of the next ‘click’. I know I’m probably preaching to the converted and that many of those who take the time to read these articles are Authors themselves. This creates such a vibrant, supportive and colourful community that I’d recommend having a go to anyone – there really is a piece of web just waiting to receive your love and nurture.

It’s so instant too – no sooner than you have an idea, you can give it life and post it on your site for a passer-by to pick up and love. This also has the additional benefit of clearing your mind and opening it up for further inspiration.

On a spiritual and developmental point I have become much more open to the world in the hope of finding further material to write about. I have begun to take a real interest in other people’s stories waiting for that nugget of creativity that will lead to more interesting reading for my audience.

I have found myself becoming more organised and energetic. The thrill of seeing a comment in my inbox waiting for approval seems sad but is the sign that someone has taken the time to offer me encouragement and approval without any request for something in return. This could be such a competitive medium but in the whole it isn’t – many people offer praise, help and support for nothing more than the enjoyment of seeing a fellow Human succeed.

If you get drawn in with page rankings and league tables you’re completely missing the point. The enjoyment is in the creation more than the result and the expanding of the mind by flexing the grey matter in hope of entertaining others is my idea of a worthwhile activity.

I’ve found myself again through writing and all the interests and fun things I always enjoyed doing are once again appealing. I’ve started reading the Tarot again, finding much more of note in each card and trusting even more in my intuition to feed my descriptions and explanations of the spread as a whole.

Crystals are reclaiming their space in my home too. A large piece of Rose Quartz is close by while I write this, an Amethyst bed is charging on the window-ledge and my pocket rattles with a few tumble stones. The kids love this and have been pestering me for some ‘magic stones’ of their own rather than chocolate eggs this Easter.

The Bamboo is flourishing on the mantle-piece bringing us luck and abundance. There are a selection of Incense Sticks available depending on the mood and a friend who came to visit commented how much more calmer and happy the house felt.

Ideas and inspiration in all elements of my life are coming to me much more easily and the impetus is focused on the creation of concepts and plans. I’ve always been an ideas person but I had previously looked too closely at the pitfalls and barriers whereas now I see possibilities and promise.

The best way to sum it up is that Blogging has brought more Positivity into my life and acted as a filter for the Negativity in me.

I can’t wait to see where the next twenty posts will lead me and I hope you’ll tag along for the journey – it wouldn’t be the same without you.

Take care, keep smiling, search for truth, be the change.

Damian

Challenging the Voyeur

I drifted off daydreaming today and was thinking about one of those moments that was subtle in nature but ended up changing your perspective forever. Not one of the monumental earthquakes like seeing your first child born but a little quirk of fate that catches you by surprise but stays with you for eternity.

Many years ago I had spent the day shopping with my girlfriend at the time in Manchester City Centre and it was quite a hot day. It was a Saturday and very busy but we needed to pick up a few things that couldn’t be left to a quieter time.

We’d finally ticked off the last item on our list and as it was getting on for Six O’ Clock decided that we’d earned ourselves a drink or two and headed for our favourite hostelry for a rest and refreshment. We arrived soon after to find ‘The Crown’ relatively busy as other shoppers called in prior to heading home and the first of the night time revellers began their evenings campaign.

As the majority of the days expenditure so far had been covered by my meagre finances my companion offered to get the drinks while I found a place to stow the bags and set up camp. From where I was stood I could see that she wandered over to a space at the bar next to a slightly scruffy man who was leaning on the bar working his way through his drink.

I scanned around the room enjoying the reprise from the jostling of the shops and eagerly awaiting the first sip of my drink which directed my eyes back to the bar to see how the purchase of the drinks was progressing.

My acquaintance was still patiently waiting her turn but there was something in the manner of the scruffy man that made me take more notice. Every few moments he was casting a furtive glance down at my companion’s legs in a sort of twitchy nervous way but still pronounced enough to make the gesture obvious.

“Ah well” I thought, “Boys will be boys”, but the intensity of his agitation was growing and his attention on my girlfriend was getting beyond natural curiosity and attraction. He was almost bending to look more closely but with her attention on ordering the drinks my partner was totally oblivious to the attention she was receiving.

Other people had started to notice and I decided that this guy had overstepped the mark and stepped forward to confront him and request that he go elsewhere to act out his fantasises but he had become so obsessed that he didn’t notice that I had approached.

“Excuse me mate” I said in my best Mancunian accent rising up to my full six feet, “that’s my girlfriend that you are after, so hop it”, at which point she turned round with the drinks and he reached down to pick up the bag that she had inadvertently stepped in front of, obscuring his view of his belongings.

All the time his only concern had been for loosing his bag and he had no interest in making improper advances on my lady-friend. He took his bag, looked nervously at me and scurried out of the door.

I felt so bad – Why had I not noticed the bag? Why had I jumped to the wrong conclusion so quickly? Why had I been so hasty to see the worst in another Human Being? Why had I been so confrontational and possessive?

For weeks afterwards I went over and over the way I had acted, how easily things could have gotten out of control. I was shocked by how easily I had judged that man and labelled him a sex pest. I vowed that I would never react in the same way again.

Too often we are swift to react without taking a moment to fully assess the situation and look at the possible alternatives. So much pain and injustice comes as the result of acting without thought. Take the time to see through the ego at the reality beyond.

Take care, search for truth.

Damian

The Magic in Money - The Magic in Me

Money has always been a problem for me and I’ll do anything to avoid dealing with it. So I was mortified when Slade from ‘Shift Your Spirits’ tagged me to respond to his latest assignment as follows.

“Here’s Your Assignment:
I want to hear about YOUR Money Makeover.
Read
about Morgana’s
Exercise and consider the following in your story:
Who’s the Old Money?
Who’s the New Money?
What’s THE one thing — the overarching Message —
your New Money advises you to do to invite Meaningful Abundance into your life?
Writing it down will help you to manifest the change you wish to see.”

Just how could he do this to me? Reading his articles had been the initial inspiration for the setting up of ‘Be the change – tread the Path’ and here he is throwing this barrier in my personal path. How dare he make me face up to the ‘dark side’, you’d think he was promoting Personal Development wouldn’t you!!!!

Well that’s EXACTLY what he is doing and very astutely too. You can always trust Slade to open up those proverbial cracks in your pseudo suit of armour and throw in an irritation of Light. I really do feel in writing this that the time has come to face up to my greatest spectre and boy can you see how much I’m trying to write about ANYTHING but the ‘subject that shall not show its face’.

I’ve always felt that in the past I would have been one of those guys who lived up a pole thinking all day. Others would have dealt with the more mundane things in life and I would have happily let them! It’s a real shame that this wasn’t offered to me by the Careers Officer as I would have accepted immediately.

So no more avoiding the inevitable, here I go, I’ve been well and truly cornered. Time to face up to MONEY!

Who’s the Old Money?

I’ve always pictured Money as a sneaky, scruffy, mischievous, spoil-sport who has decided that its mission in life is ‘to make things difficult for me’. It dogs my every step as I attempt to better myself and the world around me.

It lurks around every corner just waiting for the chance to slip the comedy banana-skin under my foot and then slinks back into the shadows giggling with self important glee when I stumble.

It is the cloud that comes with every silver-lining, the mat that is pulled from under your feet when you arrive at the door of happiness, the penance for daring to hope or dream and the Judas at my celebration banquet.

Money to me has always been an opponent, never a friend. It has never come along when my morale has been low and said “here let me shoulder your burden, sit down, rest awhile – the drinks are on me!”

My Money has always been the one who gets a ‘quick dig in’ when I’ve been knocked to the ground, I can see him now in my minds eye with that scornful sneer drawing back his foot for another kick in the guts.

Never quite the archetypal bully, too much of a coward for that. Not wanting to take the limelight but preferring to feed off another’s misery and pain. Gathering up the shards of a shattered aspiration that too easily slipped through the fingers. Fingers that are too clumsy to reach for the stars and not used to getting that close to touching the rainbow.

But I can see now that it is not Money who is the Opponent but myself – I don’t see myself as being anything of real worth. Never took the time before to see the good that I am, the potential I have realised and the change I am being.

I have never realised that I am a commodity before. My very being is a marketable service that is the best I have to offer. My transferable skill is myself, my and my true potential waiting straining to be unleashed.

Who’s the New Money?

The new Money is me. I am the source of all my dreams and aspirations and I hold it in my hands to make them real. Every choice I make affects my future, every second a myriad of potential paths patiently waiting to be chosen and their secrets unveiled.

I am the Magician in the world of Tarot - Skilful, self-confident, a powerful magus with the infinite as a halo floating above my head. Raising my wand to heaven, pointing my finger to Earth, I call on all powers; magically, before me, all the possibilities laid out, all the directions I can take.

The cool, airy Sword of intellect and communication, the fiery Wand of spirituality and ambition, the overflowing Chalice of Love and emotions, the solid Pentacle of work, possessions and body. With these tools, I can create anything, make anything of his life.

I must grab myself by the shoulders and give myself a good hard shake. Clear out the cobwebs and don’t be ashamed to sell myself. I deserve it – I am a great Father, I help others, I am kind, I care about the World, I have morals, I have good manners, I am thoughtful, I love, I praise, I protect, I nurture and most of all I try.

And while I do these things I WILL attract abundance into my life. I will attract MONEY into my life – there I’ve said it!

What’s THE one thing — the overarching Message — your New Money advises you to do to invite Meaningful Abundance into your life?

Having gone through the above process it is clear now that all this time I have been using Money as a mirror to restrict myself. I must embrace the Magician and in doing so embrace myself.

Many times I have read or been told that to make any progress I must learn to accept myself first, and in many areas of my life this has been a process that has been clearly laid out. But I have never thought of applying this to the material aspects of my life – until now.

Many thanks to Slade for making me face up to my fears and gleaming light from a place that until now seemed to only contain more shadows.

This process has been worthwhile to me and an essential stage in my journey. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to lead others to the trough of enlightenment, let’s see if they choose to drink!

Just a quick reminder to you all - you need to link back to Slade's original tag at Your Meaningful Money Makeover in your article.

‘Tag – You’re it’

Kara-Leah - K L Masina

Aaron - Today is That Day

Sania - Sania Wyatt

Kevin - Creative Power of Thought

Sham - Enhance Life

Stefanie - ch.aoti.ca

Tracy - Dharma Blogger

Alex – Blog about Money online

Ilker - the Thinking Blog

Take care and thanks for sharing this part of my journey with me. If you’ve enjoyed it why not help me get started by leaving a donation.

(I would never have DREAMED of adding that before).

Damian

Become an Active Citizen and Be the change (a tag)

I’ve never been one for sitting back and letting others do the work for me and I am always happy to assist in another persons cause if they don’t feel they have the strength to do it themselves. As you can see from the title of this blog my aim has always been to take positive action and not just think about the negatives that arise in life.

My view is that every challenge that comes our way is an opportunity to develop, expanding our minds and learning new skills. Each barrier that is placed in our way is sent to awaken inner strengths and promote personal evolution.

To this end I am an advocate of the ‘Active Citizenship’ agenda and I feel that this is essential to achieving positive change in the world. I hope the following will inspire you to take up the gauntlet and do something positive in the name of the Light this week. If you do, let me know, I’d really like to hear about it.

Read on, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised that you already fit the criteria of an ‘Active Citizen’………..

The Advisory Group on Citizenship's 1998 report states that one of the main aims of Citizenship education is "for people to think of themselves as active citizens, willing, able and equipped to have an influence in public life"

Across Europe and the United States, there is clear evidence of declining engagement in traditional democratic processes, with governments, companies and other organisations considered to be remote, and insufficiently accountable to their stakeholders. Yet, it is also widely believed that globalisation calls for new, and more devolved kinds of political and social structure, in which individual citizens will play a more active part.

This suggests that people need to be re-engaged as “active citizens”, and enabled to take informed decisions about their lives, communities and workplaces. However, many people are both disengaged and lack the skills, knowledge or understanding to do so. This is particularly true for people with little formal education and most at risk of social exclusion on other grounds.

Governments have sought to address the issue through citizenship education programmes within formal schooling, but this can only have an impact in the long term and the benefits have yet to be demonstrated. Little research has been conducted about how individuals learn to become such active citizens, the role of formal schooling in this, and the potential role of lifelong learning including less formal mode of learning.

The project considered “active citizenship” as the active engagement in collective activity in one of four areas or “domains” - the state/formal politics, the workplace, civil society and the private domain.

The following are key areas that you can promote to encourage participation and real change: -
· Decision-making – this is being increasingly devolved in organisations of all kinds. This is because there is a belief that large centralised systems are increasingly difficult to manage and plan. There is also a need to ensure democratic legitimacy for decisions and actions.

· Relationships – there is no simple standard model of what an active citizen is, nor any single process for developing citizenship. The sense of citizenship is embedded in each individual’s unique life history and formed through relationships with others, individually and in groups.

· Belonging – active citizens have a strong sense of their place and responsibility in the world and are driven by a sense of commitment to other people, rooted in notions of justice and care.

· Influence – the reasons for becoming an active citizen are formed early in life through the family and the community, at least as much as, or even more than, in school.

· Engagement – active citizens engage with the state when they wish to do so and on their own terms. They are driven by personal ethical values and many are resistant to the competitive cultures of traditional political processes and parties.

· Learning – active citizens usually learn their citizenship skills through trying to solve a problem or to fulfil a mission, rather than by setting out to “learn to be good citizens”. Learning, and citizenship emerge as a consequence of this primary motivation. Learning therefore has to be embedded in those processes.

· Transferable skills – the skills and knowledge that active citizens develop in one area (political, work, civil or private) are frequently transferred into the other areas.

· Social champions – Active citizens are notably energetic people and typically are active in several spheres.

· Resource – Lifelong learning has become a major focus of policy attention for governments, private sector organisations and social movements, but the learning of citizenship in the area of civil society is still usually under-resourced by comparison with the workplace.

· Gender – this is a significant factor in determining how and where people engage as citizens, conditioned particularly by expectations of gender roles, by social and political structures, and by the low value typically placed on citizenship in the private domain. This is unfortunate since the home and early upbringing are critical in creating the predisposition to be active citizens.

· Diversity – other important areas of difference, including ethnicity, disability and sexuality, interact with gender to create complex patterns of inclusion and exclusion. In addressing this it is important to ensure we seek to give individuals the ability to analyse critically how institutions and cultures affect individuals in different ways.

· Re-engagement – active citizens appear in general to be more highly educated than their peers. There is therefore a danger that citizenship becomes yet another area of exclusion for those who have previously been less successful in education, and who are already more prone to exclusion. However, those who become active despite low levels of initial education often re-engage with formal education as a result.

If not us, who? If not now, when?

How we develop this is open to your own creativity and abilities but we, as internet authors, are in an ideal and unique position to tap into the zeitgeist and use it to encourage more people to ‘get involved’ and change things for the better. By way of reaching out to our contacts and communities the possibilities are far-reaching and highly achievable.

Therefore inspired by Slade of 'Shift Your Spirits' who has included me in a very interesting tag entitled Your Meaningful Money Makeover I’m not going to leave this simply as a lone article floating in cyberspace and have decided to transform it into a ‘tag’ – but with a difference!

The title of this tag will be “Within the spirit of positive change and the higher good – be the change! Become an Active Citizen this week and then tell the world about it on your site telling us what you did. Then link back to this article and leave a comment so we can all see the positive change in action”.

I will start the ball rolling by including the following people who continue to inspire me personally and I know will come up with some excellent ideas. If you'd like to 'tag' along please join in, expand the community and make a difference.

So over too.........

Slade - Shift Your Spirits

Jeff - Druidjournal.net

Adam - Adams Peace

Kara-Leah - K L Masina

Aaron - Today is That Day

Sania - Sania Wyatt

Kevin - Creative Power of Thought

Sham - Enhance Life

Stefanie - ch.aoti.ca

Tracy - Dharma Blogger

Take care and BE the change.

Damian

Note: For more information check out http://www.citizen.org.uk/ (I borrowed the pic from there too!)

The holy man on the train.

I’ve had to work in London this week and usually travel around with my head in a book not taking any notice of the people and places around me. But as part of my quest for enlightenment and to work on continually developing my self I have made a conscious effort to be more open to the world and people around me.

I often travel on the tube when I work in London, which is usually a couple of days every two or three weeks. I find the tube a lonely place with so many people crammed together but trying desperately to look anywhere but at each other. Living in the North of England, near Manchester, I am more used to people striking up conversations with strangers but for some reason the more South you go, the less this is seen as acceptable.

Anyway, the other day I was travelling from Victoria station to Euston station to catch my train back home and was looking around the carriage as the tube rattled along beneath London’s busy streets. It wasn’t that busy but the seats were full and I always prefer to stand as it is only four stops. There were people sat down and only one of other person, an elderly man in a suit, stood at the other end of the carriage.

I then noticed that the elderly man had taken a large crucifix out of his pocket. He then, quietly but very deliberately, blessed the tube carriage and all the people in it three times. Nobody else seemed to notice at first and I wondered if it was only me who could see this man.

He then paused for a while and then did it again three times. More people had seen him this time and looked up nervously trying not to catch his eye. Again he paused and then blessed the carriage thrice. By now everyone had looked up and I could see that they were a little unwary at his intentions.

The train then stopped at the next station and he slipped the crucifix back in his pocket, got off the tube and went on his way. His exit prompted some of the remaining people to laugh and a few began to comment how odd he was and that he must be suffering from mental illness.

I just stood there thinking about how previously this would have been my response too, but not this time. This time I thought how nice it had been that this man had decided to do something for the good of those he meets. He was sharing a part of himself that was obviously of utmost importance to him for the benefit of strangers.

Rather than spend his days engaged in negative activities or worrying about himself, this man had decided to travel around London ‘Blessing’ from afar. No shouting damnation or hysterical preaching – no knocking on doors trying to sell ‘the good word’ – no request for money in return for salvation – just his own lonely journey giving unconditionally.

I wish I had followed him off the train to talk him with him, I am sure his story would have been very interesting. I am sorry I didn’t think quicker and follow the moment by getting of the train to ask him why. But most of all – I regret not stopping him, taking his hand and saying ‘thank you’ for his selfless act that has inspired me further and acted as a pointer in my own journey that by understanding his mission I am on the right path to achieve mine.

There is much we can learn from those that the majority would consider as strange. They have nothing to prove and are not ruled by their own ego. It is clear that they are more attuned with their inner self and reveal themselves without fearing criticism.

Next time you notice the light in another take the time to stop and say hello no matter how strange they seem. It could be worth your while, it could be the sign you have been looking for – it could be me!

Take care and look for signs everywhere.

Damian

Welcoming the new Master

The March meeting at my Masonic Lodge is always set aside for the ‘Installation’. This is when the new Worshipful Master (WM) is installed in the chair to preside over the Lodge for the next twelve months. It is a very special occasion and the meeting takes much longer than any other meeting so we begin much earlier in the day.

The new WM is known as the Master Elect (ME) as he has to be elected by all of the members of the Lodge present on the night that the election takes place. It is a great honour to ‘take the chair’ and a position of the highest regard. Any Freemason who becomes WM is thereafter known as a Worshipful Brother (W. Bro.) to mark out that he has served at least one year in the chair of a Lodge.

The ‘Installation’ is the highlight of the Lodge year and the members wear dinner suits rather than the normal black suits to point out the importance of the meeting and also that it is a day of celebration. This is also the day when the Officers for the coming year are invested by the WM usually moving up through the progressive offices towards the day that he too will attain the Chair.

This Installation was the first that I had acted as the Director of Ceremonies (DC) and it is my role to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that everything is done correctly – quite a responsibility but very rewarding too. If anything goes wrong it is also up to me to take charge and get everything back on track.

Being the DC has opened up a whole new world of personal and spiritual development for me as the other Brethren look to me for guidance and clarification. This I take very seriously as each learns at their own speeds and I have to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses to ensure they all work as a team. If we were a football team the DC would be the Coach.

I arrived at the Lodge being as prepared as possible but many of the other Brethren approached me with their own concerns which I clarified and answered patiently and with a smile. I spoke to each of the Officers in turn to make sure they all knew what they had to do and were at ease.

The new WM was especially pleased and thanked me in a toast for everything I had done. This was unexpected and a very nice gesture for him to do so. It was good enough for me to see that I had been influential in creating a day of friendship, warmth and celebration for so many of my friends.

This years Installation went very well and everyone had an excellent time. When it was all over I was very tired but content that I had been a key part of ensuring it all flowed and it was good to see that the other Brethren had enjoyed the day.

A day that I personally had given everything of myself for my fellow Freemasons and one that I will remember with very fond memories for the rest of my life. An excellent milestone on my personal journey and another step towards becoming the best person I know I can be.

Freemasonry gives me the opportunity to develop my own personal skills in a very supportive environment but it also helps me reveal my higher purpose by giving unconditionally in the hope of others felling refreshed and assisting the less experienced to develop themselves for the higher good.

Take care and look for ways that you can develop yourself by helping others.

Damian

Tips for success - tagged again!

Sania Wyatt has tagged me for inclusion in an interactive research project known as "Simply Successful Secrets". I’m more than happy to take part and I am really honoured to be included in Sandra’s list which contains some really excellent Authors.

If you’ve not already checked out Sania’s blog it really is worth visiting. She is a very brave and special person and is an inspiration to all of us.

So on to the tag, I have to: -

“Compose a new blog post listing the top 5 to 10 things that you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things that you do at least 4 or 5 times every week. Anything less than that may be a hobby that helps you out, but we are after the real day in and day out habits that help you to be successful.”

In answer to the instruction I include the following

1. Listen – whether this is to my kids talking about school, other people’s opinions, strangers in the street or even overheard snatches of conversation. The messages and pointers are all there for you if only you’d take the time to really listen.

2. Give Affection – I tell the people I care about that I love them, cuddle my children, kiss my grandmother goodbye when I call round, shake hands with my friends or just smiling at people I don’t know. A little love and light can go a long way.

3. Research – this could be reading a book, talking to people with specialist knowledge, following leads on the internet or canvassing opinion. I’d feel that a day had been wasted if I went to bed without actively pursuing more knowledge.

4. Gain experience – trying it out for yourself and being ‘out there’ is the only way to provide the opportunity for the magic to happen. I’m a firm believer that ‘Life isn’t going to come knocking on your door’ – you have to meet it at least half way.

5. Open up – not being afraid to show you have feelings. I let people know when they’ve made me feel good or inspired me in some way and I will always give those who hurt me a chance to make amends.

6. Help others – Unconditionally is the only way or otherwise you’ll often end up being disappointed. Go out of your way to help other people realise their dreams and you’ll be surprised about the results.

7. Share ideas – how do I know that the little bit I’ve found out isn’t the missing piece or connection that is needed by someone else. I don’t want to take that risk and always try to share what I know in the hope of inspiring others.

8. Have some ‘me’ time – when my family is tucked up in bed is when I grab some ‘me’ time each day. Meditating, reading, watching TV or getting on the Net – it doesn’t matter as long as you grab a little time for you. I used to give everything and this only left me feeling resentment and losing touch with who I was.

9. Pause – something I’ve had to learn is to pause before answering, reacting or some other fine way of putting my foot in it. This has worked excellently in giving me the time to calm down and give a rational and well thought out reply.

10. Check my e-mail – you never know who has dropped you a line or updated their blog unless you have a look. I make sure I try and check mine each day.

I’m going to send this on to Slade of ‘

Shift your Spirits’ and Jeff Lilly who is the author of DruidJournal.net. I’d really like to see what they’d make of this.

Take care, keep smiling, search for truth, be the change

Damian

Revealing 'Lost Treasures' - the Knights of the Holy Royal Orders

A very good day yesterday and what initially started out as a ‘me’ day turned out to be one where the gains I made were through the process of giving. The affirmation and positive experience that I needed to encourage me to continue.

As I had been a little low I had arranged to go and see a friend, Mark Olly, to ‘get away from it all’ and spend some time catching up. I had intended to go over Friday evening for a few pints, stay over and then see what happened on Saturday.

I arrived there on Friday evening to find Mark preparing for another day’s filming for his new series ‘Lost Treasures – Series Two’ (check out http://www.lost-treasures.co.uk/ for more info). He is presenting and helping to produce the series for release in mid-April 2007 and the episode he is currently working on has a scene which recreates a Templar funeral.

As the Knights Templar are of particular interest to me I was more than happy to help and advise in preparing the equipment and setting the scene to be as authentic as possible. It was particularly important as the re-enactment group, the Knights of the Holy Royal Orders based in Runcorn, that were acting out the reconstruction had recently lost there founding member to cancer and this was the perfect opportunity to hold a fitting memorial and make real his vision.

So early on Saturday morning we loaded my Volvo estate with all manner of props and outfits - lots of shields, helmets, countless swords and even two cross-bows. We set off for Lymm Church in Cheshire, Mark Olly had booked this church especially for its wonderful medieval style stained glass window.

Creating the vision

The knights looked excellent and acted as though they had been professional actors for years. With the location, the props all laid out, the candles lit and all the fittings of modern life cunningly concealed it was easy to believe that you had been magically transported back to the time of the Crusades.

This was followed by an excellent lunch and a piece outside where each of the weapons and parts of the armour were explained. The ‘shoot’ went perfectly, it was a very moving experience - the Templar Knights had come back to life, if only for a few hours.

The 'Knights' presented Mark with a medal, which was the symbol of the group, to thank him for making the day possible. This brought a tear to his eye as he had been a friend of the founder and knew that it had been him who had originally bought the medals which were presented to each member of the group.

It was a total team effort with everyone heading home weary from the effort but rewarded by the experience. We headed back to Mark’s to unload the car and have a well deserved cup of tea. We chatted for another couple of hours and then I headed home with my spirits lifted and some excellent memories.

Mark also read my tarot last night which warned me that there is currently deceit in my life. I asked for clarification on this and the deceit concerned an offer of Success that wouldn’t be in my best interest and that I shouldn’t jump at the offer but that it would be better to take the ‘I’ll think about it and get back to you’ approach. I’ll let you know what happens.

Other cards that were of great interest to me relate to my near future and distant future. The one which related to my immediate future was ‘Justice’ and signified that truth will prevail. The other, which concerned my distant future pointed out that I will eventually achieve balance between the masculine and feminine, creativity and logic – the ultimate aim of anybody actively pursuing personal and spiritual development.

It turned out that by providing technical knowledge and helping set up, and dismantle, the setting that I had provided many people with something special that really meant something to each and every one of them. I wish them all the very best in the future and look forward to meeting them again, and to Mark especially I wish him the best of luck with his new series – the ‘charismatic antiquarian’ really deserves it.

This has enforced my feeling that I am on the right path - the hard work is staying on it!

Take care and help others, it really is worth it.

Damian

Hitting Self-destruct

Although I’m content with the progress I’ve made in much of my life there is one area where I’m still bogged down in a rut and can’t seem to make any progress on – my career. The job I have neither inspires me, challenges me nor provides enough by way of financial incentive.

Money is very tight and the strain is beginning to show and it is affecting most of my life in very negative ways. The strain put on my relationship is immense and the spare cash for doing things with the kids is virtually non-existent.

‘You don’t need to have money to have fun with the children’ I hear you cry, but YOU try explaining to your children why they can’t have an ice-cream next time you arw in the park. YOU try looking into the face of your child and saying ‘NO’ when they ask to go to the Cinema.

Sorry to impart the negative today but I feel that I need to offload and I’m hoping by doing this I can tap into my creativity, my Awen. I’m looking for inspiration in my writing and by placing myself wide-open to you all.

I’m not looking for someone to do it all for me, I wouldn’t let them – things happen for a reason and I learn by finding ways to overcome them. This is my journey and barriers will be placed in my way for me to adapt and overcome them.

I’ve tried to re-write my CV and placed it on job boards but only receive the ‘we invite you to take part in our new opportunity’ junk mail. I’ve spent hours pouring through the newspaper and job sites only to end up feeling disheartened and tired.

The major problem is that I simply don’t know what it is I would like to do, what career and environment would satisfy me, how can I make a difference to other people and still pay the bills, what is my purpose?

I guess this is the crux of the problem – why am I here and how do I reconcile that with providing for my family? The great question that litters Personal Development sites throughout the Net.

Now I’ve read the theory, I’ve tried the meditation, I’ve attempted Manifesting, I’ve endeavoured to reach my Higher Self and still nothing comes.

‘Have patience and persevere’ I here you say, but while I spend all my time doing these things life is passing me by, the clocks still tickking and the bills are stacking up. My relationship is breaking down and I’m close to reaching for my old friend - ‘the self-destruct button’.

Walking in the dark

This is a process that I’ve gone through a couple of times in my life and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I throw caution to the wind and go totally off-rail in the search of the real ME, casting off all attempts to be something I’m not – to be understanding when all I can see are my problems, to be upbeat when I’m hurting inside, to be hopeful when all I can see are the dark clouds gathering.

I chase self gratification with glee, look for quick fixes, follow false idols, cast off all that is Light and look into the void for meaning. This I do with one glimmer of hope – that I will see all that I may lose, that is dear to me, that I love through new eyes.

It is only when you walk in the dark places of life that you can clearly see yourself and all of your component parts. Stripped down down to your base level - just flesh and bone, hunger instict and desire. The foundations of your very Self that everything else relies upon to grow and develop.

It is not easy for me to be simply thankful for all that I have. I need to take it right to the edge and see in vivid colour what it is I may lose. Then it is much easier to see what baggage I have amassed and to shed it. To cherish what I have in my life that is pure and good - and to fight for it with renewed passion.

But I no longer need to do this as I am a Father. The process is much easier now as I need do no more than look into my child’s eyes and see that their hopes and dreams are tied to me in a way that no-one else can ever be.

They rely on me to direct them along their paths until the time is right for them to walk alone. But they will always know that they can return to me when they are weary and the obstacles become too great. They will always have a place on my path.

I will struggle and fight for them, I will overcome, I will persevere and I will provide the best start in life I can for them.

They are my world, they are my inspiration and they always will be.

Take care and thanks for listening - I really needed that!

Damian

Invoke the magic in others

On the issue of children I found the articles on DruidJournal.net particularly insightful but was especially moved by the following paragraph taken from that site

'Children seem to be born with an innate reverence for nature, which fits right in with pagan belief. They fill their pockets with acorns, oddly shaped rocks, bits of fluff and feathers, and young blossoms ­ they can feel the raw magic sparking off such things. They can easily sense the quiet awe of a forest, and they are most at ease when surrounded by natural materials ­ cotton and wool clothing, wooden toys, silk drapes.'

I have two stories I’d like to share with you that demonstrates Jeff’s points perfectly.

Story One - The wizard

Last Saturday I packed the kids in the car and took them to 'Alderley Edge' (http://www.alderleyedge.org/ if you have a spare minute or two) and spent a good 4 hours walking around showing them the places of interest and telling them the stories of the Wizard, the Goldstone and the Druids. While walking around they were indeed touching, feeling, picking things up and generally communing with nature.

One of the sites has a well in the side of a rock face called the Wizards Well and if you look above it, carved in the rock, there is a face with the words "Drink of this and take thy fill for the water falls by the Wizard's Will". My 5 year old son Ethan (I chose his name as I always wear an Ankh the Egyptian symbol of life, and Ethan means life) was particularly taken with this with lots of questions as to whether the Wizard could become real or not.

I told him, in good Peter Pan style, that if he believed in him then he would always be real. This only encouraged further questioning as to when, where and how the Wizard changed form. These I tried to answer in a way that I would not spoil the enchantment and dispel the magic.

The best bit was when we got back to the car and Ethan said to me 'Dad, if you see the wizard will you say hello', I replied ' If you liked it here maybe you'll see him next time we come'. This produced a big smile and he can't stop talking about Wizards now. On the way home he said 'Thank you Dad, I've had a good day today'.

Story Two - The Animals in the Wood

The other story that links in with what Jeff wrote in his article relates to a day earlier this week when I decided that I would finish work early as it was a crisp, bright, and cheery day. This I did and I went and picked up my 2 year old son, Mason, from nursery so we could share some quality time together.

The two of us we went and fed the ducks and then went for a walk in the local woods. Just a short way into the woods there is a bench in a clearing near to a stream and we both sat there just enjoying the day and basking in each others company when I decided to ask him what he could see.

In response to this he lit up, and then went on for some time in his limited vocabulary to point out elephants hiding behind trees, monkeys swinging from the branches and tigers prowling 'over there' as he put it.

He carried this on for some time and then leaned over and leaned his head on me. I hugged him back, told him 'I loved him' and then we walked back to the car hand in hand.

Another two wonderful days and another two magical memories. I’ll never be able to pass either of those places again without being reminded of those special moments and those sparks of inspiration, imagination and enchantment I brought into mine, and in turn my children’s lives.

This has set me on a journey to fill their lives and my memories with many shared moments such as these and I hope that by reading this it will inspire you to do the same.

Take care and invoke the magic.

Damian

Why I blog? – The Bard in me is tapping into the Awen

Slade from ‘Shift your Spirits’ has ‘tagged’ me with this question and I’ll try my best to answer. If you’ve never visited his site you should go there straight away as him and Jeff Lilly at DruidJournal.net (another must read) are my inspirations to use this medium and the rewards so far have been great.

I’m honoured to be the next in line as the three previous authors are excellent examples as online authors and I’m sure that you’ll find much of interest at all three – just follow the links on my Blogroll. Shift your Spirits, Druid Journal and Adams Peace.

This has also come at a very good time for me as this is my tenth post, and the realisation of a personal target. A few days ago I didn’t know I had this much inside me trying to get out but I’m now seeing that I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface.

To answer the question.

A Bard in ancient Celtic society was the first of three stages in becoming a Druid, but they were highly regarded within their own right and never seen as inferior to the Vates and Druids.

The primary objective of the Bard was to inspire creativity in themselves and others, they believed that through this creativity they could awaken spiritual abilities and access other realities through the power of ‘the Word’ – story telling, poetry, song, and retaining the genealogy of the ancestors.

The word whether it is spoken or written is a strong force and can produce an energy all of its own. You have experienced this power yourself many times through insults, praise, a good book or an inspired piece of poetry, love letters, hate mail, quotes and thought provoking articles.

Through the development of their art the Bards searched the length and breadth of consciousness in their personal quest for inspiration. This in itself led them to discover and connect with a great inner spiritual power.

I’m sure this must connect with you on many levels and the meaning is even more relevant in today’s society as many of us have become distanced from our creative side and the system of education directs and trains us to utilise our mind not our souls.

This may empower our intellect but our soul feels undeveloped and undernourished. The constant craving leaves us with a feeling that something is missing, that we are not whole in some way and that we need more than just food (earth), drink (water) and to breath (air).

This too corresponds with the beliefs of the ancient Celts in that to be whole we are made up of earth, air, water, and fire. Fire was symbolic of inspiration and intuition – the missing piece that we all seek.

This all relates to the here and now.

Today we may call that creative energy many things – Spirit, the Light, Chi, Qi, Ki, Gaia or even ‘the Force’ but in the ancient Bardic world this was known as AWEN which translates as flowing spirit.

My belief is that the sense of loss that is felt by many is that we have come adrift from the earth, from nature, from AWEN. To regain this connection we need to tap in by exploring our creativity and sharing with others in the hope that they to will be inspired to connect in whatever way they feel.

The challenge is to see through the constraints of conformity, if only for a fleeting instance, and to break through and embrace the feminine side; our creativity and inspiration.

My journey has recently taken me onto the Druidic path and part of my development was to embrace my creativity and skills in the written word. I didn’t really realise that until I began to write this post so thanks to Slade for tagging me and through answering the question of ‘Why do I Blog?’ I’ve realised another stage in my own journey.

Take care and nurture the Bard in yourself.

Damian

So as two of my latest visitors I'd like to tag Trixibelle http://www.trixibelle.blogspot.com/ and pickthebrain http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog

Freemasonry and its place in me

I enjoy the contrasts that comes from all of the paths I tread and could be at a Rock concert one night, a Lodge meeting the night after, walking in the woods communing with nature at weekend, cuddled up with my partner watching a film or sharing a book with my son. Experiencing the variety of life is essential to living a full and content existence.

I’ve been a Freemason for some considerable time now and thought I’d share some thoughts with you on what it means to me to be a Mason. This is just one thread of my life but one that is very important to me.

A bit of background first. I am a member of two ‘Craft’ Lodges under the English Constitution, I am the Director of Ceremonies in one Lodge, having already gone through the chair, and am currently Worshipful Master in the other.

I am also a member of many side degrees including Holy Royal Arch, Mark, Royal Ark Mariner, Rose Croix, Knights Templar, and the Royal and Select Masters. Each of these degrees have their own distinct symbolism, ceremonies and meanings.

I am what is described as a ‘good ritualist’ which basically means that I am able to learn and recite sections of the ceremonies from memory as Freemasonry is ostensibly based on an oral tradition. I also enjoy researching the history and meaning which gives me great satisfaction and also satisfies my ‘daily advance in Masonic knowledge’.

There are many theories as to the founding of Freemasonry that weaves a remarkable story, but no real definite decision has yet been made. The Druids, Rosicrucians, Stone Masons Guilds, Egyptians and even the first Trade Unionists have all been cited as the forebears of modern Freemasonry.

But the area I wish to concentrate on here is what it means to me, and how it has helped me to develop, being a member of this wonderful Fraternity.

Defining character

As with every new initiate I entered Freemasonry with no knowledge of what I was entering into except that all the members I had met had been intelligent and courteous people who I had easily struck up a friendly rapport.

I remember going through my initiation enjoying the whole experience – the imagery, the dedication and commitment each Brother had put into performing his particular role, the grandeur and most of all the happiness and friendship.

Once it was all over we retired to dinner, which we do at every meeting, and the belonging was instantaneous – it was as though I’d known everyone for years. The other members went out of their way to ensure that, as the new boy, I felt comfortable and at ease.

As my time went on and I moved through the progressive positions I realised that I was gradually being introduced to new skills and encouraged, in a friendly and supportive environment, to reflect on myself and my own development.

Through learning the text and reciting the ritual my ability to retain and deliver information was improving. By proposing toasts and giving short speeches my confidence and public speaking skills were being developed. In the course of learning the ceremonies, which are rich with vocabulary, language and symbolism – my own word power and grasp of language was gaining in depth and variety.

I was all in all becoming a better person.

This demonstrated an apparent improvement in my work and social life. I found it easier to express feelings, concepts and ideas; and felt more confident and enthusiastic about doing so. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve never lacked in intelligence nor have I ever been what would be called an introvert – it all just subtly became much easier, it started to flow.

My commitment to my family and friends was reinforced by the way I see the other Brethren helping each other and their families. This is done in a friendly way - rallying round when someone is sick, a kind word when suffering misfortune, keeping in touch with widows when a Brother has died and inviting each other to social events.

A wholly worthwhile and positive experience, a way of life and a path I would recommend to anyone.

Take care.

Damian

The Light is evolving along with us

I’ve spoken to many spiritualists that say they have lost their ability to connect with their energy and others that say that the intensity has increased. This seems to be happening more so in the last year indicating that the energy we tap into is evolving.

My feelings are that as we are all part of the Light and we ourselves are having new ideas or building on the concepts of others that Spirit is absorbing that energy and is in a constant state of flux.

This is our purpose in life - to experience all there is to feel and to report back to source on our death for our wisdom to be absorbed in to the One. Each soul is a tiny speck of energy that breaks away from the group consciousness, manifests on earth as you and me and then returns when our time is up to file the report.

If this is so then why are long established practitioners losing their contact? Quite simple, they have reached a point where they have stagnated and have stood still while the Light has moved on. They need to find new sources of inspiration and open up to new thoughts and activities.

We are all at times victims to this process as we find a comfortable way of doing something and then failing to look at this process to see if it can be done differently or improved.

What I am seeing is a change of approach to spirituality as it becomes more mainstream to search for your own belief structure and follow your own path. A move away from the rituals and arcane arts of the past with a more workable integration into the way we live our lives.

Anchor to the past, exist in the present and have hope in the future.

But having said this we must not move too far away from our ancestors established structures as that too would lead us to lose our way. There is much to be found in every religion and organised society that values integrity, morals and truth amongst their pursuits.

Grounding yourself in your culture and ancestry is equally as important as reaching for the heavens and in the pursuit of mystery. Without your feet firmly on the ground you’ll end up flat on your face.

If you are new to your path their can be no greater recommendation than that of browsing through your local book store on subjects such as Druidry, Kabbalah, Christianity, Hinduism, Pagan, Wiccan, Zen, etc and adopting some (or all) into your own ethos towards your higher self and life purpose.

Take the time to talk to others and actually listen to their responses. Everyone has ideas about why we are here and what our purpose may be its just that nobody has taken the time to ask them.

As Spirit flows through all of us then this is a vastly untapped resource and a sure-fire way of increasing global awareness and understanding. If you take the time to discuss this subject with just one person I can guarantee that they will go on to ask at least three more, and so on and so on. Take pride in yourself for instilling the spark in another and step back and watch it grow.

Make it your mission today to awaken the thirst for wisdom in someone else. Do this in person, in internet chat rooms, on forums, wherever. The answers will never be found by one person alone but together we can develop a group consciousness and work through it together. Let me know what responses you uncover, I’m really interested to know.

Assist your evolution and take care.

Damian

Note: Image reproduced from http://xkcd.com/

Reaching out and enquiring within

Since launching this Blog I’ve found the creative process rewarding and in my new found thirst for inspiration the world around me, and the one within me, are beginning to unfold and reveal glimpses of its secrets.

The other benefit that I’ve felt is that I now have more ‘space’ inside me for new ideas and concepts to develop. This is obviously due to the process of emptying my mind into the pages of this Blog.

Although the mind is an infinite place it does tend to feel that its getting full to bursting at times and everybody needs some form of artistic/creative outlet to relieve the pressure. Some do this through music, others by writing and some by meditation.

I have always been useless at meditation but have been persevering over the last week to see if it can be a beneficial part of my daily improvement. It seems to me that meditation is a conscious act of emptying the mind and re-classifying the information left over – a mental de-frag for those of you who are computer focused.

The progress I have made has been slight and for the first few days all I got was a milky white haze but last night the images started to come through as I learned to let go of my thoughts and the interference of my mind.

I’ve nothing significant to report on my ‘visions’ but stay tuned and if anything comes through rest assured you’ll be the first to know. After all said and done you may call in to my little bit of web space from time to time but this is a journey for me too.

A small glimpse of everyone

Another observation I’d like to share with you relates to my favourite pastime of ‘people watching’. I’ve done this for a long time and can often read other peoples intentions by analysing their patterns – as though I can see a line extending in front of them based on the observations of their inertia over the last few moments.

This is most easily seen in my children and is a skill developed by many parents to help with communication in those years before speech develops. The needs and focus of young children is very basic and can easily be read by stepping back and taking in the wider picture.

On a nice day when I’m not wandering in the woods attempting to get in touch with druidry (I’ll save my druid stories for future posts) I like to go into Manchester City centre and sit in one of the outside squares watching the people go by.

I suppose in its own way this a form of meditation as I am letting go and opening up to all the people around me. I like to try and feel who these people are, Where have they been? where are they going? What are their dreams, their fears, their aspirations, their troubles, their motivations, loves and inspirations?

I like to try and glimpse the stories behind the projection that they want you to see, the real person behind the mask. A question that often crosses my mind when I’m doing this is ‘If you could read the minds of those people walking by would it give you hope and encouragement or would it bring you fear and madness?’

Doing this you soon get lost in the world, and people, around you and if you focus on the positive energy you will come away feeling energised. Try it for yourself and if I’m walking by I’ll try and send out some positive vibes for you to catch, and don’t worry if you read my mind - there's nothing to hide - I put it on here for everyone to see.

Take care and keep searching.

Damian

How did I get here?

The latest stage of my spiritual awakening only begun a few weeks ago and was set in motion by a set of coincidences.

I had been thinking of a good friend I had lost contact with some years ago when I went through a difficult relationship break-up.

Mark Olly had set up and run an open evening at his home called ‘The Door’ which held discussions and presentations on many historical and esoteric subjects. I had been introduced to Mark by my ex-partner and when she and I split up I stopped going to The Door.

Mark is a very vibrant, enthusiastic and knowledgeable guy and I had this overwhelming urge to attempt to get back in touch. I tried the numbers I had to no avail and couldn’t track him down.

The coincidences started during a discussion with a friend of mine. He was chatting about the previous nights episode of Most Haunted during which he asked me if I believed in ghosts. I explained to him that actually yes I do and throughout my life I had felt them around me and even glimpsed them on a few occasions.

This began when I was about 3 years of age and I used to tell my mother that ‘the shadow man was behind the TV’ on a regular basis.

This continued when we moved house when I was aged 5 but the presences that came to me scared me and I brought down the barriers and shut them out.

Since then I have been able to ‘feel’ if a presence is in the room and I have been asked many times by friends and family to go in the rooms of their houses to tell them if anything is there.

Another time I was sat in the kitchen eating when I suddenly looked up. My Mother, who had her back to the door at the time, asked me what was wrong.

I said that I had briefly seen a man stood in the doorway wearing a cap. I then went on to say that he didn’t mean any harm but was just ‘checking us out’ to see if we were OK.

Thank goodness for that replied my mother, I’ve glimpsed something a number of times and was waiting for you to see it.

But I digress, back to the story.

Prompted by the discussion with my friend I decided to have a look on the Net to see if there are any local ghost groups in the area that we could join together. Yes there is, Club Zero – and they were meeting the following week at a local Pub.

I arranged with my friend to go to the meeting and the guest speaker was a lady named Eleanor who impressed me greatly by her love of life, her knowledge of Spirit and her positive attitude.

During her presentation Eleanor said that she had a shop nearby that also had a room where talks on esoteric, mythology and historical subjects were presented.

A couple of days later I had completed everything at work early and was driving home when I decided I’d make a detour and have a look at the shop.

The shop has an excellent vibe and in no time at all myself and Eleanor had struck up a discussion about the spiritual side of life. At the end of the discussion I said that I had lost contact with a friend, Mark, who would have been an excellent speaker for one of her talks.

She replied that I should come along the following week anyway as they had a presentation on ‘King Arthur in the North West of England’ presented by – Mark Olly.

I nearly fell over, I couldn’t believe it. I went along to the following weeks talk, enjoyed it thoroughly, and am now back in touch with Mark.

The more I trust my intuition the more opportunities open up and the more alive and refreshed I feel. Who knows where this journey may lead – I’ll keep you informed.

I'm glad your connections brought you to me,

Take care

Damian

Is there a cure for the Human race?

There have been five mass extinctions during the history of the Earth but none caused by any of the life-forms that call it home. If we are not careful the human race could be in the unenviable position of being the first.

We are now on the threshold of creating a negative transformation of our world by the activities of the so-called higher species of our planet.

There is an urgent need to cultivate alternative technologies or processes to allow the Earth time to heal. The scale of this challenge is huge but this needs to be looked at in the context of what will happen if we do nothing.

In comparison to the dinosaurs that reigned for 160 million years. We are on course of becoming the instrument of our own extinction in around a quarter of a million years.

If we continue to devastate our environment and destabilize the conditions that sustain life on this planet one possible theory is that we are a virus.

Wikipedia describes a virus as - “A virus is a microscopic particle

(ranging in size from 20 - 300 nm) that can infect the cells of a biological organism. Viruses can replicate themselves only by infecting a host cell. They therefore cannot reproduce on their own. At the most basic level, viruses consist of genetic material contained within a protective protein coat called a capsid.”

A virus moves from cell to cell stripping it of all the nutrients and then moving on to a healthy cell when there is no more left to drain. Are you seeing the comparison?
Is the quest for travel to other planets merely encoded information that is preparing our move to the next cell?

The only way that we can avert this process is to learn to evolve to a state that can co-exist with our host cell – feeding it as well as feeding from it. Entering into a mutual agreement of sustainability and assuring our future together.

A change in human consciousness

Is this the process that many of us are already going through as we experience the change of consciousness that is apparent in every city and town as well as on our TV screens.

Just take a look at the number of alternative, spiritual or ethical shops that are now becoming commonplace as more and more people feel a call to be more responsible while at the same time searching for the answers to questions that direct them along their own path.

So too has the media adapted to the age of Aquarius by developing viewing that is aimed at this shift in perception. Buffy, Charmed, Angel, Most Haunted, TAPS, Haunted Homes, Medium, Supernatural – the list is growing by the week.

Alongside these fictional works the factual channels have programmes covering the search for Bigfoot, crop circles, UFO’s, Ghosts – you name it.

As a 36 year old I remember the days that I had to search high and low for anything on the more ‘strange’ subjects that I craved knowledge. Now everywhere I look there are whole sections dedicated to subjects that range from aura reading to cryptozoology.

It has always been the nature of the human race to see ourselves as the BIG I AM and to look onward and upward. What a shock it would be to many if it was proved that we are nothing but a parasite existing on a planet that is a miniscule element of a much greater entity.

So next time you have a cold be careful where you put that tissue it may contain whole universes and complex civilisations.

Take care of yourselves and the Earth

Damian

Do you reap or do you sow?

Ever wonder why pop stars and actors turn to self-destruction when they have gone past their peak? Have you noticed that there are some people who crave to be the centre of attention no matter what the cost? Are there others you know that make you feel drained by being in their presence, while others fill you with hope, creativity and inspiration?

The simple answer is that this is due to the transference of energy and different people’s approaches to harvesting the light. In some ways this no different to the process that plants use to gather sunlight.

As we are nourished by the food we eat, the liquid we drink and the air we breath; we also need to replenish and recycle the energy required to revitalise our spirit.

The most pure way this can be done is by the selfless act of giving – unconsciously (or consciously now that you know!) directing some of the energy from within yourself towards another human being with whom you have developed a connection.

Other ways are through the inspiration of life, gathering the energy stored in the earth and the ether. Think how refreshed you feel when you see a beautiful view, experience a tender moment, achieving inner peace from meditation and contemplation.

Crystal users and scientists have known this secret for a long time and the crystal is one the earth’s best forms of natural energy cell and transmitter. The computer you are sat at now contains crystals that enable it to work.

To enable it to continue in its most pure state the energy needs to be constantly flowing or it simply dissipates back into the earth. Those people who simply reap without sowing light act as blockages meaning that the energy returns to the earth to be recharged and purified.

The downside to this is that some people become hooked on receiving energy and produce tolerances. Like a drug they need to find more and more ways of draining it in larger amounts.

The Cult of Celebrity

Look at Pop stars and other celebrities who stand on a stage basking in the adoration of their fans moving to bigger and bigger venues in the quest for more. Only for them to lose their creative inspiration, reach their peak and eventually burning out. Once they have reached burnout they crave something that is missing and often turn to drugs or in extreme circumstances suicide.

What is happening here is that their fans are freely sending energy through their adoration and they themselves are feeling good for taking part in the process. The real victim is the subject of their attention who feels an immense rush, a charge of spiritual electricity running through their very being which, with no channel for escape quickly dissipates.

They simply need to understand that the best way of gaining that energy rush is by passing on theirs to others and creating a space for the harvesting of new sources. This has been achieved by very few who constantly review their creative work, re-align and re-invent. Many others turn to other forms of spiritual nourishment, mostly eastern paths of consciousness.

This then gives different meaning to the phrase ‘do you see the glass as half empty or do you see it as half full?’ The truth is it doesn’t really matter as long as the glass is constantly being emptied to enable it to be refilled.

Thanks for sharing in my energy today.

Take care

Damian