Roots That Heal

I have started writing my Celtic Reiki book this week and the first chapter - The Beech (not the first chapter in the book but my favourite tee so my favourite chapter to write!) has just been completed! I’m going to be sharing some excerpts from the book as and when I feel it is appropriate, as the whole process is a great way for me to develop my understanding of each tree to even deeper levels than I have previously. And as it’s been such a long time since I shared a meditation with you I thought I’d post this one here. Stay tuned as I am going to be looking into a way to record and publish it as an actual guided meditation over the coming week, but until then enjoy reading through it and perhaps give it a try with a loved one!

This meditation works best with some music playing softly in the background, as the Beech tree delights in taking those who visit her on a dancing journey to her home. You can just as easily follow this meditation without any music and just dance to the music in your soul, if you feel that this is something you would rather do.

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable where you can sit without being disturbed. Make sure you are nice and warm and then close your eyes and quietly listen to the sound of your own breath as it goes slowly in and out, in and out.

Be aware of your body, focus on first your toes, then your feet and ankles, your calves and knees and then your thighs and hips. Note if you have any tension in any of these areas. If you do, gently direct the breath down to the tense area and allow it to softly blow away the pain. When your legs feel nice and relaxed move your attention further up your body to focus on your abdomen, chest, arms, hands and fingers. Again allow your breath to ease away any tension, slowly but surely. Finally bring your attention to your neck, face and head, breathing out any tension here, until the whole of your body feels warm and relaxed.

Quietly listen to the sound of your breath once more, noticing how slowly and deeply you are now taking breath in and blowing it back out. In and out, like a steady rhythm, beating to the sound of the music you can hear.

As you listen to the music you become aware of a green thread of light, dancing in swirls before you. You watch it, following each dip and swirl and realise that with each movement the colour gets brighter and the trail it leaves longer. Feel the green light dancing around you, inviting you to step into its world and dance with it.

As you begin to sway to the music realise that you are now standing in a beautiful forest, where the sunlight is shining down through a canopy of the most beautiful green you have ever seen. All around you there are trees growing, blissfully dancing in the slight breeze created by your very breath – in and out, in and out. Each tree dances to its own tune, yet together they make a beautifully orchestrated ensemble, dancing as if they have danced this very dance their entire lives.

As you watch this beautiful scene before you, your eyes are drawn into the distance, where a silvery grey presence begins to glow. You know instinctively that this is who you came to see – this is the star of this performance and she is inviting you to join her tonight. You walk along the path, drawn by her graceful moves, and as you draw near you realise that the silvery being is in fact the trunk of the tallest Beech tree you have ever seen.

You hesitate for a moment, wondering what you should do, when you hear a whisper on the breeze, the breeze created by your own breath – in and out. You listen and realise that the whisper is your own voice, this is your higher self speaking to you. Listen to the secrets you hold deep inside yourself – listen to how wise you are!

As you continue to breathe in and out you realise that you are the most important part of this whole dance – you are the star and the Beech is your partner. Knowing this, you reach out your arms and embrace her as you begin to dance along to your own music – the music of life. And as you touch her, the Beech tree begins to move more freely than ever before. Her roots lift up from the ground, trailing behind her like a dancer’s gown. She spins around the forest floor, dancing to the sound of your breath and the beat of your heart. She knows your pain, your joy, your silence and your voice – she knows everything about you and she wants to create a living record of who you are, right now.

As you continue to dance you realise that it is getting dark. Suddenly you find you are no longer in the forest but inside the most beautiful hall you have ever seen. The hall is perfectly round, its ceiling created by layers upon layers of branches, all reaching towards the ground and in its very centre stands the trunk of the oldest tree you could imagine. This, your partner tells you, is the first Beech tree – the mother of all other Beech trees in our world and any other. As you continue to dance around this central pillar of love and wisdom you feel another whisper in the breeze. This whisper is unlike any you’ve ever heard before – it speaks of time itself – whispering sweet words of all the dances that ever were and ever will be. Here all wisdom, knowledge and experience is recorded, so all those who ever visit will be blessed with the whole of existence. This is where the dance of life is created and where it is kept for al eternity. And you are now a part of this.

As you begin to understand the great significance of this you realise that the hall is slowly fading and you no longer feel the powerful pull of your partner’s enchanting dance. Yet a soft whisper still lies upon your breath – it tells you that this is not the end – in fact this is merely the beginning of a beautiful dance that will continue until time itself no longer exists.

Slowly but surely become aware of your breathing once more as you slowly breathe in and out, in and out. Say a silent prayer of thanks to your partner for sharing in your dance and showing you the knowledge and power held within your very breath.

Gradually become aware of your body, first your head and then your neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs and feet. Wriggle your toes and fingers and open your eyes.

Be blessed by the energy of the Beech.

I admit it - I am one of the worst people for making time to meditate, truly I am. I know how amazing the benefits of meditation can be, have experienced that sense of peace, tranquility and immense awareness that comes throught the practise, and yet I still let life take over and fail to meditate regularly.

This weekend the effects this practise has upon me was shown to me in stunning detail. I went to a Natural Living Fair where I had my aura photographed. It was nothing like I expected it to be. I am at a time in my life where I am feeling more at peace with the world and my experiences than I have for a long, long time and my health is the best it has been in years. I expected my aura to be strong with colour. However, when the camera turned on all that could be seen was a deep red all over.

The guy doing the photography explained to me that this was not my true aura colour and through some discussion we realised it was actually the energies I had picked up from others. Although I am extremely happy and healthy right now, those around me are very stressed and ill. And as I am a very sensitive person I have absorbed these energies and carried them as my own.

How do I know this? Well, the guy took me on a guided meditation to breathe deep, fill myself with white light and to clear the energies so we could see the aura colours that were coming from deep within me. And in that moment after the meditation my aura was a strong yellow, with blues and greens in. It was amazing the transformation and no sooner had I come out of this brief meditative state did my aura return to that deep red.

The meanings of these colours and the interpretation the guy gave to my aura described me and my life right now so perfectly I had no doubt that this was a snapshot of my aura as it is underneath the covering of stressful energies I am picking up from all around me. Right now the members of my close family are all very ill and stressed and the students I support at University are also stressed as the year begins and they find out about their latest assignments. I am surrounded by this every day and having my aura photographed has taught me just how important it is to go within, cleanse my aura and allow my own light to shine through.

And this is so relevant to my healing practise as well. When we give Reiki we work in another’s auric field. We can be exposed to very sensitive people having a really hard time and if we are not careful we can carry these energies with us, rather than letting them wash over us and be healed. I shall certainly be making sure I try to meditate much more often in future, especially when I have given someone Reiki.

Not so long ago I picked up a book called “The Prayer That Changes Everything” by a lady called Stormie Omartian. The book is of a Christian viewpoint and one I would not have picked up a couple of years ago as I had been having big problems with Christian teachings. I couldn’t justify my own beliefs within what I had been taught as a Christian and I couldn’t accept what I saw to be an attack on all that I believed to be true as I grew spiritually.

Thankfully, after several years of intense spiritual growth and lots of prayers I finally found peace and began to see the beauty in reaching out and listening to other points of view (or belief). I am beginning to value the teachings of all the religions and life paths I come across and even actively seeking new ideas to expand my own growth.  And that is how I found myself in a Christian bookshop seeking out whatever book I felt guided to choose - which is how this particular book came to be in my possession!

The book is all about prayers of gratitude. Too often we find ourselves calling out to God (or whatever Higher Power) we believe in only when we need help. Although that is perfectly normal and certainly welcomed it is all to easy to forget to show gratitude. The book comments on the effects of gratitude. How uplifting is it to remember all that you have to be thankful for? When everything seems to be going wrong, if you can find something within your life that you are grateful for then you are entirely blessed! How much perspective does a thought of gratitude bring? On the other side of the process how amazing and heartwarming is it to be thanked for something you have done, however little? How much more you want to do when somebody says “you made a real difference, thank you!” Gratitude can have such a healing effect!

So this book is changing the way I work and live my life. Although the concept of gratitude is not a new one it seems to be sticking this time. I find it easy to be thankful for the good in life - easy to watch Nature unfold with awe and say “thank you” - easy to realise how lucky I am and say “thank you”. But when times get tough, however much I know there is a reason behind it, I find it hard to feel thankful, let alone show it.

Prayers of gratitude, like all prayers, are best when said in earnest - just like trying to meditate or heal when all you really want to do is eat or sleep is not the most productive of actions. But I remember going to yoga classes as a teenager and thinking “I’m too tired, do I really have to go?” and dragging myself along. At the beginning I was not thankful at all for this weekly intrusion into my free time. But by the end of the class I was positively brimming with energy and experienced some of the most profound messages in the closing meditations that I came away with full gratitude to the teacher, my dad for taking me and the yogis of all those years ago who passed on their practises so that I may learn too.

And sometimes I find that remembering to say a little prayer of gratitude now and then actually brings about a feeling of gratitude far greater than I started with!

With my Gratitude to all my readers
Amanda xx

I thought it was time to post another tree meditation.

The trees not only offer us their wonderful energies but also wisdom when we connect to them. It is so simple to connect to a tree because there are so many ways to do so. You can stand beneath a tree, look at a tree, look at a picture of a tree, visualise a tree in your minds eye or hold a piece of wood from your chosen tree. You can even focus on the Ogham symbol for your favourite tree! All of these will connect you to the trees beautiful energies and bring you the healing and wisdom you desire. Although Celtic Reiki helps to channel these energies, anybody is capable of tapping into them at any time!!

I tend to find myself entering into a state of meditation whenever I connect to a trees energy - which is amazing considering I am the worlds worst meditator!! So I wanted to share with you a beautiful meditation I was shown just now.

Choosing your spot (either beneath a tree or in a quiet space) close your eyes and focus on your breathing.

Ask the energy of the tree(s) to come to you with each inbreath, see it as first white light, cleansing you and let the heaviness of thoughts and worries leave you on each outbreath. Gradually notice the white turning to a beautiful green, the shade of a canopy of leaves. Continue to breath this colour on each in breath and feel it spreading warmth and freshness throughout your being.

Feel or see yourself becoming one with the tree - let the branches and leaves spread around you until you find yourself immersed in the centre of the trunk. Feel the warmth. Smell the unique smell of wood and brak surrounding you. Feel safe and comforted. Realise that although you are nestled tightly within the tree trunk you do not feel trapped in any way - you just feel calm and protected.

Once you are settled, reach out with your mind along the tree trunk, down into the roots and up, high into the branches. Reach out and feel the breeze gently rocking the branches and, if you feel the desire to, hold your hands in the air and sway gently in the breeze.

Reach further and take note of the new growth of leaves. Bask in the gentle warmth of the spring sunshine. Feel the rejuvenation after a long, harsh winter.

Bring your awareness further down the trunk and listen to the sound of birds nestling in their nests. Feel their movements and listen to the sounds of joy coming from them as their chicks first hatch and then begin to chirp. All this new growth makes you smile. You shake off any residual feelings of hardship you carried through the “winter”.

With this joy in your heart return to your centre and focus once more on your breathing. What colour is your in and out breath? Make note of this, for the colour you see here may be a key to what you need to heal or what you have just healed. The trees pass on so much insight to us, if only we listen.

Bring your awareness slowly back to the present moment, clasp your hands together in front of your heart and say a thank you or blessing of your choice.

The reason I feel this is a beautiful meditation is that it not only aligns us to the new growth of spring and therefore bringing us closer to being one with the natural cycles of the earth, but it also helps us at any time of year when we have come through a “winter” of our own and need to release the old and nurture the new.

It reminds us that as the tree nurtures itself and begins to regenerate it also offers shelter and support for all kinds of plant and animal life. We in turn help others by first helping ourselves.

I hope you enjoyed the meditation - it would be lovely to hear what you saw oor felt during it.

With brightest blessings
Amanda xx

p.s sorry about the lack of apostrophes - my keyboard has never been the same since I spilt water over it!!