Guest Author - Adam Alexander - BEing the Change

In the second of my Guest Author Series in response to my ‘Unearthing Lost Treasures’ article I'm handing 'be the change - tread the path' over to another wonderful writer and a good friend - Adam from 'Adam's Peace'. This is another site of which I value my subscription and Adam's articles based on the subject of Peace in all its forms have incredible depth and feeling. Adam has been through many changes and has recently returned to his roots asking readers to submit questions which he then answers in a manner that is enlightened and very sincere. This all comes together to make excellent, thought-provoking reading.

As a suggestion you could start by reading Adam's response to my question "As we (the human race) appear to be accelerating towards a point of Spiritual Growth or Ascension, what do you see as the greatest hurdle and why?" which you can find at 'Path to Ascendancy'. His answer touches on one of my major sticking points with Society with the sentence “we wouldn’t be able to mark a specific day on our callendar and say that we became an adult, mentally…”. Call over and read the rest.

While you are there why not take Adam up on his offer and use the Contact Form to leave Adam a question, then see for yourself how he develops the answer in ways that will resound deeply within you. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Adam to my site and without further ado I'll hand you over.

Hello, I am Adam Alexander of Adam's Peace. Adam's Peace is where I explain how to bring peace into your own life with the goal of bringing peace to everybody. I'm guest blogging because I could not resist the urge to give something back to Damian, who has helped me incredibly over the past several months in my own pursuit of peace.

Now, I realize that a blog isn't only created by the author. The author takes feedback from his readers and changes his opinions and rewords difficult concepts, learning and growing along with the audience. The feedback comes in the form of emails, comments, or even just the site statistics. Because it is impossible to fail to communicate, I would like to thank the entire community around Be the Change - Tread the Path, which happens to be my own community as well, by sharing the useful information that I have learned from Damian.

I would like to talk about why Being the Change works.

First, though, I think it is more fair to explain why being the change doesn't work for a lot of people. The number one reason is because those people just aren't changing. Yes, they're talking about changing, and planning on changing, but that doesn't work. If the ancient Egyptians had planned to build a pyramid, drawing the placement of every brick, researching the tools needed, and doing everything necessary to start, but nobody showed up, then nothing will have been built. The same goes for my life. There are times when I plan out the most functional websites, complete with very rich, very powerful tools, but then, I just don't start writing out the code and nothing ever comes of it. I can write a to-do list the night before, but unless I pick it up the next day and start doing each and every task, none of those tasks will get done, unless by habit alone.

The only time that we can do anything is right now. Yes, time goes on, and we remember the past, as well as plan for the future, but the simple act of procrastinating almost always guarantees that we will never even start. Hours turn to days, and days turn to weeks, and pretty soon, we're left looking at our past, wondering where the decades have gone.

Right now is all that we have, and by not taking advantage of this very moment, we are not being the change, nor are we treading the path. If you decide to stop reading this post now, with the promise to start reading again later, I won't hold it against you... If you're feeling the urge to get something done, well, these words will still be here when you return.

Now, why does being the change work, when we're living that change right now?

First of all, nobody respects a hypocrite. There is little point in trying to change anyone if you do not demonstrate that you have already made that change. If you are trying to teach other people that living in poverty is good for your spirituality, then do not put ads on your website. If you are a manager, and you are trying to motivate your employees, then get down in the dirt along side those employees and show them how it is done every day. If you are trying to bring peace to everybody, then show others that you live a peaceful life.

Of course, don't be arrogant about demonstrating your changes. Simply let others see what you are doing in your own life, and let them make the decision to mimic you.

Secondly, you gain experience that can be helpful in teaching others. This helps those who you want to change immensely, since there is little point in re-inventing the wheel. If a person who wants to make changes that you recommend comes up to you asking for advice, would you be able to give good advice if you have never taken your own recommendations? If I convinced everybody to go bungee jumping, a task that I've never done myself, then would it be wise to ask me how to attach your harness? Can I give good advice on how long and elastic the bungee should be?

The third reason why being the change works in changing the world, is because you get the benefits of changing your own life. Albert of Urban Monk is talking about Aristotle and his description of the pursuit of happiness. In it, he mentions that every person has different activities that make them happy. Without changing your own life, you can not know what truly makes you happy, and you will, instead, adopt society's half-hearted attempt to describe what success and happiness should mean to you.

Without taking the time to make a change in your own life, you will let your dreams and aspirations fall to the wayside as you strive for what society tells you that you should dream about. Is driving a large truck fun? How about owning that large truck, making the payments, paying the mechanic, and being bled dry by rising fuel costs? Some people wouldn't care about the difficulties of owning that large truck, but others would care deeply and it would make them very unhappy. Owning a business seems glamorous to many people, but most recognize the stress involved, including struggling to make the business self-sufficient, constantly worrying about laws that you don't know about, but you might be breaking anyways, and the great hunt for good customers and better employees. Personally, I think that owning a business, especially overcoming these obstacles, would be a very fun challenge.

The final and probably best reason why being the change works, and works well, is because you will affect people that you will never meet. Just by living by your own personal values, acting right now to improve your life and the lives of those around you, you plant the seeds of change in everyone you meet. Most will ignore that seed, but a few will nurture it, and let it grow until they are the change that they want to see in the world. They will, in turn, 'pay it forward' by planting seeds of change in other people. One small change can, if given enough time, revolutionize the world.

I would like to close by repeating that being the change only works if you are the change right now. You can't change the past, but you can learn from it. You can't experience the future, but you can plan for it. The only time where you have direct power is right now, so be the change now, and you'll receive all of the benefits that come with treading the path. Peace and joy come from not just being able to change gracefully, but by being the change that you want to see in the world right now.

I'd like to thank Adam for that brilliant article which is acts as a wonderful 'taster' which I hope has whet your appetite and stirred you enough to follow the link to Adam's Peace. I know it will be worth your while :-)

Take care and by BEing the change may you find Peace in your life,

Damian

Guest Author - Kara-Leah Masina - BEing the Change

This is the first in a series of Guest Author ‘spots’ in response to my ‘Unearthing Lost Treasures’ article. I’d like to welcome Kara-Leah to ‘be the change – tread the path’ as a good friend, a source of great support and a real inspiration to me both personally and through her site @ http://www.klmasina.co.nz/. Kara-Leah’s writing is a favourite stop for me as I sojourn through the blogosphere and her articles cover subjects on Belief, Consciousness, Creation, Guidance, Health, Love, Reality, The Mind and Yoga to name but a few of the headings in the Categories section of her site.

Your first port of call on this site should be to the article ‘Kundalinin Awakening or Bi-polar surfacing’ which is a frank, emotional and honest account of her own awakening and the fears that went with it to the point where she was mistakenly diagnosed as going through a period of mental illness. This article offers an insight as to what it actually feels like to go through a Spiritual Awakening and her transformation to the wonderful person she is now.

So, onward with due haste and I’d like to welcome Kara-Leah to my site and offer my most especial thanks for the following, thought-provoking article on Being the Change.

On BEing the change

It is with great pleasure that I come to Damian's site to write my first guest article.

His title is no mere fancy of words, no tossed off quote from a great man.

No, the title of Damian's blog is the key to the way that we can revolutionise our worlds.

And I say worlds with a plural, because there are as many worlds on the planet as there are people.

Each and every one of us views the planet through our own specific filter of beliefs, ideas, culture concepts, thoughts, fears and limitations.

There are few of us who have dropped the filter and can perceive the world AS IT IS.

When one such as Damian writes to BE the Change, he is touching on this fundamental human truth.

You can not change WHAT IS.

For it is what it is.

You can however change the filter through which you perceive what is... and then your world will change.

And as your world changes, so you change with it, responding differently, being differently, experiencing differently.

Your original change of Self and perception becomes a constant feedback loop.

In practical terms, listen to the words that fall out of your mouth and circle in your mind.

What do you wish other people did?

Then do that.

What do you wish was happening?

Then be that.

If your partner drives you nuts because they are always late... observe yourself and make sure that you are always early.

If other drivers annoy you because they dilly dally and know not where they go... always drive with intention and purpose.

If the service at your favourite restaurant is lacking, ask yourself how you can be of greater service in your life.

See each complaint, each desire, each longing to change another as an impetus to change yourself.

Then watch this change as it is reflected in the world that you perceive.

And so the world changes...

But there is more.

Because to truly step forward and BE the change... you need to drop the filter through which you perceive life and see this world for what it truly is.

You need to see the perfection in all that is.You need to accept the world as it is, right now, today.

And then, only then, as more and more people release their filters and awaken to what is...

Then true change will spread out across the globe and a new world will be seen.

It is a world that has always been here.

It is a world that just awaits discovery.

It is a world that is.

That is all.

Kara-Leah Masina - www.klmasina.com.nz

There really is nothing I’d like to add except to say a big THANK YOU to Kara-Leah for sharing that inspiration and wisdom with us.

If anyone else would like to take the opportunity to write an article on ‘BEing the Change’ please leave a comment and I’ll be in touch.

Take care and take a moment today to ‘BE the change YOU wish to see’,

Damian

Unearthing Lost Treasures

I enjoyed another episode of Lost Treasures on Granada TV tonight – I was really looking forward to this episode as the presenter, Mark Olly, is a good friend of mine and he is very excited about the possible discovery of the main Druid Sanctuary in the UK. The circular site was SO clear in the snow that I had goose-bumps at the thought of the ‘Lost Treasures’ that may be there just waiting to be discovered. Keep an eye out for the episode that covers Dunham Massey and the Templar Knights as Mr Olly assures me that my name appears in the credits for the help and advice I gave him to re-enact the Templar funeral – fame at last – LOL – that’ll look good on the CV.

I’ve been having a reading frenzy for the last week or so and I’m currently surrounded by half read books on some of my favourite subjects – Druidry, Pythagoras, Channelling, Crystals, Tarot, Shamanism, etc – but I’ve dropped them all while I devour ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle – what a wonderfully inspiring read. I was recommended this book by Slade some time ago but had such a backlog of books I wanted to buy that this had slipped totally from my list – or so I thought.

Last Thursday I went for a walk around a local Mill that has one floor full of market stalls. I’ve passed this place hundreds of times but had never even thought about having a look around before but as the idea had ‘popped’ into my mind and I had an afternoon free I made my way over and browsed amongst the stalls. There were some wonderful gems hidden among the bric-a-brac and I spent a good hour talking to a retired couple who had left behind teaching careers to run a small business which revolved around their love of all things Celtic and a passion for Megalithic Standing Stones – I’m sure there will be a future article there when I return to learn more and develop my new friendships.

I also found a large book shop tucked away at one end of the mill floor and was totally unable to walk past without having a browse inside. The owner was incredibly passionate about his books and was very happy to show me around enquiring what subjects I was particularly interested in and directing me to the ‘Paranormal’ section in response to my answer. There were mounds of books lumped together under this catch-all heading – Druids, Wicca, Demonology, Tarot, Freemasonry (?) and even a whole selection of X-files annuals – I’m sure even Mark Olly would have found some ‘Lost Treasures’ hidden amongst them!

But as I moved a pile of dusty paperbacks to one side to see what was hiding behind my eye was immediately drawn to a small purple and blue paperback which seemed to have an energy all of its own. I reached out and picked it up to see what weird and wonderful subjects it may contain and was suddenly hit by a rush of déjà vu – it was ‘The Power of Now’ at a reduced price too – so I scooped it up along with a detailed book on Palmistry for my partner, Tara, paid for my purchases and scurried back to the car. I was so intrigued that I read the first two chapters sat right there in my car, in the mill car park.

The story continues when I decided to check Technorati to see if anyone had sent me any link love while my head has been buried in my book and I was very happily surprised and deeply honoured to find that Adam @ Adams Peace had included me in his ‘Providing Value’ post alongside other Authors that I totally respect and are on my own ‘must read’ list. Adam has returned to his writing roots and offers the opportunity for anyone to submit a question about Peace ‘in any of its forms’.

I couldn’t resist this opportunity to and asked “As we (the human race) appear to be accelerating towards a point of Spiritual Growth or Ascension, what do you see as the greatest hurdle and why?” Adam’s response is both beautiful and wonderfully enlightening and can be found within his article ‘Path to Ascendancy’ which I highly recommend as your next ‘blog hop’.

I’m so excited about the hard work that Authors such as Adam are putting into developing these thoughts and ideas and I’m taking this opportunity to offer ‘be the change – tread the path’ to a number of Guest Authors over the next few weeks with the subject of ‘Being the Change’. If anyone would like to take part please leave a comment and I’ll be in touch to discuss the opportunity of shedding Light on further ‘Lost Treasures’.

Take care, exciting times are ahead,

Damian

Welcome to the Soul Terminal

I’m having a really crazy ‘trip’ and loving everything that is being thrown my way. The messages from Spirit are coming thick and fast in the form of ideas, thoughts and mostly ‘hints’. Annoying, mind-scratching hints that buzz around until I’ve done what they ask.

My major influence during this time has been Slade from ‘Shift Your Spirits’ and his e-mails and articles always seem to come just at the right time for me. I know he’s in the process of moving his site so check out www.sladeroberson.com I’m sure it will be well worth your trouble.

One major ‘hint’ I received was on the definition of the word ‘Meeting’ and how in the past this would infer a colourful, spiritual assembly or gathering where our ancestors would have shared stories, sang and danced. In modern times the word has been soiled by Business and conjures images of tired old men in grey suits pouring through tedious agendas full of buzz-words and legality.

The other ‘hints’ came from questions Debs (who has also felt the ‘change bug’ and is now blogging more from the heart @ www.deb_inside.typepad.com ) sent me asking for my opinion on subjects I’d already covered in my Blog. Namely the ‘flowing Spirit of the Awen’ and the ‘Evolution of the Light’.

I have also been attracting artistic people in my ‘real’ life – an artist that paints fantasy and shamanic scenes, another who makes the most wonderful leaded windows, a VERY charismatic Archealogist, historian and TV Presenter who has much experience in the Spiritual Arts – you get the idea.

So here’s my suggestion of a bigger picture and why all these connections are coming to me.

I feel each of our Higher Purposes have a sub-clause that we will gather together and provide a sanctuary, market-place, library, temple and home for our kindred. A central, though ethereal, meeting place where stories can be shared, art is displayed, music can be heard and our ‘goods’ can be traded. A ‘Community of Light’ that will have an open door and guides at every turn.

Just imagine the CONNECTIONS that would be made here – it can be the NEXUS of Light and a resting place for the weary soul. Somewhere for those on their solitary paths to recharge enjoying a brief respite in their quests for their ever-changing Grails. A place to go for a spiritual band-aid with a potion of inspiration and love near to hand.

I feel that many people’s missions are currently evolving and that is why you are all restless – I feel that www.soulterminal.com is central to this evolution as a kind of metaphysical ‘Philosophers Stone’. The way by which those with a connection with Spirit in whatever form will have an outlet for their ‘story’ – a way of turning the messages of Spirit into solid form.

Jeff Lilly from www.druidjournal.net gave me a strong ‘hint’ when I e-mailed and asked him if he’d thought about writing a book and he replied he’d written many but needed an audience first. Imagine an on-line library which would rival Alexandria itself, all in e-book form, and all coached by your friends at the Soul Terminal.

We cannot deny that there is a new Evolution of consciousness. People are looking for meaning and only find the ramblings of ‘teen witches’ and the frilly flowery fairy brigade. If they look for answers in the past there are only dead religions with outdated ideas or the remnants of Spritual Churches being run by Ego’s bigger than Bush. Increase in interest in the Paranormal is growing by the day and they all need a home to take it all to the next level.

This is something much different than the hard edged business drive of many Personal Development forums and the Abundance will find its way to the worthy. We, my friends, may just be the ones to realise this Avalon of now.

I’ve spent some time looking for the right name for this place and the title ‘Soul Terminal’ came flashing bright in my mind. The title refers to people coming to harvest the light and also an assembly of those who work with Spirit. A point in space and time where fate forms cross-roads and brings us to connect.

Another ramble I know but I’ve been ‘hinted’ to tell you so who am I to argue – it’s pushed me this far ;)

If you’d like to visit the new site you can find it at www.soulterminal.com and feel free to sign up and tinker with what you find. I have been holding back the release of the site until it is ‘totally ready’ but that would go against the whole ethos – it’s not MY site its EVERYBODIES site – it’s YOUR site.

As you’ll see it is fresh out of the box and lacking in content but I’m handing it over and your input and feedback are key – play and have fun but please let me know what else it needs to make it work for you. I’ll be eternally grateful.

Love and Light to ALL,

Damian

Re-tuning your life - the music in you

I’ve been enjoying a fantastic journey these past few weeks since the ‘connections’ started and I’ve been receiving messages that are opening up the world and Spirit for me in ways I’d never have dreamed.

On this point I want to say a big THANK YOU to Debs of ‘Deb_Inside’ and Slade of ‘Shift Your Spirits’ for the two surprise dedications I received this week for being the unknowing Shepherd in our Community. It was a great HONOUR to receive such mentions, wrapped in Love and Light, from two excellent Authors and dear friends that are a total inspiration to me – thanks guys.

These ‘messages’, or ‘hints’ as I prefer to call them, haven’t come in the expected way but more as feelings that I should send an e-mail to someone, that I need to visit a friend or even that I should just Surrender and go with the flow - like a branch on the shoulders of a great stream.

I’ll explain all of these ‘hints’ as they develop and flourish but in this post I have been ‘urged’ (this is what happens when a ‘hint’ grows stronger) to pass on this analogy which I have entitled ‘Re-tuning your life – the music in you’.

The basis of this is that we all have the ability to retune our lives like you would a piano. Taking each ‘string’ at a time and refining its vibration, with patience and skill until they all come together to create your personal Life Harmony. Once you’ve perfected you own Life Harmony you may always be destined to be a Soloist but there is always opportunity to form a duet, trio or a whole Symphony Orchestra with the rest of the Spiritual World.

A strange concept to come from me as I have NO musical background at all – and nothing but a passing interest of having one at a future juncture either. So let’s start typing and see where this leads – I’d never considered this process as Automatic Writing until a friend, Eleanor, pointed it out to me yesterday – but it works for me no matter what it is called.

The cause and effect of Vibration

Music is created by creating well-tuned sounds that transmit energy in the form of VIBRATIONS. This energy can affect you in very profound and subtle ways – the same way that I explained about the power of the WORD in another article. This reminds me of a key-ring I was bought by someone who loved me which said ‘Where words fail, Music begins’.

Music can excite you, drag you down and help you shed tears, fill you with energy, empower anger and aggression, as well as soothing and assisting stillness - this all happens by the music, and the specific frequencies that constitute it, reacting with the particles in You to create a feeling that is individual to only you.

This explains why certain groups of people favour a variety of styles, artists or genre’s. What stirs the soul of one person will serve to aggravate someone else. The blends of styles react only to you and therefore each CD collection will emphasise the personality and Spirit of its owner.

This can also be seen in Colour, and in its perfected form of Art. Many people say they don’t appreciate or understand some forms of Art but it is simply that the colours used in that certain piece, constructed in that manner, aren’t in accord with the vibrations of the energy within.

When you break it all down we, and the world around us, are all made from different forms of particles that are in constant movement. These particles have the ability to set in motion catastrophic events but choose instead to respect the space they have been given and to provide order to their host. This they do without thought to create harmony and balance in their hosts and their wider influence in the universe.

If you can take a moment to step back and see the forces at work in the World and in your Life you may better be enable to understand and adapt. So take a moment to re-tune some aspect of your life and create a wonderful Harmony that will resonate and inspire your fellow creatures and the Spirit that flows through them and is shared by all things.

Take care and listen to the ‘hints’.

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

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

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

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

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