The Return of the King

350 years ago on 29th May 1660, Charles 11 returned triumphant to the British throne and with him came many of the old traditions that had been previously banned by the Puritans under the rule of Cromwell.

To celebrate his reinstatement Maypoles were erected accompanied by much merriment including dancing and bawdy songs, in fact much of what we now associate with May Day was carried out at the end rather than the beginning of the month, however the occasion was known as 'Oak Apple Day'.

It became traditional to wear an oak leaf in honour of the fact that when Charles escaped his enemies some 11 years earlier on his way to France, he hid in various oak trees throughout England. This image of the King surrounded by oak leaves became an acceptable form of the Green Man and many pubs were named either, 'The Green Man' or The Black Boy' (as Charles had a dusky complexion) in honour of his reinstatement.

In some parts of the country the day was called 'Oak Apple and Nettle day' for anyone who refused to wear the oak leaf was painfully beaten with nettles. Young men would climb the steeples of churches and hang up boughs of oak , whilst horses harnesses were decorated with oak. In the 1900's railway engines were also decorated and the tradition only died out with the coming of the Second World War.

Perhaps this is something we could begin to reinstate in honour of Charles bringing back traditions which otherwise would be lost. Happy Oak Apple Day!

The Reiki Path

Reiki is a safe, gentle, non-invasive healing technique for use on both the self and others. It utilises universal life force energy to bring about healing on the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual levels of being. It is however much more than just a healing tool and can be used to encourage and can be used to encourage both personal and spiritual awareness and growth. In the words of Frank Arjava Petter from his book, 'Reiki: The Legacy of Dr Usui':

'Reiki is a method of self realisation, a path to the light, to God or to one's self and this is probably the most attractive thing about the reiki path. Reiki fulfills the longing for a non-dogmatic method of further developing ourselves which is compatable with our personal philosophy of life or religion. Reiki requires no previous knowledge of philosophy, religion, medicine or the like and can be used by any person of any age'

For details of courses in all levels of Reiki please see http://www.arcanus.co.uk/

Waxing Gibbous Moon

The Moon is now between its first quarter and full, and is said to be in its 'Gibbous' phase, which derives from the Latin word 'gibbosus' meaning, 'humpbacked' and describes rather aptly its odd shape as it moves towards the full orb. The Moon appears in the sky during the afternoon and sets early in the morning.

The Gibbous Moon exudes confidence as She stamps her independence on the night sky and calls us to mirror her example. She calls us to move forward, to take action and strive ever toward our dreams. She wills us to make that phone call, fill in the job application form, ask friends around to dinner and shouts, 'carpe diem' or 'seize the day', just live for the moment for that is all there is.

The warrior Goddess Artemis captures the essence of the gibbous moon for she knows what she wants and sets out to achieve her goals. She is old enough to benefit from being self assured yet still maintains the impetuosity of youth. Call upon her when self assurance is required or when you need to stand on your own two feet.

The Cup that Revives

Tea, is one of the most popular drinks in the UK and approximately 2,000 cups are consumed annually by the average person. It is the drink we turn to when we need to be uplifted, relaxed or deal with a crisis and most teas have beneficial health properties as long as they are not smothered with copious amounts of milk and sugar.

Black leafed tea (PG tips/Tetley/Typhoo etc) however does contain high levels of caffeine which can make the drink somewhat stimulating, this is great during the day but not too good at night. By contrast green leafed tea contains far less caffeine which makes it a preferable night time drink and has a host of health benefits that connot be ignored. According to research carried out by the Japanese Cancer Research Institute, regular daily consumption of green tea could halt the growth of 87% of skin cancers, 58% of stomach cancers and 56% of lung cancers.

Many people however find green tea a little harsh but this can be combated by drinking one of the many flavoured green teas such as jasmine, alternatively white leafed tea might be more to your taste and it's low in caffeine, although the health benefits are not quite as good as the green variety. You can of course brew your own, especially as many herbs and flowers are now coming into bloom in British gardens. Try the following recipie for a citrusy spicy alternative:

2 Teaspoons loose Green Tea leaves (Gunpowder variety is good but any will do)
Approx 12 leaves lemon balm
3 Cloves

Place tea, lemon balm leaves and cloves in a tea pot and pour on water that has just gone off the boil. Stir and allow to infuse for 5 minutes before pouring.

Lemon balm is gently sedative and yet uplifts, a wonderful herb if you are under stress.It calms palpatations, soothes digestion and is antiviral, whilst the warming spice of clove helps ease pain and fights infection, these combined with the properties of green tea will shine a different light on the cup that revives!

The Old Festival of Beltane

Before the introduction of the Gregorian calander in 1752 there were 11 extra days in the year, which made the old fertility festival of Beltane appear on the 12th May rather than the 1st as we know it today. When the calander reforms took place there were riots in the streets, especially in Bristol where people considered themselves deprived of 11 days of life!

As this is the closest weekend to that date and it is also the time of the new moon in Taurus, the sign of sexuality, earthiness and sensual pursuits, perhaps it is time to make this weekend one of sharing if you are with a partner, or one of self indulgence if you are spending it alone.

Whatever you do, it gives us an opportunity for a second celebration of a festival that is fun, indulgent and loving. Enjoy!

Trusting Yourself

How a lack of understanding can deny people access to the wonderful gifts of the universe is often quite a sad state of affairs. Listening to others who think they know best, assumption, fear, and close mindedness are probably four reasons that prevent many of us from enjoying the many pleasures that life has to offer.

This week someone said that although they have now changed their opinion of Reiki healing through their own investigations they had, initially, avoided accepting a treatment because someone had told them that it would not be good for cancer sufferers due to the fact that it would spread the cancer cells around the body.

How sad that this rogue opinion could have stopped someone less determined from enjoying the benefits Reiki has to offer. This is a classic example of taking responsibility for your own health and your own path because the only person who knows what's right for you is you!