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by Joanna Bristow-Watkins of Harmony Healing
Some years ago, soon after qualifying as an Egyptian energy-healing therapist, I was invited to the home of Susan, a homeopathic vet. In an effort to clear some ‘stuck energy’, which she believed was the spirit of a previous resident, we placed some powerful symbols in the air and felt the energy shift quite palpably. Afterwards, as I was giving Susan a healing, she suddenly exclaimed “I am in a young Roman boy in a field, you are with me, we are picking herbs for use with our clients. It is a beautiful sunny day, no clouds in the sky …”
She may have listed some herbs, but I wasn’t listening to the detail; I was stunned. Could it be that Susan was experiencing a spontaneous ‘Past Life’ memory? I hadn’t been told that this was a possible consequence of a healing. At the time, I actually felt a bit panicky, what if I couldn’t cope? What did she mean by ‘you are with me’? The session opened a ‘can of worms’ and I was going to have look into it …
I’d never really thought much about re-incarnation at that time, I wasn’t a believer or disbeliever. Brought up in the Church of England, but not a regular church goer, I considered myself a Gnostic – a believer in the existence of a ‘Creator’ (and that Jesus and other ‘Prophets’ had most likely l lived and delivered their parallel messages) – and sympathetic to a myriad of religions at core level, but not a ‘follower’ of any. I remembered a couple of strange experiences in my childhood, a visit to Bangkok, aged 9, with my sister then 13, when we insisted to our father that we had visited the Emerald Buddha Temple before and seemed to know the layout with uncanny familiarity. Another episode when I was 18, I was working part-time in my father’s travel agency and was offered an ‘educational’ trip to Israel. The trip involved a walk along the The Via Dolorosa; the route that Christ took carrying the cross on his shoulders before his crucifixion. I was inexplicably moved to tears for the entire journey.
The experience with Susan led me to investigate what proof – if any –there was for re-incarnation and more to the point, Past Life recall.
In her book Yesterday’s Children, Jenny Cockell, from Northampton, was haunted from early childhood by memories of her ‘past’ life as Mary Sutton, living in rural Ireland; even including her 1930’s death shortly after giving birth to her eighth child. As a small child, she drew maps/plans of where Mary lived and following painstaking research and past life regression, she was able to pinpoint the village. After further research and a visit to Ireland, she was finally able to trace two of the ‘children’ from her former life as Mary. Although a practising Catholic and therefore against the principle of re-incarnation, Mary’s oldest son, Sonny, felt a strong bond and recognition immediately on meeting her. He then verified that many of the ‘memories’ Jenny recounted involved details never divulged to anyone and known only to him, his siblings and his late mother.
Further empirical data is supplied by the late Dr Ian Stevenson, an American scientist who compiled an amazing amount of circumstantial evidence for reincarnation. He spent decades tracking down over 2,000 children who demonstrated memories of a ‘previous life’. Situated mainly in Lebanon and rural India, where re-incarnation within one or two generations is accepted as fact, many were able to give precise details including their former names and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Often they can recall the names of friends and family, several of whom Dr Stevenson traced through birth records. Many knew intimate details known only to the deceased’s family.
Furthermore, follow-up studies were witnessed by Tom Shroder, a sceptical journalist, who accompanied Dr Stevenson and subsequently evaluated his research.
Intriguingly, Dr Stevenson found that some of these children displayed birthmarks or deformities reminisent of the injury that killed them in their former life. The case of Daniel Jirdi, in war-torn Lebanon, is typical.
From the age of two, Daniel repeatedly proclaimed to his ‘birth parents’ that he was not their son and theirs was not his home. He insisted that he was Rashid Khaddege, only son of Muntaha and Naim, who died of a head wound after being thrown out of a car following a high-speed crash. He recalls onlookers rushing over and saying ‘leave this one, he’s dead’.
Daniel would give his name as Rashid at school, such that the school contacted his mother about it, but she didn’t tell them the full story until they called again to say that he made a suggestive comment to an attractive young teacher at school and pinched her bottom. Apparently, acting much more mature than their physical age is another common feature in these cases. Interestingly, Daniel was born with a lemon-shaped lump on his head, which was concerning enough for the birth parents to take him for a check-up. It disappeared after 3 months.
Daniel has since met the Khadegge family, convincing Rashid’s ’mother’ and ‘sisters’ that he is Rashid reborn. He even remarked about a jumper that Muntaha was knitting for him when he died. She unpicked it and knitted a tiny jumper for Daniel! Daniel has identified several relatives and friends of Rashid’s and given personal details about each of them. He has confronted his cousin Ibrahim, who’s bad driving caused the fatal crash. Now adult himself, Daniel, who was born three years after Rashid died, now has children of his own, and together with his wife, they regularly visit Rashid’s former home seeing them all as extended family. Rashid’s mother proudly displays pictures of Daniel’s family and his birth parents seem to accept the situation, as re-incarnation is part of their culture.
Many Past Life Regression Therapists have presented transcripts from client sessions, which ultimately lead to new discoveries; unknown at the time the session was taped. Joanna Prentice has co-written a book on the life of the Essenes, derived from data noted from clients undergoing hypnosis, who remember a life concurrent with Jesus Christ. One of these recorded hypnosis sessions referred to a place within the ancient settlement of Qumran, which at that time had not been excavated, but has since been discovered. The book features revelations about Joseph of Arimathea (Jesus’s uncle) being a metal merchant, causing him to make regular visits to the Cornish tin mines with his nephew in tow. Indeed, the book suggests that Jesus’s heritage may have included some Celtic ancestry and that he may have undergone some training with practising Druids at that time.
Following my bizarre and unexpected encounter with Susan’s ‘Past Life’ recall, I subsequently encountered ‘Past Life’ visions with other clients – and ‘remembered’ many snippets through dreams and experiences of my own – relating to Lemuria, Atlantis, Egypt, the Essenes, Shamanic lives of the Americas (North and South), Templars, Cathars, Middle Age Witches and more. I was able to furnish details to some of these through research and even Crystal Skull Readings with accomplished Clairvoyant Edwin Courtney. I discovered that many of these lives were thought to belong to people whose heritage belonged to the Order of Melchisadec – a known lineage of healers through the Millennia. Could it be that I have myself descended from this lineage – that they form part of my ancestry – or might my soul have actually taken these forms in previous incarnations? Or, maybe my personal interest and training in the healing arts enabled me to tap-into this knowledge through the ‘Collective Unconscious’, an underused resource which, I believe, is available to anyone.
It is a well-documented Shamanic belief that we may carry in our cellular programming the memory of physical afflictions from one or more past lives and even emotions, particularly connected with our thoughts and beliefs in the dying moments of a previous incarnation.
I also discovered that I had a penchant for ‘glimpses’ of Past Life images when working on people of all ages. Sometimes I would need only to hear their name – or read an account of something that had happened to them – to get a snapshot event coming in via all available senses – sights, sounds, smells, emotions. I somehow ‘freeze; this image and can later re-examine the initial sensations and even fill in an extraordinary amount of detail, through further consideration and research of similar events. Surprisingly, I wasn’t very interested in history at school and now found that I was fascinated with learning to furnish relevant details to my ever-growing catalogue of frozen ‘moments in time’
Frankly it is exciting, tantalising, entertaining. Of course, I have wondered whether I am embellishing this ‘glimpse’ with my own imagination and story writing ability. It is as if a mini-novel is being compiled. I cannot refute that this might be the case. However, what cannot be denied is the number of times I have stumbled across a set of circumstances, which have an amazing relevance to that person’s current life issues. As if the ‘historical’ setting with either real or fictitious characters, is a perfect metaphor for their life today, explaining many personal life patterns and emotional triggers. By examining the circumstances in this way, somehow remote to their current life situation, the solution can often be found in a less traumatic way.
Naturally I have been asked how this apparent ‘knowledge’ comes about. I believe that anybody can do this, but like anything practice makes perfect.
To begin, I offer a telepathic contract between myself, and the person asking for Past Life clarification; let’s call him John; on some level, I am invited to decode any messages hanging in his auric field. I then ‘tune into’ the name and vibration of the person – connecting with the unity consciousness aspect of that person which is therefore in unity with me. In effect, I send a ‘probe’ from my heart to his, accessing hidden codes in the energy body. It is like the story of the ‘message in a bottle’. A message is written, popped inside a bottle and sent to sea. Once discovered, centuries later, it is like a time-capsule, detailing events from a time long passed.
I then map that energy over my body and read the message as it is sensed. Sometimes these relate to actual areas of pain or discomfort in the physical body of the person for whom I am tuning in, at other times they are emotional (often relating to the final emotions in that life which may have left an imprint on this) or they are metaphors …
When a successful ‘connection’ is made, I feel sensations within my body, which act as clues. I tune-into these sensations (which may last seconds or longer whilst I concentrate on them) and then my own ‘glimpse’ appears. Interpretation would rely on feedback from John himself (body language, responses to questions) but in the case of a distant ‘reading’, then it takes form by itself. It could be a jumble of senses, which I will need to co-ordinate into a sequence of events until a scenario is created.
Sometimes the clue has an obvious linguistic meaning, for example I may see a man running across the top of a high building and flinging himself off. Typically this person will have a personality trait of not facing issues, but always running away. Often there may also be a fear of heights. The same issue on another occasion may involve more detail, I may get a sense that the ‘runner’ cannot believe who is chasing him to his death, a sense of betrayal is tangible. In this case, there may be an issue with trust in this lifetime.
When I am ‘channelling’ this sort of information about a person, I have no idea what stream of information is going to come and no time to ‘sensor’ it before stating some kind of interpretation. It might be an actual past life event or a metaphor invented by my guides (I predominantly work with Angelic energies and Egyptian Deities) to highlight an issue, which needs addressing at that time.
For example, on tuning into Amelia, I felt a pulling sensation under my arm, as if I was hanging from the edge of a cliff, dreading the fall!
This represented feeling unsupported and afraid of the future and could be corrected by pulling herself up or by letting go and surviving unscathed. Or did she have a preferred solution of her own? “Yes, I’d like to ‘fly away’ but I’m afraid of birds”. Uncensored, I blurted “Well I know why that is” which I immediately regretted as I didn’t want to elaborate! The audience looked on expectantly, I‘d have to explain … “Well, I saw this life where your eyes were pecked out by birds … “
‘I know’ she remarked, ‘I’ve seen that myself, I was telling Helen about it this afternoon (gesticulating towards the audience) and about my fear of heights!’
I was speechless, maybe, I had ‘tapped-into’ the earlier conversation rather than an ‘actual past life’.
She left a marriage because her partner blocked her spiritual progress. After years of being alone, she’d embarked on a relationship with a man who seemed compatible, but was now showing an intolerance for her desire to grow spiritually. By imagining herself flying away she could lose her fear of birds and re-pattern her cellular programming, liberating her from repeating this life lesson.
I once looked at Claudia and immediately remarked, ‘you are like a headless chicken, always juggling lots of activities with no direction.’ ‘Yes’ she agreed. I proceeded to etherically (go through the imaginary act) sew her head back on, with invisible needle and thread, the intent being to ‘trick’ her sub-conscious into accepting that she will no longer need this life pattern. It was very surreal. A few weeks later, I received a tongue-in-cheek but none-the less heartfelt e-mail stating ‘Since you stitched my neck back on … ha ha … it is uncanny because I have felt more grounded and my head actually feels it belongs to my body which was an underlying issue for me.’
I recently tuned into Maria in Mexico, via an email she had sent me. The ‘knowing’ I received from de-ciphering her auric codes, was that she had a connection with the barbaric ‘hung, drawn and quartering’ process apparently unique to our glorious isle! I undertook some research on the grizzly practice. Apparently, victims, were dragged behind a horse, hung until they were almost dead, they were publicly disembowelled, and finally split into four with each quarter being separately buried. Although I felt she had died via this torture, it could simply indicate that she would have physical issues with her throat (or difficulties expressing herself), digestive complications (Crohns Disease, Coeliac or more minor issues such as ulcers, acid reflux etc.) and feel generally fragmented with at least four projects on the go at any one time. Incredibly, all this proved to be the case, as well as the fact that she had actually been ‘dragged’ behind a horse in this lifetime! This Past Life glimpse – whether a genuine Past Life or not – was a comfort to her as it explained a great deal and she was able to concentrate on re-integrating her soul fragments.
Another lady, Wendy, was ‘seen’ leading a Macedonian Army to victory during a healing session. Afterwards she was ’found’ to have a head injury from her helmet, so we applied healing to the wound. Subsequently, her recurring headaches stopped, but furthermore she felt empowered by our discovery. In her own words “ When in my mind’s eye I see myself riding the horse, going into the battle, I get this fantastic brave and magnificent feeling of utter strength in my chest. I have already recalled few times and boy it works!!! I would also like to say that the visualisation I had during the session was sooooo clear; like taking pictures with the best camera.”
In my own therapy sessions, past life images have been coming up more and more. Sometimes I alone get the image and at other times the client is also able to tune into it.
Of course the sceptics view is how can so many people have been ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘King Arthur’ and the like. This gives rise to the understandable concern that it is ‘ego’ that drives people to discover who they may have been in previous lives.
With regard to the issue over whether hundreds of souls could have been Cleopatra. My view is that, if on one level we are all one, then surely we could all have been Cleopatra! At least we should all be able to access the aspect of ‘ourselves’ that could have been Cleopatra. Maybe the process is easier if we are personally derived from her soul group (which could comprise the 144 souls, or some say 144,000 which make up the I Am presence of the ‘monad’).
In other words, when working with a client, a competent past life ‘decoder’, may be able to access a key archetype – sometimes represented by a famous iconic personality – which somehow identifies the key life lesson for that client in that moment in time. However, in my experience, more often than not, the remembered life is mundane but generally sums up a current issue in that person’s life, which may need to be resolved.
(Pseudonyms are used throughout for client examples)
(c) Joanna Bristow-Watkins, 2009 All Rights Reserved
(Article published via Angelic Wellbeing with Joanna’s full blessing)
References:
Yesterday’s Children by Jenny Cockell, Paitkus Press, 1993. Not the most well-written book, but a touching account of her relentless search for the children she remembered leaving behind.
Old Souls by Tom Shroder, Simon & Shuster, 1999. I really enjoyed this book, which I felt was very evocatively written and analysed Dr Ian Stevenson’s work thoroughly.
Essenes: Children of the Light, Stuart Wilson & Joanna Prentis, Ozark Mountain Publishing, 2005. I found this gave fascinating insights into the life of Jesus Christ and his uncle Joseph of Arimathea.
Joanna’s website: www.harmonyhealing.co.uk, e-mail: jo_harmony@hotmail.com
Harmony Healing, 23, Severn Drive, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, KT12 3BH. Tel: 01932 244518.
Full 1-2-1 healings, distant or in person, cost £100 (weekdays) or £150 (evenings or weekends).
To book a channelling with Edwin Courtenay (clairvoyant) contact Carole Humber on 020 8337 4122. There may be a long waiting list. He may offer personal readings in Carlisle or even Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
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Appalling scenes of horrendous mass pig killing taking place in Egypt right now have sparked international protest. From media footage, we have seen hundreds of live pigs being thrown on top of each other into huge dumper trucks. Some must surely suffocate right away or break their limbs. They are then driven to a mass grave, thrown into it and covered in what appears to be quicklime, where they must endure a slow and agonising death.
Egyptian media reports that “When each lorry is filled with 400 pigs on average, it sets off for the burial ground in Abou Zabal. Once there, something like soft sand is sprinkled on the pigs inside the lorry. This material is made up of factory wastes. The pigs start to scream because of the searing pain until they die some 30 or 40 minutes later.”
Before you play the film, be warned this is DEEPLY DISTURBING footage: video footage of Egyptian pig slaughter
What is Compassion doing?
We are protesting in person at the Egyptian Embassy in London today and calling on the Ambassador to urge his government to halt the slaughter immediately.
We are calling on the World Animal Health Organisation (the OIE) to urge its member state, Egypt, to halt the slaughter and to abide by the OIE Guidelines on humane slaughter, which Egypt endorsed in 2005.
How can you help?
Please write urgently to the Egyptian Ambassador in your own country, calling for a halt to this inhumane killing. Please point out that such inhumane treatment of animals not only contravenes the OIE Guidelines but is also contrary to Islamic teaching which regards animals as “communities like you” (Qur’an 6:38).
Please email the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK or download our template letter to send by post (links found on website – above)
The address of the Egyptian Ambassador to the UK is (please address the letter to, Your Excellency) is listed on the Compassionate Farming website (as per the link above).
Thank you for all your help.
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I asked my friend the other day, “When will I ever feel normal?” She looked at me like it was a trick question. Her reply to me was, “Stefanie, you are not “normal” but in a good way, you’re special. Being sensitive makes you unique but it is what makes you who you are.”
It is becoming more and more challenging to be in busy, noisy places. I have to brace myself for being around lots of people by making time to relax before I go out and time to recoup afterward.
It’s frustrating because there are times that I would like to do things, but when I check in energetically I know that my nervous system can’t handle the influx of stimuli. I have learned to honour myself by listening to what my being needs. Sometimes my parts don’t work as a team, whereas I want to do more, and I think that I should be able to handle it, but in essence energetically I can’t push myself, or else I pay for it later with fatigue and imbalance. I accept my strengths and weaknesses. I am learning how to get all of my parts, emotional, mental, spiritual and physical, to work as a team to keep me in balance.
Relationships are delicate to maintain, especially as a sensitive being. It is challenging to be around others without picking up on what they are thinking and feeling. As a highly intuitive person I often know what someone is thinking or feeling before they may even know or realize what they are thinking or feeling. Oftentimes I know things that seem to be common knowledge or seem very obvious, when in fact it may be someone’s very personal business that they may, or may not be aware of or willing to share. I have to make a point of shielding myself energetically so that I do not invade their energy field.
I have worked really hard at not overstepping my boundaries without permission. I try to not offer advice or assistance to anyone without them asking for it first. I don’t want to intrude. When we give or receive help without having it requested we are not actually helping at all. We are not empowering or helping someone by doing this, although our intentions may be good. We each need to find our own way. We can hold the space for someone else in his or her own healing process, and be there when they need us; however, in order for each of us to grow we must each take an active role for it to be authentic and long lasting.
Being sensitive we also tend to absorb other people’s energy, which can be draining. We may consciously or unconsciously lift someone’s burden or become a sponge for those who unload on us while making themselves feel better. Whether we are in public, in small groups or one on one, we can sense when we are picking up other people’s “stuff”. I know I am on overload when I begin to get a raising heart, foggy thinking, and a feeling as if I’m being suffocated or my nervous system goes haywire. My five senses begin to become overloaded, surrounding noises becomes magnified, and I can feel myself begin to panic and shut down.
When my nervous system has been maxed out, I find that I cannot concentrate on what someone is saying to me, nor can I make sense when I speak. The television, radio or surrounding noise will rattle me. I have to realize when I have reached my saturation point and have the need to turn inward to re-balance. My stomach will begin to ache, and my neck and shoulders will become very tense. It’s funny because before I go into any situation I find my exit strategy if it should become necessary. I will always have my own method of escape. I will keep my money and phone close by and will calculate the maximum amount of time I can handle being in any given situation.
The most tried and true methods of clearing my energy field is by spending plenty of time out in nature, being with my dogs, taking walks, cleansing baths, deep breathing, and spending time in my quiet sanctuary. I am also very fortunate to have good friends that nurture me. If I am out in public with someone I feel safe with I use them as a buffer. I am able to utilize the love energy from the people I feel comfortable with as a shield and merge energies with them so that I do not get the full impact of the surrounding stimuli.
Being sensitive I find relationships are more delicate to maintain. I feel we tend to see someone’s potential rather than what they are actually capable or willing to give. I find that sensitive’s tend to give more than they receive. They are able to discern and perceive what someone’s needs may be before it is even asked of them, and will reach out to offer assistance. Sensitive’s intuitively know what others are feeling and needing and want to help however they can. The problem is they focus so much on other people and their needs that they neglect their own. At times, it is easier to see into someone else’s heart than it is to see into one’s own. I don’t understand why I can have so much insight into someone else and sometimes have so little clarity into my own! As a sensitive I truly appreciate it when someone can offer the same unconditional love, kindness, tenderness and support that I am willing to offer. We truly need each other.
Sensitive’s are often very creative, artistic people. They feel and see things very deeply. They also have a fine appreciation of things, a reverence for life. Many sensitive’s are perfectionist. They can see every single angle of a situation and can dissect it with a fine toothcomb. They tend to analyze situations and really delve deeply into their feelings and emotions. I can spend endless hours evaluating something and come up with more insight than anyone could possibly imagine! Sometimes I cannot get myself to shut it off! This is when I know I need to distance myself from a situation so that new awareness and insight can be discovered.
Learning the fine art of letting go is a talent well cultivated by the sensitive being. I have found that it is necessary to know when to release something for the highest good of all concerned. I tend to want to do everything in my power to help people and situations. Sometimes the only way to benefit is by letting go. I don’t always know the answers from my limited perspective. When we trust and allow things to be, we can breathe new life into situations that may be burdening us. We can’t always fix things. We have to learn how to let things be. My favourite saying is: “It is what it is” once I remind myself of this, I go, “Oh yeah!”
I feel we need to love ourselves for the way we are. I get so frustrated with myself for being so overly sensitive in all ways. This is my true nature and I need to accept it. I want to be healthy, in balance, and happy, so I must nurture my essence. I was reading a story to my second grade students today and discussing with them about loving and accepting themselves for who and what they are and not wanting to try to be someone or something else. I felt a little fairy tap me on my shoulder and wink at me as she reminded me that I need to take my own advice!
Prayer
Dear God,
I am overwhelmed by all the things that are occurring in my life right now. I feel like it is a barrage of so many situations at once! I know that you would never give me more than I can handle. I trust that what is happening is for a reason.
I am very sensitive to all the things that are going on around and within me. I deeply feel the connection between us all. Please cut the cords that are not for my highest and greatest good. Strengthen the cords of love.
Sometimes I feel frustrated that my sensitivities make me more delicate than others. I feel and perceive things so deeply. Please show me how this is a blessing rather than a hindrance. Guide me in finding ways to love and accept myself rather than judging or being embarrassed.
I let go of what is not working in my life to make space for what is to come.
And so it is.
Amen.
About the Author: Stefanie Miller
(c) Stefanie Miller 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Stefanie is an Intuitive Energy Healer, Spiritual Counsellor, Teacher and Channelled Writer. She offers Long Distance or In Person Heart Centered, Energy Balancing Sessions, which may focus on Intuitive Guidance from your Angels, Etheric Cord Cutting Ceremony, Chakra Balancing, Energy Clearing, Dream Interpretation, Higher Self Reconnection, and Colour of Angels Attunement.
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