White feathers that convince Gloria Hunniford guardian angels DO exist ...and make her certain that her darling daughter Caron Keating is watching over her

 Racing out of my front door one morning last week, I was acutely aware that I was running late for my lunch meeting, and felt a wave of panic. I absolutely hate the thought of keeping people waiting — it sends the old stress levels soaring.

I fumbled with my keys in the lock then half-ran from the house, feeling flustered and rushed — certainly not a desirable state for driving.

But as I looked down the drive, there on the ground beside my car lay a single white feather. As I bent to pick it up, I knew instantly what it was: a reminder from my late daughter, Caron Keating, to drive safely.

‘Hi Caron,’ I smiled, as I tucked it into my blouse, close to my heart.

 

 

Gloria Hunniford's daughter, Caron Keating, died in 2004 after a long battle with breast cancer

For when she was alive, Caron — loved by millions for her TV and radio presenting roles — told me that an isolated white feather was an angel’s calling card. And since her death, I am certain that she uses them to send messages to me.

We were so close in life, and I am in no doubt that our bond has increased since her death.

I am convinced that Caron — who died of breast cancer ten years ago, at the tragically young age of 41 — has been my guardian angel. People may think I am deluded, but I know she is there for me, protecting and comforting me whenever I need her most.

Like many people, I was once sceptical about the existence of angels.

But, as time has passed, I have become completely convinced Caron is an angel whose primary task is to watch out for me. How else to explain some of the extraordinary things that have happened since her death?

'I am going through agony at these false accusations': Sir Cliff tells Gloria Hunniford of ordeal of police inquiry into 'abuse of boy, 15' 

Out with the old, in with the older! Loose Women returns with a new set and veteran presenter Gloria Hunniford - but not everyone is a fan of the latest look 

My Caron came home after cancer treatment. I kissed her goodnight. Eight hours later she was gone... Gloria Hunniford breaks down as she talks about her daughter's battle with the disease

These events started in August 2004, just four months after Caron died. My husband Stephen Way, now 74, and I were driving to the family villa we had just bought in the South of France.

It was our first visit and the car, a Toyota Celica, was loaded to the gunwales with everything from saucepans to suitcases.

The traffic was so bad that we decided to leave the motorway and make our way through the back roads of Northern France. 

As I took my turn at driving, it was an incredibly hot day, the air conditioning wasn’t working and I can only assume I was distracted for a second. The next thing I knew I had careered across the road, and smashed through a pedestrian crossing sign.

I opened my eyes to see our car embedded in a huge concrete flower pot and Stephen hurled against the windscreen, with blood pouring from his head. Overwhelmed by shock and disbelief, I thought I had killed him.

 

Gloria believes that Caron is her guardian angel, and that white feathers fall at moments when she is particularly looking over her

Suddenly police cars, ambulances and fire engines were arriving and we were being dragged from the car. I was in such shock that every bit of schoolgirl French deserted me.

Yet no one in the assembled crowd seemed to speak English, except one young woman — an exquisitely slim girl in jeans with the most glorious tumbling blonde hair.

As the ambulance driver led us away, she took my hand and asked in perfect English: ‘Would you like me to look after your things?’

Her offer came at a time when I felt quite confused and I was so concerned for Stephen I said, ‘Yes please’, and gave it no more thought.

Late that evening we were released from hospital; Stephen had suffered a cut to the head and, mercifully, was OK. After a fitful night’s sleep in a hotel in the square of the little town — whose name I never got to know — we went to a café.

As we sipped coffee, the girl from the crash scene once more appeared at our side. Gently, she asked in perfect English how we were feeling, then asked: ‘Would you like me to take you to where your car is?’

We were in such a state of shock, we didn’t stop to wonder how she knew where our car was, we were just so grateful. We assumed it had been moved by the police but wouldn’t have had a clue where to start looking.

We got into her smart little car and exchanged pleasantries as she drove us some 4 km to the middle of the countryside. ‘Here you are,’ she said, as she pulled up in front of a garage and gestured for us to get out.

We barely had time to thank her and say goodbye before she sped off.

Sure enough, there was our car in the garage — with every scrap of our precious belongings still inside.

The car was a write-off. It was caved in at the front and the engine was totally stoved in. Looking at it, I shuddered — realising how fortunate we’d been to escape virtually unscathed.

The AA arranged a hire car for us and, as we loaded our belongings into it, we thanked the heavens that we were safe and said goodbye to our Celica. 

As I felt calmer, I also felt terrible for not thanking the girl who had done so much for us. I bought a bunch of flowers for her.

Later that same day, after a final check-up at the hospital when Stephen was given the all-clear, we went back to the café where, I assumed, she was a waitress.

But she wasn’t there and — to our amazement — the owner had no idea who I was talking about when I described her. With a mixture of schoolgirl French and pointing to my own blonde hair, I explained: ‘I’m looking for the beautiful girl with long blonde hair who speaks English.’

 

Caron, who died at the age of 41, was best-known for her role as a presenter on Blue Peter

‘Non,’ he shrugged. ‘Je ne sais pas.’ (I don’t know). It was the same at the garage. The owner didn’t know her either. I even asked more people at the cafe. They were eager to help but they all shook their heads and said: ‘Non.’

This was a tiny French town. We couldn’t understand it. Where had she come from — and where had she gone? Perhaps, if we had been there for a few days longer we would have solved the puzzle.

As the weeks passed and I mulled over how incredibly lucky we were, not just to survive the crash but to find someone to take care of our possessions, I began to wonder — was a guardian angel looking out for us?

It seemed extraordinary, but what other explanation could there be for this woman arriving twice in 24 hours to save us and then disappearing into thin air?

Even now when I talk about it, I get goosepimples.

And then the feathers started appearing — just when I most needed comfort, and leaving me in no doubt that Caron was indeed watching over me.

The first time was in January 2005, nine months after her death. We were on our way to Disneyland Paris with her sons Charlie, ten, and Gabriel, seven. It was meant to be a birthday treat for Gabriel, but trudging along the rain-soaked platform at Folkestone, Kent, hand-in-hand with the boys, I felt consumed with memories. It wasn’t just the lashing rain that dampened my mood.

Every fibre ached with pain and despair as I thought of Caron; she should have been here — skipping down the platform with her beloved boys, eyes sparkling, long blonde hair whipped up by the wind.

For the boys’ sake, I was trying desperately to put on a brave face. But inside I was breaking apart.

Then suddenly I looked down and there on my shoe was a single, snow-white feather. It had quite literally dropped from the sky. There was no rational explanation.

Caron’s words from long before she died came flooding back to me: ‘Remember Mum. If an isolated white feather appears out of nowhere, it’s a sign that your guardian angel is watching over you.’

She had become seriously interested in angels when she was co-presenting ITV’s This Morning and interviewed experts on the subject.

She even made a documentary about them, so it was something we had spoken about many times, long before her illness.

Yet although there’s a growing interest and belief in angels, I know many people will brush aside the whole idea. I have to confess that I was once very sceptical too.

 

Beautiful bride: Caron (right) married Russ Lindsay (centre), both pictured with Gloria, in 1991

When Caron first talked about angels, I didn’t take her seriously at all. I used to tease her when she talked solemnly about asking the parking angel to find her a parking spot. It always seemed to work for her. ‘See Mum,’ she would giggle.

But, even though I sometimes found myself doing the same, I still didn’t take it seriously. And I was dubious when she first told me that angels used feathers as their calling cards.

But there was absolutely no mistaking the message that day. The rain was lashing, and there wasn’t a bird in sight.

Yet, as this single fluffy feather landed, it was perfectly dry.

Where else could the feather have come from?

I didn’t tell the boys — they were too excited about the trip — but Caron’s watchful presence helped me. Suddenly I didn’t feel quite so bereft. Although Caron was gone, I felt her comforting presence and knew without a shadow of a doubt that her spirit lived on — I can even see that spirit in her boys.

The next time I remember it happening was the summer of the same year. The boys and their father, Russ Lindsay, were spending the holiday with us at our home in Sevenoaks, Kent.

It was a baking hot day and they were splashing about in our little indoor swimming pool.

I would never have believed two boys could have so much fun or make so much mess. There was water everywhere and I was soaked to the skin.

Then just as I was thinking how much Caron would have loved to have shared the fun, that very moment, out of nowhere, a huge, plume-like bone dry feather drifted through the air and landed near the pool.

As I bent to catch it, I felt instantly it was Caron again.

She was telling us she was watching and was happy that her boys were having such a good time. And knowing that gave me so much comfort. I may not be able to see her, but at least I could sense her.

Since then I have lost count of the number of times I have found her calling card.

Birthdays and anniversaries rarely pass without the arrival of a white feather. And no, there are never any birds nearby when they land.

They also always float down to a place where you just wouldn’t expect to see one, like on your shoe or the doorstep.

Whenever I see one of Caron’s feathers, I pop it in my blouse pocket — close to my heart — until I get home. Then I take it out and keep it safe.

I’ve put all the feathers — and there are hundreds — in jars around my house.

 

Gloria says the 'terrible grief' of losing her daughter never goes away, but believes they will be reunited in death

I feel Caron at my side during my darkest moments, too.

Two years ago, in April 2012, Stephen was rushed to Tunbridge Wells hospital after suffering a minor heart attack. I was in pieces. I was terrified that I was going to lose him. I spent all day at the hospital with Stephen, where he was in intensive care. When I finally got home alone that night, I was trembling with shock and fear as I tried to get my door key into the lock.

I looked down and there — on the mat under a deep porch — was a single white feather.

I knew then it was going to be all right; and Stephen was allowed home a few days later.

I am in no doubt that Caron keeps an eye out for her boys, too: Charlie, who’s now 20 and studying at Bournemouth University, and Gabriel, 17, who is studying for his A-levels.

They have grown up knowing my belief that their mother is looking over us all.

At home above their beds, they still have the little wooden plaques that Caron had made for them, with the inscription: ‘May angels watch over you while you sleep.’

They are young. Their lives are full and happy. But I have no doubt that — whenever they need her comforting presence — a feather will appear.

Caron’s brothers, my sons — Paul, 49, and Michael, 43 — have received her ‘calling cards’, too, on special occasions such as their birthdays.

Only a few weeks ago, Michael and I were driving to St Peter’s Church, However, to put fresh flowers on her grave when a perfect snow-white feather landed on the windscreen.

‘There you go Mum, it’s another of Caron’s feathers,’ Michael smiled.

The terrible grief of losing Caron never goes away. I am a Christian and fervently believe in an afterlife when we will be reunited.

But I still miss her desperately and think of her hundreds of times every single day. She was the one woman in the world I enjoyed talking to the most. I’ll see a dress that she would have loved, or hear a joke she would have enjoyed, and feel a knot in my stomach.

Now I have her feathers to remind me that my daughter may not be visible but she is with me, wherever I go.

I am convinced she is always close to me, her pockets filled with feathers to drop at my feet when I need her comforting presence most.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2771542/White-feathers-convince-Gloria-Hunniford-guardian-angels-DO-exist-make-certain-darling-daughter-Caron-Keating-watching-her.html

What is Reiki?

 

 

 

What to Expect During a Reiki Healing Session

 

 

 

Reiki (pronounced Ray Key) is a combination of two Japanese words rei and ki meaning universal life energy. Reiki is an ancient laying-on of hands healing technique that uses the life force energy to heal, balancing the subtle energies within our bodies. Reiki addresses physical, emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances. This healing art is an effective delivery system. The Reiki practitioner serves as a vessel that supplies healing energies where they are most needed. Reiki's ki-energies flow out of the practitioner's body through the palms of the hands while they are touching the recipient's body.

What to Expect During a Reiki Healing Session

You will be asked to lay down on a massage table, couch, or bed. You will be fully clothed except for your shoes. You may also be asked to remove or loosen your belt so that your breathing is not restricted in any way. It is best to choose loose-fitting garments to wear on the day of your appointment. Wearing natural fabrics is best (cotton, wool, or linen). You may also be asked to remove any jewelry (rings, bracelets, pendants, etc.) prior to the session, so consider leaving these items at home.

Relaxing Atmosphere

Reiki practitioners will often create a relaxing atmosphere for their Reiki sessions, setting the mood with the use of dimmed lights, meditative music, or bubbling water fountains. Some practitioners prefer to be in a place that is completely silent, without distraction of music of any kind, to conduct their Reiki sessions in.

Healing Touch

During the Reiki healing session the practitioner will place his hands lightly on different parts of your body. Some Reiki practitioners will follow a predetermined sequence of hand placements, allowing their hands to rest on each body placement for 2 to 5 minutes before moving on to the next. Empathic practitioners will freely move their hands in no particular order to the areas where they "feel" Reiki is most needed. Some Reiki practitioners do not actually touch their clients. Instead, they will hover their lifted palms a few inches above the reclined body. Either way, Reiki energies flow where they are suppose to. Reiki is a smart energy that automatically flows where the imbalances are in your body regardless of where the practitioner's hands are placed.

Phantom Hands

Because Reiki energies flow to where they are most needed there is a Reiki phenomenon called "phantom hands" that you may or may not experience. Phantom hands feel as if the Reiki practitioner's hands are touching one part of your body when they are actually elsewhere. For example, you may be able to see that the healer's hands are actually placed on your stomach, but you could swear that hands are touching your legs. Or, you may feel as if several pairs of hands are on your body at the same time as if several people are in the room with you.

Booking a Reiki Healing Session

You may have turned to the yellow pages of your telephone directory in search of a Reiki practitioner in your area. However, very few practitioners advertise their services using this media. Reiki practitioners work out of clinics, hospitals, spas, and home businesses. Some practitioners provide house-calls, traveling to your location to give treatments. Check out bulletin board postings in natural food markets, metaphysical stores, yoga classes, community colleges, etc. Reiki practitioners often rely on word of mouth from their regular clients in attracting new ones.

There are many different types of Reiki systems, so be sure to ask any questions you may have about a practitioner’s services before you book a session. Reiki shares are sometimes used as a promotional tool to introduce Reiki in their areas. Shares are usually offered peridodically on weekends for free or at a minimal price.

Becoming a Reiki Practitioner

Reiki is traditionally taught in three levels. Levels I and II are typically taught in one day class (8 hours) or over a weekend period (16 hours). Level III is generally a more intensive course of study and will take a longer commitment. Class time involves an initiation ritual called an attunement and learning the hand placements for self treatments as well as treating others.

 

Reiki Controversies and Myths

The healing community has come a long way in demystifying the cloak of secrecy that once surrounded the teaching of Reiki in the western hemisphere. As a result, inaccuracies that were born out of the teaching being hidden away have been chipped away layer by layer. However, some of these Reiki Myths continue to grow organically.

Reiki was first introduced to Canada and the United States in the 1970s. Hawayo Takata, a Hawaii native of Japanese descent, brought her knowledge of Reiki to the mainland through oral teachings. Reiki teachings and stories were passed down from teacher to student by word of mouth for several years. No wonder the stories got jumbled up!

There is a continuing argument about publicizing the symbols used in Reiki. They have been talked about as being sacred and powerful and should not be shared outside of the Reiki community. Yet, the symbols are printed in several publications and widely distributed across the Internet. What may have been kept for secret for awhile is no longer. I personally do not believe the symbols have power in of themselves, but that the power they represent is actually the intention or focus held by the Reiki practitioner when they are being used.

http://healing.about.com/cs/reiki/a/reikiplex.htm

ABOUT SILVER BIRCH

Silver Birch

There are a number of possible reasons why you have visited this website. The first and most likely is that you are already a 'follower' of Silver Birch and have found his great wisdom and spiritual insights of benefit in your life. In this case you will welcome the reprints of the classic books of his teachings. Whatever the reason, the chances are that Silver Birch's wisdom will remain with you forever. Long after you have forgotten his precise words, his guidance will still be a very real influence whenever you need it. Silver Birch's words are so accessible and meaningful that you will never tire of reading them. But who is Silver Birch, the spirit guide whose words are faithfully recorded here? And who was Maurice Barbanell, the London medium who channelled that wisdom? Without an answer to these questions, many new readers - however impressed with these teachings - will be puzzled about their source.

Maurice Barbanell

Barbanell was the founder and editor of a weekly Spiritualist newspaper, Psychic News, and for half a century devoted his life to spreading spiritual knowledge through its columns and those of other publications with which he was associated.

In his own obituary, which he wrote before his passing at the age of 79 on July 17th 1981, he revealed that he was told by Estelle Roberts' Red Cloud - a spirit guide for whom he had the greatest admiration - that in a previous incarnation he had made a promise to reincarnate and devote his life to spreading Spiritualism. Though he had no knowledge of that life or promise, events certainly conspired to make it possible.

He was born to Jewish parents in a poor area of London's East End. His mother was devoutly religious but his father, a barber was an atheist so Barbanell heard many arguments about religion during his early years. His father always won, and his son adopted the same outlook but later changed to agnosticism. Yet after hearing about Spiritualism from a speaker at a social and literary club of which he was secretary, Barbanell refused to start the debate by putting an opposing view - one of his duties - because, he explained, he had made no personal investigation and therefore his opinions were valueless.

This impressed the speaker who invited Barbanell to attend a seance in which a medium, Mrs Blaustein, was entranced by various spirits of different nationalities. He was not impressed, and on a second visit fell asleep. Barbanell apologised, believing that either boredom or tiredness had been responsible, but the other circle members informed him that he had not been asleep but had been in a trance and a Red Indian had spoken through him.

With the encouragement of a famous Fleet Street journalist Hannen Swaffer, Barbanell founded Psychic News partly as a vehicle for the guide's teachings. But, because he knew he would be criticised for publishing his own mediumship in his own newspaper, Barbanell did not reveal to his readers for many years who was channelling the wisdom, by which time the guide had a huge following on his own merits.

Silver Birch spoke regularly at Barbanell's home circle and the proceedings were always recorded shorthand. There were a number of differences in style and procedure between Barbanell's own journalistic efforts and the way in which Silver Birch communicated, as Barbanell himself observed: "In my working life I use words every day. I have never yet written or dictated an article with which I was satisfied when I read it. Inevitably I find, when looking at the typed material, that I can improve it by altering words, phrases and sentences. No such problem arises with the guide's teachings. These flow perfectly, requiring usually only punctation. Another interesting aspect is the occasional use of words that I regard as archaic and do not form part of my normal vocabulary."

Silver Birch

But who was Silver Birch? A psychic artist depicts him as a serious-looking native American Indian with a single feather and compassionate eyes. There is evidence to suggest that this was simply a convenient persona behind which a far more spiritually evolved soul hid in order that those who read his words would judge them not by the name attached to them but by the wisdom that pervades every sentence.

Those who knew them both were well aware of the differences in the way they spoke and the words they used. They both had spiritual missions and they fulfilled them admirably, particularly when working together in their unique two-world partnership. This, as you will discover, has provided inspirational answers to the questions we all ask, from time to time, about life and its purpose. They are needed now more than ever before as we prepare for the challenges that confront us in the 21st century.

The Spiritual Truth Foundation

Is a charity set up by Trust Deed in April 1965 by Maurice Barbanell and a group of friends for the promotion & advancement of the religion and religious philosophy of Spiritualism. The charity owns the copyright to the Silver Birch Teachings and other titles by Maurice Barbanell and his wife Sylvia, and publishes these through The Spiritual Truth Press. It intends to maintain the Teachings in print and also other titles promoting Spiritualism. This is financed by the sale of the books and also from legacies received from supporters of Silver Birch and the charity. Other web sites quote the Teachings of Silver Birch and the charity encourages this provided the source and publisher is acknowledged.     http://www.silverbirchpublishing.co.uk/about.asp?pageid=4&pagename=About

Wisdom of Spiritual Awakening - A Strategy to Understand the True Nature of Its Petitioner

 

What is spiritual awakening? Invoking the spiritual wisdom of the inner soul is spiritual enlightenment. Many spiritualists learned that even religious fundamentalists say they can provide or contribute to spiritual development. If you feel something deep and profound wisdom and true to your inner wisdom beyond thought, and he is impulsive in your heart and becomes a guide for you, there is a certain degree of spiritual awakening. Many petitioners are the sole collector of spiritual development and have not tasted the truth.

All the sacred books of different religions are based on the spiritual wisdom of the Lord and show him the true nature of spiritual enlightenment. But their technique and rituals are different? Most religions would say that to achieve spiritual enlightenment, you cleanse your conscious mind and logical thinking. Purify your conscious mind by committing to remain free from violence, attachment and hatred.

 

Purify your conscious mind by committing to stay humble and loving. Purify your individual selfishness pledging to remain free of logical thinking and arrogance through prayer, pilgrimage, etc., but this is not the spiritual development. Not really. He is preparing for the selfishness of individuals to enter the illumination of spiritual wisdom.

A light of spiritual wisdom is not an object or a thing that must be taken from anyone. It is already in you to your conscience pure latent. The spiritual enlightenment is not subject to common sense and communication. If someone can do for you is to guide you to invoke the wisdom of spiritual development in consciousness.  

Many people try to directly reach spiritual enlightenment through meditation, fasting, prayer, etc. While many have tried, and many also say they have succeeded in the illumination of spiritual wisdom. The depth of the wisdom of spiritual awakening is endless, so there is no single definition of the wisdom of spiritual awakening,

To give you an idea of those who claim to have or can give spiritual awakening, following are symptoms of the Charter of true expert of the wisdom of spiritual awakening, others are simply to bring the perception of spiritual wisdom and spiritual enlightenment.

The expert from the wisdom of spiritual awakening is always free of its surroundings, as the undergrowth in the life of lotus in water alone. He absorbs the pain, like the solar system that absorbs everything. The expert from the wisdom of spiritual spiritual development always spreads eternal patience.

The character of pure knowledge of the true spiritual wisdom of the law is like the personality of the heat of the fire spontaneous. The expert from the wisdom of spiritual development is purified purity as impurities do not penetrate the water purity. The expert from the wisdom of spiritual awakening is illuminating, as the sky is lit on the sphere of the planet. The expert from the wisdom of spiritual awakening equalizes the friend and enemy and do not have the arrogance.

The expert from the wisdom of spiritual awakening is satisfied with everything, is always impartial and is the nectar of the purity. The wisdom of experts from the spiritual development is free from any technical requirement. He is always right and always alert. He loves the closeness of the echo of serenity. Knowing the true spiritual wisdom of every law still prevails in his state of mind. I am always looking for experts in the wisdom of spiritual awakening to greet him with respect.

 

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Wisdom-of-Spiritual-Awakening---A-Strategy-to-Understand-the-True-Nature-of-Its-Petitioner&id=4005665

Astonishing near-death stories...

I was halfway to losing myself - and my baby

Carol Page, 67, a retired nurse and mother of three, lives with her husband John in Perthshire, Scotland.

She says: 'It should have been the moment I held my daughter in my arms. Instead, after a gruelling labour that lasted over 24 hours, my baby was  whisked away as the midwives treated me.

'I could sense the panic around me as the medical team painfully pushed and pulled on my abdomen, blood seeping out.

 

Carol Page, 67, had a near death experience after giving birth to her daughter 40 years ago

'Then, suddenly, the pain lifted and I was fading, floating above my body.

'Though I could still hear the voices of the nurses, everything was quiet, gentle and a beautiful pinky white colour.

'I wanted to stay in this pain-free and happy place, but then I heard the wail of my daughter and knew I had a responsibility to her and my two year-old son, Benjamin, waiting at home. 

'Just as I made the choice to return, I heard a voice say ‘Christ, she’s back!’ and I slammed back into my body, where it was red, black and enveloped in pain.

'I remained in hospital for five days and had numerous blood transfusions to replace the huge amounts I’d lost.

'When I held Rachel in  my arms after those scary few hours, I was so relieved and happy.

' was halfway to losing her — and myself — but thankfully, I managed to hold on.

'Forty years later, we still talk about it.'

Saved by my late grandmothers

 

 

Susanna Omuri said she had a vision of her late grandmothers telling her 'not to join them'

Susanna Omuri, 30, from Chigwell, Essex, is a stay-at-home mother to her 18-month-old daughter Isla.

She says: 'Almost 20 years ago, when I was 11, I visited a friend’s house. They lived on a dangerous bend and as I began to cross the road, a car came swerving around the corner.

'It hit me hard, throwing me 30ft into the air. At that moment, suspended in the air above the car, time slowed  and I got a clear vision of my two grandmothers — who had died when I was young — standing in a group of other people nearby, though I couldn’t recognise anyone else.

'They were shouting at me and saying I couldn’t join them. Then they purposefully turned their backs on me.

'The next thing I remember was hitting the bonnet of the car and then the road. I was in agony, but fully conscious the whole time.

'Despite being covered in bruises and suffering from shock, thankfully I was relatively unharmed.

'An ambulance took me to the hospital and on the journey I couldn’t stop thinking about how angry my grandmothers had seemed.

'The nurse told me that at the speed the car was going I should have died, and would have done if I had landed in any other way.

'She said a fairy godmother must have been looking after me. I was sent home that day.

'I was three when my first grandmother died and six when the other passed away.

'Being so young when they died, I had only a hazy recollection of what they looked like, but when I saw them at the moment of the car accident they were as clear as day.'

Moment I knew my son was going to die

Angela Dent, 61, is a retired restaurant owner and mother of three who lives with her husband, Ken, in Enfield, Middlesex.

She says: 'On Boxing Day morning 2012, my youngest son Simon, 35 and the owner of a tapas restaurant, was smoking a cigarette on the porch of his house.

'My husband Ken and I were staying with him, and I went out to speak to him.

 

 

Angela Dent, 61, said she had a premonition predicting her son's death

'As I looked at him, a strange calmness came over me. We asked each other if we were OK and both said yes. In that moment, I got an inexplicable feeling that I would never see him again and that he was going to die.

'We held each other’s gaze.

'There was no sadness or smiling. It was strange and unnerving, but I have never felt so certain of something before.

'I went back inside and into my bedroom and woke up my husband Ken to tell him of my premonition because I felt so strongly that something bad was going to happen. He told me not to be so silly.

'Simon went off to work a little later. That night at 3.37am, the phone rang when Ken and I were asleep in bed.

'I started crying, knowing it would be the news I had been dreading.

'It was one of my son’s friends saying there had been a terrible car accident and Simon was very badly hurt.

'We arrived at the scene of the accident, but our son had already been pronounced dead.

'I was strangely numb, but knew that it was his time. I will never forget that moment when we looked at each other and I just knew.'

Childhood near miss that still haunts me

 

 

Anne Sanderson, 64, believes she had a near-death experience when she was a young child

Anne Sanderson,  64, a retired medical secretary, of Larbert, in Falkirk, lives with her husband Derek, a landscape artist. They have two grown-up children.

She says: 'I had a near-death experience 62 years ago when I was just two. My twin sister, Lesley, and I had been put into our shared cot by our mother, Susan.

'I recall the sparse but sunny room clearly, with its linoleum on the floor. Lesley was standing in one corner of the cot  and I was standing opposite her when she suddenly sneezed.

'I got such a start that I fell over the raised cot side and onto the floor. At the same time I had one of the strangest and most lasting memories I’ve  ever experienced.

'It was a dream-like scene where I found myself floating high above  Earth, looking down from outer space.

'The blackness was all around highlighting the colours I could see below me — all blues, greens and yellows marking out the countries and seas.

'I could see the entire globe so I must have been a long, long way away. There was also a slender, silver cord attached to my left hand side, reaching all the way back to Earth.

'I felt very tranquil as though it was the most natural thing to be happening, even though I had no idea what I was looking at.

'This happened in 1951. No colour photos of the world like that had yet been taken, let alone produced for a toddler to look at, and we didn’t even have a black-and-white television. How could I have known what the Earth looked like?

'Fortunately, it was not my time to go.

'I discovered much later that I’d cracked my collar bone. I regained consciousness in the hospital and have gone on living for six decades.'

White-robed man with a tranquil smile

Teacher Jan McPherson lives with her husband David, 68, a retired civil servant, in Carmarthen. They have two children.

She says: 'Five years ago, I grew ill with a lung condition called bronchiectasis which meant I had difficulty breathing.

'As my condition deteriorated, I had the same dream over and over again.

'In it, I went to a wooden door with a brass handle. Every time I tried to open the door it stayed closed.

 

 

 

Jan McPherson, from Ferryside, said she had a dream in which she saw 'a man in white robes' while she was suffering with a lung condition called bronchiectasis

One night the door opened and inside was a garden filled with blond children playing by a waterfall.

'They had smiling, angelic faces and the air was filled with laughter. I had an overwhelming feeling of calm. In the corner was a man in white robes.

'He had a long, grey beard and hair and carried a stave, rather like a shepherd’s.

'He had the most a tranquil smile I have ever seen and radiated warmth and light.

'Soon, I knew it was time to return, but I felt sure I’d had been privileged to witness such a scene.

'Over the next few days my condition began to improve. I believe I was touched by healing hands and miraculously given strength from somewhere that night.'

I was hovering 10ft above hospital bed

Bob Pendlebury, 63, a retired financial services manager, lives in Hove, East Sussex.

 

 

Bob Pendlebury, 63, a retired financial services manager, said he recalls floating ten feet above his hospital bed after an asthma attack

He says: 'Five years ago, I had an asthma attack that very nearly killed me. I was at home with my wife when suddenly I felt very tired and my breathing became difficult. Within minutes, I was struggling for each breath and panicking.

'My wife, Nicole, rang for an ambulance and I was rushed to A&E, where they gave me emergency drugs and adrenaline as I had stopped breathing. I was convinced I was about to die.

'I blacked out in one of the emergency rooms while doctors surrounded me, pulling tubes in and out of me.

'The next thing I can remember is hovering 10ft in the air in the corner of the ceiling, looking down at myself on the hospital bed. I could see lots of people rushing in and out of the room.

'Then suddenly my wife was leaving.

'I was not in pain and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I remember thinking: ‘That’s nice, Nicole’s abandoning me.’

Then I felt a sting in my neck, as though vinegar was being poured into my artery, and suddenly I came to again. Things slowly came back into focus.

'I made a full recovery.

I later found out that magnesium had been injected into my neck as a last resort.

My wife told me they’d been moments from performing a tracheotomy when I suddenly started breathing again.

Strange dream as my heart stopped

 

 

Carol Paradise had a near death experience in hospital in January 2013

Carol Paradise, 71, a former mayor of Bath, lives with her husband David, 75, a retired builder.

They have three children.

She says: 'A year ago, I went into hospital for a straightforward gallstone operation.

But the gallbladder burst and my organs began to shut down.

'I was unconscious for two days and my heart stopped three times.

'From those two days, all I can remember, vividly, is the strangest dream.

My friend Anna was sitting by my bed and I suggested that we go for a walk in the grounds.

'We came to a circle of grass edged by a low stone wall that looked down to the sea.

'A group of people joined us and we turned to enter a cave that led into a black tunnel.

'The group, none of whom I recognised, seemed happy and went into the tunnel.

'I looked around and Anna had disappeared. At the last moment, I turned around and went back.

'Then I remember waking up, being rushed along a hospital corridor and seeing my family around me.

'I made a full recovery eventually and was told I had been very lucky to survive.'

A vision of nuns at my feet

 

 

Gerald Grainger, 69, from South Wales who suffered a near death experience when he had a heart attack in June last year

Gerald Grainger, 69, lives with his wife Laurel, a retired sales assistant, in Merthyr Tydfil. They have three grown-up children.

He says: 'I was at home last June when I started feeling chesty and sweaty. My wife Laurel insisted I called 999.

'In the ambulance, the lovely paramedic, Vanessa, was talking to me when suddenly I felt myself floating down a square tunnel lit by a bright shining light.

'I could see four faceless figures, dressed in nun-like habits with pointy hats, float beside me and there was a feeling of calm, as if I was suspended in a lovely dream.

'I was looking ahead at what I thought was a large garden when suddenly everything went into reverse and I was speeding backwards through the tunnel and I was awake, my face pressed up against the side of the ambulance with Vanessa saying: ‘Come on Gerald, fight for me, come on.’

'We arrived at the hospital minutes later where I stayed for six days, after apparently suffering a heart attack and ‘dying’ for five minutes in the ambulance.

'Vanessa had shocked me with a defibrillator and carried out CPR until I’d eventually regained consciousness.

'When I returned home, I continued to see visions of those nuns at the foot of my bed every night for about six weeks, and, strangely, their presence felt very comforting.

'I used to be afraid of dying alone, but I’m not any more.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547714/Our-astonishing-near-death-stories-thousands-touched-thought-provoking-series-intensive-care-nurse.html

Native American Beliefs

Native American beliefs are deeply rooted in their culuture. We believe EVERYTHING is sacred from the largest mountain to the smallest plant and animal. A lesson can be found in all things and experiences and everything has a purpose.To sum up Native Spirituality; it is about HONOR, LOVE, and RESPECT. Not only do we love, honor, and respect our Creator and our Mother Earth, but also every living thing. It is about being in touch with ourselves and everything around us. It is about knowing and understanding that we are part of everything, and everything is a part of us. We are all One. We also believe that our Elders hold the answers. Our Elders keep our culture alive. We have much to learn from our Elders, and they deserve and receive our utmost respect. Listed below is some poems, quotes and rules that show the beliefs native americans hold. No matter the person nor the tribe it is taken from. you can see a common string that runs through them. I have been asked many times what it is to be Native american. What it is we believe, and though I have given the above defintion to this day I still refer to the simple words of a departed loved one and teacher. White Feather; navajo/apache born medicine man. To him I dedicate this page.

"Native American isnt blood; it is what is in the heart. The love for the land. The respect for it, those who inhabit it; and the respect and acknowledgement of the spirits and the elders. That is what it is to be indian."
White Feather
Navajo Medicine Man

 

Explanation of Native American Spirituality

"The Indian loved to worship. From birth to death, he revered his surroundings. He considered himself born in the luxurious lap of Mother Earth, and no place was to him humble. There was nothing between him and the Big Holy (Wakan Tanka). The contact was immediate and personal, and the blessings of Wakan Tanka flowed over the Indian like rain showered from the sky. Wakan Tanka was not aloof, apart, and ever seeking to quell evil forces. He did not punish the animals and the birds, and likewise, he did not punish man. He was not a punishing god. For there was never a question as to the supremacy of an evil power over and above the power of Good. There was but one ruling power, and that was Good."
-Chief Luther Standing Bear -
Teton Sioux, Born 1868

 

American Indian Commandments
Sacred Instructions Given By The Creator To Native People At The Time Of Creation

Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well being of mind and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
 

Native Code of Ethics

1. Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little more each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for the courage and strength to be a better person. Seek for the things that will benefit others (everyone).

2. Respect: Respect means "To feel or show honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to treat someone or something with deference or courtesy". Showing respect is a basic law of life.

Treat every person from the tiniest child to the oldest elder with respect at all times. Special respect should be given to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.
No person should be made to feel "put down" by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a deadly poison.
Touch nothing that belongs to someone else (especially Sacred Objects) without permission, or an understanding between you.

Respect the privacy of every person, never intrude on a person's quiet moment or personal space.

Never walk between people that are conversing.

Never interrupt people who are conversing.

Speak in a soft voice, especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom special respect is due.

Do not speak unless invited to do so at gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you, should you be in doubt).

Never speak about others in a negative way, whether they are present or not.

Treat the earth and all of her aspects as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to defend her.

Show deep respect for the beliefs and religion of others.

Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.

Respect the wisdom of the people in council. Once you give an idea to a council meeting it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the people. Respect demands that you listen intently to the ideas of others in council and that you do not insist that your idea prevail. Indeed you should freely support the ideas of others if they are true and good, even if those ideas are quite different from the ones you have contributed. The clash of ideasbrings forth the Spark of Truth.

3. Once a council has decided something in unity, respect demands that no one speak secretly against what has been decided. If the council has made an error, that error will become apparent to everyone in its own time.

4. Be truthful at all times, and under all conditions.

5. Always treat your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.

6. The hurt of one is the hurt of all, the honor of one is the honor of all.

7. Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as members of the human family.

8. All the races and tribes in the world are like the different colored flowers of one meadow. All are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be respected.

9. To serve others, to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is one of the main purposes for which human beings have been created. Do not fill yourself with your own affairs and forget your most important talks. True happiness comes only to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.

10. Observe moderation and balance in all things.

11. Know those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your destruction.

12. Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart. Expect guidance to come in many forms; in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.

This article is a reprint from the "Inter-Tribal Times" - October 1994

 

 

Love of the Land

The old people came literally to love the soil, and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power. It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth.
Their tipis were built upon the earth and their altars were made of earth. The birds that flew in the air came to rest upon the earth, and it was the final abiding place of all things that lived and grew.
The soul was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and healing. This is why the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life-giving forces. For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly.
He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him.
- Chief Luther Standing Bear -
Teton Sioux, Born 1868

 

The Teaching of Tecumseh

Live your life that the fear of death
can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views
and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life,
beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long
and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day
when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting
or passing a friend, or even a stranger,if in a lonely place
Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light,
for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks,
the fault lies in yourself.
Touch not the poisonous firewater that makes wise ones turn to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When your time comes to die, be not like those
whose hearts are filled with fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again
in a different way.
Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home.

 

Native American Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty
and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things your have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
the things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have
hidden in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my Spirit may come to you without shame.

- Chief Yellow Lark -
Lakota -

 

Prayer for the White Man

And now, Grandfather, I ask you to bless
the white man.
He needs your wisdom, your guidance.
You see, for so long,
he has tried to destroy my people,
and only feels comfortable
when given power.
Bless them, show them the peace we understand;
teach them humility.
For I fear they will someday destroy themselves
and their children
as they have done so Mother Earth.
I plead, I cry.
After all, they are my brothers......

Cherokee Prayer Blessing

May the warm winds of heaven
Blow softly upon your house.
May the Great Spirit
Bless all who enter there.
May your mocassins
Make happy tracks
In many snows,
And may the rainbow
Always touch your shoulder

Traditional Cheyenne Saying

A Nation is not conquered
until the hearts of its women
are on the ground.
Then it is done,
no matter how brave its warriors
nor how strong its weapons.

What is Life

What is Life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the winter time.
It is the little shadow
which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the Sunset.
- Crowfoot -
Blackfoot Indian

By Chief Seattle

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone,
Man would die from
a great loneliness of the spirit.
For whatever happens to the beasts
soon happens to man."

 

Guard your tongue in youth,
and in age you may mature a thought
that will be of service to your people.
(Minquass)

http://home.earthlink.net/~tessia/Native.html