Magic: fake or fact? (2)

So, after reading about the Archetype of the destructive Female Power (see last post), I went into the dunes, to communicate with spirit, and the land, like R.J. Stewart in his book on magic suggested. I passed a hill, and saw a fox; never seen one before.

I sat down to meditate, a few meters from where the fox had been. I talked to the wind, the flies and the birds. I connected to the soil, and asked mother Earth for symbols. I started to follow the energy with my hands; signs arose. No idea what they were.

When I was done, a rabbit came. It was running towards me, squeaking loudly. Suddenly it started spinning around. It made very strange movements; on the same spot where I had seen the fox. One minute later it dropped dead. I was in shock. I did not dare to approach it.

I didn’t know what to do, then to simply connect, and share my love. A while later I took off. Before reaching the path, I was startled again. A flock of pigeons flew just over my head.

For a few days I felt totally puzzled. And I am still trying to figure out what happened. This is scary! Or am I just an ignorant city girl?  

(To be continued...)

Magic: fake or fact? (1)

In one of my last posts I complained about mother Earth, because she didn’t give me any signs. Did she send me some messengers just a few days later! If I could only understand what they were saying…

This holiday I wanted to learn about magic. I find healings magical. I love the dreamlike state where I communicate with other dimensions. 

So when I started reading R.J. Stewart’s work, it really resonated: according to him magic is a means of transformation. Like meditation, yoga or healing can be. He describes magic as an initiation process, and practitioners are travelers, embarking on the Underworld Journey.

He says: ‘All magic is firmly based upon this Foundation: There is more than one world.’ And: ‘You cannot have magic without the harmonious exchange between humanity and other orders of life. A ritual, a ceremony, is a special pattern that enables this exchange. This ritual pattern is shared between humans and other beings… humans and spiritual beings.’

And: ‘One of the hallmarks of true magic is that it is freely available to all, yet very few of us choose to look for it.’ And: ‘Only when the individual has been through the Underworld can he or she mediate solar energies into the land, or bring Light and Dark together.’

Magic is about felt experience. It cannot be grasped by intellectual effort, or occur without body and Earth. Intention is everything. So is the knowledge that you are dealing with real entities (Archetypes), not fantasies.

I really liked what I read (and that's an understatement), yet understood only partly what he meant. So I went into the dunes, to experiment, and see if I could make some magic happen.

(To be continued...)

Want to learn more about magic? I read ‘The Underworld Initiation, A Journey Towards Psychic Transformation’, by R.J. Stewart, and ordered his ‘Advanced Magical Arts’. (But he wrote many more.) Or visit http://rjstewart.org.

9 ways to get your baby to sleep

I met Barbara and her daughter Celine at a party. Celine was only two, but she was so sincere, and had so much depth; I recognized an old soul. Barbara hadn’t slept much since she was born. Every single night Celine woke up about 30 times. Barbara had her examined by doctors, but no physical cause was found.

I felt blessed: at a ‘bad’ night my eleven-month year old ‘only’ wakes up 10 times. Plus: I was already aware of the fact that this nerve wrecking sleeping pattern could be caused by her sensitivity to energy. For my book Mijn vader lijkt op Barbapapa I interviewed 30 highly sensitive kids, and as babies many of them had trouble closing their eyes.

So, is your baby driving you mad too? Then you might want to try a few things. Together they may improve your rest. We haven’t found the ultimate solution yet, but we are making progress.

1. Put these babies to sleep during the day (in the stroller if you have to). They won’t sleep longer at night if they are extra tired. On the contrary. They are super alert, and don’t want to miss anything.
2. Help them back to sleep immediately as soon as they wake up. They may look totally awake, but are in a ‘in between state’. 

      3. Make sleep a priority. Structure is beneficial, as are sleep rituals and a minimum of stimuli.
4. Have lots of physical contact. They need an adult to help them discharge their energy surplus.  
5. Some stones, like Howlite, improve sleepiness. 
6.  Bach remedies may help. We use Star of Bethlehem. 
7. Play dolphin music.
8. Put a refuse bag under their mattress. It absorbs energy.
9. Switch off the wifi at night.

Yet, the best advice is: give up your resistance. Every time I dread getting up in the middle of the night, or very early in the morning, I am suffering. I benefit most from keeping my heart open and enjoying every minute of her existence.

More suggestions? Please let me know!