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Last weekend , we at Champlain’s Well had the good fortune to host and participate in a beautiful and healing workshop.  The facilitator was a lady called Anne Geraghty.  She has been running various groups for over 30 years and you can find out more about her by going to her website www.annegeraghty.org 

I first met Anne 28 years ago when we lived at Medina Rajneesh-a commune in the heart of the Suffolk countryside.  We were ’sannyasins’-disciples of the Indian Guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh laterly known as Osho.  It was a beautiful place full of ‘Love Life and Laughter’. More than 200 people lived there.  We were never particularly close friends at the time as we worked in different departments and our paths rarely crossed.  As many good things, Medina came to an end and everyone went their seperate ways. I bumped into her again in Australia a few years later but never maintained contact.  Then last September out of the blue I was invited to take part in a BBC Radio 4 programme called The Reunion.  This show is hosted by Sue McGregor and aired on a Sunday morning.  I was excited by the invitation and duly accepted.  My good friend Amara was also invited so we turned up at the studio together. 

 The idea of the programme, as it’s name implies is to reunite groups of people who had a particular connection.  In fact I was listening to it this morning and heard some of the survivors from Bletchley Park and the Code Breakers speaking-fascinating.

On arrival at the BBC Westminster Studios we were ushered into a recording room and there at the table was was Anne and her son Tim Guest who wrote the book My Life in Orange which was serialised on Radio 4 a few years ago.  He has written another book since which I can’t remember the title of but I beleve he has hopes of being made into a movie. It was so good to see her and after the recording we promised to keep in touch swopped website addresses and emails and went our way. This time we managed to and it emerged that Anne runs workshops called Planetary Homeopathy.  I was interested to find out more and invited her down to CW to hold this workshop.

Planetary Homeopathy is as the title suggests Planetary Healing.  I know that sounds rather grand but the idea is in effect very simple.  When a Homeopathic remedy is created to take, the potent essence is distilled many thousands of times until there is no trace of the original element, so in effect something very small has a dramatic healing effect on the whole body. So the idea is that a small group of people with their intention and energy can have a profound healing effect on Global Issues.

The first day of the workshop was spent creating an energetic unit that consisted of all the people present.  Then the next day the main healing was undertaken.  Obviously what went on is confidential but it was an amazingly profound experience and I am sure the ripples will continue to spread energetically for the good for some time!

Anne does not advertise these workshops as she feels when it’s appropriate to do one someone will ask her.  We will certainly be asking her again!

I was first introduced to the Grandmothers on a Shamanka training weekend just before Christmas last year-2007. One of the girls from the previous year had been given the book and insisted that Eliana read it. Eliana was about half way through it and decided to do a simple meditation requesting the Grandmothers presense. It was the last activity of the weekend and in fact the year. The next year the women move on to participate in the Luminous Warrior (Year 2 of the Shamanka Practitioner Course). We sat on the floor in a circle in Star House -the silence was magnificent. I find sitting too long on the floor painfull so I altered my position from crossed legged to ‘prayer’ posture. I felt my neighbour put her hand on my back where it was hurting and warm healing energy flow through me. The meditation was deep and the energy somehow holding and gentle. When we finished there was a hushed calm and joy bubbling in our hearts. We shared our experiences and I turned to my neighbour on the left to thank her for the healing. She looked at me blankly and said it hadn’t been her! Then I realised the Grandmothers had been truly there! I had to read this book.

I went home and onto the internet to www.grandmothersspeak.com where I ordered 2 copies of the book. As soon as they arrived I started to read and was so excited by the ‘rightness’ of what I was reading. I gave the other copy to my Mother and when I’d finished reading my copy, lent it to my friend Debbie. Upon finishing it I realised that I would like to receive the Caul from the Grandmothers and emailed Sharon in Laguna Beach-the lady who wrote the book. She said it was possible to do the ceremony over the phone which we organised and on 14th Febuary 2008 I received the Caul from the Grandmothers. As Sharon placed the ‘Caul’ energetically over me (remembering she’s in Laguna Beach and me in Great Mongeham) I felt a warm tingly sensation begin at the top of my head and cascade down over me. It was extraordinary. I felt so excited and fortunate.

I decided to start a Grandmothers group at my house and we had our first meeting at the beginning of March. There were 3 of us there-myself my Mum and Debbie. We listened to a CD from Sharon telling the story of the Grandmothers, we then did the Net of Light Meditation and then our own ceremony where Debbie received the Caul. Again the energy was delightful. Afterwards we sat around and chatted over cups of tea-a really lovely evening. We have decided to hold a meeting monthly where we can meditate, share the Grandmothers message with others who might be interested and laugh together as women and friends.

On Wednesday evening-31st October- a few of us gathered at my house to celebrate Halloween with a Fire Ceremony in honour of the Ancestors. I welcomed in the directions whilst Annie lit the fire. We did this in the Cherokee style ie anti-clockwise, as this retraces our steps towards our forebears. Those of us gathered sang songs,told stories,shared food and laughter. We then sang our souls songs to our Ancestors asking for messages and gifts to be received for each other. The moon rose slowly over the Ash tree in the garden as the stars appeared in the clearing sky. We closed the ceremony by thanking all the Spirits that had been present-a truly splendid evening!

Annie and I arrived at Gaunts a few days before the Journey began and spent our time as volunteers-we met some lovely people and worked hard helping with the clear up after their big summer festival. We continued to help with serving lunches when the Journey began which confused some people as they weren’t sure if we were Gaunties, participants either or neither!!! We will be running a Drum Making workshop there next Summer.
The Journey was organised by an incredible lady called Jennifer Little. It was a gathering of people interested in the Spirit Path and attracted folks from all over the world. Many traditions were represented from Hindu to Christian from Shamanic to Sufi……We made many new friends-reconnected with others and even though the weather was cold, grey and damp did not allow it to spoil the fun.
Caitlyn Mathews was there representing the Celtic Path of our lands. What a eloquent and wonderful woman she is. Annie and I spent a lot of time with her and we laughed til we cried then laughed some more-fantastic fun! With the voice of an angel she taught us to sing our soul note and welcome our ancestors back to our hearths.
We danced Sufi dances, chanted,sang, did yoga, meditated and Sweated in the Lodge run by Ken Littlefish Durrant and his wonderful family. They came from Oregon to take part and we were truely honoured by their presence. Annie and I made firm friends with Ken and his family and are intending to go to Oregon next year to visit and continue absorbing Ken’s great wisdom and teachings on Sweat Lodges and the Red Path. He has agreed to teach me the Sweat Lodge songs in his Native Tongue. I am very grateful for his and his family’s open heartedness and true humility.

He invited us and our families to a special ceremony held in Glastonbury a few days after Gaunts House. The ceremony was in a Teepee in a field owned by a devotee of the Hare Krishna movement. We shared the field with 12 Sacred Cows and had an incredible view of the Tor. The ceremony went on all night and when the sun came up though the early mist and we left the Teepee I was filled with joy and gratefulness at the beauty of this planet we call home.

I hope that Jennifer decides to organise another event here in the UK soon as it was a fantastic experience for all who took part.

Annie and I have spent the last few days in Dorset working with Eliana Harvey assisting on the Shamanka Practitioner training course. It is an amazing honour to be helping her in this work. To see a group come together at the beginning of the year, transform and blossom into truly beautiful and powerful women is wonderful. We laugh together,cry together,sing together,shout together,dance together and grow together. We sit in the Sacred Circle and share our wisdom and our fears and in a spirit of adventure we move forward with the support of our Sisters.

I had quite a visit to the US these past 9 days. I’m still in the states, set to return tomorrow, and I find myself processing quite alot of information! I was invited to the gathering of the Wind Clan by Chief Bluewolf Kicking Bear about a month and a half ago. Never did I think (at the time) that I would actually come! And yet, here I am, having added to my life experience almost 10 days of very unique interactions, ceremonies, new relationships, shared love, gifts, insights…

The actual gathering took place near Crewe, Virginia - a small town in mid-virginia, located on the eastern coast of the United States…I arrived a few days early and was met at the Airport by River Two Horses.  He took me to the land where the Gathering was happening and introduced me to the ‘Family’.  I met Chief Bluewolf Kicking Bear-the Clan Chief. I stayed with Star Pony and Shadow Walker who welcomed me into their home with open arms and hearts.

People began arriving from all over the Country-smiling-glad to be ‘home’. We were immensely lucky when Little Tiger-Jan Seiden arrived on the Friday to entertain and thrill us with her amazing flute playing.  She took us with her music far away and called the rain and made us laugh when it fell so hard!

On Saturday morning the Heart Beat drum began to beat and a day of Ceremony started in the dawn light.  I felt so immensely honoured to be there….so lucky.  When my turn came to beat the drum it was almost impossible to do so as I couldn’t see for the tears falling from my eyes.  I was surrounded by love and the warmth of a family I didn’t know I had until a few weeks before.  It felt so right to be there. During one ceremony the Chief added to my  name -which was already Swift Horse- Blue Water Spirit Woman because I’d flown across the ocean to be there!

I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Talking Bird the Medicine Man and he shared with me stories of the Trail of Tears. On my part I  took many clan members on vision journeys to meet loved ones gone before, discover Power Animals and even remove a Voodoo curse!  The time passed so fast and before I knew it I was driving back to Washington DC to catch my flight home.

And here I am now finally finishing this post-back  in the UK- my heart full of joy and a little sadness too-happy to be back with my husband and sons and looking forward to next years Gathering!

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