by Jili Hamilton Findhorn Press History and Use of Candling Many people who visited our stand at health exhibitions
in the early days expressed amazement at seeing a treatment that to them was
something granny did when they were children. I have met people from
Australasia, all round the Mediterranean basin, Asia and the Americas, as well
as many other places, who say that this was a well-known folk remedy in their
home country and they are delighted to see it again. One therapist
from Cyprus told me that people in his village used paper impregnated with
beeswax and honey to make cones, and it is a therapy much in use even today. As
I didn’t at the time know why honey was used, his mother was able to tell me
that it stopped the cone from burning down too fast. Rolled-up newspaper or
tobacco leaves have also been mentioned many times. Each country’s traditional
method grew out of its most easily obtainable materials. Pottery cones and even
reusable glass cones have also turned up. Whether
candles or cones, everyone seems to agree that candling is a very ancient tradition,
stretching back for centuries, to the time when folk healers all over the world
used the therapy in some form or another. Chinese, Tibetan, Egyptian, Mayan,
Aztec, and several North American Indian cultures are invariably mentioned as
performing candling ceremonies. Traditionally, the Choctaw Indians of the
south-eastern United States have used a method that involves blowing the smoke
from various herbs through a cone-shaped object into the ear canal, while
shamans in the Muskogee tribe of Oklahoma rolled the leaves that grow around
corn cobs to use in shamanic candling rituals. In Italy, people used cheese
cloth; in India, they used dried-out papyrus seeds for candling. Many ancient
cultures thought of coning as a spiritual practice to clear the mind and the
senses, as the pathologies that cause us problems today were largely unknown to
our ancestors. Using the ear candles to improve health, therefore, would not
have been a consideration. I feel that, even after all these years, we have
merely scratched the surface of the many uses for candles. Let me say first of all that ear candles are not used for
cleaning the ears, as most people seem to think. Our ears (and our auditory
system) are constructed in such a way that they work perfectly without any
‘help’ from us. However, with dietary lapses, stress, medication, and so forth,
our bodies don’t always function as well as they should. The energies circulate
more sluggishly, and people can find that their ears seem ‘blocked’. By far the
most widespread method of dealing with this is syringing, a process performed
in a doctor’s surgery whereby a high-pressure jet of water is released into the
ear aimed at dislodging and extracting hardened wax—and extremely unpleasant it
can be, too, depending on the expertise of the practitioner. Apart from the possibility of perforating the
eardrum (rare, but it has been known to occur), people find the more they have
it done the more they need it done. The stimulus to the ear is unnatural and
very powerful, and the cleansing is perhaps too thorough, causing the body to
produce more wax to compensate. This is why people who decide to try the
candles to clear blockages will need more than one treatment—it is gentle, and
the amount of wax that needs to come to the surface does so only when it is
ready. A normal, healthy amount of ear wax is replaced in 24−48 hours, and when
the energies are circulating properly the ears don’t get blocked. This is just
one well-known use for the ear candles, but it isn’t one of the major reasons
why people resort to candling. Indeed, those who consult me are suffering from
a wide variety of health problems—problems that would not necessarily lead us
to think of ear candles as the first line of approach. They have possibly read
articles or seen or heard interviews I have given; some have read earlier
versions of my book and have learnt that the candles have been used
successfully for many different pathologies. When it comes
to treating a patient with a long-standing and/or difficult health problem, a
trained ear candling therapist is the best person to advise on the suggested
number of treatments to resolve the condition; s/he may also refer the patient
to other health professionals, trained in nutritional therapy, cranial osteopathy,
and other complementary therapies, as s/he deems necessary. Qualified ear
candling practitioners can be found in several countries. They are graduates of
professional courses in ear candling (or ototherapy, as it is called in
Switzerland) who have obtained a recognized qualification—something that many
patients find reassuring (see Candling Courses at the back of this book). The
people I have trained all practise other therapies. A first candling
consultation should include questions on your lifestyle and basic information
on what to avoid and what to do. For example, if you drink 10 coffees a day and
one glass of water, the therapist would point out that the reverse is likely to
be a better option. The candles we
use in Europe are either thin, hollow linen tubes or cones of varying lengths
and sizes impregnated with wax, honey, herbs, and/or essential oils. People
often ask if they will be burnt by hot wax. Based on my experience, I can tell
you unequivocally that that won’t happen with properly produced candles. First,
only a small amount of wax is used in the manufacture and, second, the linen or
cotton burns like any other material and the candle is designed not to drip or
break. NOTE: ear candles with a filter are made in such a way that nothing can
‘fall down’ the candle and burn the recipient and are infinitely preferable. If you open
the stub of the ear candle left after the treatment, you will find that any
residue is lodged between the filter and the burnt part, never, ever between
the filter and the ear. This residue comes from the candle, obviously not from
the patient’s ear, and is a way of refuting any suggestion that the candle
draws wax out of the ear; it does nothing of the sort. You will see a little powder residue in the
ear after the treatment, but this should be left alone: it will make its own
way out. Whichever
brand of ear candle you use, it is essential to read, understand, and follow
the instructions. I have prepared a very clear instruction sheet, which I give
to everyone who purchases candles from me for home use. Whichever make
you choose, do buy properly produced candles made from pure, top-quality,
natural ingredients. Candles with an aluminium lining should never be used, as
the dangers of this material (especially when heated) are well known and have
been linked to Alzheimer’s disease. It is also
important to avoid candles made from paraffin wax as this by-product of petrol,
sometimes used to rigidify the ear candle, is highly toxic and can cause
irritation. The same can be said for candles made from soy, which is invariably
genetically modified (GM). Candles made from organic cotton or linen will be
beige or yellowish: those that are pure white are unlikely to be made from
natural materials and are either synthetic or cotton bleached with chemicals.
As with anything else, candles made from organic materials are bound to have a
higher vibration. If we take the view (which quantum physicists now seem to
have proved beyond any doubt) that everything is energy, the body is no
exception. When the body’s energy is circulating properly we are healthy and
positive. However, most of us eat food that may have been treated with
chemicals and is often full of sugar, salt, and poor-quality fats from processed
or junk foods, including vegetable oils such as corn oil, which are too high in
omega 6 fatty acids; in addition, we
live in polluted environments and lead stressful lives. All of these factors
help to lower our resistance and then we fall ill. One of the
primary functions of ear candles is to stimulate the body’s energy, which they
do very powerfully and effectively. This is why some people who have used
candles for one problem, such as migraine, have found to their delight that
their sinuses clear, too. Or those who have used them for sinusitis have found
their hearing improves at the same time. The greatest
advantage of the candles, therefore, is that they work on the immune system.
Debris is carried along a network of capillaries by a fluid called lymph, and
it is purified through the lymphatic ganglions, which are found all over the
body; when lymph is flowing as it should, it prevents us from falling ill. It
circulates through these capillaries in the same manner as blood circulates
through the veins, but as the lymphatic system has no pumping mechanism to
allow it to circulate, it relies on the movement of muscles to create
peristalsis that pushes it around. The whole body receives a boost from
candling, which, because it enhances energy naturally, affects the functioning
of the lymphatic system (you will find more information on this in Chapter 4).
This is also why candles can be so effective for constipated patients as, once
the lymph is doing its job properly and removing waste products to be filtered
and excreted, patients invariably find themselves having more frequent and
easier bowel movements. Acupressure
points, which are found everywhere on the body, are also stimulated in the
region of the ear by the candle treatment. If we take the shape of the ear as
an inverted foetus (and it was Paul Nogier who discovered this fact in the
1950s), we can find to which zones these acupressure points relate. It is said
that pirates had pierced earlobes because, representing the eye reflex, this
enabled them to see ships coming over the horizon before the ships’ lookouts
saw them! It is also a fact that people who have piercings elsewhere on the ear
can suffer from certain zones being overstimulated. An extremely
detailed explanation of the way the candles work is given in a paper entitled
Ear Candling and Cancer Therapy by Patrick Quanten, MD (UK) and Greg Webb, RMT
(Canada), which, with the authors’ permission, I have reproduced in its
entirety in Chapter 5, so I won’t repeat the information here. A crystal
therapist, watching a treatment being given at an exhibition, claimed that she
could see negativity being burned out of the aura (the electromagnetic field
surrounding the body), and this is one of the more subtle functions of the
candle. It is why it needs to be held upright and why getting up too quickly
after a treatment can cause a feeling of light-headedness. One of the students
on my professional course remarked that for him the act of burning a candle
opened the door between the two worlds, and this does fit with what the crystal
therapist was seeing. It is
extremely important to rest for 10−15 minutes once the burning has stopped to
enable the effect of the treatment to circulate throughout the system. This
also happens when we receive a massage or any other complementary therapy: what
the therapist has done is to stimulate the energy, and we derive far more
benefit from it if we can take things easy for a while afterwards. Therapists
understand energy and how it works, but unless someone using the candles
understands this, s/he won’t really be able to get to grips with the finer
points of the treatment. Of course, the physical result will be there, but
understanding how energy works opens us up to a whole new way of looking at ear
candles. This leads me
to say that the act of candling is the start of a process to get the energies
circulating. A positive result does not necessarily happen during the
treatment, and the patient may even feel less well afterwards; s/he will have a
better idea of the benefits of the treatment after a good night’s sleep, or
even after another treatment. It is important to bear in mind that the longer
someone has been suffering from a particular complaint the longer it may take
to get to the root cause. As we are all different, it is never possible to say
just how long, but as a general guideline I recommend three treatments over a
period of 4−6 weeks to see if the candles can be beneficial for a patient. If
they can (and although it may not seem to be so, a worsening of the pathology
is actually a positive indicator), further treatments are definitely advisable.
If the candles don’t appear to be making a difference, then an alternative
therapy should be tried, although it should be pointed out that even if the
initial problem doesn’t seem to have responded, the body has found a more
pressing need elsewhere for the energy generated by the candle. Energy flows to
where it is most needed, so there will always be some benefit. Why would a
worsening of the condition be considered a good result? With complementary
therapies, healing starts from the inside, whereas allopathic medicine is
geared toward removing the symptoms and not addressing the root cause. I had a
rather frustrating case of a young woman who had taken several courses of
antibiotics and wanted to try natural healing methods. She enjoyed the
treatment and was booked to return in two weeks. However, although I always
explain that complementary therapies take time to work for long-standing
problems, that things can get worse before they get better, and gave her an
information sheet—something I hand out to every new patient—the act of candling
brought out a latent infection. She immediately consulted an allopathic
practitioner who gave her antibiotics, and she cancelled her next appointment,
telling me she might try again when she had recovered! The worsening
of a condition is a call to listen to what the body is telling us. Nothing, I
repeat, nothing is ‘caused’ through using the candles. There are certain
contraindications to treatment, which are described more fully later on: for
example, if a patient already has eczema or dryness in the outer ear, the
warmth of the candle will dry this out further and cause irritation and
discomfort. If, however, someone has an infection that is lying dormant,
perhaps already having been treated with allopathic medicine, the symptoms may
have gone but the root cause has not been addressed, so the act of candling
could well bring it to the surface, which is what probably happened in the case
mentioned above. It is certainly not a commentary on ‘what the candles did’ but
a valuable message to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us. When the only
physical action of the candles is to sit lightly over the entrance to the
auditory canal and send warm energy downwards, it is evident that they can’t,
in and of themselves, cause illness. The energy circulated by the action of the
candles can never do any harm, either: it goes right to the spot where the
patient needs it most, and even if s/he decides that the candles have had
little effect on the initial problem, it could be that the energy systems of
other regions of the body have a higher priority and, once these have been
dealt with, the whole system will start to function at a higher frequency. That
is where it is essential for a therapist to question the patient when s/he
returns because, as I have already mentioned, so many general improvements may
have occurred without the patient making the connection with the candles or
even noticing their effect. When people
come for a treatment, I advise them against washing their hair the same day or
using a mobile phone or an iPod, and in cold weather to bring a scarf or hat to
cover their ears on the way home. I received one new patient at a health
centre, and when I gave her this information she announced that she already had
plans to go to the swimming pool for a swim straight afterwards! This is a
contraindication, but it might not be evident to someone who is unaware of how
the candles work. Another patient told me she had slept with ear plugs for many
years (even when she goes away somewhere quiet) and could no longer sleep
without them. She admitted she often had to have her ears syringed to get rid
of the build-up of wax. The candles cannot offer much in this case, as our
body’s intelligence is awesome and complete and no bodily orifice, each having
its own particular function, should ever be blocked up systematically and for
no good reason. Our cells and our autonomic nervous system never take a break,
and essential work is being carried out while we sleep. In 1991, she set up a company in the UK, launching ear
treatment candles on the British market at the Healing Arts Exhibition in
London the same year. She has subsequently demonstrated and given talks on ear
treatment candles at the major health exhibitions in England and Scotland, as
well as participating in several radio and television programmes in Britain and
in Switzerland.
Candling for Optimal Health and its Lesser Known Benefits
Chapter 1
Today’s Methods
How the Candles Work
Jili Hamilton was born in England and worked a variety of
jobs before she earned a diploma in reflexology from the Bayly School in
Switzerland in 1988. She then studied many different therapies, including
hands-on healing, Reiki, Indian head massage, metamorphic massage, lymphatic
drainage, and more. Videos and articles are available on her website and
Facebook pages along with details of her latest book, Candling for Optimal
Health. www.jilihamilton.com and
https://www.facebook.com/candlingwithjilihamilton.
Libro de Lumine and Stripped Verses
By Anthony Crowley
Anthony Crowley's "Libro de Lumine" (The Book Of The Light) is a journey through the beginning of life until death and beyond the various superstitions.Anthony Crowley's "Libro de Lumine" (The Book Of The Light) is a journey through the beginning of life until death and beyond the various superstitions.
I began a whole new creative journey that was a positive turning point in my life and my mind was set in a whole new realistic, philosophical way of inventing my ideas from my thoughts. But I believe it was always inside of me and I could feel my perception becoming enlightened with the guidance and support from my partner, Parul. I realised that I've woken up. Previously, I've always been known for my horror related writings but gradually my creativity wanted to expand into other subjects and genres. Both, personally and professionally, my life is much more positive than it was during the initial time I began to have my books published back in 2010. That was a dark time. It has been a wonderful journey throughout my whole writing career. Writing and creating was always and will always be a positive escape for me. Late 2016 I began writing my second full-length poetry collection. I wanted it to be a fresh start in myself and for my writings. The front cover artwork features a man walking on a stairway towards the light from the darkness. I didn't want to entitle the book with a simple approaching name, so I decided it will be titled Libro de Lumine, which means The Book of the Light. In some way, the collection has a concept feel to it. Many of the included verses coincide into a visual poetic journey from life, death and the speculations that surround the afterlife. Generally, some people believe that we see a light when we depart the earth and others believe it has a whole meaning and belief. It was perfect. The collection begins with the verses, Embryo, Echoes from The Womb and Juliet Is Bleeding. These verses are themed around the beginning of life. I imagined myself inside a womb and how it appeared to me.
Excerpt from
"Embryo"-
An amniotic ghost breathes around me
Distant voices tremble upon my road
Reality grasps me towards a light
The next verse in the book is titled Two Faces of
Strange. I then imagined myself as a new born and how this new world appeared
to me when I entered this new life. There are only a couple of what I would say
are very dark verses, such as La Muerte With Love and Necrokillia. I wanted the featured contents to appear in a sequence or timeline. Further onward in
the book there's verses like Avidya, Atlantis In Dreams. Avidya is a Hindi
spiritual definition where man attains spiritual illumination. Avidya causes
man to move further away from the Self and obscure his knowledge of the truth.
The latter is themed around a sub-conscious opening within lucid dreaming.
Libro de Lumine concludes with a verse, titled The Light. I included three
bonus verses into the collection which are titled Eccentricity, Exodus and The
Witching Season. Recently, Libro de
Lumine was listed as a TOP TEN BOOK at the authors database, AUTHORSdb.com
Excerpt from The Light -
Two paths alongside each other…
One made of light and one made of dark
The first path was alone
The second path was weak
Quiet company of the shadows
A transcending mind becomes bleak
Excerpt from THE SPIRITUAL FLAME -
Within an empty chamber, I sit among the dark company of thoughts
I wonder if my life will revel into an oblivion made of black
I can hardly breathe at the witness of my soul departing
Illuminating my whole life travelling persona
I'll forever burn into an everlasting experiment
I absorb the awoken air as I'm taken on a darkened ride
Pathways of light ignite a meditating journey before me
Chakras inside my human maze become lost and isolated
I mentally walk through the wrong doorway
I cannot breathe with no conscious existence
A messenger guides me towards a stairway of light
I subconsciously drift into an extraordinary sense
During the same period when I wrote the book, Libro de
Lumine I also penned a new verse, titled Solar Angel. The verse itself was an
extra step in a positive direction in my creativity and to express to the world
an insight of being a naturist and the naturism lifestyle. I wrote the verse
initially for a contest dedicated to clothes free living. I was amazed to learn
that the verse won with the majority of votes. During the beginning of 2017 I
began writing a series of poetic verses themed around naturism and the great
outdoors. This new collection will be an eye opener to many of my readers
because of the angle where I decided to go. It is the most positive project
I've ever been involved with. 
The collection is titled Stripped Verses, which will
be published by RFI Publishings. The name came about because of an idea I had
about writing a journey in which the only thing that matters is to be the real
you, away from the artificial and material trappings in today's society. Even
today there is so much ignorance and misunderstandings about naturism. The
instant thought that some people imagine is that naturists are swingers or
involve themselves in some orgy which is pathetic and harmful bullying. I
always wanted to write about naturism and nude living because it is me being me
with no fiction, strictly honest and completely stripped. While, writing this
book it has been the healthiest and most rewarding work I've ever done so far.
The cheapest holiday too! In reference to how my mind visualises each scene and
surrounding. Writing in general is an
escape but this is the most natural escape I've ever written.
Excerpt from Solar Angel -
Awakening of the sun
embracing the soft innocence of skin
freedom like a bird in flight
I hear the call of the natural wind
Stripped Verses includes other related subjects that deal
with body image, positivity, confidence and acceptance. Every one of us at some
point have dealt with personal confidence issues in how we look, how we wished
we looked, and so on. I wanted to open the human mind and delve inside it and
to heal it. I will speak about that later. Go way back to the beginning, way
back before technology and clothes, etc. Life and everyday living was simple
without the stresses of modern life of how it is now. There's so much social
conditioning and falseness aimed at the innocent individual. With Stripped
Verses, I also if you'd like, I open the doors into the world of natural
living, without labels, without conditioning. The book is a positive escape
which hopefully the reader will enjoy and begin to receive some comfort about
themselves and the true reality around them. No judgement, no prejudice, but to
showcase and express who we are and to never take anything for granted etc.
Excerpt from Dancing Under Waterfalls -
I wandered into a dream
a liberated vision amidst the touch of refreshing grass, so green
Unclothed and protected by this secluded earth
Igniting my senses as I shiver blissfully
While I walk on towards the land of the waterfall
An exciting beginning for my rebirth
My naked body drifts along the crystallised stream
I absorb the chillness of water as it washes away my conditioned skin
The flowing water and the gentle soft breeze
Invigorates my needful tender soul
My personality is reborn into a clarity
I'm an excited, natural, evolving tease amongst the woodland companions
A windfall of water shakes up my nude and natural existence
A child of mother earth awakened within a purified dream
As we know that much of today's popular media is built on
lies and profit gains but recently it has been mentioned in the news that
naturism makes you happier. It was a research conducted by scientists through a
series of tests and surveys in which a certain amount of people participated. I
have always known that being a naturist myself is very good for you and it
certainly does make you incredibly happy. Not only is it good for your mental
awareness it is also healthy for your body. The human body wasn't designed to
be covered up in clothes. It is a shame to think that we naturists are going
through similar ignorance to what happened with race, gender communities, etc.…
The UK law states that public nudity is legal, but it is an offence to cause
alarm or distress to anyone. Which to me seems like a double-edged sword
because I could be sunbathing and I would be away from an open public society
because it is not my intention to be like an exhibitionist, I am comfortable in
my own skin and I prefer to live this way.
Excerpt from Awakening Me -
I strolled peacefully along natures path
Further and further away from the textile aftermath
I learnt who I was and what I became
but I always knew they wanted someone to blame
Say if someone approached me and I was minding my own business and suddenly they began to speak negative to me, it certainly changes the law because it is them who are causing the harm and distress. There needs to be a new legislation which will safeguard our lifestyle and to make me people more educated about naturism while gaining our equal human rights. Naturism is about respecting yourself and others while respecting the environment whilst in communal nude surroundings.
Excerpt from The Forgotten Planet -
We have come into this world to wonder why
Born into a condition that someone else left behind
If we followed our own path, the journey would be clear
The wildlife and nature has forever been here
I find it
upsetting to know we must be restricted to designated areas like we are aliens. What if the clothed community
dealt with what we had to deal with. Naturism is about going back to basics and
finding who you are whilst learning about your inner soul and the world around
you. I also find that naturism helps you connect to your spiritual self. With
Stripped Verses, I also wanted to show the world that this is good for you and
it will make you feel happier and there is no reason to be ignorant. I would
love to live nude twenty-four days if I can. Personally, I spend as much time nude
because I feel comfortable but also I connect with myself and the environment
in a much more positive and healthy way.
Excerpt from The Earth Mother-
An artificial world I travelled from
Social conditioning tried to steal my identity
I headed towards a place of natural protection
To find myself and my inner beauty
I've always known from birth who I was supposed to be
My nude awakening was the truth of my reality
You can connect with Anthony via his facebook pages
https://www.facebook.com/LIBROdeLUMINE/?pnref=story
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012235999334
Goddess 2.0 - Advancing a New Path Forward
by Rev. Dr. Karen Tate
published by Megalithica Books,
paperback 188 pages £10.99
You are not alone if you believe domination and
authoritarian patriarchy are destroying countless lives and our planet. There
is a more sustainable alternative and it's not new. In fact it's ancient.
Exiled for a time, but making a return, the Sacred Feminine has become
indelibly integrated into our lives, reminding humanity during this time of
crisis that the ideals of the Great She offer a pathway to secure a more
sustainable future. As people lose faith in organized religion, as the paradigm
of power shifts across the globe, as climate change quickly approaches a point
of no return, people are leading using their divine intelligence gleaned from
Goddess teachings to find solutions and sanctuary. They're listening to their
consciences, heart wisdom, and intuition to manifest a new normal. They're
practicing partnership, generosity, and compassion to establish a new way of
being. They're tapping into their empathy and morality as they hit the reset
button. We are witnessing this awakening across the globe as people from all
walks of life and cultures turn to Goddess, deity, archetype and ideal, to
evolve from the malignant chaos we face today. Using the wisdom and activism
suggested in Goddess 2.0; Advancing a New Path Forward, we see through the lens
of spiritual, cultural and political leaders, old and new, male and female.
They share the many ways Goddess Spirituality has grown and matured in the
minds of Her advocates to inspire the birth of a new world and usher in a time
of security, peace, joy, equality and prosperity for all.
What am I talking about you might ask? Sacred Feminine ideals are the new liberation thealogy. Here's what I mean...
There is no doubt people all over feel under siege considering the domination under which we are attempting to live. Here in the United States, predator capitalism, globalization and bad trade deals for labor resulted in good paying jobs being shipped overseas where corporations could pay workers slave wages, leaving Americans with few options for decent paying jobs. People now work longer hours for lower wages than they brought home decades ago, with many living on credit cards to make ends meet. The elderly suffer little dignity in their retirement while the poor and disabled have slim opportunities or economic security as our tax dollars never seem invested in their quality of life. The vast income disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" grows every year as the latter witnesses the elites immune from accountability for their actions on the uneven playing field. Bankers can destroy the economy and not go to jail while the average person might be incarcerated for a minor offense - but we have to keep those privatized prison cells full! Both political parties have presided over the decimation of the middle class and the largest income disparity in our country's history. The American Dream is all but dead as the poor and middle class are relegated to little more than cannon fodder or consumer status, both fulfilling their roles keeping our corporate masters rich and their greed satiated.
Climate change threatens our security and the health of Mother Earth, our only home, but we ignore the warning signs because it affects the bottom line. The bees are still dying while our acidic oceans face potential mass extinction but corporations are people now, so says the Supreme Court of the United States, and with their immense profits, they are legally buying democracy, leaving the 99% with little to no representation in government. Fracking is being sold across the globe with seeming little regard for the poisoning of our ground water by multi-national corporations, or the growing concern it might be contributing to earthquakes, not to mention the collapse of property values of homeowners as they can set fire to the water from their kitchen faucets.
Failed, yet not abandoned, "trickle-down" economic ideologies and austerity budgets can be blamed for our dangerous crumbling infrastructure, hardly limited to the now-famous lead poisoning of poor children and adults living in Flint, Michigan. Journalism, as the Fourth Estate, or fourth branch of government, protecting democracy, is dead, but not unbiased. Voting irregularities left many people in the United States feeling they must petition the United Nations to monitor our elections during the Hillary Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. With corporate interests the priority, "news readers" on the nightly news perpetuate the fear-mongering or divide and conquer strategy, allowing racism and bigotry to fester, and the wrong people targeted as the blame for the chaos, fear and escalating unease, all kept under control, of course, by the ever increasing militarization of our local police forces.
Let's not forget, men still believe they have a religious mandate to control women's sexual lives and what they can or cannot do with their bodies, all under the guise of their concern for women's health and morality, while women in the 21st century have yet to receive social or economic parity in the developed world.
And the sad truth is, as the curator of this anthology, I do not think any of this is hyperbole. I wish it were. The good news is, there is an answer, and more and more people are catching on.
The Sacred Feminine, deity, archetype and/or ideal offers humanity solutions and sanctuary, from womb to tomb, from the boardroom and bedroom to the voting booth, as readers will discover within the pages of this book. Exiled for a time, but making a return, the Sacred Feminine has become indelibly integrated into our lives, reminding humanity during this time of crisis that the ideals of the Great She offer a pathway to a secure and more sustainable future. As people lose faith in organized religion and bastions of authority, as the paradigm of power shifts across the globe, people are leading from the grassroots, using their divine intelligence gleaned from Goddess teachings to find answers. They're listening to their consciences, heart wisdom and intuition to manifest a new normal. They're practicing partnership, generosity and compassion to establish a new way of being. They're tapping into their empathy and spiritual morality as they hit the reset button. We are witnessing this awakening across the globe as people from all walks of life and cultures turn to the Feminine to evolve from the malignant chaos we face today.
Using the wisdom and activism suggested in Goddess 2.0; Advancing a New Path Forward, we see through the lens of spiritual, cultural and political leaders, old and new, male and female. They share the many ways Goddess Spirituality has grown and matured in the minds of Her advocates to inspire the birth of a new world and usher in a time of security, peace, joy, equality and prosperity for all. Talking about everything from abortion and women's health, to caring economics and new ways of seeing the Divine, everyone in this anthology offers a thread of the new tapestry for humanity's future and we invite you to delve in, dig deep and find your sacred roar!
Meet the contributors: Anne Baring, Starhawk, Carol P. Christ, Riane Eisler, Barbara G. Walker, Cristina Biaggi, Elizabeth and Robert Fisher, Shirley Ann Ranck, Bob Gratrix, Patricia 'Iolana, Nancy Vedder-Shults, M. Isidora Forrest, Karen Tate, Amy "Amalya" Peck, Linda Iles, Andrew Gurevich, Charlotte L. Cressey, Delphine DeMore, Tabby Biddle, Trista Hendren, and Harita Meenee.
For more information, visit: http://www.karentate.com/
Deep Equality - Living in the flow of natural rhythms
by
Jocelyn Chaplin
O-Books
Chapter 2. Turning Ladders into Snakesp. 29 - 32 Rhythm as the Dynamic of Psychological Freedom
Instead of thinking of ourselves as solid permanent beings, we can describe ourselves as continuously equalising rhythmic processes ... Maybe it is only when we are free psychologically as well as physically that we can truly 'go with the flow.'
Then we can be both strong and vulnerable, sad and joyful, at different
times. We are not totally identified with either of the opposite states ... I am
suggesting that to be fully human, healthy and alive is to have equalising
rhythmic processes constantly balancing in and around us.
Unfortunately, internal as well as external hierarchical structures distort these processes. They can do it directly, as when we feel depressed because we are being put down at work, at home or in society ... Or indirectly, we can have ideas of success and failure which depress us when our lives don't match the ideas of perfection we have set up for ourselves.
Freedom is a complex concept. I am using it in the sense of being empty
enough of mental baggage to be fully attuned to equalising rhythmic processes in
the moment ... Unconscious rhythmic processes seem to go on throughout
nature ... but we have the capacity to attune consciously...
These are 3 approaches to transformation through equalising rhythms.
Conscious attunement. A cognitive approach in which we work out what our
main internal and external opposites and hierarchies are....find out which
opposites need to be strengthened in order to equalise.
Unconscious attunement through emptying the mind.
Rhythmic attunement between the conscious and unconscious. We bring the
suppressed unconscious into consciousness and affect the unconscious through
conscious imagination.
Exercise - Think of an area in your life where you don't feel free. It might be that you feel stuck in a relationship or a job.....Then think of the main opposites involved. For example it could be that for you dependence and independence are major opposites. Perhaps you have swung from one to the other unconsciously, as when adolescents separate totally from parents and can then become symbiotically dependent on a girlfriend or boyfriend. Later the same person can swing to longing for complete independence. End of relationship. Instead think of both opposites as needed, but at different times.....How can both opposites be danced with, responding appropriately to circumstances?
Summary - The root causes of much of our illhealth and unhappiness are
inner and outer hierarchies and inequalities of one kind or another. The
solutions both individually and socially, are equalising rhythms. We can learn
to attune to those rebalancing forces more powerfully and become who we are
meant to be.
The Author's web site: www.serpentinstitute.com
Rivers of Green Wisdom:
Exploring Christian and Yogic Earth Centred Spirituality
by Santoshan pen name of Stephen Wollaston
Published in the GreenSpirit series in 2016.
There is an urgent cry for us to wake up and re-establish kinship with both
our fellow humans and the natural world, with our global sister and brother
species, such as many of the endangered and magnificent creatures walking and
living on the African plains and living in the world's ancient rain forests.
Prophetic voices of our age, such as Thomas Berry, have called for recognition
of a single Earth community, a single community of life.Berry emphasised the importance of 'the great work' that lies ahead. But great changes will only happen when people band together and get fully behind ideas. We only have to look at how the equal rights movement in America led to reforms in legislation. The seemingly impossible can be achieved when we have the vision and driving force of prophets such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. It is a difference between falling apart into hopelessness or finding empowerment through uniting and working together.
Berry termed the new era of spirituality the 'Ecozoic era': an era he
believed we were entering, where humans live in mutually enhancing relationships
with Earth and the Earth community. This is subtly different to stewardship, as
it puts us on a more equal footing with the rest of Nature, instead of seeing
humans as the peak of creation. Berry felt that we had lost our links with Earth
because we no longer share myths and stories our early ancestors had that helped
them find close bonds with the natural world. Yet in the light of contemporary
science, most ancient stories and myths have lost their power and relevance to
the age in which we now live. Our understanding of how stars, galaxies and
organic life came into being no longer matches a lot of their contents (though
in some Yogic teachings, everything is seen to emerge from a cosmic form of
'bindu', a source point and centre of energy, which is perhaps comparable to the
Big Bang theory).
Because of this, what is now seen as a New Earth/Universe Story(what scientist now know about the unfolding of the universe from the Big Bangto the formation and diversity of life on Earth) was recognised by Berry and the evolutionary cosmologist Brian Swimme to be needed for humankind to reconnect with its roots and the age old quest for discovering meaning and purpose, why we are here, where we are going and the unique and essential roles we and other species have in a spiritual universe. But unlike ancient creation myths - as Joel Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams point out in their informative book 'View from the Centre of the Universe' - the New Story would have to be a contemporary factual and flexible account that is not solely bound to just one tradition. It needs to be a part of an ongoing search for truth, based on new insights and discoveries, which will help us to build harmonious communities where everyone feels valued, is able to use their abilities, and express their creativity in fertile and supportive environments. On the whole, contemporary western societies have lost somethingessential by no longer possessing shared beliefs and teachings and not realising that those beliefs and teachings can aid us in awakening to significant relationships with Earth. When we have nothing to bring us together or to help us find a deep sense of belonging, we often clog-up our lives with material products we do not need and immerse ourselves in pursuits that lead us away from an authentic spirituality that can profoundly enrich us.
The very first flaring forth of creation, Ellen Bernstein tells us in 'The Green
Bible', was seen by early rabbis as the first revelation of God in the universe.
Before any God of scripture or God of humans, there has been a God of Nature.
For God has been working in and through Nature for longer than any human centred
spiritual or religious tradition. Matthew Fox has popularly highlighted
teachings that honour Nature and our spiritual and creative being as 'original
blessing', which has strong roots in many traditions that affirm our original
goodness - the blessing of life and the spiritual gifts we all possess and have
the potential for. The poetic first chapter of Genesis, which was possibly
written as early as the tenth century BCE, informs us that, "God saw everything
that [she/] he had made, and indeed, it was very good" (1:31).
If we consider how various people, cultures and communities have different beliefs and things they value, such as money, power or being compassionate to all beings, we see how these will influence individuals, groups and nations differently. For this reason it is crucial to look at our values and other influences in our societies and communities. Becoming more actively loving- which has associations with the heart chakra, 'anahata', in Indian traditions - is central in the universal wisdom of Jesus and different schools of Yoga. Christianity and Yoga have essential teachings about love, non-harm and suffering, how we need to respond to another's pain with compassion. Any harm deliberately brought against another will hurt us in return, because we ourselves have brought selfishness and violence instead of benevolent qualities into the world in which we are living. The Apostle Paul wrote about awareness of 'the mind of Christ' (1 Corinthians 2:16 and Philippians 2:5), which is about awakening to the same inclusive, loving and caring consciousness as Jesus, and wrote about gaining and being 'nothing' if we do not have love (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). Jesus's teachings invariably focus on a life centred in the immanent presence of the divine and freedom from impractical rules and customs that
restrict displays of forgiveness, generosity, hospitality, kindness and
peace-making actions.
The founder of the Institute for Spiritual Awareness and former Catholic monk, Jim Marion, looks at Paul's saying in Philippians ("Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus") in the book 'Putting on the Mind of
Christ'. He draws heavily on Ken Wilber's stages of development and makes
masterful links between Paul's saying and Jesus's mention of the Kingdom of
Heaven, which Marion sees as a metaphor for a transformed, integral and
inclusive state of consciousness and new way of looking at the world.
If we embrace the whole - including Earthly life, the more than human life, and transformative and compassionate actions - in order to untangle ourselves from unhealthy patterns of grasping for things we do not need, or from rejecting wholesome ways of living because they force us to reassess how we view the rights of other people and species, we will arrive at a more centred, nourishing and spiritual place. In the midst of such awakenings we tap into the power of authentic being and instead of obscuring who we truly are, face and work through denied levels and difficult stages and find ways of opening to purer qualities of heart that embrace the welfare of others. Allowing all things and existence to enter into and touch our individual lives deeply, inspires us into wholesome activities and actions, such as giving our time and help freely and unconditionally when external life calls for our assistance.
Other books by Stephen Wollaston aka Santoshan:
'Spirituality Unveiled'
'Realms of Wondrous Gifts'
'The House of Wisdom' (co-authored with Swami Dharmananda)
'Spirit Gems' (co-authored with Glyn Edwards)
'The Spirit World in Plain English' (co-authored with Glyn Edwards)
A Novel Approach to Healing
by Angela Delglyn
Available from Amazon
This is an extract:
Balancing Act - being a HSP: In recent years, I've come to understand what
it means to be a "Highly Sensitive Person". Through this, I've looked at the
bigger picture of my life and seen how and why stress (the biggest factor
undermining human health) has affected me.Because stress levels are determined by ones own sensitivity, being a HSP meant my biochemistry suffered big time, creating a string of mystery health issues over the years that pre-empted my need to develop coping strategies. Whilst I did plenty of research into my biochemistry in order to stabilise my health, the most difficult aspect was to develop the emotional resilience I lacked, being the main source of my high stress levels - something that is common among HSP's.
In order to monitor my energy, I follow my Biorhythms online to see how
much energy I can expect each day. I have noticed that when the three main
biorhythms - physical, emotional and intellectual - are low simultaneously, I
feel totally exhausted for a week with digestion and sleep being affected. At
such times, I find it wise to conserve energy rather than resort to stimulants,
in order to be ready for the inevitable upswing in energy when the biorhythms
rise again.
Physical activity is essential to generate a steady flow of energy throughout the body - the kind of energy surge that releases endorphins and frees up processing space in the liver, thus having a balancing effect upon the whole body. For me, this works best in the morning, for without energy flowing stagnation occurs quickly, both mentally and physically. Activity must be regular if momentum is to be maintained - more so with advancing age.
During unavoidable high stress, herbs like Rhodiola are invaluable to
reduce the perception of stress, avoiding the cascade of effects.
Phosphatidylserine is useful for mopping up an excess of cortisol that has
occurred as a result of prolonged stress. For me, excess cortisol feels like a
tightness around the brain, rather like a headache coming on; too much cortisol
can perpetuate the feeling of stress as well as prevent restful sleep.
Developing the ability to respond to the needs of the body in the moment is
essential to break the cycle of stress.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): This part of the nervous system regulates the activities of smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and certain glands, subconsciously. It is regulated by the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and medulla oblongata. Some familiar activities of the ANS are changes in pupil size, blood vessel dilation, adjustment of heartbeat, sphincter control, rate of peristalsis and secretion of most glands. There are two branches to the ANS - sympathetic and parasympathetic. Many body parts have connections to both branches; one branch stimulates and the other decreases activity. In simplified terms, the sympathetic branch prepares the body for 'fight or flight' and the parasympathetic branch for 'rest and digest'. How our genes are being expressed will dictate how our ANS normally functions within us and so provides a benchmark, so when we function at that part of the ANS scale we will feel at our best. However, there are many factors that affect normal function. Because the ANS affects the metabolic rate, and the metabolic rate affects the ANS, you can guess how food choices create a see-sawing of the ANS, either speeding it up or slowing it down, both of which impact our sense of wellbeing. Whilst the ANS is not as important as the heart in the greater scheme of things, it is at the heart of creating balance,especially for the HSP.
What affects ANS function?
Genetic Inheritance: How our ANS functions is mostly rooted in our genes
but not entirely, for there is much we can be exposed to, or choose to do that
affects how those genes are expressed. The latter is explored in a branch of
science called Epigenetics.
Foods: The main food groups, known as macronutrients, are carbohydrate, fat and protein. Most of us are familiar with the idea of consuming a balanced ratio of foods from each of these groups every day. Now, it is posited that wherever our genes place us on the ANS scale, we achieve a feeling of wellbeing by consuming the appropriate ratio from each macronutrient group for that part of the scale. However, the mixed messages that modern adulterated foods give our bodies confuse and interfere with our biochemistry, creating cravings and disrupting normal function. It's not just about having an eating routine, but being discerning about what we eat if we are to become more conscious of the long term effect upon our wellbeing.
Day to day activities: Eating, working, playing, sleeping, and environment
are the active aspects of what can affect the ANS, either positively or
negatively.
Belief Systems: Belief systems are the passive aspect of what affects our
ANS. We inherit some belief systems during our formative years from our carers
and adopt others along the way, but they all give rise to expectations. Whether
or not those expectations are met can dictate how we react/respond and therefore
what emotions come into play.
Stress: How we each perceive stress is dependent upon the extent of our own sensitivity, and thus how we interpret each direct experience. Stress can build up because of how we emotionally respond (coloured by our inherent belief systems), so it is not fixed and can be changed. How we release stress is a personal thing, but it does need releasing if outbursts are to be avoided. Massage, laughing, dancing and music therapy have all been shown to reduce the high levels of cortisol produced by stress.
Balance & Harmony: For me, balance and harmony is something I have to
work at constantly. I use the silence, meditation, nature, exercise and the
other tools mentioned in this book. Without those things, I soon fall back into
either reacting to life or stagnating within it. I think and feel better when
balanced and that's all I'm seeking.
Personal Growth: Growth is a personal choice; not everyone wants it but for me it's what I'm here for. I have a desire to meet my potential and to reach the end of this life satisfied I have done all I can to help myself and others be all that they can be.
For more information: Web address: www.in-form.co.uk
The 21st Century Revolution - A Call to Greatness
By Bruce Nixon
Introduction "It's OK for you. We and our children will have to face your generation's irresponsibility way beyond 2050."
A sixth-former.
As a parent, grandparent and fellow world citizen, that is my starting point.
We face the greatest challenges in human history. This book is for people
all over the world who want to create a happier, fairer, more peaceful world and
prevent environmental catastrophe. It is for people who want to be
well-informed. The book will help readers make sense of the situation, find
solutions, and decide how they want to participate in bringing about the radical
changes that are needed. There is a widespread collapse of confidence in current
politics and economics. The challenges are enormous, but so are the
opportunities. Change is in the wind all over the world. Change springs out of
vision and hope. This book will provide both. When great shifts come, they tend
to come fast; the old order collapses quickly. Remember the fall of the Berlin
Wall.
There is widespread anti-establishment sentiment. The economic policies of the past 35 years are being challenged, especially by younger people; so is the way we have done politics for the past 70 years. Yet radical new policies, large-scale events, and campaigns involving thousands often go unreported in the mainstream media. There is so much positive news the conventional media doesn't give us. That will be remedied in this book.
It is now 23 years since the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on
11th December 1997. Yet decisive action has not been agreed or taken. The 21st
annual session of the International Climate Change Conference is to be held in
Paris from the 30th November to 11th December 2015. There must be a
breakthrough. Sir David King, UK's Special Representative for Climate Change,
whilst hopeful of this session, says climate change is the "biggest threat
facing mankind at this moment" and reaching agreement is "more critical to the
future of our civilization than 1945", when the UN was created following two
World Wars.
This year also marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. There are growing calls for radical reform of outdated democratic institutions, and a different way of doing politics. Reform has been obstructed for decades and, in some cases, for over a century. The determination of the suffragist women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries provides a lesson for us. They won the vote. We need to win a lot more.
As George Monbiot says:
"Society moves from the margins, not the centre."
I compare our situation today with the dark days before World War Two. Then, Britain faced a Nazi invasion, a complete takeover of Europe, and world domination. Today, the challenge is even greater: the catastrophic effects of climate change and destruction of the ecological system. In 1940, George Orwell wrote:
"The initiative will have to come from below. … I only know that the right
men will be there when the people say they really want them, for it is movements
that make leaders and not leaders' movements. And … A real shove from below will
accomplish it."
Why I Write - The English Revolution
And so it was and the War was won.
Today, we are again confronted with leadership failure. Leadership will be
a major theme throughout this book. The challenges are great. Yet ecologically
and economically illiterate political leaders are failing to tackle them. The
obsession with unsustainable growth, measured by GDP (Gross Domestic Product),
on a finite planet we are warming up is madness. It will lead to growing
violence, resource wars and migration. Instead of GDP, we need wellbeing as our
measure of progress.
A great, big scam robs us and threatens our survival. In 2008, the Western world suffered the worst financial crisis since the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Its primary causes were irresponsible banking and too much lending and borrowing. The recession that followed soon led to austerity policies implemented to varying degrees throughout Europe.
Neoliberal ideology (explained in Chapter 5) has dominated economic policy
for 35 years. It has profoundly affected our values and how we treat our fellow
human beings. Blatant greed at the top is shocking. Corporate responsibility has
become an oxymoron. In this environment, it's hard for companies and their
leaders to be responsible and survive.
In the UK, the financial crisis gave the Tory-led Coalition a golden
opportunity to decimate the public sector. Austerity, based on ideology, not on
sound economics, was forced through by an illiterate government without a
mandate to do so. Deep cuts will continue under the new administration. These
hindered and continue to hinder recovery and deficit reduction. Every day there
has been news of the dire consequences of counterproductive cuts. Whilst the
rich got richer, and doubled their wealth, average, real incomes fell by 8%,
compared with 2007. For those in work, they still have not recovered. Ordinary
people who create wealth are robbed in ways I shall explain.
Similar policies have been implemented in Europe with similar results, adversely affecting young people, particularly in Greece and Spain. Fundamentally, they are the same policies imposed on poor and developing countries by Western institutions for decades.
Greece, with its highly dysfunctional economy in urgent need of reform, is
the current most disastrous example: a combination of irresponsible lending
followed by insistence on debt repayment and austerity led to deep depression
and 25% unemployment. Youth unemployment is 60% (50% in Spain). Finally, in the
Greek referendum, 61% of voters decisively rejected a further international
bailout from the Troika (IMF, EU and European Central Bank) with continuing
austerity attached.
Austerity is like draining a patient's blood to purge the evil humours once thought to cause disease. Of course, all the bloodletting did was to make the patient weaker and more likely to succumb. Luckily, most of us are made of stronger stuff. But millions of people are needlessly suffering; it's a shameful waste of human potential.
These policies will continue unless active citizens demand change.
In the UK, we've allowed ourselves to be conned (helped by campaign advisers, some with dubious connections) and ruled by an out of touch political class, in the pockets of the Big Banks, Big Business, and the super- rich, who, because of dwindling party membership, that used to be millions, fund their campaigns.
"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder
respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
George Orwell in Why I Write - The English Revolution.
George Orwell in Why I Write - The English Revolution.
We need a very different agenda. A system based on short-term self-interest rather than generosity of spirit has no future in the 21st century world. The same applies to foreign policy. The recent election campaigning in the UK was based on fear. Instead, we need a vision that uplifts and engages people in a great, new endeavour that creates a prosperous society in which everyone benefits.
As Yvonne Roberts says: "A good state would give each of us the chance to thrive. A dynamic, modern
country should not treat its citizens as passive clients, but as agents for a
greater change… An opportunity for a genuinely participatory, challenging,
creative and active citizenship requires something different from the state than
the retail politics of selling 'the offer' to the electorate."
Neal Lawson, Chair of Compass, says: "The mission of government should be to unleash the energy and potential of everyone to transform their workplaces, communities and lives."
There is a growing awakening throughout the world. The story of Syriza in
Greece has much in common with Spain's Podemos and Scotland's Independence
Campaign. Jeremy Corbyn's surprise bid to lead and transform the UK Labour party
is attracting rapidly growing support, especially from younger people. It is
part of the widespread rejection of the economic policies of the past 35 years
and distaste for the behaviour of political leaders. More is to come.
People are realising that capitalism and democracy in their current forms are failing us. There is a growing rebellion against the current order. Younger people, angry about the injustice of their situation, are opting out of conventional politics and exploring new ways of bringing about change, often bottom up, and creating new businesses. Politics as we know it is a sideshow. The mainstream is happening outside party politics and the daily news. There is a huge discourse on the internet that many people are unaware of. All over the world, people are seeking alternatives. You will read about it in this book.
The need for visionary leadership at every level is greater than ever
before. Patriarchal, top-down leadership is obsolete. People want enabling
leadership that releases human creativity and bottom-up change. But major
transformation will not take place unless many more people get involved and
demand change. Far more pressure is needed.
Depending on the choices we make, collectively and individually, we could
be at the beginning of a benign revolution or a breakdown of society leading to
extremism. This particularly applies to people who feel excluded. Young women
and men travel to Syria; others drop out.
I listen to a lot of people in all walks of life in many countries (Chapter 1). What they told me inspired me to write this book. Many are disheartened, angry about the current situation, and feel powerless. Following the results of the recent UK General Election, they are even angrier and more disheartened. It is outrageous that a first past the post voting system results in an unrepresentative parliament, and a Tory government with less than 37% of the vote, representing 24% of the population, continues to inflict extreme policies upon the nation without a mandate. If they do not take this into account, there will be a lot of strife.
Already numerous demonstrations are taking place; many more are planned.
Until nations have a properly representative government, things are
unlikely to change significantly for the better.
A lot more of us need to get angry. Anger should never be acted out, but it provides the passion and energy needed for constructive change. The fact is: we need a non-violent revolution - not just in the UK but all over the West. We should be grateful that we can protest, usually without being imprisoned, tortured or shot. Also, we have the rule of law.
"The future has already arrived. It's just not evenly distributed yet."
William Gibson
This future could bring a massive transfer of power away from the grip of
government and big business to ordinary people and their local communities, if
we choose to make it happen. Being cynical or pessimistic won't help.
The 21st Century Revolution is already happening. Every century has its revolutions, political and industrial. The first two industrial revolutions were based on coal, then oil and gas. The third may be based on solar power, hi-tech, bioscience, the World Wide Web, personal and collective empowerment, and the need to respond to ecological disaster.
In his book, An Optimist's Tour of the Future, Mark Stevenson gives an
exciting account of emerging scientific and technological innovations likely to
transform our lives and the world as we know it. Many are benign. Undoubtedly,
many of these developments will bring enormous benefits, particularly in the
area of human health. They could reduce costs and devolve power. However, I am
cautious; they could result in the even greater concentration of power and
wealth in the hands of the few, and further alienation of human beings from
nature of which we are part. And these developments will not help unless we are
determined to resolve economic inequality, entrenched power structures and act
on the urgent need to conserve and sustain a living planet. The danger is we'll
be deluded by techno-fixes.
Systems thinking. Central to this book is the idea that the immense challenges we face require whole system change, not partial fixes. Everything is interconnected; we are part of one whole; we are part of nature; we are all one. Systems thinking is the process of understanding how systems influence one another within a whole. It is an approach to problem solving in which problems are seen as parts of an overall system. Thus, rather than reacting to specific parts, as political leaders tend to, with the danger creating unintended consequences, we need to look at the whole system and identify the fundamental issues before creating solutions.
So Part One is a whole system analysis of the current situation. Part Two
offers a new, better future, and explores how all of us can make it happen. It
includes comprehensive proposals for addressing:
· Climate Chaos and destruction of the eco-system
· Economic injustice
· Resolving conflict without violence
· Radical reform of broken and corrupt, top-down
politics
· And, that key part, what you, the reader, will
do
All of which form an inter-related system.
Whilst many of these proposals call for international collaboration, some
are specific to the UK, yet equally relevant to other nations. Countries learn
from each other.
The next few years are likely to be full of surprises. In the UK, the voting system has deprived many people of their wishes. Of almost 31 million people who voted in the recent General Election on the 7th May, 19 million voted for losing candidates. That's 63% of voters who backed a candidate that didn't win, making the majority of voters feel unrepresented. Out of 650 winning candidates, 322 (49%) got less than 50% of the vote.
The Westminster Village is discredited. That was the clear message of the
Scottish referendum. People will vote if they believe it will make a difference.
An unprecedented 97% registered to vote in the referendum and 84.6% voted,
including 16 to 17-year-olds, for the first time. It was the highest vote in the
UK since the introduction of universal suffrage. This has increased the pressure
for reform. 44.7% voted for independence. As I write, elections are to be held
in Spain, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Portugal and Estonia. Debt and austerity
have played a major part in creating a desperate situation in Greece. The Greek
election was a strong vote of no confidence in the current economic doctrine. At
the time of writing, the results of negotiations between the Greek Prime
Minister, Alexis Tsipras, and the EU are unknown but are likely to be
far-reaching.
We need a great power shift - a peaceful revolution. A revolution is swelling at the moment, as evidenced by widespread and growing protests. They will grow. I hope this book will give many people the desire to participate at an epic moment in human history. Currently, power is held by elites who will obstruct anything they think adversely affects their interests. We need a shift of power to people and communities, enabled by a new kind of slimmer state. We, seven billion people, need to use our power; otherwise little will change.
This book is a call to ordinary people to be great. Through your
relationships with others, you can help create the critical mass required to
bring about this great transformation. We can be sure revolution will come from
the power and creativity of millions of people. If you are not already involved,
I invite you to become part of it. If you are part of it, I hope reading this
book will give you even greater power. Being well-informed gives people power;
it's essential for an effective democracy. People won't be well-informed if they
rely on old media. I endeavour to make sense of the biggest crisis humanity has
ever faced. I describe the radical changes that are needed and suggest what you
can do to help.
In the Resources section at the end of the book, I offer you many different
ways in which you can play your part. There are suggestions at the end of some
chapters. References and links are provided conveniently in the text, rather
than at the end of the book.
Hyperlinks are provided in the e-book version. I have quoted from writings that I believe are particularly useful or articulate, thus introducing you to people you may wish to follow, and sources of further information.
Bruce Nixon www.brucenixon.com
Other books and writings by Bruce Nixon
A Better World is Possible - What needs to be done and how we can make it
happen
Living System - Making sense of sustainability
Global Forces - A Guide for Enlightened Leaders
Making a Difference - Strategies and Tools for Transforming your
Organisation
New Approaches to Management Development
Articles, talks and conference papers:
www.brucenixon.com/newwritings.html
More reviews for The 21st Century Revolution - A Call to Greatness
"This is a book jam-packed with solutions - hurrah! And, it all starts with the self; great change calls on each of us to step up and respond to the call of greatness. Whether it be changing our politics, our monetary system, our laws, our business ethics - at the heart of each resides something truly great. Bruce Nixon brings to life not only what is possible, what is already emerging, and also what could yet come into being."
Polly Higgins, Barrister, International Ecocide law advocate.
"This is an amazing book not just because it tells us what's wrong with our
society and how to put it right - but because it is full of hope and love for
people and our planet. The world is a better place for The 21st Century
Revolution - A Call to Greatness, and its author, Bruce Nixon the book inspires
me to help make the 21st century revolution happen."
Neal Lawson, Chair of Compass
"The greatest problem of our age is disempowerment - part of a political
project to shift ordinary people out of power and out of politics, to leave them
content to judge their identity by the brand of smart phone they rent. Bruce
Nixon lays out the fullest dimension of this disempowerment and its fatal
consequences. But he also outlines a way out, a way for all of us to become real
citizens in a real democracy. The call to greatness not only refers to our own
personal liberation from the shackles of disempowerment, but to the scale of the
collective endeavour it will allow us to embark on saving our species. It
doesn't get much bigger." Nick Dearden, Director, Global Justice Now
"Read this excellent analysis of what's gone wrong, take heart, and fight for positive change!" Yvonne Roberts, Journalist and Fellow of the Young Foundation
"Don't despair - read this book! We can have a new economic system that
works for people and planet, if enough of us meet the current (huge) challenges
head-on and summon the greatness that each of us are capable of. Bruce Nixon
brilliantly sets out a course of action and hope." Stewart Wallis, Executive Director, New Economics Foundation
"We need to be both planning for a better world and actively setting out a route towards it. That needs the input of the many and the democratic focus of this book is very much welcome, as is its understanding that our economic, social and environmental crises and the solutions to them are interlinked." Natalie Bennett, Leader, Green Party of England and Wales
"Bruce highlights the harmful consequences of our debt-based money system
and the need to change the way money is created." Ben Dyson, Founder of Positive Money
For more information, visit: www.brucenixon.com
The Numbers, Energy & Magic of Great Britain
Amid the flowering of global and cosmic consciousness, ideas such as
borders and nation-states may seem like relics of the old vibration. Yet if a
sensitive takes one moment to get out of the house and into nature, unplugging
from the noise as they go, they will feel one of the subtlest energies of all -
The Land.
The Land is the repository of the vibrations of all the people who ever
lived on it. Every tear, laugh, dream and nightmare ultimately settles in The
Land. The Land welcomes and rejects as it sees fit. Therefore, to think clearly
and feel openly about this nation, we must with The Land which outlives us
all.
The EU Referendum is best seen through the lens of The Land. It is not a matter of politics, economics or trade, and it certainly is nothing to do with the various characters - good and bad - who appear on the airwaves. It is to do with The Land. What does the Land want?
The referendum is also a fantastic opportunity to work on ourselves. The
self-love which so many quite rightly teach might be extended a little further
out from our own auras. After all, what's the point of loving ourselves if we
dislike the land in which we live?
Numerology has a great deal to say about the nature of Great Britain, and again we are working with subtle energies. This means that we must free ourselves from what we think the British are, or have done and re-connect with what Britain is. Some will say that all nations are political inventions, but this is not even half true, for an old-school magical principle cannot be forgotten - to name is to give life. The nature, vibration and energy of this country is contained within its name. And numerology helps us to connect with it.
Take the name GREAT BRITAIN. Let A=1, B=2, C=3 and so on, as follows:
(This is the Pythagorean Key for the numerology of English words. Other keys are available).
By transferring each of the letters of Great Britain into numbers, adding
them up and then adding up the digits of the result we arrive at the number 7.
Therefore, energetically, Great Britain is 7.
Easy Numerology is achieved by understanding shapes. Take a shape with 7 equal sides and 7 equal angles. A 50 pence piece, though not quite geometrically perfect, will show you that if you try to tile a floor, for example, with a set of 7-sided tiles you will always land up with gaps. It impossible for seven sided shapes to sit cleanly and perfectly alongside other shapes. So in essence, 7 is the energy that does not fit, will not co-operate and does not harmonise. This is true for all people born on the 7th, 16th or 25th, and it is the core energy of Great Britain.
Take Scotland, and use the same method. What do we get? 7 again, showing us
that the nature of Scotland is to be an awkward, non-conformist energy, within a
greater awkward, non-conformist energy.
The European Union, using the same method, sums to 6. This produces the shape of the honeycomb made by bees and is the most mathematically efficient shape for fitting things alongside each other. It is therefore the number of harmonisation, sameness, and togetherness. It should be pretty clear from this that 7 (Great Britain) and 6 (European Union) though sitting next to each other (mathematically and geographically) are very different energies and do not get on.
If we look at the UNITED KINGDOM, then it gets even more interesting. The
UNITED KINGDOM sums to 11 - commonly known as a MASTER VIBRATION. 11 brings
great things and terrible things. It is the number of the inventor, the
thought-leader, and some say the genius, but it is an enormous vibration that is
not always handled well. It can bring inspiration and magic, but also division
and polarisation. This can be seen in all people born on the 11th or the 29th.
Their lives, whether happy or sad, are rarely smooth. This is the nature of the
UNITED KINGDOM. It genuinely believes itself to be something rather special,
because numerologically it is.
An interesting choice therefore awaits us on 23rd June 2016, to remain or to leave the EUROPEAN UNION. The date of the referendum itself is significant, adding up to 11. (23+6+2016 = 2045. 2+0+4+5 = 11). This is a high vibration day, containing an even higher vibration matter. It is a choice between two doorways, neither of them political, both of them energetic. The consequences of the decision will probably not be seen in our lifetime, seeding decades or even centuries into the future. The choice is for each individual to decide, on the basis of their own karma and their own vibration. But the character of Great Britain and the United Kingdom is much less to do with the decisions made by British governments and much more a matter of energy. Do we want the sameness of 6 or the difference of 7? To be one among many in 6 or to rise to the full potential of the 11? But even beyond that, it is in my view primarily a question of What does the Land want?
This extract is from Richard's latest book Great Britain: The Secret
Destiny of the British & Their Isles. It contains the numerology of towns,
cities and institutions of Britain, a look at the influence of the Elements on
the history of the nation and unravels some amazing 'co-incidences' in this old
country. It lays out energetic explanations as to why the NHS and the BBC are
the way that they are and looks ahead using a new Numerology and Tarot method,
to the coming changes.
It is available to buy here. http://www.thehermitage.org.uk/Great_Britain_The_Secret_Destiny_of_the_British__Their_Isles/
The Truth About Illness, Unhappiness and Stress?
By Barry and Winnie Durdant-Hollamby
https://www.artofchange.co.uk/products/view/76/the-truth-about-illness-unhappiness-stress
https://www.artofchange.co.uk/products/view/76/the-truth-about-illness-unhappiness-stress
The Truth about Illness, Unhappiness & Stress? is a powerful
introduction to the connections between the mind and the body in particular
connection to health. Written to guide people into the world of "self-health".
Full of case studies and ideas to stimulate the reader into transforming
illness, unhappiness and stress. A great tool for anyone interested in holistic
well-being.
Extract from: 'The Truth About Illness, Unhappiness and Stress?
Chapter 1 Five Modern Myths
We're going to start by looking at what it really means to take responsibility for yourself. Let's begin by taking a look at five contemporary myths that in our experience are believed by many people.
Myth 1 - I Am A Busy Person Therefore I Am A Responsible
Person
This is not necessarily true. Being a responsible person and taking full responsibility for yourself can be two very different things. Doing anything that causes you dis-ease - whatever the reason and whatever the dis-ease - may be entirely due to your own misunderstanding of what it means to take complete responsibility for yourself.
PHIL
Phil got up at 5.30 every morning to catch the 6.15 train to work. He generally worked through until 6.00pm and would return home by about 8.30 most nights. Being a caring young dad and a committed employee, he found himself hurrying in both directions to fulfil his obligations; train delays and cancellations were often the cause of great stress.
It wasn't long before he started to suffer from stress and anxiety. Being in that daily state of low-grade panic is debilitating to even the strongest of constitutions. But Phil felt he had to keep up the pattern in order to sustain the happiness of the family and keep his job.
And yet the happiness of his family was already negatively affected because the demands of Phil's job deprived them of much of his emotional support, his company and his friendship. His partner and children accepted his moods and his stress as inevitable and developed coping strategies. But the stress grew and his effectiveness at work was compromised. This didn't go unnoticed by his employers and Phil found himself having to justify his performance on a weekly basis, all of which added significantly to his stress.
So, even whilst he was enjoying the house, the car and the holidays, Phil was also suffering from the stress of supporting such a big house, such a nice car and such expensive holidays. Believing these items to be integral to the happiness of his family, he had started to live under the illusion that his personal suffering was unavoidable. And if the family had looked around them and observed their friends and neighbours they would probably have seen most other people in similar situations and would therefore have accepted that this was how life had to be.
As Phil's stress mounted however, his health problems became increasingly hard to ignore. But instead of paying attention to the ever louder protests from his body or stopping to ask himself or his family what any of them really wanted, he continued his lifestyle unchanged, in the belief that he was doing the best thing for everyone. The result for Phil was the loss of his job and short-term health, something that finally forced him and his family to reassess their priorities in life.
It may be in this simple misunderstanding of the true meaning of responsibility that Phil's dis-ease lay. He was doing what he thought was the responsible thing to do, but he was not living in a way that was in his, or his family's, long-term interests. His health could only continue to fail as long as he continued this apparently 'responsible' yet stressful life.
Myth 2 - In Life Dis-ease Is Inevitable
This is probably a good time to remind you of something that we said in the introduction - remember the bit about not believing a word we say? This is where we need you to be open to a new possibility - don't believe us, just be open, just a little bit, to the radical idea that somehow we may not all have to look forward to periods of dis-ease after all.
A Message From The Body
It is the authors' belief that when we suffer dis-ease it is a sign to tell us that something deeper than just our physical body is out of balance. This sign may come in many different forms; it may be like a big red stop light that forces us to drop everything. Examples of this might include heart disease, cancer, major depression or pneumonia. Or it may be as a small beacon flashing intermittently in the distance in the form of less serious but recurring illness such as repeated bouts of minor depression, colds, allergies, indigestion, migraines, or even a proneness to accidents. Although relatively minor now, if there is a deeper cause which is left unresolved, it is possible that more serious dis-ease will follow.
Dis-ease Is Not Inevitable
So how about this for a radical thought: dis-ease is neither random nor inevitable. Howls of outrage and disbelief? Well, we told you it was a radical thought. But maybe we all play some part in the way that dis-ease develops in our bodies and minds. Furthermore, if this is true, could it mean that there is a way to lessen our suffering?
It could be that we are not meant to live any part of our lives in this unnatural state. Maybe the reason we do get dis-ease is because our internal guidance system is trying to get a message to us about our lives and sometimes the only way it can do this is to resort to physical distress. Dis-ease could mean that something in our life is, or has been, out of harmony with our true needs.
Myth 3 - Other People Cure Us
"WHAT"! we hear you cry. "But what about doctors and surgeons and healers and operations and drugs and all that stuff? Operations are successful and people are fixed. By others. How can you say that it's a myth that other people cure us?"
Just bear with us a minute (and that includes all you doctors, therapists
and healers) - provided you haven't already thrown the book in the bin. Here's
our take on 'curing' other people.
Is All Healing Ultimately Self-Healing?
It is our suggestion that no one has ever been completely cured by a doctor, therapist, healer or any other form of outside helper. By 'completely' we mean in mind, body and spirit. We believe that the only person who can fully heal us is ourself. This is not to say that a visit to a doctor or healer cannot be beneficial in bringing about a physical improvement; but it is to suggest that such outside intervention may only be a tool that we use along the way to complete self-healing.
Returning briefly to the first myth about responsibility; we would all benefit from erasing the belief that a visit to the doctor means that we are taking responsibility for our health. It is not fair on the medical profession and it is not fair on any one of us. All we do by going for medical help before investigating the possibility that maybe we can do something to correct the imbalance ourselves, is hand the responsibility to the doctor. We say to ourselves "I'm alright now, the doctor's given me a prescription or a referral or an injection." And in that same moment we have handed over our responsibility to get better to someone else. We have not stopped to consider where the imbalance may have come from or what we could do to correct it and consequently our own power to heal from within may have been thwarted.
It is of course true that doctors can prescribe drugs to ease symptoms and halt infection, or they can cut out parts of the body where dis-ease has run amok. But is this really a cure? In terms of dis-ease it may be little more than a delaying tactic. Advocates of modern medicine (and, we repeat, we fully acknowledge the valuable role that the skills and devotion of medical professionals can play in our lives) may point to the people who, following medical treatment, have gone on to lead long and happy lives. Understandably these people are proclaimed as 'medical' successes. Could it be however that these people have also played a part in bringing about their own eventual happiness, their own eventual good health? Could it be that they enhanced the effects of the medical treatment that they received?
Addressing The Cause
How might they have done this? Could they have done it by consciously (or subconsciously) making the changes in their lives that addressed the original causes of the dis-ease? The medical intervention may have 'kick-started' this process, ridding them of infection or eradicating pain, but it is possible that these individuals then either knowingly or unknowingly addressed the very elements in their lives that were causing the problem. Medicine may have been no more and no less than a tool that they used to their own best advantage.
Is All Healing Ultimately Self-Healing?
It is our suggestion that no one has ever been completely cured by a doctor, therapist, healer or any other form of outside helper. By 'completely' we mean in mind, body and spirit. We believe that the only person who can fully heal us is ourself. This is not to say that a visit to a doctor or healer cannot be beneficial in bringing about a physical improvement; but it is to suggest that such outside intervention may only be a tool that we use along the way to complete self-healing.
Returning briefly to the first myth about responsibility; we would all benefit from erasing the belief that a visit to the doctor means that we are taking responsibility for our health. It is not fair on the medical profession and it is not fair on any one of us. All we do by going for medical help before investigating the possibility that maybe we can do something to correct the imbalance ourselves, is hand the responsibility to the doctor. We say to ourselves "I'm alright now, the doctor's given me a prescription or a referral or an injection." And in that same moment we have handed over our responsibility to get better to someone else. We have not stopped to consider where the imbalance may have come from or what we could do to correct it and consequently our own power to heal from within may have been thwarted.
It is of course true that doctors can prescribe drugs to ease symptoms and halt infection, or they can cut out parts of the body where dis-ease has run amok. But is this really a cure? In terms of dis-ease it may be little more than a delaying tactic. Advocates of modern medicine (and, we repeat, we fully acknowledge the valuable role that the skills and devotion of medical professionals can play in our lives) may point to the people who, following medical treatment, have gone on to lead long and happy lives. Understandably these people are proclaimed as 'medical' successes. Could it be however that these people have also played a part in bringing about their own eventual happiness, their own eventual good health? Could it be that they enhanced the effects of the medical treatment that they received?
Addressing The Cause
How might they have done this? Could they have done it by consciously (or subconsciously) making the changes in their lives that addressed the original causes of the dis-ease? The medical intervention may have 'kick-started' this process, ridding them of infection or eradicating pain, but it is possible that these individuals then either knowingly or unknowingly addressed the very elements in their lives that were causing the problem. Medicine may have been no more and no less than a tool that they used to their own best advantage.
The world is moving so fast now and our demand for an instant cure has
gathered momentum. The usual response to feeling a symptom growing inside us is
to go into 'fix' mode, immediately taking some action that we hope will halt the
development of this symptom so we can get on with our busy lives. Would we
benefit more from taking time out to rest and reflect on what the symptom may be
trying to tell us?
Barry Durdant-Hollamby
Coach, Author and Producer
Coach, Author and Producer
About the Authors:
Barry is a personal and business coach, relationship specialist,
facilitator, author and record producer. In addition to 20 years of 1-1
counselling/life-coaching and relationship work, Barry has carried out values,
communication and strategy work in various organisations and businesses,
travelling as far as Kenya in 2013 to train peace-keepers prior to the
elections. He's the author of 6 books including a top 5 Amazon best-selling
novel 'The Breaking of the Shell' and a book on male psychology, 'The Male
Agenda', which was circulated throughout UK prison libraries to inspire inmates.
He also co-authored a new psychology of health book, 'The Truth about Illness,
Unhappiness & Stress?' with wife Winnie, following many years of coaching
clients through serious illness.
Winnie has been practicing as a holistic personal and relationship coach for the past twenty years, specialising in women's development and empowerment. Winnie is also an author, hypnotherapist and artist, and an experienced alternative educationalist, having home-schooled two daughters for 8 years with husband Barry and having performed roles as a mediator and advisor between families and the Local Education Authorities. Winnie has been in the same relationship for over 30 years, and her partner just happens to be her fellow consultant, Barry. Winnie gives talks and workshops on feminist theology, and has created educational courses for young people and adults in exploring links between quantum physics and metaphysics; the meeting of science and spirituality being one of her passions. She also loves music, painting, film, food and being in nature.
____________________________
'The Lightworkers Circle Guide
- A Workbook for Spiritual
Groups' by Wendy Stokes
Would you like to start a group for Lightworkers?
Then this is the handbook for you.If you are a believer in the Afterlife, you are not alone!
When we make contact with Spirit, we find we become healed. We also become enlightened and our life is enhanced.
This book gives trusted guidance to help you to form your Spiritual
Group - from the initial planning stages of your lightworker's circle;
including prepapations you need to make and exercises to help you in the
initial stages when first meeting your primary guide. It's advice is
very thorough, and provides solutions to every perceivable question you
may have when forming your group including: how best to run your group
in an effective, democratic way; how to select potential members
and sound advice on confidentiality both inside and outside of your
circle.
This book is an excellent tool for new and experienced mediums. The advice is readable, concise and easy to access through a comprehensive contents section. It covers every perceivable question one may have when hoping to get a group of individuals to form a coherant and complete lightworker's circle.
About the author: Wendy Stokes has trained mediums in home groups for years, working closely with mentors from the spirit realms. A qualified teacher of adults, she has an excellent reputation in her field. All royalties committed to the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to protect endangered species.
ISBN 978-1-84694-387-4
Extract from: 'The Lightworkers Circle Guide
- A Workbook for Spiritual Groups' by Wendy Stokes
available from bookshops worldwide in paperback or from Amazon in paperback and kindle format.
The Lightworkers Circle Guide explains how to facilitate a group for channelling, divination and healing. All royalties are donated to Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust which helps to protect endangered species from extinction.
Visit: www.wendystokes.co.uk
There are many books and courses available on the subject of leadership - a
role which takes place in every aspect of our lives. Like spirituality, it is a
subject that can only be developed through experience - not learned from an
article or book.
However, written information can provide guidance as to what to look for, and what to avoid!
In our society, we have two approaches to our leaders, either we idolize
them - or we reject them! Everyone wants to be a leader, but no-one wants to be
led! Though many would like to live without leaders, in reality, we can make no
progress without them! The aim of a leader is task orientated and to further the
group's development - not their own. Leadership needs to be conducted most
especially when the members are not making progress alone. The position of team
'leader' in a small group is also that of manager, teacher, caretaker,
facilitator, steward, mentor, guide and coach! A good leader's job is broad and
requires considerable sacrifice, expertise and dedication. If anyone thinks this
work is easy, they will be convinced otherwise when they read the following list
of skills and award marks for each!
Tasks of the leader: anticipating problems in advance; arbitrating between people; articulating what has not been spoken; assigning tasks; assisting others to get the best from their own talents; building strengths and confidence; chastising when appropriate; coaching; consoling; defining the indefinable; demonstrating skills; developing abilities and opportunities; eliminating hindrances; emphasizing and maximizing strengths; empowering and encouraging; ensuring safety; evaluating; focusing on tasks; identifying needs; imparting knowledge; implementing changes; increasing expertise, awareness and competency; listening; maintaining order, ethos, standards, values and boundaries; managing and mentoring; moderating during conflict; monitoring; motivating; negotiating; observing; organizing; preparing; preserving what is good; problem solving; protecting; recognizing opportunities and dangers; refereeing in arguments; reinforcing skills; reviewing; setting an example; supporting those in need; stabilizing the group; taking necessary decisions; and helping all members get the best from their communal activities.
Effective leaders lead by example and should be applauded for their
capacity to fulfil many responsibilities with calmness and goodwill. Theirs is
the most prominent position within the group, and therefore the leader is
usually scrutinized and criticized more than any other member. A leader often
suffers from the petty jealousies of others who do not wish for responsibility
or commitment. A leader is usually held accountable when things go wrong, so it
is not a role to envy!
A leader maintains the smooth running of meetings and implements changes in
order to maintain good practice. A leader should also facilitate, and stimulate
an increase in the depth of work without pressurizing anyone. A leader often
looks after organisational and planning matters, and is aware of spiritual
influences and time factors. A leader also has responsibility for the cohesion
and collaboration of the membership. Most leaders will fail at some stage to
accomplish all these requirements and should be given the group's support for
their attempts to do the job to the best of their ability.
Autocratic and self-serving styles of leadership are common in our society, and occur where one person manipulates or bullies everyone else, misusing power until resentful members rebel. Gentler members who are eager for progress end up carrying those who are overly ambitious for personal power - and are good at getting it. Resentment against self-centred leaders is therefore justifiable. An alternative to autocratic leadership is that of rotational leadership as this gives everyone the chance to take this high profile position within the group. If members voluntarily choose certain job responsibilities within the group, this is beneficial. When one person has held a key position for a given length of time, another should be appointed to keep the workload circulating, so that there is an opportunity to be involved with different activities. There are ways of sharing responsibilities fairly, such as by volunteering, by random selection (either spinning a coin or drawing straws), by rote, or alphabetical order.
When a leader is ineffective, the members will suffer, and conflicts will
arise and will result in members resigning. Sometimes leadership is not required
and the group can be self-facilitating. If a leader does not perform the tasks
of leadership, any member can take the initiative and organise what needs to be
done, not by being competitive, but co-operative. In groups where no leader has
been appointed, one usually emerges.
It is often difficult, without prior experience, to be a fair and aware, yet firm leader. The answer is in mutual negotiation, cooperation and initiative with the whole group building a strong multi-tasking team. Compromise and co-operation are vital parts of the learning process and sharing experiences are part of the learning process. This is a service of self-sacrifice that we offer to others on the same path as ourselves. Everyone can be pro-active and take initiatives on an equal basis with consideration to everyone, even those not present. Questions should be phrased; "Can I suggest…?", "I would like…", "I need…", or "Shall I…?"
Small problems may seem nit-picking, but if one waits, it may be too late
to restore stability. A good slogan is 'small errors grow large'. Lack of
quality leadership requires a change of leadership! Those who respond well to
authority figures show a mark of emotional maturity. Lightworkers recognise the
importance of inter-dependency and task sharing. We also appreciate that every
member has something of value to offer. It is important to be able to feel
comfortable in both roles; that of being led, and that of leader.
All parts make up the whole, and all parts are necessary and have their place. If there is personal incompatibility within the group, interpersonal issues can be resolved by examining what each person expects, needs and wants from the group, and from their leader. Each specific problem could be brought to Spirit for resolution through meditation and prayer for guidance. Adjustments to the method, style and content of the sessions may also be required and expectations and assumptions also need addressing.
Leadership is a position of service but because leaders usually do more
work than anyone else does, they sometimes feel the post deserves some form of
remuneration. The need for good leadership is present in all aspects of our
life. In large groups, it is almost impossible to make consistent progress
without a regular leader.
Most groups work through differences and difficult times, and successful leaders take the pressure off themselves by sharing their power intelligently with others. Small, leaderless groups particularly thrive on the basis of communal responsibility. Democratic leadership can only ensure power for the majority over the minority, even if the minority is one person and the majority, two. Where there is dissent, we aim at a win/win scenario, wherever possible.
It is useful to bear in mind that hierarchies frequently abuse power. When
this happens, people form alliances, and begin to compete, some might scapegoat
vulnerable people in their midst. If an organisation is corrupt at the top, it
will, without doubt, be corrupt at the bottom! However, organisations that are
wholesome at the top might still be corrupt at the bottom - unless they have an
adherence to rules and consistent monitoring of ethical standards. I mention
this because every small group still has many of the problems associated with
larger institutions. The ultimate aim of life itself is to increase our capacity
to care for others and to develop our sense of responsibility to those in need
and we can do this in whatever environment we may take part in, such as family,
community and work groups.
In emergencies, a majority vote can be taken. The circle is a combined venture and a valuable learning experience for everyone. There are many ways in which all members can be active and can add to their knowledge and skills. We are all responsible for creating the best groups possible, and to be the best we can be within them. Whenever a group functions badly, change is necessary. When all else fails, the old order should be disbanded and a new order formed of fresh, new members.
Extract from: 'The Lightworkers Circle Guide - A Workbook for Spiritual
Groups' by Wendy Stokes, available from bookshops worldwide in paperback or from
Amazon in paperback and kindle format. The Lightworkers Circle Guide explains
how to facilitate a group for channelling, divination and healing. All royalties
are donated to Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust which helps to protect
endangered species from extinction. Visit: www.wendystokes.co.uk