00:00 Mel – INTRO
Hello everyone, join me a small medium at large as we explore the world of Spirit, energy, tarot, mediumship, psychic abilities, Angels, oracles, paranormal activity and basically anything downright spooky. If any, some, or all of those things interest you, then you've come to the right place my friends, I'm Melanie Mahmood and welcome to the Spirit Level podcast.
00:30 Mel – WELCOME
Hello, hello, hello. We're back, oh, we've missed you so much and thank you for all your lovely messages letting us know that you've missed us too.
We have had a much-needed break in one of our favourite spots in Lanzerote. I cannot tell you how much I love the place. The energy is awesome. I'm guessing because the whole place is made of lava stone and peridot. It's very grounding and balancing. Seriously. I can feel all the stress being pulled out of my feet as soon as we land, but despite the wee trip away we have not been resting on our laurel's folks. We have got a bangin’ brand new and sparkling season lined up for you, I'm so excited to share it with you because honestly, we think it's the best yet.
With loads of new content and best of all, some new collaborations with some dear, dear friends. As you already know, The Spirit Level is all about promoting positivity and giving you, our beloved listeners access to knowledge and ideas that may help you on your own personal spiritual quest.
So, with this in mind, we reached out to some friends of ours whom you've already met in both seasons one and two.
Now the first darling friend is my soul sister and spiritual inspiration Maria Atherley. You know when you meet someone, and you just click. Well, that's Maria for me. I feel like I've known her for a lifetime, but we actually only met in person last year. She's opened my eyes, heart and soul to so many different new spiritual horizons, and I hope that she will inspire you too.
Our second beloved friend is Amanda Parnell. Now there would not be a spirit level anything, no podcast, no websites, and certainly no Crystal corner without AP because she gave me the tools, the confidence and the practical blueprint to get all of those things off the ground. She's also my boss. Can you believe it? Poor soul, she has to try and supervise me. I know, right? But when I arrived on her doorstep four years ago, a damaged and very confused soul having left a world and a career that had very nearly broken me, it was Amanda who helped put the new and improved me back together again. In fact, she was actually there when Spirit came in and provided the name, The Spirit Level, which was very spooky. I can tell you. We both knew then that something extraordinary was going to happen and it has.
So, over the next 12 weeks, Maria is going to be the inspiration for change one week and Amanda will provide you with the tools of transformation to change your world if you wish the following week, so they will be week and week about if that makes sense.
It's powerful stuff folks, as I can personally attest to, and even if you don't want to change anything at all, I'm sure that you'll find some useful ideas which may help you or perhaps someone else in your life.
We also have some new astrological adventures and some healing tricks up our sleeves with Cosmic Cruise & Straight to the point where I'll be giving you some acupressure points to help you with everyday maladies.
So, let's crack on because I can't wait any longer.
So, coming up in this week show we've got EUDIALYTE as the featured crystal in CRYSTAL CORNER.
We've got the 1st of a new item where we butt heads with ARIES, in COSMIC CRUISE.
We have more of your LISTENER QUESTIONS.
In MR M'S MENAGERIE, the 9 UNKNOWN MEN are being discussed.
HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS looks at CANDLEMASS and in MARIA'S MAGICAL SUPER SIX, the first episode of our new collaboration, Maria Atherley describes how her personal spiritual journey came to be, and we close with another new item STRAIGHT TO THE POINT where acupuncture and acupressure are being discussed, with a remedy for PLUM STONE QI STAGNATION.
So, if you're ready, here we go.
04:50 Mel - CRYSTAL CORNER
This season Mr M has had a direct hand in all the crystals selected for us to have a closer look at and to be honest I was intrigued as to what he would pick and as ever he has not let me down. There are some really unusual and very interesting ones he’s selected for us. Some that I have not come across either and today’s is one of those crystals, so I’m learning about it right along with you!
Today we are having a look at EUDIALYTE. Now looks wise, it looks a lot like BLOODSTONE so a dark mottled green with flecks of copper colour in it. It comes from Greenland like NUUMITE, but can also be found in Russia, Canada and Madagascar.
Now if I was to give this crystal a tag line it would be the soulmate crystal because that’s it’s metaphysical purpose – it gives guidance upon soul mate connections. Sleeping with Eudialyte under your pillow is said you reveal the purposes of our soul connections – whether there is a romantic bond or whether there is spiritual work to be done between you. So, this does not just mean partners of the romantic kind – soul connections can be friends or even colleagues that you have a connection with.
Emotionally, EUDIALYTE has a very strong life force, opens the Heart Chakra and is a personal power crystal and it heals any dissatisfactions you may have with yourself and so it promotes self-forgiveness and self-love. The name is derived from the Greek – Eu meaning “well” and “dialytos” meaning dissolves which may explain why it can help with dispelling depression and can also bring about profound changes in your inner world as it releases guilt, anger, jealousy, and resentment
Physically, EUDIALYTE can heal on a multidimensional level and heals the optic nerve.
Not a commonly used or even seen crystal this one but it would seem to be a very useful one but do not cleanse it in water as it will dissolve and disappear, in fact as I have stated before I do not recommend cleansing any crystal in water for this very reason, it can damage them severely. Another unusual one to add to the collection.
I fear this season may be expensive, he’s only himself to blame.
07:35 Mel = COSMIC CRUISE
Whatever you think of Astrology, it’s usual because of the little snippets you may have seen in newspapers and some general missive, that could apply to just about anyone. But this is not Astrology proper folks and so yes, it is pretty general. But if you start digging a wee bit deeper, I promise you will be amazed at how spookily accurate Astrology can be.
I remember reading one time, and I cannot remember what or where, but it was a scientific research paper that had been set up to totally discredit once and for all the noble art of Astrology. But instead of achieving this, it actually proved the reverse, that a ridiculous amount of Athletes were born under the sign of Aries and most Billionaires are born under the sign of Pisces. More than there should be via the law of mathematical averages. I wish I could remember the exact paper, but it resonated with me, but it was years ago!
I cannot tell you the times that things have been going haywire in my life for no apparent particular reason but then when I look up what’s going on Astrologically, the answer is usually there. For example, last Mercury Retrograde, end of last year, Mercury being the Planet of Communication and retrograde being in reverse or opposite to what should be happening, wow did we feel it!! I’m not kidding. The server at work went down for a week! No Computer communication with the office at all for a week! So, I am a firm believer in how the Planets and Stars energies can and do affect us here on Mother Earth. If you are interested in the sources I use regularly, I use and watch Michele Knight Astrology a lot as I really like her energy, check her out on Youtube. She does monthly vids and I like her positivity and I also use Chani Nicholas, an American Astrologer for her really laser sharp and deep insights into the soul, not always easy to read but brutally honest and enables great personal growth. Better still get a personal natal chart done, both Michele and Chani do them for free on their websites, I think. We’ll put the links in the episode notes for you. Then you will have a total 360-degree picture of your life, spookily so sometimes because a natal chart will give you your Sun sign, Moon Sign and Rising signs, all of which develop into a much deeper and detailed picture of your personality type, likes, dislikes and often offers explanations of why you do the things you do or react to certain things in certain ways!!
So, in this season I am going to be looking at Sun signs. This is the sign the Sun was in on the day that you were born, the one most people know. Sun signs are perhaps the most important starting block and the foundation stone if you will, of your astrological character. In this series we will have a look at what each Sun Sign represents and the specific characteristics, Planetary rulers, Tarot cards and crystals associated with each signs Planetary Ruler, not necessarily the crystal for the sign itself, thought I’d do something slightly different. I will also be doing a little 3 card Tarot spread for the coming 3 months for each sign. I hope you enjoy it and hope it encourages you to explore this fascinating Art or is it a science, further for yourself.
So, in Episode 1, we start with ARIES. Aries the Ram is the first sign of the Zodiac and falls between the 21st March and 20th of April and Aries is a Fire sign and ruled by the God of War, Mars. Fire sign are generally like the element of Fire itself. They can be warm and gentle or raging and brash, it all depends on the circumstances. But Aries are natural born leaders whose nature is generally spontaneous, impulsive and fearless, all traits linked to the ruling Mars Planet. Brave and heroic can quickly turn to controlling, stubborn and impatient though, but they are what I call “drivers”.
Aries folk can drive a situation and motivate strongly hence why they make natural leaders. You Aries lot can be quite demanding sometimes but you’re also incredibly lovable and charming. Hedonistic too. Aries folk love life and have hearts made for adventure with heaps of courage and passion.
Your soul lesson though is to be a Warrior for love and avoid distractions which pull your energy this way and that. You need to complete what you started. Careers for heroic Aries are Fire fighter, any of the Forces actually, any visually creative type of work and sales, the gift of persuasion at work there.
Famous Aries folk are Lady Gaga, definitely doing it her way baby, Elton John, could you get any brasher?? Robert Downey Jr and Leonardo Da Vinci, a true original thinker and all-round genius.
The crystal associated with Aries and Mars is JASPER, a very powerful grounding crystal which transmutes the negative to positive, calming energies down and balancing the chaos! Much needed with Mars for certain.
Tarot Card wise Aries is represented by THE EMPEROR of course. Stoic leader and uses their authority and analytical powers for the greater good and to assist others in their progress and achieve your goals. Very loyal to those they care for but once lost, this loyalty is lost forever I’m afraid.
OK, Aries folk, this is your reading for the next three months, and the three cards that have come out are THE MOON, THE SEVEN OF CUPS and THE ACE OF SWORDS. Now we are recording this just at the end of January, so we'll take this as being February, March and April.
So, we've got THE MOON card now, so this is the February card. Now this is all about trusting your intuition and your gut feeling. So, if there is a situation or a scenario, don't forget this as a general reading. It's not a specific personal reading, but if you're in a situation or there's a situation around you where you're not sure what's happening, trust you gut that is this card’s basic message. Trust your intuition. It will not steer you wrong. There may be some involvement with a Cancerian that this situation is involved with because that is coming up in the card as well.
So, we've also got THE SEVEN OF CUPS, so this would be for March. THE SEVEN OF CUPS is all about hopes, dreams, aspirations, and what we are wanting. This card asks us to be specific. You've got to be very clear when you are manifesting what you want, exactly what it is that you do want. So, we need to strip away pipe dreams and things that are just, you know, not going to happen, but really concentrating your energy. There may be some offers coming up as well that aren't what they seem, so that would be March.
Looking at April, we've got THE ACE OF SWORDS. Now the Ace is the peak, peak experience of the suit that it represents. So, this is swords in this case and THE ACE OF SWORDS for me is all about truth seeking and cutting away that, that no longer serves.
So, it's also being brave and being called to battle, so it may be that you are being called to step up this month and also clear away the stuff again, which doesn't serve you. So, I hope that you enjoyed that.
It is only a general little bit of a reading to give you an idea of the energies that are happening for your star sign, this next three months.
16:24 LISTENER QUESTIONS
Mel - Now it's time for listeners questions.
MR M - Thank you, Mel. Hello again everyone just the one question this week Mel and it comes from Grace in Leicester who asks -: Has there ever been a time when you have lost your mediumship gift? If not, is it always on hand so to speak?
Mel - Good question Grace. I haven't lost it, but it's gone offline if that makes sense. Because as you're developing your mediumship can change and sometimes it requires you to go offline while Spirit makes those changes. They also know as well when you poorly and things like that, and when your energy is low, they know you've got a life to lead.
So, if things are a bit hectic then things might go a little bit quiet, but they're always there and funnily enough, just by speaking about them and just speaking now about this, my calling card has just kicked off, so my face is now tingling on the left-hand side and so I know spirit is near.
So, they are never, never offline, really. They are always there if you need them, but there are just things that change and sometimes time is required for that.
MR M - Thank you Mel and thanks for your question, Grace. If you would like to send Mel a question or have your question feature as a three-card Tarot reading or want to get in touch with us for any other matter, including suggestions for show content guests or just to get in touch, then here is how to do so.
Mel - Thank you to everyone who submitted a question. There are a number of ways you can get in touch with us.
You can get in touch with us via email and the address is thespiritlevel22@gmail.com
On Facebook, on the groups, search for The Spirit Level.
On Twitter search for thespiritlevel.co.uk.
We have a Twitter handle which is @ thespiritlevelU which is a capital U
On Instagram, search for me, Melanie Mahmood or thespiritlevel.co.uk
Or you can click on the SpeakPipe link in the episode notes and send us a voicemail free of charge.
In addition, there are a number of resources for you to download and access on our website totally free of charge at www.thespiritlevel.co.uk we look forward to hearing from you.
18:43 MR M - MR M’s MENAGERIE
Welcome to MR M’s MENAGERIE. Hello everyone, and welcome to the first episode of MR M’s MENAGERIE in Season 3 of the podcast. It’s good to be back with you, and I hope that you will find the subjects in this season interesting and informative. So, let’s make a start, and to kick off the season, I want to talk to you about the 9 UNKNOWN MEN.
I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that mankind has always had a fascination with the idea of secret societies. I’ve covered a few of them in the past in this part of the show, THE ILLUMINATI, THE SKULL & BONES SOCIETY, THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR.
There is something compelling about these societies, but the commonality between them all is the belief that they consist of a group of powerful people and that these people are working behind the scenes of mainstream civilization. Their ultimate aims and beliefs are not known, but popular theories include the manipulation of currency markets to ensure great wealth for their society members, undermining and manipulating governments, again for the good of the society members, and that they possess secret knowledge, which they use, not for the good of humanity, but to promote and manipulate their way into the highest ranks of financial institutions, Government, politics, entertainment, and media.
Ultimately, the belief is that it is all about a select group controlling us all. Now whether you believe in Secret Societies or not, what is not in dispute is that there are organisations that exist today, that have a high proportion of their members in positions of power. Just look at how many FREEMASONS are in global power positions. So, whilst we may think that the modern-day FREEMASONS & ILLUMINATI hold the key to global power, there is another group of people who predate these organisations, the 9 UNKNOWN MEN.
The 9 UNKNOWN MEN, so legend has it, were formed in ancient India, and were discharged to guard ancient secrets and protect us from the potentially destructive knowledge which we, as humans, manage to glean from the mysteries of the universe. The group operate in secret and are spread throughout the world, watching us silently, and gaining more secrets and knowledge over time.
Let’s go back to 237BC, and to India. Emperor ASOKA was waging a bloody and destructive war. ASOKA was hellbent on destroying everything and anything in his path, and it was his aim to rule all of India, which he managed to do. However, any sign of dissent or uprising was dealt with savagely by ASOKA. Despite his reputation and destructive nature, there were challenges to his reign, and it was during his campaign to quell an uprising in the region of Kalinga, which nowadays would be a region between Calcutta and Madras, that ASOKA appears to have had some sort of epiphany. His conquest of the region resulted in casualties of over 100,000 men, and the loss of so many men in such a brutal fashion appears to have affected ASOKA, who almost immediately after witnessing the sight of so many slain men and rotting corpses, decided that from now on, he would renounce the idea of trying to subjugate others by violence, and would instead try to win people over by observing laws with piety, and to try and integrate rather than to destroy. He converted to Buddhism, and his newfound outlook, was spread far and wide.
The story goes that Emperor ASOKA also realized at the time that humankind was apt to use intelligence, as well as scientific and technological knowledge to evil use for the purpose of destruction. He vowed to create a way in which all manner of technological secrets and discoveries of mankind would be kept protected from the gaze of those who would use them for the purposes of annihilation and death, in order to protect mankind from those who would use scientific knowledge to put it into peril and bring about the downfall of all society.
To ensure that this took place, he supposedly formed a secret society tasked with keeping the accumulated knowledge which could be used for destruction, safe from those who would misuse it. In addition, he is alleged to have tasked this society to further pursue research and knowledge that would benefit mankind instead of to destroy it.
ASOKA wanted all new technology to be hidden away forever from those who would use it to nefarious ends, and as such the legend of the 9 UNKNOWN MEN was born. These 9 were the most trusted of ASOKA’s entourage, and each of the 9 was entrusted with a book which contained all of mankind’s accumulated and ever-growing knowledge in certain fields, and it was their duty to revise and perfect the contents of the book, and this duty would be passed down to the select chosen throughout the ensuing centuries. There are those who believe that the 9 UNKNOWN MEN have unlocked the secrets of immortality and retain their position for eternity.
There were always to be 9 trusted individuals, no more or less, and they were to remain obscured from the world at large and were forbidden to engage in politics or mainstream science and were never to reveal their identity. Each of the 9 would serve as keepers and guardians of this hidden knowledge contained within the ever-expanding books and observe the world around them, to witness the rise and fall of whole civilizations yet to never interfere or play an active role in any of it except perhaps in times when mankind was in dire need of help.
So, what were the books concerned with. Well, it is believed they were -:
PROPOGANDA & PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE -: This deals with techniques of propaganda and psychological warfare, the science of manipulating mass opinions and sculpting the attitudes of society at large, which has long been thought to be among the most dangerous of sciences.
PHYSIOLOGY -: An equally dangerous field outlining such things as how to create poisons, kill more efficiently, ways to manipulate pressure points, and indeed how to kill with a mere touch.
MICROBIOLOGY -: Instruction on how to create and manipulate microbes that could save or wipe out mankind, as well as more beneficial microbes for medicinal purposes or purification.
ALCHEMY -:The transmutation of metals. In India, there is a persistent rumour that during times of drought or other natural disasters temples and religious organizations receive large quantities of gold from an unknown source. The mystery is further deepened with the fact that the sheer quantity of gold throughout the country in temples and with kings cannot be properly accounted for, seeing that India has so few gold mines.
COMMUNICATION -: Communication at all levels including communication with extra-terrestrials.
GRAVITY -: Looking at the secrets of gravity, including the ways in which to make anti-gravity aircraft, called VIMANA in Indian myth.
COSMOLOGY -: Looks at the workings of the universe, including the concept and implementation of faster than light travel and in addition how to bend space and time, travel between dimensions and how to perfect time travel.
LIGHT -: Investigates the nature of light, including increasing or decreasing its speed, bending it to one’s will and using it to create weapons, such as lasers.
SOCIOLOGY -: This final book includes the immutable rules of the rise and fall of civilizations, and in addition lists the secrets of how to predict the decline of society and how to stop it or hasten it.
Although the knowledge of these books is supposedly kept totally secret from mankind, over the centuries there are said to have been leaks, which have gone on to account for a number of innovations throughout history. For instance, it is said that the secret of aeronautics and flight, using radiation to sterilize objects as well as produce the atomic bomb, pressure points or techniques used in various martial arts, and numerous medical breakthroughs, among others, were all the result of information from the nine books somehow leaking out or being released into the outside world.
It has also long been believed the 9 UNKNOWN MEN intentionally release snippets of information from their books on occasion in order to help mankind in times of great need, with such gifts from the mysterious group being allegedly the vaccines for cholera and plague. They are also said to sometimes reveal themselves to those who they deem to be wise and worthy in order to share portions of the secrets and information they have gathered over the centuries.
Who are the 9 UNKNOWN MEN? Is this just a myth, with just enough historical reference to give it some facade of believability? Or is it just pure conspiracy craziness based on what was meant to be pure fiction? Or are they really out there, entrusted with the most powerful knowledge mankind has ever seen, collected over thousands of years? If so, who are they, where are they now, and what is there ultimate plan? Are they truly benign, or is there the potential of malevolence?
Will we ever truly know the answer to these questions? We may never know if they really exist or not, and if they were out there, they would undoubtedly hope to keep it that way. Whether they really exist or not, the idea of a secret group of nine mysterious figures guarding the secrets of the universe is certainly a romantic notion.
Maybe they are just a story or maybe, according to some, they are out there now, watching over us as they always have from the shadows, relentlessly collecting knowledge as they have for millennia and will for many more, guarding us from secrets we are not meant to know and saving us from ourselves in the process.
Well, that brings me to the end of this episode. I hope you enjoyed it. Please get in touch and let me your thoughts on the 9 UNKNOWN MEN. Next time, I will be taking a look at BASE 211 & OPERATION HIGHJUMP.
29:36 Mel - HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS
Welcome back to Household Hocus Pocus and this Season I thought we would change things up a bit and throughout this year, we are going to follow the seasons, the Equinox’s, phases of the Moon and Pagan festivals of the coming year as they are happening.
I have timed it so that each Spirit Level episode of this season will coincide with whatever is happening in the Pagan Calendar at that time. This is in order that you will have the opportunity to harness the prevailing energies for you own magical workings and for your own higher and greater good.
Over the coming year, we will also be dipping our toes in some adventurous areas of very specific types of magic, that you may or may not have met before. I’m so excited!!
Now we have just had the 1st of February which celebrates the feast of Imbolc and the 2nd Of February which is the feast of the CANDLEMAS. Now our ancient ancestors LOVED a feast and frankly it was any excuse, who can blame them eh? Now both Imbolc and CANDLEMAS are about celebrating the mid-way point between the Winter and the Spring Equinox and petitioning the Goddess Brigid for a fruitful and fertile year of growth and the future harvest. Goddess Brigid was not only the goddess of fertility but also the Goddess of Fire and so CANDLEMAS celebrates the point where the Goddess begins to lead us out of the darkness of bleak Winter and into the light of Spring.
As per usual, the Early Christians seized the opportunity to put their Christian stamp on the prevalent Pagan festivals and hijacked this popular festival of lights, making Brigid, St Brigid and changing the name to CANDLEMAS. It’s no coincidence either that CANDLEMAS marks the end of the Christmas Epiphany. Linked also to the February New Moon, this is a fabulous time to manifest your hopes, goals and desires for the coming year and here is a lovely recipe for a magical oil that will assist you in this endeavor.
Now a very, very important word about magical oils. It really is only advisable to use proper 100 percent essential oils as they are natural and have the necessary magical essences of the actual plant, so nothing artificial please. Also make sure you are not allergic to any of them, they can be pretty strong and powerful and so we use a carrier or base oil to negate this. But again, please make sure you are not allergic to the base oil, especially if they are nut based like Almond Oil. So other base oils you can use are Olive, Sunflower, Jojoba, Avocado and Coconut, choose what you are not allergic to and which you are drawn too. The Essential oils are then added to this base.
Also, please double check that none of the oils affect other medications or if you are pregnant be especially careful please and check that the oils are not contraindicated for you. They can be powerful; they are plant medicine after all.
I would like to thank the folks at THE FLICKERING CAULDRON for this recipe which I found in their truly excellent Moon Diary. They have some great diaries, Calendars and Companion Books, check them out online.
Take 30mls of your base oil and add, in no particular order:
7 drops of Basil, 5 drops of Frankincense, 2 drops of Jasmine, 1 drop of Chamomile and 1 drop of Rosemary.
Use your magical oil to anoint your magical manifestation work, your alter, candles and yourself. Remember to be mindful in this process and direct your thoughts and energy towards your intention. That’s Household Hocus Pocus for this week. Join me next week for preparations for the FEBRUARY FULL SNOW MOON ON THE 16TH OF FEBRUARY.
33:59 Maria Atherley - MARIA’s MAGICAL SUPER 6
Hello and welcome to the first of 6 episodes of MARIA’s MAGICAL SUPER 6. So, this is episode 1, and you’re very, very welcome. Today I’m going to talk to you about my journey with KUNDALINI YOGA.
When Mel and Rash asked me to make a contribution to their amazing Podcast, it seemed like perfect timing to share my spiritual journey over the last 6 years. October 2016 was when it all began for me 6 years ago! As 2022 is a ‘6’ year numerologically, represented in the Tarot by The Lovers, a card signifying collaborations and partnerships, it seemed fitting to look back over the knowledge and practices I have immersed myself in, to get to where I am now.
I share this with you lovely listeners, in the hope that it may provide inspiration and some practical examples of how an ordinary wife and mum of 3 can change their life from the mundane to the truly magical.
This week I will be sharing my story with and first experiences of KUNDALINI YOGA.
For me, KUNDALINI YOGA was my ‘entry level drug’ into the world of the metaphysical, magic and spiritual. It was and will always remain, a very physical healing experience.
In October 2016, I travelled to Ibiza, spending the last £1000 of my divorce money on a ‘Mind, Body & Soul Retreat’, put together by my then gym, Prime Mover in Sheffield. I was there for healing and some time for me. Who knew when I set off how life-changing an experience it would be!!
One of the many activities on the itinerary was ‘Sunrise Yoga’. As someone who had practiced yoga on and off since the late 1990’s, I was excited by this. I knew how calm I felt after a yoga class. The setting was perfect, outdoor, balmy Ibizan sunrise, on the veranda with the beautiful Nina. The actual experience I had was very different to what I had participated in before, beautiful music being played, a focus on sitting still and breathing at the beginning of the class, ‘tuning in’ with a mantra, repeated, specific movements to shift the energy, followed by more meditation and beautiful relaxing music. Less focus on posture, more on the contrast between the stillness and the movement. An amazing soundtrack to support the class. This practice really hit the spot for me. I felt emotional at the end of the first class, always a good sign things are working!!
By Day 3 we were focusing on the Solar Plexus, moving up the energy body (at that time I had little understanding of this!). I can’t even remember now what movements we were doing. All I know was something was triggered inside of me that led to an outpouring of 4 years’ worth of trauma from my body. The tears flowed and they didn’t stop for hours. All advances to comfort me by my retreat friends were held back by Nina. She gave me a box of tissues and said just let whatever needs to come out to come out, so, being the obedient student, I did just that.
4 year’s prior, in December 2012 I had lost my beloved Grandma Freda and my 36-year-old sister-in-law Cassie within 2 weeks of each other. What followed was the mutually agreed break up of my 14-year marriage, a house sale and move, divorce and beginning a new life as a single mum. Flowing with life and meeting my now husband John, buying a house and becoming a step mum, followed by the decision to leave employment in 2015 and set up as a self-employed HR consultant. Just going with the flow of life!!!! I had never really grieved the loss of my sister or fully processed the shifts and changes in my life that had happened in a relatively short period. This yoga wasn’t going to let me hold on to all of this any longer! So out it came, the snot, the tears, the sounds, the release and this was just the start of my healing.
On the return flight I remember turning to the lovely Diane and saying, I’m going to train to be a yoga teacher. I came back to my family a changed person. Something deep had shifted inside of me, and I knew things would be very different moving forwards. I took up weekly KUNDALINI classes back in Sheffield. By February 2017 I had commenced my Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training level 1, immersing myself in daily sadhana spiritual practice of meditation, breathwork, movement, chanting and relaxation. And the rest, as they say, is history.
KUNDALINI YOGA introduced me to some key aspects of my spiritual journey: That we have to feel it to heal it. That sound or ‘Naad’ energy is universal and part of what makes us human and divine. That posture and perfection is not what yoga is about. That adopting discipline to make time as frequently as we need, to do this inner work is essential. That healing comes from letting go of unwanted emotion and trauma which is held in the body.
I hope that this story of my experiences has helped in some way to inspire you on your own healing journey. If you feel called, please reach out via the usual podcast contacts, I would love to hear from you! Thank you so much for listening. I would like to take this opportunity to also thank all of my teachers and students from the last 6 years, as you have all played an essential part in my own magical journey!
I look forward to sharing my journey with you in future episodes. Thank you for listening.
43:49 Mel – STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
Many of you know and many of you may not that amongst my many talents, I am a fully qualified Acupuncturist, taught and trained for three years at the Northern College of Acupuncture at York, here in the UK.
I discovered Acupuncture when I developed chronic fatigue after a post-operative infection. I had my Tonsils out as an adult, which is a much bigger deal than when you are a kid and my throat got badly infected and I lost quite a bit of blood.
I simply felt very unwell and absolutely exhausted all of the time, constant migraine and heavy limbs to the point I couldn’t move. The GP wasn’t particularly interested but I knew something was wrong but couldn’t understand what and could not carry on the way I was, so I started looking at alternative options. I saw a flyer for Acupuncture that was payable by my private health scheme through work, so I gave it a go and it changed my life. Not only did it change my health, but it set me off on an amazing adventure.
Within one treatment, I was already noticing a difference and within 6 months I was right as rain again, energy back up and headaches all but gone. I was absolutely fascinated as to how sticking a fine needle in my foot helped with headaches, so I had to find out more.
I did a small online course which whet my appetite even more and by this point I knew I wanted to study the subject further. The dream was to go to The Northern College of Acupuncture at York, but it was very expensive and due to work and shifts I didn’t think I could go. Not until I retired anyway, but here’s the thing, if you want something hard enough the universe will find the way for you and that is what happened. I had a change in circumstances at work which meant I wasn’t working nights or as many weekends and so I scraped the money together and enrolled for three years. Looking back, I do not know how I did it and working full time too, but it’s amazing what you can do and three years study of physiology and Anatomy, TCM theory and clinical practice flew by.
Before long I had started my own clinic from home and was starting to build up a client base and then the financial crisis hit, and I lost all my clients overnight just about. So, I had to go back to the day job again.
Whilst I no longer practice professionally, those skills are still in my toolkit, and I still use them when needed. I tell you they were useful when Covid hit at Christmas I can tell you and who knows I may start up again one day. Obviously, I am not advocating you start needling yourself, it does require professional training and knowledge as you could do yourself some damage, but you can use acupressure techniques and I would like to share some Acupressure points with you, over the next few weeks, that may just help with some everyday issues you may be facing.
I could wax lyrical for hours about the theory of TCM and what Acupuncture is all about, but you’d get bored so here is a potted understanding of what Acupuncture is and how it works.
We are a bio electrical mechanical being - yes? Of course, we all know this but the Chinese approach to the electrical element of our make-up is called Qi or life force energy. This Qi energy runs around the physical body via Meridians or channels and via these channels through the organs of the body too. Now the body’s main function and the function of Qi is to maintain the health and the balance of the system and so the body can and does heal itself, that is what the body is designed to do. So, if there is any disruption or blockage of this Qi force then pain and disharmony within the organs can begin and symptoms of disease can then appear. There are points on the Meridians, which affect certain organs or have certain direct effects on the body and its Qi, and it is the skilled Acupuncturist’s job to identify the issue from the symptoms present and then select the collection of points that will manipulate the Qi to get the Qi flowing again which will in turn get the body to do what it does best and heal itself.
It is a truly holistic approach to health and takes not just the physical stuff into account but emotional and lifestyle and diet issues also and it’s over 2000 years old, so way ahead of where western medicine sits, which is only just recognising that stress and emotional trauma has a physical effect on physical health. It also has no side effects other than it won’t work if the needle prescription is wrong and there’s no cycle of drugs to counteract the side effects of drugs and that continuous vicious cycle.
So, working with acupuncture points by applying direct pressure can have amazing results even without the needles for some everyday issues so here is the first one I use quite regularly and when I did this on Mr M for the first time he thought I was a miracle worker.
Have you ever had that lump in the throat feeling, like you have something stuck in your throat, but you don’t? And it’s hard to swallow? This is called PLUM STONE QI STAGNATION because it feels like you have a Plum stone stuck in your throat! Next time this happens to you try this. With your dominant hand index finger, place the tip of the finger on the tip of your chin. Then run the finger down your throat along the mid-line until you reach the top of your Adam’s apple or voice box. With the same finger feel the ridge of the top of the voice box, still on the mid-line and push your finger into the throat as deeply as is comfortable and whilst the finger is in situ, swallow hard three times. The feeling should be gone. If not do it again for another three swallows. Try it next time you’re feeling the pit in your throat.
Next week we will have a look at a few quick points for headache and nausea.
51:00 Mel – CLOSING
Well, that's it for this episode folks. I hope you enjoyed it. Coming up in next week's show, we have CINNABAR as the featured crystal in CRYSTAL CORNER. We lock horns with TAURUS in COSMIC CRUISE. In MR M'S MENAGERIE, BASE 211 & OPERATION HIGHJUMP are being discussed. There'll be some more of your listener questions, and in HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS we talk about the FEBRUARY SNOWMOON. We welcome Amanda Parnell to the podcast for her first episode on self-care, LOOK AFTER YOU and in STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, we have some acupressure points to help with HEADACHES AND NAUSEA.
Now folks, we've made a conscious decision not to seek advertising revenue for the podcast but running the show does cost us not only in time, but also financially. We do it because we love it. And if you love it too, and you'd like to help support the show, there is a link at the end of the episode notes where you can buy either myself, Mr M, or both of us a coffee. So, if you would like to support us, click the link or click on the heart icon on the podcast website. Your support is and always will be appreciated.
It's a big thank you to BUZZSPROUT for hosting us, and for the technical help and advice from the folks at AUDACITY & AUPHONIC.
A big thank you to my beloved husband and producer, Mr M for his help and support.
A massive thank you to you, our listeners, wherever you maybe for your continued support and your lovely messages. Please subscribe and review our podcast. Your feedback will help us improve the show.
Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or via your usual podcast provider.
Please visit the website www.thespiritlevel.co.uk where you can book a personal reading with me, wherever you are in the world, enrol on one of the courses, browse the online store, for the crystals that we talk about, crystal packs, power bracelets, aromatherapy and scented candles, or just to get in touch, we always love to hear from you and don't forget you can also send us a voicemail by clicking on the Speak Pipe link in the episode notes or via the podcast page on the website. It’s free of charge and no download required.
So, until next time folks look after each other and love and light to you all.
