A Free Spirit. Betty Shine

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СКАЧАТЬ you are able to feel the aura of trees, you will be able to detect when they are diseased, even if there are no outward signs. Walking around the perimeter of the aura, slowly closing in on the tree, it is possible to make an accurate diagnosis and pinpoint the diseased areas. I have often used this method of diagnosis, and in many cases it has prevented the need to cut down the whole tree. It is also possible to use this process for the whole of nature, because every living thing has an aura.

      Don’t forget the birds that frequent these same trees. Each species has its own call, its own language, and yet they all have a sixth sense that enables them to understand and react to the whole. We have to make this sense our own before we can even begin to understand them.

      When I was living in the middle of the woods, my garden was frequented on a daily basis by three types of woodpecker. The lesser-spotted woodpecker is tiny and secretive, so you are less likely to see it than the greater-spotted and green varieties. It was a joy to watch them as they took food from the bird table. In fact they were quite tame. This might have been because I used the garden for healing and meditation, which always casts a calm spell over the immediate vicinity.

      Back to our walk. Whilst you are standing in the middle of the woodland, close your eyes and visualise the bird you would most like to see sitting in the trees above you. Then imagine it in the palm of your hand. If your particular favourite has coloured feathers, gently move the feathers and separate the colours. This action will enable you to feel the heartbeat and warmth of its body. When you have interacted with the bird for several minutes, open your hands and let it fly away. From that moment on, the sense of belonging to the world of birds will be with you for ever. You might also want to repeat the process to bring back the magic of those moments.

      Feathers themselves are fascinating. When you hold one in your hands, you will automatically stroke it. I know people who cope with stress by stroking their cheeks with feathers. They have strong associations – without them a bird could not defy gravity and fly above the Earth. They are symbols of a free spirit.

      Try this exercise. Find one or two feathers – the size is immaterial. Stand out in the open, preferably on a hill, and hold the feathers in the air. Close your eyes, and when you feel a strong current of air, let them go, knowing that all of your problems are leaving with them.

      Sometimes, rather than floating away, the feathers will turn around and drop at your feet. When this happens, it is a sign that you have to become stronger and more determined in your efforts to bring calm into your life.

      Repeat the process until the feathers disappear. You will have taken the first step to inner peace.

      Feather magic has been practised since the beginning of time. If you find a feather, make a study of the bird and its habits. You may find that the feather is trying to tell you something. For example, if you find the feather of a dove and place it on a table in the centre of a room, it will bring you peace. If you are lucky enough to find a feather belonging to a bird of prey, it might tell you that you need to be free of encumbrances, to soar above the earth, to find the stillness you seek.

      The easiest way to achieve this is to meditate. Allow your mind to soar, to travel through invisible curtains which will show you that gravity cannot keep you locked in.

      There are many pocket books on birds that you can buy, and reading through them can help you enhance the image whilst you’re practising this exercise.

      Here is a self-healing exercise. Sit under an oak tree, and feel the energy currents running through your body as you absorb the tree’s aura. Then, holding a feather in your hands, take a deep breath and then breathe out through the feather, knowing as you do so that you are ridding your mind and body of toxins. This feather must never be used by others.

      You can use feathers for physical healing too. You should keep a particular feather for healing, and store it in a box when it is not in use. When you need it, place the feather over the part of the body giving you a problem and blow through it.

      To the uninitiated, feather magic might seem a bit far-fetched, but you’ll never know whether it will work for you until you try.

      I have spent many hours looking at the sparrow hawks that hover over the South Downs. Circular in flight, they climb into the sky then plunge to earth to claim their prey. For a long time I tried to imagine what it would be like to come face to face with this bird.

      Walking into my conservatory one day, I saw a sparrow hawk sitting on a windowsill as if transfixed, and it looked at me with its huge yellow eyes. I stood quite still – in shock I think – because it was the last thing I’d expected to find inside my house. It was difficult to see how it had got in, as the gap in the door leading to the garden was so small. I believe now that it must have followed one of the many finches that sometimes found themselves in the same position whilst helping themselves to the bird seed that I stored inside the conservatory.

      The bird was as beautiful as I had imagined, and I was loath to let it go, but because I had no idea how long it had been there – and thought that hunger must have caused it to get into this predicament – I knew I had to release it as soon as possible. Walking slowly to the door, I gently pushed it open and walked into the garden. Standing at a distance, I watched as the bird turned its head towards the doorway, then freed itself in a flash and disappeared behind a hedgerow, no doubt looking for its next victim.

      Deciduous woodland has layers of vegetation which provide many different kinds of habitat needed to house the numerous species that dwell there. Scuttling in the undergrowth are shrews and wood mice, whilst badgers tunnel into the earth to create their sett, usually amidst elder trees which provide them with warmth, security and a safe haven within their intertwined roots.

      A more common sight are the squirrels which perform their acrobatics in tree canopies. Their favourite venues are oak, sweet chestnut and sycamore in which to make their dreys, an untidy mass of twigs and dead leaves which are easy to spot in the winter. At night, the treetops are frequented by bats, which can be seen quite clearly at dusk.

      On the edge of the woodland you will find hedgehogs, rabbits, hares, stoats, weasels and polecats. Hares love the open fields but are now increasingly taking to the woods in an attempt to preserve their own numbers.

      If you live near woodland that slopes down to a river, you are likely to hear the nightingale singing day and night during the summer months. They migrate to Africa during the winter.

      When your psyche opens up, enabling your mind to become a free spirit, you will be entering a magical world that will change your life. Becoming adept at visualisation will certainly make it easier for you to make contact with the wilder aspects of nature.

      Whilst walking my dogs one day, I suddenly realised that it would be dark before I returned home. As there were no lights in the area, I made my way home carefully in the dusk, but as night drew in I stumbled across a rough field and fell over. As I got to my feet I threw my arms in the air and laughingly shouted, ‘Let there be light!’ Within minutes, I came across the longest line of glow-worms I had ever seen. I watched them for several minutes before resuming my journey. The light may have been minimal, but I thanked God anyway – at least He tried!

      I walked this hill in the dark for many years but never saw the glow-worms again. When I was young, they could be seen everywhere, but now they are a rare sight, yet one more beautiful thing we have destroyed with insecticides.

      The real challenge comes when you use your powers to try to out-fox a fox. This animal is naturally cunning and uses its coat – which has many variations of colour – as a camouflage. I have often caught a glimpse of one slinking through the undergrowth, and СКАЧАТЬ