~ December 2006 ~
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Dear Friends, Welcome to the QFAS Newsletter. “The Not Unfamiliar Country” has been enlarged and reprinted The Anthology first produced in 2001 has now been enlarged by the inclusion of articles by Jan Arriens and David Britton, and reprinted with a beautiful soft purple cover. The contributors, who are all Quakers or long-standing attenders of Quaker Meetings, speak openly about experiences which suggest that those we love, mostly human, but in some cases animal, are able to make contact with us after death. The common factors which make communication possible are love and need which seem to act to bring together, if only fleetingly, those who have temporarily lost one another through the shedding of the physical body. The 48 page booklet still only costs an incredible £2.00 (+ 55p postage)! If you would like a copy, please order from Angela Howard with a cheque made out to “David Britton”.
Forthcoming Events The next QFAS event will be the one-day Spring Conference on 28 April 2007. The Conference will be led by Jan Arriens and the theme will be “This world and the next: the psychic and sceptical in the Society of Friends”. The QFAS Residential Week-end next year will be from 2 to 4 November at Claridge House. This will include a workshop run by Paul Lambillion, a spiritual teacher and healer from Bury St Edmunds. There will be more details on this in the next Spring Newsletter.
The Teachings of Gildas Some of you may have read Ruth White's books on the teachings of her spirit guide, Gildas. Ruth has been a channel for Gildas for 47 years. She is now a spiritual consultant and writer. Her latest book: 'Working with Spirit Guides' was published in August 2004. Earlier books include 'Working with Your Chakras'; 'Energy Healing for Beginners'; 'Chakras - a New Approach to Healing Your Life', ‘Working with Guides and Angels'; ‘A Message of Love'; and ‘Your Spiritual Journey - The River of Life'. All are published by Piatkus Books. There are also Gildas groups which meet regularly in people's homes. The purpose of the groups is to enable and encourage spiritual growth, and to prepare us for a 'quantum leap' for humanity, which is predicted by a number of guides and spiritual teachers of our time. There is no ongoing commitment to the group, and for those who cannot attend regularly, transcripts of the channelled material are available at a small charge, and can be sent by post or e-mail. These teachings are very interesting and inspiring.
The 'Gildas in Oxfordshire' group meets at the home of QFAS member, Maryrose Price. All are welcome. Please bring food to share for lunch - jacket potatoes will be provided. It is a small friendly group, and Maryrose is willing to offer overnight accommodation to anyone travelling some distance. People come to the group from Devon, Suffolk and Derbyshire as well as locally.
QFAS Autumn Conference 2007 The QFAS Autumn Conference was held from 10 to 12 November at Claridge House. The Conference was led by Ros Smith and the theme was “Living Between Two Worlds”. The first session, on Friday evening, was about “Developing Awareness”. Ros reminded us of the interconnectedness of all things. All creation is part of a greater Consciousness that we may call by different names such as God, Universal Life Force, Cosmic Energy. Everything is contained in a living Web of Life which is conscious and reactive. What happens in one area affects another. All matter is composed of energy and we ourselves are made up of many energy levels or “bodies”. The one we usually know best is our physical body, which enables us to operate in the material world. The etheric body is a replica of the physical body, which remains intact even if parts of our physical body are removed. This is why amputees feel sensations in their missing limbs. The mental body is the vehicle through which we have thoughts and experience emotions. Then the para-conscious body is the means through which we can receive intuitive thoughts, flashes of inspiration, and insights. This is the level that mediums use to communicate with discarnates. The causal body holds our own personal blue-print, the life plan which we were sent into the world to fulfil as individuals, the Divine Will for each of us. When, for various reasons, we find ourselves doing work that is not in accord with our plan, we become more and more dissatisfied until we finally take the plunge and obey the inner voice. Meditation can help us make contact with what is timeless and eternal by bringing us into the Now rather than dwelling on the past or the future. The arts can also be a great help in developing awareness and lifting us away from the material world. There are no hard and fast rules about how we develop awareness and one must find one's own right way. However, it is important to consider that too much time spent in meditation may be unhelpful and that we need to keep our feet on the ground. A sense of humour is invaluable in enabling us to keep a balance in life. The second session, on Saturday, was on “Personal Responsibility” (one of the seven principles of Spiritualism). We are all responsible for the state of our own souls and our own spiritual growth. Such growth involves allowing oneself time and freedom to develop. We need to learn quietness in order to be receptive to new light and inner guidance. This may come naturally to Quakers but is hard for many in modern society to find. It helps to learn to listen, not only to other people, but also to the sounds in nature. Learning breathing techniques can aid our contemplation. Consciousness expands with breathing. Different breathing patterns cause a change in the brain-waves enabling one to control and regulate such processes as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and pain reflexes. We can also develop by studying our dreams, particularly those that seem almost more real than our waking existence and remain strongly in our memory after waking. Such dreams are often gifts from God and give pointers that are offered to us to realise our life purpose. We then divided into groups to share our own experiences of developing awareness and living between two worlds. Many of these experiences concerned premonitions involving loved ones and awareness of the presence of those who have passed on. Our next session as a whole group was entitled “Listening-in” and concerned learning to listen to our inner guidance. We may see the source of this guidance in different ways, such as God, Holy Spirit, Inner Voice, one's guardian angel. However we see it, we need to learn to listen in trust. All knowledge that comes from this source is infallible but the trick is to learn to recognise what is genuine and not merely the product of our own ego. There are many disciplines in East and West which are designed to increase awareness of the spiritual dimensions and ultimately lift the soul into the state of Union with the Infinite. Many ordinary people experience rare moments when experiences occur. Characteristics of these experiences include feelings of deep joy and peace, of awe and wonder, a sense of one-ness with everything, and of being suddenly infused with Light. Those who have such experiences find language inadequate to describe them. In the final session we considered angels. Angels are vibrations of energy which we interpret as human. They vibrate on a level beyond the range of human vision but we can sometimes see them when we raise our consciousness sufficiently or are in a relaxed or sleepy state. They appear to us in a form that we can find acceptable. The word ‘angel' derives from the Greek ‘angelos' which translates as ‘messenger' but an angel can be a guide, teacher, messenger, healer and guardian depending on our need. The angelic hierarchy in the Christian tradition was set out by an anonymous early sixth century Syrian Christian monk who is referred to as Dionysius the Areopagite. According to him there are nine orders in 3 groups or Triads. The first Triad, nearest to the Earth consciousness, consists of Angels, Archangels and Principalities (or Princedoms) . The Angels are companions to humans or guardian angels. They can be our guides to awareness. The Archangels, such as Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and Uriel, have a bridging role linking the higher levels of the celestial hierarchy with the lower levels. They impart spiritual light to the soul, so that it can realise itself and use its own faculties correctly. The Principalities are the guardian angels of all large groups, from cities and nations to recent human creations such as multi-national corporations. Above them, in the next Triad, are the Dominions (or Dominations), Powers (or authorities) and the Virtues . The Dominions are the “divine bureaucrats” who govern the activities of all the lower angels and serve to integrate the spiritual and the material worlds. The role of the Virtues, as their name suggests is to fill those below them with virtue. The Powers are the bearers of the conscience of all of humanity, the keepers of our collective history. They are also the angels of birth and death. The highest Triad, the one nearest to God, receives direct illumination from the Source and transforms the Light in order to transmit it at a level that can be accepted by lower orders in the Universe. It consists of the Thrones, the Cherubim and the Seraphim . The Thrones are often depicted as having many eyes, or as wheels. They look after and guard the planets. One, the Earth Angel, is the guardian of our world. Some might say this Angel has its work cut out! The Cherubim are “streams of wisdom” which pour out illuminations onto those below. The Seraphim are the ‘glowing ones', the highest order of angels, described in Isaiah's vision as fiery six-winged beings attendant upon Jehovah. Their essence is pure Love. Dionysius says that they purify those below by ‘firing them to their own heat' thus dispelling the forces of darkness. The weekend also included free time on Saturday afternoon for a group walk or general relaxation, circle dancing on Saturday evening, and, on Sunday morning, Meeting for Worship with the members of Claridge House recognised Meeting. The Conference was greatly enjoyed and appreciated by those who came. Here are some of the comments on the weekend: “For me attending the weekend was the start of a journey – a very beautiful one. Thank you for your love and wisdom.” “Lovely to meet all these like-minded people” “I really appreciated the weekend – full of laughter, light and joy.” “I found the course very interesting and learnt things that will help my development of spiritual matters and … particular things that will help me at this present stage in my life.” Cherry Simpkin
“Facing our own Death: Embracing Life” – a Woodbrooke Conference Over the August Bank Holiday weekend I attended this conference which had been planned by a group of nine Friends over a period of two years. We were told that the conference had been arranged in response to many Friends putting on Woodbrooke evaluation forms (“from about 2004 onwards”) that they would like to attend a conference on the subject of death. There were 43 participants, nearly all of us well into the second half of life, and within a carefully planned structure we were led into a very open sharing of our experience of death and bereavement as a preparation for thinking about our own deaths. We met for two hours each day in a “base group” of five or six Friends to discuss our own feelings and experiences at a more personal level and by the end of the conference these small groups knew each other very well and had had a deep sharing. There were various option groups which included Yoga and Qi Gong, Circle Dancing, basket making, head massage. There were also evenings of music and poetry reading and, of course, much time spent in quiet worship. Of particular interest to me was an optional session on the Afterlife. 16 Friends chose to be present. I felt that the approach of most people was one of reluctance to study the subject resulting in a lack of clarity. I suggested “Testimony of Light” as being the best introductory book I knew of, especially for older people, and spoke a little of my own experiences of communication beyond death. Others had had experiences, or thought they had, but seemed unsure about what they really believed. Over all this was an excellent conference which had been planned with great care and with love. All those who led sessions were prepared to share deeply of their own experiences, hopes, fears, and sometimes tears, and this encouraged all of us to do the same. Angela Howard “The difference between the continuity of life after death and immortality is that the continuity of life after death is just a continuation of the same state of consciousness that existed prior to death, whereas immortality is the expansion of consciousness to the point of infinity” Joel Goldsmith
The Grey Ghost is Living and Dying Well The beautiful breed of dog, Weimaraner, is sometimes referred to as “the grey ghost”. My two long-haired ones have always accompanied me on weekend conferences at Claridge House, greatly enjoying the lovely gardens, the surrounding countryside and novelty of sleeping in my van at night. However, at the QFAS weekend on “Living Well, Dying Well” in November last year, only Twixt (Betwixt*) came with me, as, sadly, Shim had died in June. I need not have worried that Twixt might feel lonely at night because, apparently, Shim had decided that she was not going to be done out of the weekend break and was with us both. Several times during the weekend, I was aware of a fleeting grey shadow slipping in and out of the rooms at Claridge House. Dogs are not allowed in the House so I told myself firmly not to be fanciful. I also sometimes felt Shim leaning against my legs whilst sitting on my feet, which she used to do when alive on Earth. In the Meeting on the Sunday, I saw her clearly, sprawled on the carpet, sharing our worship. Maybe the healing vibrations in this Quaker retreat made it easy for Shim to show me her presence? Although I had sometimes been vaguely aware of her spirit in my home since her death, I had not actually seen her or tactilely ‘felt' her. Also, how apt that on that weekend, in particular, she should show me that she is very much alive in the eternity and infinity of the Afterlife. Shim always lived life to the full so it comes as no surprise to know she is still enjoying that continuation we sometimes call ‘heaven' on that QFAS weekend at Claridge House. * The names of my dogs are a reference to that aura we each have (i.e. the electro-magnetic field) that is betwixt and between our physical body and the spiritual world. Elizabeth Angas
On things disappearing Over the years I've been bothered by bizarre happenings of things disappearing and reappearing, sometimes minutes, days or weeks later. And sometimes never. This is different from the feeling that perhaps one has absentmindedly forgotten where one put something. For me, although it could be frustrating and bemusing, it spoke strongly to me that there are other dimensions, overlapping realities. Life is not just what it appears to be. My reactions to these losses was generally to ask quite firmly for the item to be returned me, as a mental thought or in meditations, asking about the item. However, instances became much more frequent and aggravating, after two friends came to stay for what turned out to be almost 3 months, ( a very easy and co-operative time). When one of them returned to collect some stuff, she lost her keys in her old and now almost empty bedroom, and "found" them after a very irritating half-hour's search, very obviously on the window sill, next to where she had initially been standing. Next morning, I couldn't find my keys, but had spares. In fact, they turned up later, in a bag I could well have dropped them in. But I'd already decided enough was enough! I phoned a psychic friend, leaving a message that I'd phone her later. Then I phoned Ros Smith, who gave good advice on how to meditate through this, feeling that it was a child needing help to move on. I phoned my friend back to say I'd got help, and all would be well, when she said, out of the blue, "It's a Victorian boy, about 10 or 11 years old, and his name is Charlie. He's been with you a long while, and his younger sister, Jessica is there too ". She went on to say more about them, how they'd lived on the farm up the road, had passed on with influenza, and been attracted to me and my son. I meditated with a vortex of golden light, guardians and angels. Called the children over, and they were so vividly there, and sat on either side of me on the settee, and I put my arms round them. I told them that their parents were missing them and how it was time to move on and be with them. I asked them if they knew anything about my keys that were missing. There was a sudden flurry of ferretting about, of turning out of pockets, but there were only conkers and bits of string etc. Each said "You had them, didn't you? No, I didn't!" I felt a real love for them! I asked if they wanted to say goodbye to anyone, and they jumped up to be with the cat, and to go outside to say goodbye to the three hens. Then we walked hand in hand up the road to their old house, and Charlie said to come in to see his old bedroom. It was quite dark, with dark patterned wallpaper. We went out to the back garden and through the back gate where I wanted there to be a bridge. And just beyond it, suddenly a spiritual luminous bridge appeared, and I knew their parents were waiting at the other end. There was a strange uncomfortable wrenching, prickly sensation on my neck and upper back, as I suddenly realised they were going. And I saw them going confidently towards the light, over the bridge, and knew they had indeed gone. I returned to my house, and cleaned through the rooms and cupboards, as instructed with a silver/gold brush. And all was well until I came to my friends' room (my son's old room) where I was startled to find it heavy and thick with Charlie and Jessica's "stuff". I collected it up in a small trunk, and put it outside while I finished sweeping. I felt that although they wouldn't be needing it, I should still take it up to their old house or to the start of the bridge - this bit wasn't so clear, or necessary. The meditation was already complete. Thanks to all who helped. God bless you, Charlie and Jessica. Shella Parry
Expansion of Consciousness I believe that the mind is part of the spirit and outlives the brain and so it is possible to access previous lives. Some ten years ago when I was in a deeply relaxed state receiving a healing contact for hearing loss I had what seemed like snap shots of something I could interpret only as past lives. The first one was seeing myself as an artillery sergeant in the American Civil War who had just been killed. My death took place from shell blast and was quick and my immediate feeling was that - “I am glad to be out of that”. I was sceptical about what I was seeing until I checked on details of the uniform, and other military equipment from the Internet and the American Museum at Bath where a photograph of Light Artillery depicted exactly what I had recalled of a team of horses, the ammunition trailer (limber)A and the gun. The literature covered the nature of the military work and fitted in completely with what I recalled i.e. going with and sometimes being ahead of the infantry. Regression sessions told me more of this life. With a younger brother I was orphaned by Indians and brought up by the military, going to military boarding school and then becoming a regular soldier. As a recruit I was uncomfortable to be on the parade ground doing drill without a rifle as I felt vulnerable. I recalled being a restless scholar at the military boarding school together with my younger brother, and later as a junior NCO I enjoyed looking down at a beautiful river valley and thinking how lucky I was to feel safe and secure with friends around me. When I was on Dr. Roger Woolger's residential course I was in a group where he treated one man, but said that the effects of his work could also affect other people sitting near. This was the case as I recalled what happened to me just before I was killed. We were being shelled and had been ruthlessly used by our own side as bait for a trap. I was the only one left and I knew that I too would soon be killed so rather than uselessly fighting back I went to untie the horses, which were already suffering, so that they had the chance to run free. I worked out later that this was the reason that ‘I was glad to be out of that'. On reflection I recall one other element which is that I was relieved to have died facing the enemy so that my helping the horses could not be mistaken for cowardice i.e. running away. What a lot of thoughts run through our minds and surely they always have done. While I am reflecting on the effects of past life exploration I want to share with to the reader that this sort of work affects one at every level. It strikes me as being a holistic activity - body, mind, spirit and emotions - none of these elements is separable or more significant than any of the others. Although I did not make written notes at any time I still recall events quite clearly. Name and address supplied
Christmas Communication The following communication was channelled through a medium friend of mine while sitting in a spiritualist circle one evening before Christmas some years ago. The medium, an infant school teacher by profession, had been overseeing the school Nativity Play that afternoon. The communicator is known from other messages received through my friend to have been a nun in her earthly life. This communication seemed appropriate to include here as we come up to the festive season. In these days when the mention of Christmas has become a problem for some in our multi-cultural society (although not, in fact, for those of the other major faiths) it is well to be reminded that the message of Christmas is universal. “To-day my medium has been linking with the thoughts of Christmas as shown by a group of small children who have enacted the Nativity in their simple way. Surely, this is the message that we bring, that the simple things in life are those that matter. At this time, the wonders of God are being investigated by those who seek knowledge of the planets. They, in their way, are trying to discover the meaning of life, but if they only thought for a while and looked inward, they would learn so much more. I do not mean that the discoveries made in this world are not to be made, for the knowledge that is given to you on the earth plane is given to you through the mind of Spirit and it is Spirit who wish this information to be used on earth. How man uses the information is his own responsibility and, unfortunately, it has so often been used badly. There are many advantages around you but these can so easily be turned to evil use. If only man at this time of the year would carry on the feeling of goodwill into the year ahead, progress would be made, not only in human relationships but in the use of scientific knowledge and in using the gifts of the earth to their full advantage. Unfortunately, man, with his freewill, is not doing this as God would wish, but this is his own pathway and if he does not choose to use the gifts wisely, the law of cause and effect will make difficulties for him. You in your small way, I know, will do your part in giving the people around you the thoughts of goodwill and peace at this time and in the future. Go forward to the celebrations of Christmas with good cheer and remember the simple message of the Nativity. Whether you believe in Jesus in the way I did, matters not. The message is the same for all – the message of simplicity and love – the basic facts of living. “ Thanks to all contributors to the newsletter, and please send me contributions for the next! A very Happy Christmas and a Fulfilling New Year to everyone |
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