The Violet Flame

The Violet Flame of transmutation.... transmutes negativity into positive.... connected with the Ascended Master St Germaine.

If you think about it energy can not be destroyed, but often we try to get rid of pain, illness, negativity, banish spirits etc etc. If we just get rid of it, take it away or deflect it, where does it go? What happens to it? It just carries on bouncing around the universe, moving on to someone else or waiting to come back for another attack. Plus there's the chance it merges with other similar energies, joins forces & becomes stronger.

Some people ask angels, guides, spirit, god to take it away... but they still have the task of dealing with it & they're pretty busy already! The idea of using the violet flame is to visualise negative energy, hurts, anger, etc being consumed by the flame & being converted into positive loving energy. At the end of the day it is good practice to review the days events & recall any negative thoughts or actions & imagine placing them within the flame to burn & be converted into loving, positive energy…. handy for bad habits & behaviour patterns too.

You could use any colour or fire in general, but the colour violet is associated with transformation, transmutation & higher energies.

I use this technique regularly- dealing with a particularly nasty toothache it dawned on me about not being able to destroy energy, the pain was energy & it needed converting etc. Dissolving it away wasn't strong enough & i found myself imagining it burning away & changing to loving energy rising from the flames on the smoke into the ethers. It was after that i kept 'hearing the term 'violet flame' in my mind & searched for more information.

I had a tooth abscess & was 200 miles from my dentist. I started working on it thinking bout removing the pain & the infection. Usually I can do this easily, but it beat my usual 'willing it away'/ignoring & decided to use Reiki rather than just myself-
Anyway, could get the pain to go, but came straight back. Clicked that pain, like anything else is a form of energy, so can't be destroyed & must be converted to something else. So worked on transforming to loving healing energy- that worked for longer periods, but still returned. Knew it may take a while to calm the infection but it was 2nd bout in a year & the last tooth got pulled. I realised there was more to it- i felt even if the dentist sorted this, it wasn't dealing with the cause, just the symptom.

I looked around in books/internet for clues on the energetic causes of tooth ache, but found nothing that felt applied. Another round of healing- this time with the intention of going to where it started- the root cause, that was it. I saw myself diving into the pain itself, swimming, swirling with it to go back to where it sprang from... I saw myself in a past life with my partner & father. It was quite an ugly scene, which i was able to follow & progress to see what happened. It explained a hell of a lot to do with the relationships we have had, & some "irrational" actions & thought patterns that cropped up frequently between the 3 of us that wern't there before Steve & I were together. It was quite a heavy session & I spent more time then & later pouring healing energy into that situation.

It is not something I have discussed with either of them for a variety of reasons, but certain things have eased... & so did the abscess.

Two Months in the Life of an Ash Tree

The Ash trees have finally decided to burst out around here... well after the oak trees, so according to weather lore it shouldn't be a wet summer.. "if the ash be out before the oak, we're in for a soak; if the oak be out before the ash, we shall only have a splash"

It's taken about 2 months for the buds to grow into leaf. Here we are on 21st March...those black buds make the ash tree easily identifiable even without leaves.

Have you ever noticed ash flowers? By 13th April they were out....

...growing nicely by the 25th....
...by 1st May the flowers are gone, seeds beginning to form & the first leaves break out...

...last years seeds ('keys') are still on the tree. Some have fallen, but many remain until after the leaves come out...

...9th May, seeds are forming the familiar ash-keys that help them become airborne to spread themselves away from the parent tree to begin life on their own (does this sound like our own children?)...

...17th May, see how much they've sprouted!...

...24th May, leaves are lush & filling out nicely....
I sit on the fence under this tree regularly, leaning back against the trunk, looking out through the branches...
... today the words that floated in were... peace... initiation... initiating peace... I think that's the way we need to move forward through peaceful initiation of ideas rather than confrontation.

Wild Spirits

There have been quite a few geese flying in lately, in small groups & in two's. There is something about their cry as they pass... I find it quite haunting. This was inspired by them leaving in the autumn...

Out of the dawn they came flying,
Where from? Nobody knew.
On the air you could hear their crying
And the beat of their wings as they flew.

Too soon their rhythm was dying,
They'd passed together as one.
To follow? There's no point in trying
The last ones have already gone.

The Old Ways

Dance the old ways

Trust the knowing
Mend and heal
Energy flowing

These words are posted by Cari Ferraro; they are a 'spell' she wrote & I recommend going over to see her thoughts & pictures. Also, Cari’s website has images of her books on the theme of “spelling words” and further explanation on how she came to write them is here. She writes about going back to the origins of the words & what a spell originally was... a story.


I love these words- they really resonate with me & inspired this piece of calligraphy.

These 12 words ooze healing energy and apply so much to any healing modality or situation. Just take a few moments to run them through your mind… breathe deeply and repeat them slowly… you can use them to encourage yourself to heal, bringing in the healing energies to flow through your body…. Or think of someone else, concentrate on them, speak to them either mentally or face to face, encouraging them to open up to the healing energies… or perhaps send the words out to humanity over the world… Cari wrote them, but these words have a sense of being from Source Her/His/Itself… or from The Earth, Gaia imploring us to dance & trust & heal…

Dance the old ways…
It is often said that Dr Usui ‘discovered’ reiki; we hear of ‘new’ healing systems, ‘unique’ ways; phrases such as ‘new energies for our times’ etc etc. They may be new to us, but surely these vibrations are older than time itself, strands of energy that sprang from creation or even before. The Ancients knew about them… every culture has stories of healing miracles, every culture had Gods or Goddesses of Healing, so it’s more a case of us ‘re-discovering’ or gradually becoming more aware & open to them. Even with our modern science & medicine there is so much more that we barely know of, & we have barely scratched the surface of the things we are aware of such as herbal & plant medicine, energy systems & energy healing. But slowly, slowly more people are learning to re-connect and dance the old ways.

Trust the knowing…
We all have a little voice inside that guides us if we let it speak… an inner wisdom & instinct that we often suppress in favour of logic or ‘common sense’. It often speaks through our solar plexus…. It’s not called ‘gut-instinct’ for nothing! It’s where we get butterflies when we are excited or that churning feeling when we are nervous or afraid, in between these extremes it is there if not so obvious. Try looking out for it when you make a decision, whether you turn left or right, whether you need a coat on or a cardigan, or do you need a bit more seasoning in a stew…. Notice the feeling & whether your decision turned out right or wrong… get used to the language of that inner voice, give it permission to speak & learn to listen. Once you learn to hear it, it will lead you to that inner knowing & wisdom that we all possess, that can help with our own healing & helping others to heal.

Mend & heal, Energy flowing…
That’s all you need to think as you open up to the healing energies… whether you are bringing them into yourself or directing them to others repeat these words… mend & heal, trust the energy to do what is needed, just let the energy flow. If it helps, visualize it as light, or a wave, or glow, coming into & around your body. In Reiki, we connect to Universal Energy… the healing energy of the Universe that is there, available to all. You may choose to call on God or Goddess, others may prefer to draw on your connection to Angels or ascended Masters, Spirit Guides or Power Animals… whatever is right for your belief or faith. No matter what we call it, or where we believe it comes from that healing energy is there, just waiting for us to connect & allow our body, mind,& spirit to mend & heal.

This is something Cari has to say…
“I had a strong feeling about these words, that many many people need to trust the old ways, dance the knowing, mend and heal their lives and the planet, and do it with energy flowing. See, they can go together different ways! So the words have their own lives and are out in the world to do what good they can.”

What more can I add, except take these words, use them & pass them on!

Dance the old ways
Trust the knowing
Mend and heal
Energy flowing

Cari's Spell

..."Dance The Old Ways" inspired by Cari Ferraro.

Well, it's finished & I'm really pleased.... even more so when I looked again this morning. The light on the 'standing stones' moves as you walk round the room so the lettering feels within the suggested circle, rather than behind or in front of the elements on the page... & the spiral seems to twist through the letters. I can't stop looking at it at the moment... I don't think I've done a piece anything like this before.

I cut a stencil in the shape of the ceramic pieces I'd tried laid on top of it last time, then applied decorators filler through it to form the 3D 'stones'. I had been going to add another layer like carved symbols that were on the ceramic, however I 'just forgot'... and i'm glad I did... methinks the energies of the words were guiding me, as they seem to have done throughout this one! The colour is acrylic, layered on with a sponge in several shades to get the depth & texture of stone.

The spiral is chalk pastel brushed through a stencil, which I cut free-hand... I wanted that randomness in the coils. I initially resisted the use of a spiral even though I'd visualised it there beforehand....strange eh? Purely from a design angle it needed 'something' in that position, but wasn't a spiral too much of a clichee? Or was it cos someone else suggested it too? But really it could have been nothing else.... again the energy guided me!
Now, technically some of the letterforms are a bit 'pinched', and an odd space or two here n there are a bit wayward... and I was very aware of this when I'd completed the writing. In fact I was disappointed with myself at that stage, because this piece was important to me from the start & I wanted it so much to be 'right'.

And you know what? It is 'right'... the whole thing works for me... technically my feet are too wide & some of my curves are a bit wayward... but I'm quite right for me, at this time. I'd be devastated if someone scrunched me up & chucked me in the bin... but that's what so many of us do with unfinished creations when they don't match up to a standard we set for ourselves. By carrying an idea through we can still create something lovely. So what if a letter or stitch or colour or whatever could be better? It's still a valid piece of work if we choose to see it as such. And if we want to do another version we can change or incorporate ideas to create something else without taking anything away from the original piece.

We often look at our work or our selves & see them for what they are not... but only compared to our often unrealistic expectations... that picture in our mind that we aspire to. Now, there's nothing wrong with aspirations, but we can only work with the skills we have at a given time! It may be a fact that we need to work to improve something... but we & our creations are a work in progress, sometimes we just need to look at the overall picture at a given time... at what we have or can do, instead of our limitations or shortcomings.

Dance The Old Ways

Dance the old ways
Trust the knowing
Mend and heal
Energy flowing

These words are posted by Cari Ferraro; they are a spell she wrote & I recommend going over to see her thoughts & pictures. Also, Cari’s website has images of her books on the theme of “spelling words” and further explanation on how she came to write them is here. She writes about going back to the origins of the words & what a spell originally was.

I love these words- I really ‘feel’ them, & immediately wanted to create a piece of work with them. I didn’t know what until I actually started…
Running the words through my mind I scanned paints, inks, pencils… picking up & putting back down… til I came across some wood dyes & pounced on them, settling on a dark oak & spring green combination.

A few brush-fulls of colour, a paint-roller and water, repeating the words as I rolled them across the paper to capture the sense of earthiness I was feeling… ‘dance the old ways’…earthiness… & ancient woodland… as I worked across the page & added layers I knew I wanted water too… a sense of a stream through the forest… ‘energy flowing’… oops, stop before I over-work it.

While it dried I started on something for my ‘Blog Candy’… if you want some there’s room for a few more to sign up! (this is a nudge for someone to send their address, not mentioning a name but it begins with M & ends with L). I couldn’t do much as the wood dyes dry quickly & I was soon back to cari’s spell.

The dyes work well as a background, having a translucency & a sheen that varies with the dilution, so the colour seems to have depth & movement… Questions… how & what to use for the lettering? would the colour bleed or should I use a fixative? What colour to write in? Here lies a lesson that I regularly preach but frequently forget… always prepare a spare bit of paper to do samples on… huh!… ‘trust the knowing’….aha… Pencil crayons…


So, I used a dark brown crayon & a built-up letterform with the idea of the words dancing & blending with the background… in the top three lines I softened the colour with some bright green, & some blue in the last line. The spirals in the letters just crept in with a mind of their own! I was particularly pleased with the ‘g’ in ‘energy’ (any calligraphers or lettering artists will know what I mean, getting excited about one letter!)


At this stage, it was ok, but needed something else… more texture… so was pondering what next when I remembered some ceramic pieces I had been gifted to use in my work… these two are perfect in shape, texture & colour… a sense of a stone circle perhaps? They are a bit too heavy, literally, to attach to the paper, so I still have to finish this piece, but at least I know what the next stage is.


Now, the thing is, once you have written or spoken something- it is ‘out there’ open to interpretation by whoever reads or hears it… I have no idea what cari was actually thinking or feeling, though I can make a guess… I interpret what I hear & feel from her words, as you will. We may pass them on, hopefully with a similar intention… but no matter what we see in them the essence of cari’s intention remains… out there with a distinct energy pattern… that reverberates whenever they are read, thought or spoken.

(note to cari: thanks for sharing your words & hope you don’t mind what I’ve done with them)

The Reiki Precepts- The Gokai

While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others & Dr Usui (who founded Reiki) recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.

The ‘Gokai’ are a set of five principles that Sensei Usui considered to be at the heart of Reiki. I have seen/heard several variations, but it is the sense of the words that is important rather than the exact translation.
Here is a translation that is pretty close to the original…

The Gokai
"The secret method of inviting blessings,
the spiritual medicine of many illnesses
(Shôfuku no hihô, Manbyo no rei yaku)

Just for today (Kyo dake wa):
Don't get angry (Okoru na)
Don't worry (Shinpai su na)
Be grateful (Kansha shite)
Work hard (Gyo wo hage me)
Be kind to others (Hito ni shinsetsu ni)

Mornings and evenings sit in the gassho [prayer] position
and repeat these words out loud and in your heart
(Asa you gassho shite kokoro ni neji kuchi ni tonaeyo)
For the improvement of mind and body
(Shin shin kaizen)

Usui Spiritual Healing Method (Usui Reiki Ryoho)
The founder, Mikao Usui (Chossô, Usui Mikao)"

This is a page from a journal I made for a young girl after her first attunement. You can see more pages over at Spirit Whispers in the post entitled "A Reiki Journal"

These words are from earlier texts of the Meiji Emperor, and are not exclusive to Reiki- to me, they are principles for everyone to live by. Even if you don’t repeat them morning & evening, I think it is important to run the words through your mind often… preferably everyday.

The act of sitting silently in prayer or meditation daily, even for a short while can be so beneficial... calming, healing, inspiring, uplifting... I like to use the Gokai as a meditation. Make yourself comfortable and take long, slow, deep breaths.... as you breathe in say/think "Just for today..." as you breathe out say "I will not be angry..." continue through, breathe in...Just for today... breathe out... I will not worry... go through the whole thing.

Repeat a few times until really relaxed, then visualise energising white light pouring down & filling your body.... every, bone, muscle, vein... everywhere through you... feel it filling you with healing energy. Imagine it spreading out from your body into your aura.... into the room... if you want keep it going through the house, down the road... to the village, town, whole country... the world if you like.... spreading pure white healing light for the benefit of everyone it touches.

When you are ready, pull the light that is in your aura back into your body, take deep breaths until you feel 'back to normal' & give thanks.... that energy will stay with you.

Izumi Shikibu-"Love-soaked, rain-soaked"

Love-soaked, rain-soaked,
if people ask which drenched your sleeves
what will you say?
(Izumi Shikibu)

It's wild, windy & rainy here... i'm sure it's just a brief tempest in an otherwise sunny but breezy day. Apple blossom is being tossed by the wind & rain-soaked petals cling where they land... on the car, the walls, the grass... It was that "rain-soaked" phrase that made me think of this piece of calligraphy.

"Love-soaked, rain-soaked..." what an evocative image... that Japanese talent for saying so much in so few words. Considered one of the finest poets of her time, Izumi Shikibu(wiki ref) was born approx 930, there is no record of her death, though her last recorded correspondance was dated 1033. More of her writing is available here.

Daughter of a governor, a courtier, poet, some say politician too, married twice (some say thrice) several affairs... one independant lady! Reading more of her poetry, it dawned on me that this was written before Britain had even been invaded by the Normans- it certainly highlights the culture difference at that time.

Written in gouache with a folded ruling pen & brause nib, I used water colour to shade some areas to pick up on the idea of 'soaked sleeves'. Silver powder is just dropped into the wet ink to spread as it will & torn japanese tissue completes the effect- a sort of raw & ragged look, which is the feeling I sensed from the poem as she talks to her lover....

Another Offering

I've started another blog! A few have already noticed the link to Healing Whispers on the side bar, and as the name suggests it's my take on healing. I don't see it as a separate part of me, I could just as easily include it here, but it's a way for me to keep focussed on one area of writing. All are welcome & comments appreciated!

Where did I Start?

I truly believe that everyone has the ability to heal… I think it’s something that we have ‘forgotten’. It’s there within our psyche, but for many it is laying there, dormant, unrecognised- just waiting for the conditions to be right in order to flourish.

Luckily, throughout time, there have always been people with that gift… a natural ability to help people heal. Depending on the society in which they have lived that gift may have been encouraged or quashed, respected or feared, used or abused… but it has always been there, a spark of light, an inspiration that has eventually given rise to a world-wide increase in people actively seeking a healing path.

For me, that path gradually opened up… there was no particular event or book that set me on my way. I can’t say that I’ve always been interested or had ability, but equally I can’t say that I had no interest or inkling. Looking back, I can remember situations or conversations that show maybe I did ‘know’, but not consciously & I certainly did not pursue it. Having said that I have always been able to “will-away” pain, and I know many people can, even though they would not consider ‘healing’ in any form or fashion.

Sometimes when someone was ill or in pain, I’d automatically put my hands or rub where it hurt, & often they felt better…. But this was an unconscious action- when I consciously thought about it or offered to see if I could help, nothing happened! It was that instinctive action, like a mother soothing a baby or rubbing better some knock or scrape to her child.

I met a Reiki Master in the course of my business & ‘knew’ it was something I was going to do. It didn’t happen straight away & with a different Master, but as often seems to happen with me, the opportunity presented itself & I took it.

Receiving that first attunement to Reiki was like receiving permission to heal. As much as learning about a technique, it gave me that key to access a latent ability. Like I said at the beginning of this post, I think everyone has that ability; it is just a matter of finding the right key. For me it was Reiki, for others it may be as simple as giving themselves permission.

It is all about intention, & I think this applies to many of us in many areas of our lives… Setting an intention, being clear about what we want to achieve, and then giving ourselves permission to realise it are important aspects, whether it is something physical, mental or emotional.

Chestnut Flowers

It was a delight to see the first flower buds open last week
(this was last Sunday)...

They began unfurling from the bottom of the flower spike, with new flowers daily....

Even these clematis buds seemed to crane their necks to see what's happening.

At last, today, we have a full head of flowers, only a few left to open... now we are close to seeing the individual flowers merging to appear as one bloom....

...a froth of creamy whites, yellow & peachy-orange, but sooo deliciously pale & muted, with that splash of pink sorbet in the centre of each (click to enlarge & see better). Wouldn't those colours make a wonderful background for a piece of work?

I wonder... the way this flower- these flowers develop & grow into one.... isn't that like our human consciousness? We set off from the same bud, or energy stream, then unfurled & grew into new buds branching off the stem... becoming individual flowers (or cultures, religions, races) all connected but with separate identities? Eventually to bloom into our full glory & merge as one glorious flower....

I'd like to think that we are on the verge of growing into one- as a race. At the moment the people of Earth are somewhere between these two pictures. Some are open, some unfurling, some still closed. Various pockets of society are opening in togetherness, in realisation of our conectedness, & whilst there are bunches steadfastly maintaining their separateness they will in time open & realise they are part of the one flower.... part of the whole tree...

Energetic Connections & Cord Cutting

We have an energetic connection with everyone we meet, talk to, think about etc, & equally we have energetic connections with people who think about us- even though we may be unaware of them.

We send healing thoughts & know that the energy sent is positive & helpful. Likewise, if someone is angry or worried about you that energy is floating around you, even though the person emitting that energy may be totally oblivious to the fact. Not every negative thought is going to affect us as we have our own natural systems to cope, such as optimism, joy, hope, love etc etc. Sometimes though, we can feel weary, drained, worried etc… emotions or even pain, that is not ours.

Bear this in mind when you are concerned about someone or some situation, or just watching the news…. I consciously try not to worry or be angry about things I can do nothing about & so add my ‘worry/angry energy’… instead I wish positive thoughts; strength, calm, vision, love, compassion etc that can benefit the person or situation. Sometimes easier said than done, but persevere & it becomes a habit!

You might like to try something i do now & again... cord cutting. This is about reclaiming your own energy or power & removing anything that is a threat to, or draining your energy. Sometimes i think it is useful to visualise all those energy ‘hooks’ that can drain you being washed away- I tend to use the image of a waterfall washing away the threads that bind me to other people (A sort of ‘energy shower’), then imagine warm golden sunlight energising me.

Create your own Sacred Space, however you feel comfortable. For some it is as simple as closing your eyes & visualize stepping into that waterfall… or creating a journey, for example walking through a forest & becoming aware of those things that tug at your energy reserves, before finding the waterfall… Others prefer the ritual of candles & incense, sitting infront of a personal altar or in a 'special' place… You may try several variations to find what is comfortable & effective for you.

It is a good practice to do a 'cord-cutting' at the end of a relationship for example, or after spending time with people who sap your energy (or if you think someone is sending malicious thoughts). Ask for all cords or attachments that do not benefit you to be cut, some people see the knots being untied, and ask for the negative energy to be returned to the source with love.

I like the image of water to cleanse & gently wash away those connections & entangled cords of attachment, but you could you could use the image of fire to sever the connections. Some people ask Archangel Michael to cut all cords with his sword of truth, others call on their idea of Deity…use whatever words & imagery that suit you. You can name specific people or situations that you want to disconnect from, & if you cut all cords you can ask for only those that are beneficial to be re-tied.

If you want, you can imagine fine threads leading out from your feelings & trace them back to who or where they come from….slowly, slowly follow the thread, let your intuition guide you, just watch the thread & travel back along it… eventually a name or place or image will pop into your mind. It is important not to have any pre-conceptions when you try this & the result can be surprising- but don’t judge, just cut or dissolve the thread with love…