The Alchemy of Forgiveness

Within my Tarot and Spiritual Counseling sessions I often encounter clients who misunderstand the concept of forgiveness.  I regularly hear spiritual teachers and mentors suggest forgiveness is a key ingredient in the emotional aspect of healing - when it’s accepted that the emotional state has an important relationship with our physical well-being as well as having a strong influence on the reality we create for ourselves, it’s important to get a clear understanding of what’s required so that the healing process is as swift and effective as it can possibly be.

How many times have you been advised to ‘forgive yourself’? For many, the idea can seem perplexing and a professional should never offer this kind of advice to a client without proper explanation - the process of forgiveness is just the beginning in the alchemical flow of transformation. It must be properly followed through to completion to avoid the individual slipping back into the old, unhelpful ways of being.

At the deepest level, we need to recognize the damaging patterns of negative emotions related to a sense of guilt or shame, not being ‘good enough’ or failure associated with low self-worth. The behaviours these emotions create and the projections they offer to others can be thought of as a form of punishment we repeatedly inflict upon ourselves as our external world mirrors our internal state of being.

Once these deep patterns have been recognized, we can more clearly see the mask of self-punishment we wear - it causes us to constantly turn on ourselves and results in a lack of security sad sense of disappointment in life. The process of self-forgiveness is very much about removing this mask - both energetically and through clear insight - so that the root causes of our problems can be exposed.

The root causes vary between individuals, but they are almost always negative resonances deeply ingrained in the psyche, energetic blueprint and DNA. They can stem from past lives, ancestral or inherited issues, pre-conceptual patterns related to the ‘soul contract’, pre-birth or birth trauma, childhood problems or dramatic life events. It takes gut and determination to heal these kinds of issues on every level and the results can vary according to our individual receptiveness to change as well as the skill and sensitivity of the practitioners we choose to work with.

Forgiving others is a slightly different story. It’s another common misconception that this kind of forgiveness involves compromising the self to let go of anger towards or disappointment in the other person in order to create a situation whereby it feels acceptable to remain entwined in a relationship with them. These kinds of relationships often involve some kind of co-dependency or dysfunction whereby each party perpetuates the problematic patterns within the other.

Lovers from the Soulscapes Tarot by Jade Ashcroft © 2012

On a conscious or subconscious level, an addictive connection or sense of need is developed between the parties that can seem almost impossible to break. The patterns behind the behaviour that trigger the anger or disappointment are then simply repeated and we become stuck in an emotional ‘groundhog day’ whereby the need for forgiveness arises again and again.

This is the story behind bad marriages, unpleasant family dynamics and unhappy working relationships. We can recognise this sorry state of affairs in most of the situations that we feel we simply have to put up with because we believe other factors make it necessary for us to connect with those people whose actions trigger the anger, disappointment or sadness that holds us back.

The first concept to be aware of when dealing with this kind of challenge is to recognise that continuing to place oneself in the problematic relationship is most likely to be a result of the low self-worth that requires the process of self-forgiveness I’ve already discussed.

When the root causes of low self-worth are identified and tackled, the anger or disappointment in the other person is often also exposed as being connected to those very same issues and the individual realises the dependency or co-dependency that’s been trapping them is an illusion they can easily transcend. 
Of course, we can work on ourselves, but can never force the other person to make what we perceive to be desperately needed changes. Even if we can persuade them to look at what needs transforming, they have their own inner work to do, and whether they do it is a matter of choice. In many cases, it is necessary to hand back the burdens we have on some level agreed to carry for the other person in the situation and assert our own boundaries when it comes to accepting responsibility.

So what’s the outcome of forgiveness when another person is involved? Sometimes our own process can transform the relationship and both parties can make the shift into a healthier connection. On other occasions, we realise the relationship is no longer needed, since the lessons it had to offer us have been processed and learned; we become empowered with freedom and find the strength to step away. This is very different from running away - since the patterns we create will remain prevalent until dealt with, so it’s never enough to extract ourselves from a relationship or situation without dealing with what’s truly going on beneath the surface.

In my view of existence, since we are the One currently enjoying an experience of separation in the form of human incarnation, the situations around us and people we’re connected with are our own creation. They are simply aspects of ourselves that we have chosen to experience in order to learn the lessons we have contracted to explore. They demand transformation so that we can expand and grow, eventually reaching the point where we realise that we are One again, and we see the dance of life from a totally different perspective.
Forgiveness is deep inner work. It requires self-responsibility, a sense of empowerment and the recognition of our own choice and Free Will. All these concepts are beautiful things that are an integral part of the healing process of the soul’s journey and the flow of awakening consciousness as we shift from duality to Oneness. Now’s the time to use forgiveness to explore freedom as we lift the limitations on our personal potential.

When we know how, it’s simple to move from sadness into joy.

Rhian Kivits – Crystal Priestess
Rhian is a Spiritual Teacher, Crystal & Energy Healing Expert, Writer, TV Presenter, Shamanic Seer, Crystal Skull Guardian & Priestess of the Sacred Feminine based in Glastonbury, UK. She is also co-author of the book ‘Crystal Skulls – a Journey of Wisdom, Experiences and the Divine’ which is due to be published in the Spring. Her website is www.templeofthegoldenheart.com

Spirit Guides

We all have spirit guides working with us from birth to death - and beyond. A strong bond exists between our guides and us because we know them well, sometimes even shared lifetimes with them.

Primary Guide

I call these beings “Primary” guides. These evolved individuals take their responsibilities seriously, yet prefer to communicate in light-hearted ways. They never impose their will upon us. Rather, they draw matters to our attention. It is we who decide which direction to take. The interesting thing is that, in most instances, if we choose not to go down a certain path we will find ourselves at a similar crossroads in the future for such lessons are part of our soul contract. It’s a bit like taking the ‘direct’ route, or the ‘scenic’ route. The destination is invariably the same.



Primary Guide

Not all spirit guides fall into the “Primary” category for we also have “Secondary” and “Tertiary” guides. These are our teachers and helpers respectively. Unlike Primary guides, these beings are transitory in nature. That said, the same guides can work with us at many different stages of our lives, as well as work with other people, some we may even know, concurrently or at different times. Who is with us at any given time depends on what we are working on, studying, striving for, etc. Whenever we are learning something, be it in an educational institution, in the workplace, or a life lesson, we frequently find our Secondary guides present as Druids, learned scholars, or philosophers. Tertiary guides may present as loved ones, trusted friends, or teachers who have passed on. A Tertiary guide can even be someone we actually know – a friend, relative, neighbour, or even a Facebook friend on the other side of the world!

Secondary guide

When strength, courage, or endurance is called for we tend to have warriors accompanying us into every battle, large and small. When challenged, we need only to ask for help and it shall be done, although not always in the way we envisaged. Sometimes, there is a better way, a way we cannot foresee.

Secondary guide

There are several meditations designed to help us communicate with our spirit guides, but the simplest is always the best. Sit it a comfortable chair, feet flat on the floor and arms uncrossed, loosely placed on your lap. Take several slow deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, relaxing further with each breath. When you feel ready, look down at your feet and then see them walking along a pathway (the type and its surrounds is up to you). In the distance, you see a large tree. Under its canopy is a bench seat, chairs, or table and chairs. The choice is up to you. When you are ready, invite your guide to sit with you. If at first you don’t see him or her clearly, do not give up. You can ask your guide anything you like. But you must always remember to thank him or her before you head back along the pathway, back into your own chair, in your own room. If you like, you can jot down what was said, what your guide looked like, and anything else you observed.

 Tertiary guide



I have been drawing people’s guides for years now. It was a challenge I did not accept willingly. Many a crossroads was I led to, and many a time I chose not to go down that road. Yet, here I am. Not only do I draw Spirit Guides, I have also drawn people's past lives. But that is another story altogether.

Secondary Guide

Primary guide

By Mary Bird

Enlightening Times Featured Artist - Peter Yankowski

Peter Yankowski Artists Statement: 

My current body of work examines themes of conflict, technology, religion, symbolism and the inherent history derived from recycled objects. 

Exploring the nature of abstract and figurative forms, combining many mediums, paint, photography, sculpture and assemblages. Particularly interested in revealing the hidden beauty within unwanted or broken artifacts.

Light up the World

The themes of this Icon are religion, war, death, conflict, and human being’s urge to belong to something. My intention is that the themes, symbolism, artifacts and imagery used within the ‘Icon’ have double meanings, which will hopefully engage and challenge the viewer to interpret it on a personal level.

Many religions have a history of persecution, brutality, waging wars and killing many innocent people in the name of their God or religious values.

The stories of Jesus are mainly that he was a good man who fought to save people with non-aggressive means, even if leading to his own death.

The Icon’s painting of Jesus holding a rifle downward, could portray him as a soldier fighting for good, or maybe just using the light to guide his way. Mixed in the myriad of symbols on the inside panel is the Hebrew (תרצח) for ‘Thou shalt not kill’ originally written ‘Thou shalt not murder’ raising the idea that killing is sometimes necessary or good?

  

Light Up The World by Peter Yankowski

False Prophet by Peter Yankowski

Purple Heart by Peter Yankowski

‘Kryžių Kalnas’

Ten kilometres outside Šiauliai, Lithuania is ‘Kryžių Kalnas’ (Hill of Crosses), this is an ancient pagan area that developed into the ‘Hill of Crosses’ after enforced Catholicism around 1386.

My first sighting of Kryžių Kalnas was visually stunning, the vast area is covered with a variety of hand crafted crosses and religious artifacts, from rosary beads to life-size crosses and huge sculptures. Lithuanian people identify the sight as a place of pilgrimage, remembrance and blessing where they leave religious objects as a memorial and testament to their long and troubled history.

During the years 1944 to 1991, when Lithuania was closed to the outside world and officially part of the Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR, Lithuanians used ‘Kryžių Kalnas’ to demonstrate their allegiance to their original identity, religion and heritage by leaving crosses. The Russians tried to stop this by fining people who left crosses if caught a second time they were detained in Gulag camps for up to two years.

Even though the Soviets were ruthless and worked hard to remove new crosses from Kryžių Kalnas almost as soon as they were removed, new ones arrived. The Russians bulldozed the site at least three times, even flooded it with sewerage and put people in prison or fined them for placing crosses, but by 1985 they had given up and the Hill of Crosses flourished.

By 1991 it was estimated that forty thousand crosses and religious artifacts were on the site and by 2011 that number may well have tripled.

From the research and chatting with local people, it is obviously that Kryžių Kalnas is a sacred place, but I also like to think it is a symbol to strength and defiance against Russian oppression.

I made many photographs whilst at ‘Kryžių Kalnas’ but have selected these four images to be photographically printed on quality archive paper and limited to 150 prints

To Contact Peter about exhibitions or commissions please send an Email to vital.media@ntlworld.com

Radical Paganism

In essence, it is the nature of paganism to be radical.

While the mainstream world is driven by money and a hunger for power, paganism reverences nature. You can’t go round pillaging that which you reverence, and in daring to care for the planet, we automatically step away from that normal and oh-so-destructive world view.

Paganism is inherently non-hierarchical. Groups tend to have leaders, but as anyone can found a group, grove, coven, order… and as anyone can move from one group to another as they see fit, that hierarchy only exists

where it is supported and valued. In short, you have to do a decent job as a pagan to be in a position of power and responsibility. Those interested in serving only themselves do not tend to survive long. Plus, you don’t get a house as part of the ‘job’ or a steady income, or a seat on a national ruling body, or any of the other power-trappings other faiths confer. Those who are trying to earn a penny along the way soon find that it’s not the easiest way to make ends meet.

The pagan faiths encourage independent thinking, personal responsibility and enough motivation to get out there and learn. No one will come round and convert you, or tell you what to think, or otherwise make it easy for you. Compare this with the sheer numbers of other religious, political and media folk who are desperate to tell you what to think, wear, feel and say. Having an opinion you formed all by yourself is pretty damn radical.

When you look at the values that exist across paganism, most of them don’t sit well alongside corporate, repressive ideologies. We value beauty, not mass produced pap. We care about where our food comes from. We respect life, and we think there should be more to human life than being a cog in someone else’s money making machine. We dance to our own drums, our own music, and we aren’t afraid to sing our own songs.

Being a radical pagan is not just about doing the recycling, and the striking clothes we might wear. If we let them, our beliefs can permeate every part of our lives. We can be radicals in our compassion and ourwillingness to try and understand others. We can be radical in defending human rights, animal rights, plant rights, soil rights. I’m a great believer in saving the human habitat, which is everywhere. Not only can we care, but we can dare to do so publically. We can stand up and speak. We can blog, protest, letter write, make nuisance and draw attention. We can be in tune enough with our emotions to get angry about what is wrong in the world, and with the courage of our warrior ancestors, we can peacefully resist.

I am hugely inspired by the nuisance making of radicals through history. The best revolutions are bloodless, and often prove the most successful. Where we try and force progress through violence, often what we get instead is more violence. But paganism gives us heroic myths and powerful archetypes to draw on. It gives us personal insight into what it means to be on the fringes, vulnerable, easily made victim. Our people have been oppressed too, and in some countries, still are. It won’t take many right wing bigots to bring back the ‘good old days’ of religious oppression. We are only ever one change in the laws away from being criminalised. Again.

People who think, are dangerous. People who ask questions, are dangerous. People who do not accept the soothing noises of politicians or the toys of consumerism, are dangerous. Every time a pagan rejects the mainstream, they aren’t just making a statement for themselves, they are showing that it can be done. For every pagan who speaks, or acts out of their reverence for nature and respect for life, there are going to be a whole bunch of non-pagans who hear them. Every time we speak with passion of our values and ethics, someone will hear us, and that has the potential to change them. By living our truth we can gently radicalise those around us.

‘Radical’ is a word those in power like to blacken. Radicals are supposedly the bad guys, the threat. To be radicalised is to step outside society, with connotations of violence, and fanaticism. Being a radical means

so much more than this, and does not have to cause harm to anyone. An it harm none, do what you will is a fabulously radical notion.

Make nuisance. Make love, and poetry. Make people listen.

Make your truth, your life. If you do so, you will be a revolutionary, a radical, a threat to the establishment. We aren’t going to take over the world. That kind of power-hunger is just another trap for those who are fearful and lost. All we need is to live our own lives in peace and freedom, which for those who crave control, is about the most offensive thing any of us could do.

Be the change.

A Modern Day Witchhunt by Peter Aziz 2012

Many of you may have heard the news last September that I was the first person to be imprisoned for using ayahuasca, a healing vine used in South American religious ceremonies.

To give a little back ground on the situation, I have been practicing as a homeopath, healer and Shaman for over 25 years, and had written to the Home Office before starting ceremonies, to make sure I would not be breaking the law.

I had a letter from them confirming that ayahuasca was not illegal. Over the last 25 years, my studies have taken me all over the World. I spent 4 years training as an ayahuascaro in Peru. I have trained as a Kahuna, Pueblo medicine man, and have been initiated into Vodou to the highest level. I am also a Hindu priest, and was chosen by Kali to be Her Odiya ( A Shaman).

You can read more about my work on my website:

I had built up a very positive reputation for teaching authentic shamanism, and for giving some very effective healings. Previous press releases had been positive; showing major healing taking place, such as getting a crippled child walking. More recently, though, the press has given very negative focus to alternative medicine and spirituality.

The persecution leading up to this case began several years earlier. I had appeared on the TV program, “Trust me, I’m a Healer”. Following this program, I came under heavy slander from a vicious group of doctors who formed a group called Health Watch, for the sole purpose of discrediting natural medicine. At that time, complaints made to the police were rejected, as ayahuasca was not on the controlled substance list. However, after continuous pressure, the police decided to investigate.

I was arrested and put on bail, with the condition that I was could not give any spiritual or healing ceremony of any kind, or give any plant substance of any kind. At this stage, there was not even any charge made, and yet I was stopped from earning a living, and my religious rights completely violated. It took 3 ½ years to finally get me to court, finally deciding to prosecute me for producing and supplying class A drugs, referring to the 0.1% DMT content naturally occurring in the plants.

They argued that since I had brewed the plants into a tea, it was now considered a preparation of DMT. At first I didn’t believe any court could prosecute me for this, as the United Nations convention of psychotropic substances clearly stated that ayahuasca was sufficiently different from pure DMT not to be classified as the same. However, on the first day of the trial it was clear that the police were up to something; with the evil smiles and over-confidence they displayed. It became very clear that this Court was fixed. During the legal discussion, the judge refused any of my defenses to be brought before the jury, and basically told the jury what conclusion they had to come to. Many points of law were ignored, and I was sentenced to 15 months in Prison.

We are all suspicious that the system is corrupt, but you never know how far the corruption goes until you experience it. I had been given a full criminal prosecution for doing healing ceremonies and sending the money to charity. There was no confusion about my motivation, as all witnesses had spoken of the great benefits they got from the ceremonies, and I had a good bunch of character references. What’s more, the police are trying to seize all charity money, as proceeds of crime. Having been in prison, I can honestly say that I have not met any criminal who would stoop so low as to rob charities.

Of course there are big lessons for me in this experience, apart from waking up to the level of corruption, soullessness and pure evil within our leadership. The plants themselves point to the way through this modern crazy world, and I have taken note of the teachings they have been bringing me. I have made good use of my time in incarceration, and treated it as a spiritual retreat, spending many hours every day in meditation. This has only left me stronger in every way. First of all, I was shown how my consciousness has been like certain plants that have been banned for being too useful in helping mankind, such as the ayahuasca, or the cannabis.

Cannabis was seen as a great gift from the Gods because of its usefulness, and I am not just talking about getting high. It provides cloth, building materials, fuel, medicine as well as spiritual teaching. It is because it was so useful that the cotton and timber industries worked on propaganda to get it banned, so it would not threaten their monopoly. Because any nation growing cannabis was assured of wealth, the banks soon helped get it banned, to stop any nation becoming independent of them. So the plants that give the most get themselves totally banned all over the World. I have been through similar lessons.

As a Hindu minister, I have always believed that the highest form of worship was to relieve the suffering of others. This I had dedicated my life to; running healing ceremonies and giving proceeds to charity, feeding starving families. I had put great dedication into this work, only to be stamped on by a corrupt system. This has not turned me from the path, however, far from it. I have just had to become less naïve and much more expansive in my thinking.

There are other sacred plants to take me to the next level. The two teaching me at the moment are chocolate and tobacco. These two plants have already seduced and tamed nations, and are so ingrained into the commercial world that it will be impossible to ban them, no matter how useful they become in healing and raising consciousness. And yet they are both traditional sacred plants used in South American ceremonies. I am discovering great power within them, and a tricky intelligence that will win through all the corruption and bring about the raising of consciousness that is destined. I am involved in dietas with these two plants this year, learning their songs and mastering their ceremonies. They are proving to be powerfully trans-formative, so watch this space. Chocolate may sound like a very pleasant medicine, but there are times you will hate it, as it digs up such deep issues. It is proving to be stronger than ayahuasca.

Of course, the battle over ayahuasca is not over yet. There is an appeal in process, and there are petitions going. Be sure to sign them and put a stop to the witch-hunt before all spiritual practices and natural medicines are taken away. They may have heavily crapped on my old practice, but this is a new beginning. Before giving medicine ceremonies, I am giving some small group workshops from my home, as I have developed some great empowerments to pass on. I will be giving empowerments from Kali’s tantric traditions, to raise kundalina and develop occult powers, and from tenaga dalam, for invulnerability, protection and victory over all obstacles. You can find details of these events on my facebook pageck/134666116580798

The Dragonfly by Tom Hall

The air was still
Birds flew overhead
Singing a lively song
The sun was molten in a blue sky
The day had been long

I was resting
Lying on green warm grass
When a dragonfly flew by
It was large and blue green
A beautiful thing

It hovered and darted
Among the reeds
Just above the still water
Playing in the warm sun
Having what seemed like fun

Can an insect feel?
Can it think?
It it beyond it's capability?
Are we the only owners of this world?
If so, how can this be?

Artist Scholar Reflections on Writing and Research Book Review

This publication will appeal to the Professional Artist in the field, and equally as a resourceful pool of ideas for the aspiring Student of the Arts. or impending Graduate.

It is a reflective piece covering the subject of Art in Higher Education. Should Art have the same level of outcome as other fields of study, the capability to look on artistic practice and work as research, and carry it to the level of PHD?

There are some very interesting discussions in the text and proffers a new perspective, and approach, offering practical suggestions for the artist to further engage in their work. Such as critical writing and detailed analysis of research material collected during the process of the "work", and utilizing data from sources such as social networking to add more depth to understanding the investigative procedures through which the artist scholar gleans important information.

Fresh ideas for graduating Artists and Designers, and fantastic solutions for those teaching arts based research in higher education settings. This is a must have title for the Serious Professional in the Arts.

Chapter 1: Artists and Scholarship

Chapter 2: The Professionalization of the Visual Arts

Chapter 3: The M.F.A. Degree

Chapter 4: The Status of Artistic Scholarship

Chapter 5: Knowledge and Understanding

Chapter 6: Practicing Reflective Scholarship

Chapter 7: Writing that Reflects on Art

Chapter 8: Conclusion

JM Ashcroft 20 02 2012