This card speaks of a time of harmony, creativity and increasing order.  It tells of communication without words-the music of empathy and the awareness of the feelings and concerns of others.  Seek harmony and tranquility within yourself and the world around you, using tenderness and gentleness and music.  Be aware that others are listening to us with sensitivity and clarity-so much so that they may hear what we are truly saying more clearly than we do ourselves.  Dreams will be filled with meaning and importance.  Listen to the subtle melodies of life....

Eilid brings us the gentleness and grace of the feminine principle thus enabling us to achieve subtlety, elegance and sophistication.

I was surprised to see a picture of the Milky Way taken in south-eastern Arizona - what a beautiful sight!  It was in an article about light pollution.  One side of the debate was "The lights will fundamentally and unalterably change the quality of life" the other side countered "Our children will have the opportunity to play more outdoor events".  How can we balance the two.  We desire only the best for our children but would humanity be able to observe such beauty in our night sky if there were stadium lights fitted?  How many unpolluted places are there on earth and how do we preserve what we have without taking away peoples rights.  The outcome was that an anonymous donor offered financial help, the measure being passed, four to one.  It was "best for the kids", the superintendent of schools said, but the jury may still be out on that one!

Passages to new life.  Openings.  Gatekeeping.  New opportunities.  Journeys of all kinds on every level.  Adventure and irrevocable change in our lives which changes us.  Something important is happening which is to be approached with awareness and prayerfulness.  We are embarking on a new phase of our lives, and there will be no going back once this gate has been passed.  We may ask the guardian of the gate for guidance and protection on our journey.  The Guardian at the Gate of Unity facilitates the passage of the song into the hearts of the Singers and aids the passage of humans and faeries into Unity, to be filled by the song when they are ready.  We cannot make the mystical experience happen to us; we can only open our hearts wider and wider until we are ready, usually only momentarily, to receive it.  The Guardian at the Gate recognizes our readiness

Borneo has provided much of the world's tropical hardwoods for years but now only half of its forests remain, mostly in the higher central areas.  The lowland forest is disappearing rapidly owing to the planting of oil palm crops.  The natural vegetation is being burnt in order to plant oil palms and other commercial trees and of course many species of animals and plants are under threat.  The Borneo pygmy elephant lives happily in the lowland forest areas which are diminishing rapidy and the island's orangutans are endangered.  Their population has fallen by more than 50 percent in the past 50 years.  Currently 500 orphans are cared for by  the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue Centre in indonesian Borneo.   Divided among the nations of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, Borneo supports at least 15,000 knowns plant species, including more than 2,500 species of orchids - including the largest orchid known.  Southeast Asia's lowland forests, including Borneo's, are the tallest tropical rain forests in the world, and may have as many as 240 species of trees on a single four-acre site.  Borneo's future may well be the most critical conservation issue on our planet at this moment.  At present government crackdowns have slowed illegal logging and exports, but constant vigilance is needed. 

YOUR GREATER SELF

When the will to become "christlike" grows strong in the heart, it causes an opening in the consciousness of the greater self to descend into the physical body.  You think that your physical body is you, but it is only an infintesimal part of you.  If you would contact your true self, go into a place of quiet to commune with your creator in your heart.  Then you will rise in consciousness.   That great light to which you rise, is, you will find, the divine man-you, yourself, your own divinity, the real you.  By opening your consciousness to this divine self your whole vibrations will be quickened and your body become purified.

THE ELUSIVE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE - pg 58

Love is what lifts life above mere existence......
In spite of our preoccupation with love, we seem neither to understand the subject well nor to be in control of it.  In fact, it appears that this phenommmenon controls us according to its whims and fancies.  When we are driven to the end of our rope, desperate and disillusioned about wordly love, we often turn to spirituality, perhaps assuming that spirituality has little to do with love.  Can spirituality exists without love?  Or does it encompass love of a kind different from the kind we are running away from?  Before we attempt to make sense of this rather complex emotion, let us make a quiet trip into the recesses of our minds and ponder some Buddhist concepts.

In the language of the Buddha, love is known as brahma vihara.  Brahma vihara means "the godly or divine abode".  It is a sublime state of mind.  It is the extension and expansion of one's interest beyond all selfish concerns, encompassing the entire universe and all beings without discrimination, exception, or limitation.  It is the universal consciousness that transcends self-consciousness.  It has been likened to the merging of a river with the waters of the ocean, so that the river loses its identity and becomes one with the ocean.

Love is the experience of the unity of all life.  It is the greatest healer of wounds that people suffer during the struggle for existence.  It is sublime because it transcends ordinary, limited narrow attachment, like the lotus rising above the water.  The Buddha calls love a "divine abode" because love should become the mind's constant dwelling place, where one feels perfectly "at home".

The effort of the genuine spiritual seeker should be to cultivate love until the mind becomes saturated by it.  The mind that has realized the boundlessness of love is nonexclusive and impartial.  It is not bound by selective preferences or any prejudices.  In order to achieve the goal of this meditative and sublime state of love, the Buddha recommended the practice of meditation called the cultivation of universal selfless love (metta).

The concept of dreaming maintains the understanding that all life is imbued with consciousness and that this is available for our perceptions to interact with.  Buddhism also asserts this view, as do the paradigms of indigenous, animistic cultures worldwide, from the Shinto traditions of Japan to the Fairy Lore of Ireland;  while the Aboriginal deep connection to place has remained intact over the longest continuum.  Unfortunately this view has been globally surpressed by imperialistic religions over the best part of the last two millenia.  However, despite this it has also remained ingrained in peoples psyches and can be pieced together from a survey of fragmentary legends and by visiting sites for direct experiential studies.  As the "dreamtime" is a concept conveying the timeless other-dimensional qualities of place, it is a term usefully employed to help us recapture these ancient understandings anywhere and everywhere.  The Earth spirit is alive and it's waiting for us to tap into it!

The key to body-awareness meditation is to relax muscular tension.....persistent emotional stress causes corresponding tensions in the body.  There are specific muscular tensions associated with emotions such as anger, fear, hate and sadness.  While removing the underlying causes will be the permanent solution to these emotional disturbances, temporary relief of the tensions can be achieved by relaxing the affected muscles.

Body Relaxation exercise:-

This exercise helps you to listen to your body and be more aware of physical sensations.
We will mindfully relax the body, paying attention to one area at a time...

Sit comfortably or lie down.  Close your eyes.  For a minute or so be aware of your whole body and generally observe its movements and sensations.
Now we will systematically scan and become aware of all parts of the body.
Start by paying attention to the top of your head.  Feel the subtle sensations in that area. Now think the word RELAX and let the top of your head be relaxed.  Then feel the forehead.  Notice if there is any pressure or tension in that area.  Again, think the word RELAX and experience relaxation in the forehead.
Next, move your awareness to your face.  Notice whatever sensations you can feel on your face.  Let the cheeks, eyebrows and lips all become relaxed.
Now RELAX your neck and shoulders.  Make sure your shoulders are loose and comfortable.
Continue the awareness and relaxation of your  arms, chest and abdomen.
Watch the rise and fall of your abdomen as you breath in and out.  See whether you feel any predominant sensations in that area. 
Continue to think the word RELAX and use your mental energy to encourage your muscles to RELAX.
Next, RELAX your back, buttocks, thighs, calves and feet.  Take time in each area to feel and notice the sensations and to consciously RELAX. 
Notice any predominant sensations of tension, tightness, pain, or unusual discomfort.
Thinking the word RELAX, direct your mind to each area and fully RELAX it.
If necessary, try this exercise several times to achieve a complete state of physical relaxation.

When the body is relaxed, you will notice how the mind automatically begins to slow down.  Practice being mindful of your breathing for a few minutes before stopping.
This brings us to the end of this relaxation exercise.

UNSEEN FORCES

The mind is an activity that influences the physical behaviour of all living beings.  Although this mental activity is associated  with every cell in the human body, its controlling centre is the brain.  The activities of the brain are manifested as the mind and are described with nonphysical terms such as thoughts, emotions, will, and imagination.

Think of the lamp on your table or at your bedside that you switch on to read a book.  The power behind the visible light is invisible electricity.  As you know, not only does electricity light the lamp, but also its power can be used to do innumerable things, such as run the TV, heat food and move the escalators in a mall.  We can see, hear, or feel its countless manifestations, but we cannot see the electric current itself.

Our mind is similar to an electric current.  We can sense its manifestations as thoughts, feeling, dreams and so on but we cannot see the mind as a physical entity.  What we think and feel consciously represents only a small fraction of the mind. Some might perceive the mind as the processing centre for sensory information, and thoughts and feelings as the result of that processing.  Yet the mind extends far beyond thoughts and feelings.

This enigmatic, elusive, yet powerful force of the mind seems to know no limits.  It can direct the body to relax at the beach or help find ways to travel to the moon and return to earth safely.  It can cause one to help needy children or become a serial killer.  Whatever its power, mystery, and magic may be, this force is our constant companion night and day.

Dedicated to everyone who has inspired me in the past, in the now and in the future...

In honour of the earth and sky...

Standing with your feet about 12 inches apart in  a relaxed easy manner - knees slightly flexed...

Breath In, breath Out -  In..........Out..............In..............Out............In...........Out
Breath on a wave, regular, easy relaxed, deep breathing........
When the breath is settled and relaxed, and you are free of any body tension

Take a deep breath In, raising your arms outwards and away from the body

As you are raising the arms tone ahhhhhhhhhhh when the arms are on level with the solar plexus chakra.....

As the arms reach the height of the heart chakra tone ohhhhhhhhhhhhh

As the arms reach the height of the 3rd eye chakra tone mmmmmmmmmmm

Keep on sounding mmmmmmmmm as the arms come directly over the crown chakra with palms touching in prayer position

Bring the hands gently down to the heart chakra - palms still together in prayer position - end the mmmmmmmmmmmm sound here in reverence.

Begin the next sequence of the Om breath and carry on the sequence either 7 times or as long as you need to (within reason!)

It gives a good feeling to bow at the end of the practice still with hands in prayer position at the heart centre ....

This exercise is great done in a group as it really amplifies the vibrational qualities of the Om breath. 

It gives a feeling of peace, relaxation and rejuvenation

In the future, after passing through this stage, the world of physical human beings is sure to become a perfectly harmonized world of light, just as in the divine plan.  So no matter how helplessly close to destruction the present situation may appear, you need not be at all pessimistic or desperate.  If only each person earnestly keeps accomplishing his or her own role, the day will surely come when you and the world will rise above this situation.  I am absolutely certain that the day is close.

When a person understands what sort of existence a human being is, and what exactly the 'self' is, that person has been liberated forever.  When many people are able to answer the question, humankind will have been delivered of its suffering and heaven will be realized on earth.