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 thought I would take this moment to introduce you to the Birch…

I was wondering what to post about this week and I looked up at my bookshelf and saw The Tree Angel Oracle sitting there. Within it are a mass of beautifully painted images of all the trees I love (and some I never even knew about!!) I have done several readings for people using these cards and each time my heart has filled with love as I looked upon each card. I have even used them as a focus when practising Reiki - picking out however many I feel guided to choose and placing them somewhere nearby. This is a special action I enjoy doing when I give Reiki in a place where my Oracle happens to be as well - it is not always possible, however. 

The Birch is the first card in the deck, yet is numbered as zero, something I find positively perfect in all ways. The Birch is a tree of birth, youth and nurture and a zero embraces everything within it’s arms, just as the Birch does. The Birch is a slim tree, in comparison to othes such as the oak, yet it holds strong throughout even the greatest storms. If you look closely you will be able to see the feminine beauty of this tree and imagine an Angel sat between its branches, reaching out to hug you.

I remember the Silver Birch that stood in my garden as a child with many fond memories of seeing her beautiful golden green leaves appearing with the Spring. Her catkins were a joy to see and held my attention from the moment they began dancing in the breeze to the time when they drifted to the floor and I could twist them in my fingers and watch them break and drift once more along with the wind. I used to know them as lambs’ tails, another reason why the Birch reminds me so strongly of Spring.

The Silver Birch that stands in my garden no longer blossoms and grows, yet still it stands tall, an anchor for the ivy that grows up and almost completely hides the bird box where each year a family of blue-tits nest (or as happened one year, a hive of bees!!) She is like a member of my family and it is my pleasure to introduce you to her own kind this January day as I eagerly await the beginning of another Spring.

For more information on the Birch please refer back to my Tree Spotlight and for a Springtime meditation please pop back here.

Recently I took a trip to Glastonbury and whilst there visited many of the area’s amazing places. It was an incredibly rejuvenating trip for me and helped to calm my mind and settle many of the fears I was obsessing over.

Glastonbury has an amazing energy running through it and it is not hard to realise why it has always been considered as a magical and mystical place. On the day of our main meet-up (when those who weren’t staying the whole weekend with us came to spend a few hours in the company of other members from the group) we spent a few hours in Glastonbury Abbey. Whilst there a few of us decided to make the most of the special energy there to boost our healing and I had the priviledge of giving Celtic Reiki to a couple of the group whilst stood within reach of a beautiful tree.

I cannot begin to describe how energising it was to stand with bare feet upon the grass of this sacred ground, to feel the sun so hot it was almost burning my face and feeling the breeze as it blew the leaves of the tree behind me. Giving Reiki indoors has nothing upon giving it outdoors - especially when using Celtic Reiki as you can connect in so many ways to the energy of the trees so much easier when you are in close proximity to an actual tree!

One of the recipients of my healing that day mentioned how amazing the effects were that night and I can only attribute it to the fact that we were outside, experiencing Nature in all her glory, and this added to the healing effect the Reiki energy had.

So, if you get the chance to go outside, in a place which is special to you, I would strongly suggest you try giving some Reiki there once in a while - you never know how much of a difference it might make to you!

With all my love
Amanda xx

A couple of weeks ago I went camping in the South of England. I love camping - being out in nature all day long, looking up at the stars at night, feeling the breeze on my face and the sun on my back. But I seem to only ever go camping one week a year - such a shame!!

Yet this one week each year is magical. It is a special campsite I visit, you see, so very special! It was established in the early 20th Century as a campsite for disabled youths and to this day the calendar is booked all year round with various camping groups of disabled campers and their able-bodied helpers.

This year, with it being my fourth year and also due to the fact that I am one of the older campers, I was given the priviledged task of caring for one of the most complex campers. Her care was extremely demanding and required me to learn how to give gastric feeds, giving food and meds through a tube straight into her stomach, and deal with lots of lifting and changing nappies (including once on the floor of a tiny Riverboat’s toilet whilst the boat was doing a U-turn!!!)

Needless to say the week left me exhausted and covered in bruises but completely satisfied right down to the centre of my soul! I love caring for others and so weeks like that fill my desire to live out my life’s purpose. This camper could not speak - save saying “Oh dear!” yet we had some marvellous conversations and spent an awful lot of the week in fits of giggles. I was quite sad to leave and return to the “real world” after spending a glorious week living outside.

But it had an even greater effect than I would have imagined. I came home and found myself confused - what was I doing with my life? Where was I going? All my dreams were getting trampled down by fears. I had to do some real soul-searching… did I really want to go for the financially secure career or did I want to do what I know I enjoy but continue to stuggle financially?

Well, the Universe is teaching me a big lesson at the moment - namely patience and trust! Over and over again I keep hearing the message “if you wait and trust the answer will come!” And sure enough it seems as if it is finally coming!! I heard from the University this week and it sounds as if I may be lined up for a full-time support post for a disabled student starting in September! Fingers crossed!!!

I’ve also had a major tidy up and clear out in my room - because, as seems to be happening to me more and more frequently, I feel the need to move the energies - to get rid of the old and allow room for the new. And to my surprise I have found that the lack of energy for Reiki and Spiritual lessons of the past few months is finally ebbing away and allowing a spark of interest return.

And so, having spent time in Nature I realise I need to make far more of an effort to connect up every day. I have fallen quite lax in my practise of Reiki in recent months as life changes have taken over my time - but I realise more and more that the times when I fail to trust are the times I need to the most!

So here’s to a new beginning! I’m working on some changes to the blog - hoping to offer some Reiki sessions again soon and planning on trying to post every Monday so that any readers will know when to come back for the next post. So, please, keep watching!

With many blessings
Amanda xx

We’re currently suffering from major flooding in the UK - it’s a crisis situation with some towns without power and water. The flooding has been going on throughout the summer - it previously hit our area but not quite as badly - and is thought that it is far from over.

When I returned to my hometown some months ago I did a Faery Oracle spread for my mother and a card came up related to water. Eventually I realised that this was related to her emotions and felt guided to warn her that if she didn’t let her emotions flow freely they would build up until the river overflowed or the dam burst and the water would rush everywhere in order just to ease the pressure. Since then we have suffered from umerous flooding events both thanks to Mother Nature herself and our new and “improved” boiler!!

So what is happening with the weather right now? We have months’ worths of rain falling in days here and yet in other parts of the world thereare unbearable heatwaves and droughts. What is the world trying to tell us? I am a firm believer that when such extreme weather occurs it is the Earth herself attempting to heal whatever imbalancesshe is suffering from. This could be physical, like our abuse of the eco-system, or emotional, like our ratrace lifestyles… Just as Reiki is the Universal energy system which incorporates the Earth and all upon it, so too do our actions ad reactions affect all that is. Our lives affect the Earth - and her ways affect our lives.

So right now I am finding it very important to sed Reiki not only to those around me but also to the Earth herself. As a Celtic Reiki practitioner I am always reminded of the beautiful gifts of the Earth as the energy system I use is centred around the trees. I often send love and bursts of energy to the Earth but right now I feel she is in as much need as somebody who had asked for Reiki healing due to a traumatic illness or event.

So here’s to you, Mother Earth - you deserved to be loved and cherished!