Sunday 17 June 2012

Heal My Spirit



I need help to understand something and I am hoping that there is somebody out there in Blogland who may be able to assist me.

I have come across a pamphlet and it has confused me. When I started reading it, my first reaction was:

“WHAT THE PHARK?”

Shortly after that, I started laughing.

And then I started thinking.

And now I am confused.

The pamphlet is a newsletter (I’m not going to tell you the source) that I initially thought was a joke. The problem is it is so well written that I believe it to be serious and, worse, after some research with my old friend Mr Google, it seems that people actually subscribe to the contents.

Before I go on, I am very sceptical about anything that is vaguely supernatural, even though I love that kind of stuff. I love the concept that we might be being manipulated by the stars, that the dead are watching over us and that there are beings out there that influence our lives.

The problem is, although I love the concept, I don’t believe a bloody word of it.

Regular readers might recall how I have mocked astrology and fortune telling in the past. It’s great if you believe that stuff, but I don’t and I apologise to any readers who aren't a grumpy old cynic like me.

Anyway, the pamphlet describes workshops, events and other therapeutic aids to helping the average person, like me, to achieve a higher level of spiritual fulfilment and heal myself.

Here are the items that made me swear, then laugh, then think:

Angelic Mediation

On paper this doesn’t sound so bad; I can understand how meditation can help. I have actually tried to meditate myself, when faced with the prospect of doing something that terrifies me, like public speaking. The night before I have to spend a week presenting a course, I lay in bed and allowed myself to drift away from my fear, on a journey through my imagination. And it worked.

In this case, however, the idea is to “connect with angelic light beings” and “receive healing messages from your guardian angel”.

Is that nonsense? I’m sorry, but I think it is. While I love the idea that I may have a guardian angel, my life experience tells me that I don’t. How could a guardian angel stand by and let me embarrass myself, allow me to make stupid decisions and not intervene when the shit hits the fan?

Laughter Club

I love a good laugh. I look in the mirror every morning and laugh at the image that stares back at me before I put on my specs and realise that it is me.

Laughter can be something that is therapeutic. When times are tough we embark upon “gallows humour”, laughing in the face of adversity, giggling at the bad fates that make our life hell. But you need something to laugh at.

I cannot for a second imagine that forcing yourself to laugh with a group of people is either possible or good for you. Anybody can force laugher, but it is only therapeutic if there is something genuinely funny to laugh at.

I personally would laugh at the people in laughter club because I think that their merriment is forced and therefore not genuine. If you want to laugh, switch on the telly and turn to the Comedy Channel.

Am I just being cynical?

Channel Archangels

I thought this was a TV channel servicing the bosses of your guardian angel. It’s not. Instead you will be taught how to converse with archangels.

Being brought up as a Catholic, I was always scared of the concept of archangels because these were the guys who had swords and slayed evil – God’s henchmen if you like. Gabriel is the most famous and he is the being who will be responsible for blowing a horn to indicate the end of time, the resurrection of everybody and Judgement Day – a pretty big thing to be responsible for if you ask me.

Would I want to converse with Gabriel? I don’t think so – I’d be pretty scared.

And I certainly wouldn’t get any spiritual fulfilment when confronted by a sword wielding archangel who would be responsible for raising me from the dead to face the wrath of God on Judgement Day.

Aura Photography

A rather strange woman once told me that she could see my aura. And while I was amused, I was a little frustrated that I couldn’t see hers. Apparently we all have an aura and some people can see them, others can’t.

And because I can’t, I am cynical about their existence. It’s like people who claim they can talk to the dead – because the vast majority of people cannot have a conversation with their ancestors, so-called mediums, in my opinion, exploit those who are desperate to contact loved ones who have passed over.

This annoys me immensely.

Aura photography is similar. Apparently you meet a man who takes your photograph and provides a two page document that contains an “intuitive interpretation of your aura” and your current location on your spiritual journey.

All for the price of £25.

Am I missing something here?

Past Life Therapy

We all have hangovers from previous lives apparently, where we made a commitment in a previous existence that still binds us in this life. Past life therapy is an attempt to free us of these obligations and allow us to live our current lives spiritually free of the past.

Again, I am fascinated with the concept that I might have been a Roman soldier or a great scientist. In reality, if there is any truth in this idea, then I was probably killed by being thrown from a cliff while covered in spiders and speaking to a crowd about the dangers of tarantulas, which may explain my fear of heights, my fear of public speaking and my arachnophobia.

Or it could be utter nonsense.

Over To You

I know that some readers may believe that the above examples of spiritual health therapy actually do have substance and really, I would like to understand why you believe that.

I am guilty of being a cynic, mainly due to my scientific background, which has led me to seek proof before I believe anything. The basis for scientific research is that unless it is proven fact it is still theory.

So do auras really exist? And can they be photographed? And what colour is yours? Are you, like me, still in the starting blocks, spiritually?


Have we all been reincarnated and led past lives? Were you a Roman soldier too? Did we serve in the same legion? Did you know General Maximus Decimus Meridius? 


Does your guardian angel protect you or do you, like me, stumble through life while your guardian angel tells his laughter group about your exploits?


Have you met an archangel? Was it Gabriel and did he give you any hint about when he was going to blow his horn?

To any readers who take this seriously, I apologise for my flippancy and with my hand on my heart, I am genuinely interested.

If you can convince me to have my aura photographed, I might just do it and let you know whether I am truly a spiritual amoeba.

23 comments:

Pandora Behr said...

Hi PM,

Maybe we should skype about this... Laughter club - give it a go - even just once (as I have given it a go one - brilliant, bizarre and fun experience)

As you know, I'm a tarot reader. I feel auras (but don't see them) As for the angel stuff - I have a regard for them, but that is about it.

Past life regression - in the right context, is fascinating, but shouldn't be attempted without a skilled practitioner who can deal with the fall out.

That's my two pennies on this one. But I was always going to have a different view on this - being a reiki/energetic healer, I was always going to have a different viewpoint.

This also isn't to say that I think MOST new age practitioners need to be approached with a grain of salt until proved otherwise.

But do go to laughter club. Just once. It's fantastic.
Pandx

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi Pand,

Yes - I thought I might provoke a reaction from you, though that was not the purpose of the post - honestly :-)

I've actually seen laughter groups on TV and it looks a bit forced and therefore strange to me. Maybe its just me.

Mrs PM is the more likely of the two of us to go there to be honest.

Having a chat about it all would be very interesting actually - if you don't get annoyed when the cynic inside me surfaces.

;0)

Cheers

PM

MedicatedMoo said...

I honestly don't know where I stand on all this....

....except that my knowledge of what I see is minimal (eg how does electricity work?); let alone what people smarter than me can explain AND all the infinite pieces of knowledge and wisdom 'out there' that is yet to be proven or seen or experiences or even discovered.

I'm a scoffer by nature but realise too that I'll read my horoscope and buy a lottery ticket. Deluded optimist perhaps.

MedicatedMoo said...

But nothing - NOTHING - beats a really good laugh.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Bonjour Kath,

I buy lottery tickets even though I know that the chances of winning are absolutely tiny. I studied statistics at University so I should know better - and I do - but there is a teeny weeny weeny chance I might escape the rat race ...

Yes - a good laugh is the best!!

:0)

Cheers

PM

River said...

I'm pretty sure I have a guardian angel or two. I'm not filthy rich and my life isn't all sugar roses, but I do have this habit of always landing on my feet, things always work out well, I always have enough money to get by and pay my bills, there's a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in the fridge. The wolf has never been at my door, and people I meet like me. Furthermore, if it's raining, the rain will stop while I'm walking to and from work or to and from the bus. That says guardian angel to me.
As for the laughter club, I agree with you. Turn on the comedy channel or read a funny book, or some funny blogs. Get a REAL belly laugh going, not something contrived because you're at a club meeting that says you shall laugh.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi River,

Move to Manchester immediately - and let me know when you are going out, so that I do not get rained on AGAIN.

:0)

Cheers

PM

drb said...

Oh Mr PM,
I am very disappointed at this blog. I am a scienitist with a PhD but I also realised that things that science has not shown evidence of existence does not mean they do not exist. It can also mean we do not have the advancement in technology to detect it.

Come on, Mr PM, how long ago did we detect and start to measure radiation?? 1896
Does it mean that radiation did not exist before 1896?

Once a upon a time, majority of the people believed the earth was fkat and that the earth was centre of the universe.

If you are curious about past-life, read the book by Brian Weiss, Many Lives Many
Masters, Only Love Is Real. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School, and a Psychiatrist at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.

I am a scientist with an IQ of 147and I trust my own senses (I top my class because I know what questions were coming out the next day). I believe in keeping an open mind and try anything at least once before discounting its validity.

I dare you to go for a past life regression hypnosis.

I believe whether someone can see a ghost is in the genes. It must be a kind of receptor of certain wavelength/frequency. Just like some people are colour blind because they lack the receptor to see colour. So why is it unusual that some people have the receptor to see ghost? Usually people who can see ghost runs in the family. My father and I can see ghost but not my mum or my siblings. Other scientists I know can see ghosts as well but they do not publicly talk about it for fear of being radiculed by narrow-minded people like you.

People who shut their mind on things that can't be proven by science are as narrow-minded as the people who only believe in the bible.

drb said...

Taro card:
As a scientist, I decided to test out the validity of taro card.

Expt 1: Went to a same reader twice in the row with 2 weeks apart and I pull out exactly the same cards.

Expt 2: Bought a pack of Taro card and learnt how to read it. Brought the card into the lab and started reading for everyone who agreed. I just did short reading i.e. forecast what will happen within 3 weeks. I did >20 readings and they all came true. I scared myself and I stop reading for myself and will only do it when others beg me to do it.
Why:
Case 1: Predicted my colleague's flight will be delayed and it did.

Case 2: Cards predictedd man of the house wil die. Got her worried, because man of the house could be interpreted as her hubby. But the vendor of the house they were trying to buy, died suddenly within next few days of the reading.

Case 3: Predicted my male colleague will meet the love of his life. He could not believe it but kept picking the same cards 5 times. Then of course he did meet the love of his life.

Case 4: Predicted my colleague would be hospitalised but she would recover. She did.

Case 5: Predicted my colleague would almost die from losing too much blood and that happened.

case 6: Revealed that my colleague's boyfriend was cheating on her and he was.

So on and so forth....

drb said...

Rob thinks he is like Darrin in Bewitched. He was a total sceptic like you but after being married for 10 years, he agreed that things are not as black and white as you think.

drb said...

Rob thinks he is like Darrin in Bewitched. He was a total sceptic like you but after being married for 10 years, he agreed that things are not as black and white as you think.

drb said...

Aura
I can't say I can see aura but I did encounter a strange incident:

I was 14, came home from school in the afternoon, my dad and his best friend were in the living room. I greeted them and went into the kitchen,"Mum, there is a dark cloud hanging over uncle Lou. It is very strange." Mum gave me her usual response,"Don't talk nonsense." Phone rang, it was from uncle Lou's wife. Their son had just been killed in car accident.

Again, I think some people have the receptor to see auro and most people don't. It is a rare gene.

drb said...

Reiki:

Rob took Reiki lessons for fun. Then my left eye had been inflamed for weeks and my GP and ophthalmologist could not fix it. So I volunteered as Rob's lab rat.

He held his hands over my eye and strangely enough, sparks actually flew from his hand onto my eye, and instantly, the swelling went away.

drb said...

Guardian angle:
Yes, everyone has at least one. When you are in desperate need/despair, try sincerely to speak to yours and you will get an answer.

Read Eat Pray Love.

drb said...

Mr PM,
No, not all souls have a past life, some have more past lives than others. New souls are created. Have you ever wondered why are we here? I have wondering about that since I was 12. I read a lot (including religious materials) and discuss the topic to try to find the answer.

After more 2 decades of researching, I come to the conclusion that all the religions (nit including cults) teach people to be a better person, to acquire the same virtues. Why I don't know.
The Bahai gives a good analogy: When you are in your mum's womb, you develop eyes, ears, arms and legs etc, what are the functions of this organs, you wouldn't know. How to use them you wouldn't know. However, if any of these physical attributes are not developed properly, you are stuffed after you are born.
After you are born inot this physical world, you are supposed to develop your spiritual attributes. That is why life is never easy, they are situations to test and help you develop your virtues.
I believe that there is many lessons to be learnt and we are given many chances. So, you did not learn all your lessons, you will be sent back to do it again.

For eg, in a famine, you can decide how to act - kill other sto rob their food, sacrifice yourself, share your food? Make a wrong choice, you will reincarnate into a same circumstances again.

After you have acquired all your virtues, you will not reincarnate again unless you chose to be sent down to help others.

I figured all these out before reading Brian Weiss's book.

Go and read the book Mr PM, if notthing, it is an interesting read.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Wow drb,

I don't know where to start.

Rest assured I shall consider all of your fabulous comments with an open mind.

As you quite rightly say: "I also realised that things that science has not shown evidence of existence does not mean they do not exist".

As I said in the post, I am genuinely interested and I am willing to cast my scepticism aside and wave goodbye to my cynicism and do a little research.

You have inspired me drb.

:-)

Cheers

PM

drb said...

Oh I am glad Mr PM.

:-)

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi again drb,

Watch out for a blog post or two about it in due course...

:0)

drb said...

Yes, I would Mr PM.
Now some answers to your specific questions.

Q: How could a guardian angel stand by and let me embarrass myself, allow me to make stupid decisions and not intervene when the shit hits the fan?

A: From my experience, a guardian angle will only intervene if you are going to perish before your time. Note the phrase 'before your time'. Embarrassment would not kill you I suppose, and it may lessons you have to learn the hard way. ;-)

drb said...

Laughter club: Am I just being cynical?

In true drb style, I dragged Rob along to one free session in the square. It was a grand sight with hundreds of people
'ho ho ho, ha ha ha and hee hee heeing' away. It was fun but I didn't sign up for more lessons agreeing with you that comedies (?) on TV will have the same effects. But I can see that it may help others who don't have the habbit of laughing out loud, Rob is one of them. It maybe my imagination that after the laughing lesson, now I can hear him chuckling away watching the TV.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi drb,

I might pop to a laughter club sitting and ask if I can just watch, purely out of research.

I bet they won't let me though...

:0)

Cheers

PM

Nikita said...

Laughter is regarded as the best medicine. But it seems that its inappropriate use can be a nuisance also.Laughter clubs should not do anything to make others weep.

Plastic Mancunian said...

Hi Nikita,

I love laughing - but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of Laughter Club because I genuinely need something to laugh at - not force it.

:0)

Cheers

PM