Archive for February, 2022

Cosmic Hand Raising – As Demonstrated by Babies, Magicians and the odd Candle

If you wander into the world of Wikipedia and look up ‘Hand Raising’ you will learn about raising one’s hand, from waving and salutes to high-fives. Yet despite all this information, there is nothing about raising one’s hand to make a cosmic connection. There’s the mindless hand raising of a fascist salute, and there is the enthusiastic hand-raising (‘please miss’) in answer to a question in the class-room, but there is no reference to cosmic hand raising, the most powerful and mysterious gesture of all. 

The business of raising one’s hand to acknowledge the universe is fascinating. It shouldn’t be confused with waving. Waving is a personal and emotional gesture. I tend to recall waving to those I like and love at times when I thought I might never encounter them again. I remember travelling on a bus and calling my sister on the mobile to tell her I would be passing by, and being overjoyed to see her waving from the window of her flat in Sussex Square. When we die we apparently meet kindred spirits waving to greet us.

But the cosmic gesture is different. The cosmic gesture is a particular movement when one raises one’s hand vertically to make connection with all the implausibly massive mysterious power above, a connection with the glory of what lies beyond. It’s something to be used when we seek help from beyond. It’s not a widely acknowledged way to connect to spirit, and yet you only have to take a look at a pack of Tarot cards to know that magicians knew all about cosmic connection. The Magus is always portrayed as holding his hand upward, usually with a wand, making the connection with the above, and then making that link manifest here on earth, as he or she points to the earth below.. 

It seems so reasonable to assume that there is something in the cosmos that we can connect with, if we so wish. Personally, when I reach up to make a cosmic connection I start with intention. I’m aware of some kind of interesting feeling or tingling in my fingers or the palm of my hand, and when I ask for help, I invariably get some kind of response… in the form of change or improvement… sooner or later.

Think about it — making a connection with the beyond is hardly surprising. Our solar system sits on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy, which is home to between 100 and 400 billion stars, many of them with planets. Not only is the Milky Way vast in itself, but the Hubble Telescope reveals that there is anything from another 100 billion Galaxies, like our own, and very likely twice this number, so if there aren’t a few compassionate beings prepared to connect with us when we we need help, guidance, peace or healing I would be very surprised. And if one thinks that time might be an impediment, one should appreciate there are simultaneous manifestations of Qi (energy) that operate outside of time, so don’t worry about light years, they are irrelevant in this case.

I reckon that subconsciously we all know about this connection with the cosmic. At our last Power of Eight prayer gathering, a candle decided to remind me of the power of such connections, and a day later an unexpected picture of my late sister, when she was a baby, also reminded me.

Making a Cosmic Connection is Natural

So if you are low, or pensive or uncertain, and don’t feel like praying or meditating, just throw your hand up in the air, and see if you can make a connection – in the form of an idea, a message or maybe just a feeling. It’s definitely worth trying. Someone, an angel, a loving presence or a wise spirit will empathise with you, and with luck, you may be able to feel the connection, and feel better as well.

A candle to remind us all – Just keep making the connections
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The Power of Eight… Transcending Time and Space

A central figure in the explanation and support of complementary and alternative therapies and lifestyle, is Lynne McTaggart. She’s a journalist, author and director of the magazine ‘What Doctors Don’t Tell You’ and she’s done important work on the power of intention. Her book The Intention Experiment reveals the relationship between humans and healing in all sorts of ways. She’s also the author of The Power of Eight, a book about using the energy created by small groups to heal each other and the world.

About a year ago, when my pancreatitis was really making me sit up and squeak, I contacted a friend, and she suggested that I tap into a ‘Power of Eight’ group. If you don’t know what a ‘Power of Eight Group’ is, just take a look at Lynne McTaggart’s website on the subject. She says:

When individuals in a group focus their intention together on a single target, a powerful collective dynamic emerges that can heal longstanding conditions, mend fractured relationships, lower violence and even rekindle life purpose. But the greatest untold truth of all is that group intention has a mirror effect, not only affecting the recipient but also reflecting back on the senders.

I didn’t know such a group operating locally, so I went about forming a Power of Eight gathering, which proved to be surprisingly easy, and fun. Some astonishingly gifted people agreed to participate, much to my delight. As the pandemic was at its height, it seemed sensible to use Zoom, and this made it all very easy. At first, we felt it might be an idea to meet once a fortnight or once every 10 days, just to give it a try, but with the passing of time we discovered that we enjoyed the meetings, and appreciated the impact they made on ourselves and other people; we witnessed positive changes and improvements. Now we meet weekly. The Eight, all good friends, have proven to be powerful and inspirational.

With the passing of time the group has acquired a life of its own, so that at times it seems to operate outside conventional time and space.

One of our number had already participated with another Power of Eight Group. In that case the group’s leader was very enthusiastic about following McTaggart’s book to the letter, and although this may be a good thing, it may have also demotivated some attendees. In our case, and with Zoom, the group has an informality, an openness and a humour that is literally, all of its own. Our meetings are both serious and humorous — equal, open and informal. We still have far to go, and much to learn, but our successes so far — nurturing and supporting the health of friends, relatives and ourselves are truly astonishing.

Last and by no means least is the matter of being aware of other groups of this kind, which are to be found possibly all over the world. It is hardly surprising that sometimes when we meet… and gradually open our minds to the problems of planet and people… we can sense connection with other groups, which is truly empowering.

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