This blog has published a lot of coincidence or synchronicity examples, some being more impressive than others - but none about the 'near misses.'
By this I mean situations where a coincidence could/should have happened but somehow didn't quite materialise.
As regular readers will know, my wife was recently in Germany visiting her brother who hadn't been too well. While there she also contacted a cousin and paid her a visit. At the cousin's house was also another cousin, who my wife hadn't seen for about twenty years.
On talking to this other cousin they got chatting about travel and holidays and she mentioned how she had been to the Canary Islands this year. My wife told her that we had also been to the Canary Islands.
They then compared notes. It seems we - my wife and I - were in the islands at exactly the same time as this cousin, but there was more to it than this.
We were actually in hotels next to each other, at the same time, and visited many similar places probably on the same days. The cousin even had a drink or two in our hotel.
Somehow though we never all met up. So this was a near miss coincidence.
I got to thinking about this and realised we'd had a few other small near miss coincidences recently. I've been trying to think what this means. Perhaps we've been slightly out of sync or maybe the coincidences didn't happen for some other reason.
Coincidence near misses, of course, may be happening to all of us and we simply aren't aware of them. If only we had been a couple of minutes later or taken a different route and so on, then who knows what we may have experienced.
Perhaps it's a lesson to bring our intuition into play a little more. To ask ourselves what time we should go somewhere or what route to take ...
Who knows what we could be missing out on and what a difference this could make to us. Coincidences or synchronicity can change lives.
Friday, April 30
Coincidence Near Misses
Thursday, April 29
Coincidences At The Death Of A Loved One
Today's story is about death, coincidences, last words and the like and is the bare bones of an article by Emma Freud, which will be published in a new magazine, Eulogy, when it launches in June 2010.
It's about the death of Clement Freud, the grandson of Sigmund, who was well known in the UK as a member of parliament, a knight, chef, broadcaster, author, soldier and raconteur.
Clement Freud died last year at the age of 84 while he was in the mid sentence of writing an article for The Racing Post. He had a massive heart attack and the last words he wrote were 'and in God's good time'.
His wife has stated that, in his 50+ years of writing, she had never known her husband make any reference previously to God.
At the time of his death his daughter, Emma Freud, was in Copenhagen and she received two calls from her mother trying to tell her about her father's passing. As her phone was switched off she phoned her mother back and heard the news.
Emma says, "I made a noise - a bit like a lion and a bit like a gasp. I instantly felt sorry that my mum had to listen to it."
Now comes the second strange incident. Emma's 13 year old daughter, who was two flights below her in a restaurant, 'heard' her gasp. In Emma's words:
"My daughter incomprehensibly heard it and instantly ran up to me as fast as she could. No one else heard a thing, but something communicated itself down to the basement and she responded in a heartbeat."
In time the funeral and cremation were arranged and Emma decided to sing a song, to her own piano accompaniment, at the ceremony. She chose the classic I'll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar Places.
Following the cremation, when all of the mourners had left, Emma and her partner decided to walk down to their local ice cream parlour. As they opened the door the speakers were playing Billie Holiday singing I'll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar Places!
As Emma put it, "Obviously my dad hadn't gone to heaven, he'd gone to Gelato Mio instead. And while he was there he wanted to hear the song sung properly."
It does seem that such coincidences and happenings can be in abundance following the death of loved ones.
It's about the death of Clement Freud, the grandson of Sigmund, who was well known in the UK as a member of parliament, a knight, chef, broadcaster, author, soldier and raconteur.
Clement Freud died last year at the age of 84 while he was in the mid sentence of writing an article for The Racing Post. He had a massive heart attack and the last words he wrote were 'and in God's good time'.
His wife has stated that, in his 50+ years of writing, she had never known her husband make any reference previously to God.
At the time of his death his daughter, Emma Freud, was in Copenhagen and she received two calls from her mother trying to tell her about her father's passing. As her phone was switched off she phoned her mother back and heard the news.
Emma says, "I made a noise - a bit like a lion and a bit like a gasp. I instantly felt sorry that my mum had to listen to it."
Now comes the second strange incident. Emma's 13 year old daughter, who was two flights below her in a restaurant, 'heard' her gasp. In Emma's words:
"My daughter incomprehensibly heard it and instantly ran up to me as fast as she could. No one else heard a thing, but something communicated itself down to the basement and she responded in a heartbeat."
In time the funeral and cremation were arranged and Emma decided to sing a song, to her own piano accompaniment, at the ceremony. She chose the classic I'll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar Places.
Following the cremation, when all of the mourners had left, Emma and her partner decided to walk down to their local ice cream parlour. As they opened the door the speakers were playing Billie Holiday singing I'll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar Places!
As Emma put it, "Obviously my dad hadn't gone to heaven, he'd gone to Gelato Mio instead. And while he was there he wanted to hear the song sung properly."
It does seem that such coincidences and happenings can be in abundance following the death of loved ones.
Wednesday, April 28
The Links Of Coincidence
An interesting set of coincidences today showing how people often meet for a purpose. In this instance a couple, who needed each other, met on the Internet and then found out the connections between them.
My name is Kim and I was raised in a small town in western Nebraska called Alliance. I am also recovering alcoholic. One day I was in an Alcoholics Anonymous chat room,(which I rarely visit), when a man named Scott started talking to me. As it turns out he once lived in Omaha, where I live now and went to school here to become a Nurse.
As we talked further, he told me that he wasn’t from Omaha, but was raised in western Nebraska. You got it, he was from my home town. After I learned his last name, it sounded familiar, but we were 7 years apart in age. We did however have some mutual friends in Alliance.
Then we got back on the subject of Omaha. He told me that he used to live in central Omaha on a street called Poppleton. I told him that I had just bought a home in North Omaha off of 45th Street. He said, "Really, my Aunt used to live on that street." Scott then asked for the address, when I told him he said that he was certain that this was the home that his Aunt lived in. He described my house to me, just like someone would have if they were standing next to me. I have confirmed that this was his Aunt’s home from neighbors that have lived on this street for over 20 years.
Scott and I continued our friendship, sometimes communicating through e-mail, but mostly over the phone for the past 8 months. We have become close and are very much in love. Scott and I believe that God brought us together through these series of coincidences.
As we talked further, he told me that he wasn’t from Omaha, but was raised in western Nebraska. You got it, he was from my home town. After I learned his last name, it sounded familiar, but we were 7 years apart in age. We did however have some mutual friends in Alliance.
Then we got back on the subject of Omaha. He told me that he used to live in central Omaha on a street called Poppleton. I told him that I had just bought a home in North Omaha off of 45th Street. He said, "Really, my Aunt used to live on that street." Scott then asked for the address, when I told him he said that he was certain that this was the home that his Aunt lived in. He described my house to me, just like someone would have if they were standing next to me. I have confirmed that this was his Aunt’s home from neighbors that have lived on this street for over 20 years.
Scott and I continued our friendship, sometimes communicating through e-mail, but mostly over the phone for the past 8 months. We have become close and are very much in love. Scott and I believe that God brought us together through these series of coincidences.
Tuesday, April 27
The Law Of Attraction Powered By Visualisation
I have written previously about visualisation and how it can bring about the things that we wish for. There was also an interesting post along similar lines from Trish and Rob's blog titled Manifesting The Brunette.
This reminded me of something I heard a while back about a woman who wanted a piano. I'll call her Anne.
Anne decided she would try out the power of visualisation to get herself a piano. She didn't visualise the money to buy one because she knew her husband would be annoyed if she spent this on such an item, when there were so many other things they needed.
She started to visualise the piano she wanted and even cleared a space in her living room ready for when it arrived. Every day she would pretend to dust and polish her imaginary piano and got excited about the thought of soon being able to play her favourite music.
After about 10 days, out of the blue, a salesman phoned to ask if she wanted to buy a new piano. She smiled to herself and told him that she did but didn't have the money to do so.
Instead of getting down about this she saw the phone call as a sign that her visualisation was beginning to work. Her excitement and anticipation almost reached fever pitch and every day she 'saw' her piano in the space she had cleared.
Several days later she was on a crowded bus and gave up her seat to an elderly lady. They got off the bus together at the same stop. The lady dropped her umbrella and Anne picked it up for her. They got chatting and the woman said, "I suppose you don't happen to know anyone who would store a piano, do you? I have to go abroad for a while and I want to let someone use it for three years in lieu of storage."
Anne was spellbound. The law of attraction, powered by her visualisation, had worked.
She received her piano for three years and for free. Encouraged by this Anne went on to use visualisation constantly in her life.
By the time the elderly lady came to claim back her piano Anne's circumstances had improved dramatically and she was able to buy herself a brand new piano.
As with all things practice makes perfect. Once we believe in visualisation, and have demonstrated this as something that really works, then all things are possible.
In Richard Ingalese classic book The History and Power of Mind, written back in the early 1900s, he writes about the Law of Opulence:
"If you will but persist in your faith there can be no limit to your possibilities. If you can demonstrate a piece of carpet three feet long you can demonstrate a million dollars. If you can cure a headache you can cure in the course of time any disease; if you can demonstrate a seat in the street car you can demonstrate a seat in Congress, in time. If you can be happy a week you can be happy for a lifetime, because what can be done in a small degree can, with persistency, be done in a large degree."
He goes on to say: "This much is true, if you persist for two years to use consciously these laws in your daily affairs of life, by the end of that time your environment will have changed sufficiently, and demonstrations enough will have been made, to prove to you that you are dealing with Law."
I agree with what he says completely.
This reminded me of something I heard a while back about a woman who wanted a piano. I'll call her Anne.
Anne decided she would try out the power of visualisation to get herself a piano. She didn't visualise the money to buy one because she knew her husband would be annoyed if she spent this on such an item, when there were so many other things they needed.
She started to visualise the piano she wanted and even cleared a space in her living room ready for when it arrived. Every day she would pretend to dust and polish her imaginary piano and got excited about the thought of soon being able to play her favourite music.
After about 10 days, out of the blue, a salesman phoned to ask if she wanted to buy a new piano. She smiled to herself and told him that she did but didn't have the money to do so.
Instead of getting down about this she saw the phone call as a sign that her visualisation was beginning to work. Her excitement and anticipation almost reached fever pitch and every day she 'saw' her piano in the space she had cleared.
Several days later she was on a crowded bus and gave up her seat to an elderly lady. They got off the bus together at the same stop. The lady dropped her umbrella and Anne picked it up for her. They got chatting and the woman said, "I suppose you don't happen to know anyone who would store a piano, do you? I have to go abroad for a while and I want to let someone use it for three years in lieu of storage."
Anne was spellbound. The law of attraction, powered by her visualisation, had worked.
She received her piano for three years and for free. Encouraged by this Anne went on to use visualisation constantly in her life.
By the time the elderly lady came to claim back her piano Anne's circumstances had improved dramatically and she was able to buy herself a brand new piano.
As with all things practice makes perfect. Once we believe in visualisation, and have demonstrated this as something that really works, then all things are possible.
In Richard Ingalese classic book The History and Power of Mind, written back in the early 1900s, he writes about the Law of Opulence:
"If you will but persist in your faith there can be no limit to your possibilities. If you can demonstrate a piece of carpet three feet long you can demonstrate a million dollars. If you can cure a headache you can cure in the course of time any disease; if you can demonstrate a seat in the street car you can demonstrate a seat in Congress, in time. If you can be happy a week you can be happy for a lifetime, because what can be done in a small degree can, with persistency, be done in a large degree."
He goes on to say: "This much is true, if you persist for two years to use consciously these laws in your daily affairs of life, by the end of that time your environment will have changed sufficiently, and demonstrations enough will have been made, to prove to you that you are dealing with Law."
I agree with what he says completely.
Monday, April 26
Symbols And Signs For Positive Results
My post of 15th of April mentioned that my wife was stranded in Germany because of the volcanic ash situation over most of Europe.
On Friday the airline told my wife they had a flight for her - on June 1st. Needless to say she was none to pleased, to say the least. Especially when they said the flight could not be re-booked.
I wasn't too sure what to do so I went to the airline's website and saw that there was a flight for Saturday - but only one seat remained. As I couldn't get in touch with the airline by phone - they were constantly engaged - I booked this flight online. My wife was very pleased when I spoke to her on the phone. She was desperate to get home.
Now we'll get to the nitty gritty of this post! It's about signs and whether sometimes we read too much into things we notice - or maybe the opposite is true.
After having completed the airline booking I went for a walk. Outside of my front door was a pure white feather. I have mentioned white feathers in previous posts and how, for my wife and I, they are a symbolic positive sign.
I placed the feather on the red chair inside the front porch of our house.
I walked up the valley where I live and saw a piece of wood in the road (photo top right). It was a cross section of a tree which must have been cut down, though I couldn't see from where.
For some reason I picked up this piece of wood (it looked like it had a happy smile!) and put it into my coat pocket. I had no idea what use it would be.
When I returned home the feather was still on the red chair and I looked at the wood. I laughed to myself that it was a bit like Iceland, where the volcano that was causing all of the problems was situated.
Then I noticed something else - there looked to be the shape of a volcano spouting ash or something on the wood (photo left).
So, were the feather and the piece of wood symbols that my wife would return home safely and on time?
The next day I found out. I had to drive to London to meet her plane, which is around 300 miles from where I live.
It was a glorious day, everything went perfectly. The journey, her flight (which was actually early) and the drive back to Cornwall where we live was also perfect.
The only odd thing was that, when we arrived home in the early hours of the morning (3am), the feather was no longer on the red chair. It had disappeared.
Strange. But maybe it's possible to read too much into symbols and signs ... but there again ...
On Friday the airline told my wife they had a flight for her - on June 1st. Needless to say she was none to pleased, to say the least. Especially when they said the flight could not be re-booked.
I wasn't too sure what to do so I went to the airline's website and saw that there was a flight for Saturday - but only one seat remained. As I couldn't get in touch with the airline by phone - they were constantly engaged - I booked this flight online. My wife was very pleased when I spoke to her on the phone. She was desperate to get home.
Now we'll get to the nitty gritty of this post! It's about signs and whether sometimes we read too much into things we notice - or maybe the opposite is true.
After having completed the airline booking I went for a walk. Outside of my front door was a pure white feather. I have mentioned white feathers in previous posts and how, for my wife and I, they are a symbolic positive sign.
I placed the feather on the red chair inside the front porch of our house.
I walked up the valley where I live and saw a piece of wood in the road (photo top right). It was a cross section of a tree which must have been cut down, though I couldn't see from where.
For some reason I picked up this piece of wood (it looked like it had a happy smile!) and put it into my coat pocket. I had no idea what use it would be.
When I returned home the feather was still on the red chair and I looked at the wood. I laughed to myself that it was a bit like Iceland, where the volcano that was causing all of the problems was situated.
Then I noticed something else - there looked to be the shape of a volcano spouting ash or something on the wood (photo left).
So, were the feather and the piece of wood symbols that my wife would return home safely and on time?
The next day I found out. I had to drive to London to meet her plane, which is around 300 miles from where I live.
It was a glorious day, everything went perfectly. The journey, her flight (which was actually early) and the drive back to Cornwall where we live was also perfect.
The only odd thing was that, when we arrived home in the early hours of the morning (3am), the feather was no longer on the red chair. It had disappeared.
Strange. But maybe it's possible to read too much into symbols and signs ... but there again ...
Sunday, April 25
Thought Of The Day
Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not and a sense of humor to console him for what he is.
~Francis Bacon
Friday, April 23
The Kissed Goodbye Coincidence
A short coincidence story today sent to me by George from Bristol, UK.
What are the chances of this happening?
Back in 1997 I split with a girlfriend on August 14th. Three years later I parted from my next partner, the lovely Anne, on the same day and month - but this time in 2000. The date, therefore, is fixed in my memory.
The last time I therefore spoke to Anne was August 14th 2000 (which happens to be the first evening that The Weakest Link was broadcast on British television).
A few weeks after we had seperated I came across the first letter Anne had ever written to me - by another coincidence it too was dated August 14th, 1998.
Back in 1997 I split with a girlfriend on August 14th. Three years later I parted from my next partner, the lovely Anne, on the same day and month - but this time in 2000. The date, therefore, is fixed in my memory.
The last time I therefore spoke to Anne was August 14th 2000 (which happens to be the first evening that The Weakest Link was broadcast on British television).
A few weeks after we had seperated I came across the first letter Anne had ever written to me - by another coincidence it too was dated August 14th, 1998.
Thursday, April 22
A Precognitive Dream Made £56 Million For Charity
Nina Barough woke up one morning following a vivid dream. In this dream she had seen 'lots of women walking fast in a marathon, all wearing bras on top of their T-shirts, to raise finds for breast cancer research.'
This was back in 1996 when Nina, a British fashion stylist, was 42. The strange thing about the dream was that she had never entered a marathon or done any sort of fund raising plus she didn't know anyone with breast cancer.
The dream however was to lead to over £56 million (about $90 million) being raised for breast cancer and was also precognitive.
Following her dream Nina took to following it through and, together with 13 other women, entered the New York marathon purely for fun. They called their effort 'Walk the Walk' and in doing so they managed to raise £25,000 (about $40,000) for Breakthrough Cancer.
Walk the Walk may well have been a one off but in 1997 Nina herself was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer.
Her friends and colleagues wanted to do something to help so another marathon was entered and another £25,000 was raised for charity.
Walk the Walk snowballed from there on, they became a proper charity and managed to get Prince Charles as a patron. Information on future walks can be seen on their website.
80% of all of the money they have raised has gone to Penny Brohn Cancer Care. This was personal to Nina as their integrated health programme was a big part in helping her to manage and conquer her own cancer.
During her own treatment she used power walking, diet, vitamins, positive thinking and visualisation. Nina said, "I became fitter, had more energy and felt more vibrant and balanced than ever before." To tie in with this Nina has written her own book called Walking for Fitness.
In this case Nina Barough's dream of women wearing bras raising money for charity came to reality - along with her own battle against breast cancer.
Following a dream can lead to some remarkable happenings.
This was back in 1996 when Nina, a British fashion stylist, was 42. The strange thing about the dream was that she had never entered a marathon or done any sort of fund raising plus she didn't know anyone with breast cancer.
The dream however was to lead to over £56 million (about $90 million) being raised for breast cancer and was also precognitive.
Following her dream Nina took to following it through and, together with 13 other women, entered the New York marathon purely for fun. They called their effort 'Walk the Walk' and in doing so they managed to raise £25,000 (about $40,000) for Breakthrough Cancer.
Walk the Walk may well have been a one off but in 1997 Nina herself was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer.
Her friends and colleagues wanted to do something to help so another marathon was entered and another £25,000 was raised for charity.
Walk the Walk snowballed from there on, they became a proper charity and managed to get Prince Charles as a patron. Information on future walks can be seen on their website.
80% of all of the money they have raised has gone to Penny Brohn Cancer Care. This was personal to Nina as their integrated health programme was a big part in helping her to manage and conquer her own cancer.
During her own treatment she used power walking, diet, vitamins, positive thinking and visualisation. Nina said, "I became fitter, had more energy and felt more vibrant and balanced than ever before." To tie in with this Nina has written her own book called Walking for Fitness.
In this case Nina Barough's dream of women wearing bras raising money for charity came to reality - along with her own battle against breast cancer.
Following a dream can lead to some remarkable happenings.
Wednesday, April 21
The Power Of Giving
I have for a long time believed in the power of giving. It brings nothing but benefits to the giver, whether we give randomly or even in the manner of Seed Money. It also brings magical coincidences and synchronicity into our lives. Well that's what I think anyway.
I remember when I was 7 (yes, I have a good memory) my mother wrote in my autograph book: 'Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.' At the time I wasn't too impressed when others were writing funny verses and themes. But it's one of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given.
There are so many aspects of giving it's not just money or presents, it can be a compliment, encouragement, a smile and a myriad of other things.
I'm no Bible pusher, I belong to no organised religion, but their are many truths within the book. Such as: "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over ..." St.Luke 6:38.
That's the thing with giving you get more back than you give. Plus if we've ever given something: our time, a smile or done a favour, then we will also appreciate how good this makes us feel.
There are many who will say that this is all nonsense but gradually science is catching on to the benefits of giving.
Newcastle University did some research in a game format. This centered around giving cash to other players. Those who gave the most, who were generous at the start of the game, derived several benefits. They became better liked and trusted, for example, but the ultimate benefit was that they ended up with more money than the other players. From Biology Letters.
Harvard University also did various research and came to the conclusion that making a donation to charity not only helps others, it can make the giver mentally tougher, physically stronger and more popular.
One test they did, which does sound a bit odd, was to give volunteers some money. They were told that they could keep this or give it to charity.
Following their decision the volunteers were asked to hold a weight for as long as they could. Those who had given the money to charity were able to bear the load for nearly 10 seconds longer than the others.
Okay, these may not be the best two examples but giving can change lives. Try a little magical giving and hang on to your hats for what happens next!
Further Reading:
Miles Of Smiles And Butterflys
Coincidence Or Synchronicity - Example 10
I remember when I was 7 (yes, I have a good memory) my mother wrote in my autograph book: 'Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.' At the time I wasn't too impressed when others were writing funny verses and themes. But it's one of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given.
There are so many aspects of giving it's not just money or presents, it can be a compliment, encouragement, a smile and a myriad of other things.
I'm no Bible pusher, I belong to no organised religion, but their are many truths within the book. Such as: "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over ..." St.Luke 6:38.
That's the thing with giving you get more back than you give. Plus if we've ever given something: our time, a smile or done a favour, then we will also appreciate how good this makes us feel.
There are many who will say that this is all nonsense but gradually science is catching on to the benefits of giving.
Newcastle University did some research in a game format. This centered around giving cash to other players. Those who gave the most, who were generous at the start of the game, derived several benefits. They became better liked and trusted, for example, but the ultimate benefit was that they ended up with more money than the other players. From Biology Letters.
Harvard University also did various research and came to the conclusion that making a donation to charity not only helps others, it can make the giver mentally tougher, physically stronger and more popular.
One test they did, which does sound a bit odd, was to give volunteers some money. They were told that they could keep this or give it to charity.
Following their decision the volunteers were asked to hold a weight for as long as they could. Those who had given the money to charity were able to bear the load for nearly 10 seconds longer than the others.
Okay, these may not be the best two examples but giving can change lives. Try a little magical giving and hang on to your hats for what happens next!
Further Reading:
Miles Of Smiles And Butterflys
Coincidence Or Synchronicity - Example 10
Tuesday, April 20
The Change Of Accent: Medical Or Spiritual
A complete change of subject today. It's all about how a woman's migraine left her with a Chinese accent!
Sarah Colwill, from England, had several very severe migraine headaches. They were so bad that she was forced to call for medical assistance. When the paramedics arrived her voice sounded strange and then she realised it was a Chinese accent.
Sarah said, "I have never been to China. I just want my own voice back but I don't know if I ever will."
She continued to say that at first her friends hung up on her when she tried to phone them as they thought it was a practical joke.
What Sarah has is known as Foreign Accent Syndrome and this is normally brought about by a head injury or a stroke. This was slightly different in her case, though she has suffered from severe migraine's for over ten years.
The 'experts' say it's all down to damage to the brain in the area that controls linguistic functions.
Some even reckon it's a case of pareidolia. To quote Wikipedia "This is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse." Can't really see this myself.
Seemingly there have been about 50 reported similar cases since Foreign Accent Syndrome was identified in the 1940s.
One of the first reported was in 1941 when a young Norwegian woman developed a German accent after being hit by bomb shrapnel during a World War II. She was subsequently shunned by her friends and neighbours who thought she was a German spy.
There is a recent report which takes the language a step further. The respected Telegraph newspaper tells the story of a Croatian 13 year old girl who was in a coma. On waking up she could no longer speak Croation, but could speak perfect German.
Okay, so the experts say they know the reason for Foreign Accent Syndrome, but lets throw something else into the melting pot: xenoglossy.
Xenoglossy is the ability to be able to speak an unknown and unlearned language. Sometimes this can happen in past life regressions and mediumship.
A well known case is that of a Hindu girl Swarnlata Mishra who was born in 1948. She began to sing Bengali songs and perform Bengali dances without ever experiencing the Bengali language or culture.
To Swarnlata the reason for this was simple: she had been taught the songs and dances in a previous life.
It's a funny old world - there are many mysteries that are so easily explained away by those so called 'experts'. But who is really right?
Sarah Colwill, from England, had several very severe migraine headaches. They were so bad that she was forced to call for medical assistance. When the paramedics arrived her voice sounded strange and then she realised it was a Chinese accent.
Sarah said, "I have never been to China. I just want my own voice back but I don't know if I ever will."
She continued to say that at first her friends hung up on her when she tried to phone them as they thought it was a practical joke.
What Sarah has is known as Foreign Accent Syndrome and this is normally brought about by a head injury or a stroke. This was slightly different in her case, though she has suffered from severe migraine's for over ten years.
The 'experts' say it's all down to damage to the brain in the area that controls linguistic functions.
Some even reckon it's a case of pareidolia. To quote Wikipedia "This is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon, and hearing hidden messages on records played in reverse." Can't really see this myself.
Seemingly there have been about 50 reported similar cases since Foreign Accent Syndrome was identified in the 1940s.
One of the first reported was in 1941 when a young Norwegian woman developed a German accent after being hit by bomb shrapnel during a World War II. She was subsequently shunned by her friends and neighbours who thought she was a German spy.
There is a recent report which takes the language a step further. The respected Telegraph newspaper tells the story of a Croatian 13 year old girl who was in a coma. On waking up she could no longer speak Croation, but could speak perfect German.
Okay, so the experts say they know the reason for Foreign Accent Syndrome, but lets throw something else into the melting pot: xenoglossy.
Xenoglossy is the ability to be able to speak an unknown and unlearned language. Sometimes this can happen in past life regressions and mediumship.
A well known case is that of a Hindu girl Swarnlata Mishra who was born in 1948. She began to sing Bengali songs and perform Bengali dances without ever experiencing the Bengali language or culture.
To Swarnlata the reason for this was simple: she had been taught the songs and dances in a previous life.
It's a funny old world - there are many mysteries that are so easily explained away by those so called 'experts'. But who is really right?
Monday, April 19
A Coincidence That Led To 11 Years Of Embarrassment
Lenny Henry and Dawn French are two well known actors and comedians in the UK. They have recently announced that their 25 year marriage is over - and it could all be because of a coincidence.
Ten years ago it was all over the media that Henry had an affair with a blonde. This the tabloids, and even the more serious newspapers, say is the reason for their marriage breaking up now.
Of course a blonde and an hotel room conjures up a certain picture in our minds. Perhaps though things aren't exactly what they seem.
The blonde is actually Merri Cheyne, an Australian, and she is adamant that she has never even kissed Henry, let alone consummated their acquaintance.
Merri met Henry when he was touring Australia and by chance they got chatting in a bar in Melbourne. She didn't, at the time, know who he was. He moved on with his tour and returned to the UK and the whole meeting was forgotten.
Several months later Merri moved to England. As she puts it, "... I moved to London and bumped into him in the street. It was a coincidence ..." It turned out that she was working near Henry's London office. They saw each other occasionally and he invited her to go to York to see his show, as he was on tour.
Yes, she went to his hotel room in York but it's not as the media interprets it. "He had a suite and we sat in the living room. There were two doors off it, one for the bathroom and I assume the other was the bedroom."
She describes his interest as strictly 'paternal', motivated by a desire to help a young woman he met in Melbourne.
It's been hard for Merri as every time the Henry-French marriage is mentioned in the press so is she. She can never leave that behind, and all because of the coincidence of bumping into Henry completely by chance / destiny.
Merry Cheyne is now married to a property developer in an affluent suburb of Melbourne. They have three children.
And if she met up with Henry again? "If I saw him now, I wouldn't know whether to throw up or faint. It is such bad memories ... and it won't go away. Whenever their names are mentioned so is mine. I've had that embarrassment for eleven years."
Sometimes fate throws people together, maybe for a reason. But as we are often told: Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.
Ten years ago it was all over the media that Henry had an affair with a blonde. This the tabloids, and even the more serious newspapers, say is the reason for their marriage breaking up now.
Of course a blonde and an hotel room conjures up a certain picture in our minds. Perhaps though things aren't exactly what they seem.
The blonde is actually Merri Cheyne, an Australian, and she is adamant that she has never even kissed Henry, let alone consummated their acquaintance.
Merri met Henry when he was touring Australia and by chance they got chatting in a bar in Melbourne. She didn't, at the time, know who he was. He moved on with his tour and returned to the UK and the whole meeting was forgotten.
Several months later Merri moved to England. As she puts it, "... I moved to London and bumped into him in the street. It was a coincidence ..." It turned out that she was working near Henry's London office. They saw each other occasionally and he invited her to go to York to see his show, as he was on tour.
Yes, she went to his hotel room in York but it's not as the media interprets it. "He had a suite and we sat in the living room. There were two doors off it, one for the bathroom and I assume the other was the bedroom."
She describes his interest as strictly 'paternal', motivated by a desire to help a young woman he met in Melbourne.
It's been hard for Merri as every time the Henry-French marriage is mentioned in the press so is she. She can never leave that behind, and all because of the coincidence of bumping into Henry completely by chance / destiny.
Merry Cheyne is now married to a property developer in an affluent suburb of Melbourne. They have three children.
And if she met up with Henry again? "If I saw him now, I wouldn't know whether to throw up or faint. It is such bad memories ... and it won't go away. Whenever their names are mentioned so is mine. I've had that embarrassment for eleven years."
Sometimes fate throws people together, maybe for a reason. But as we are often told: Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.
Sunday, April 18
Thought Of The Day
Closer to God in a garden than anywhere else on earth.
This popular saying is actually a misquote from a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney:
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
Photo: A quiet corner in my garden - Mike Perry 2010.
Saturday, April 17
Following And Cultivating Intuition
I suppose, in a way, this carries on from yesterday's post. I'm not following feathers this time but using intuition instead to guide my morning walk.
I'm a great believer in intuition and relying on feelings when there are decisions to be made. Though this is far from the norm for many people.
When I had a 'proper job 9 to 5' - that was over 15 years ago now - I was a finance manager. At a company seminar I mentioned using intuition. The response I got was unbelievable. I was shot down in flames for mentioning such a thing. It was far removed from company policy to say the least.
Anyway, I digress, a small example of intuition happened this morning on my walk. I was on my way back and for some reason I suddenly had an urge to take a short cut. I usually walk for an hour and this would cut off about 15 minutes.
The sun was shining, and it was lovely out, but I followed my feeling and took the short route towards home. After five minutes my stepson pulled up in his car next to me. We had a chat about various things including my wife being stranded in Germany.
We said goodbye and five minutes later there was my son and his fiance in his car!
If I had taken the longer route I wouldn't have seen either of them today. Intuition, coincidence - call it what you like. It's a useful thing to follow. It can help with little things that enrich the day or really big decisions.
Intuition, I find, is worth cultivating.
Friday, April 16
Feathers And Symbols For Guidance
Something I just realised regarding yesterday's post about my wife being stranded in Germany because of the Icelandic Volcanic dust.
When I went out early yesterday for my morning walk there was a grey feather on my path. I have mentioned previously that feathers have become a sort of symbol for my wife and I. White is good, sometimes spiritual, and black is for something bad. So that means grey is somewhere in between.
As I continued my walk there was a white feather in front of me but it was all dusty, though in perfect condition otherwise.
It was only afterwards that I saw the possible significance. The grey feather for something that would happen. Not bad but aggravating. This made me think of the problem of my wife being stuck in Germany.
Then I remembered the dusty white feather. She was still in Germany because of dust - volcanic dust.
It's easy to say that this is a little fanciful and I often say myself that sometimes we can analyse things too much. But somehow those two feathers do seem meaningful for me.
......oOo......
I've been seeing quite a few white feathers recently when I walk. So one morning I let them guide me. By this I mean I let them decide where I should walk. If there was one on the corner of a junction I would turn that way. This happened a couple of times and I bumped into an old man my wife and I sometimes chat to but hadn't seen for a while. He recently lost his wife and seems very vulnerable.
We talked about life and the world and then I continued on my way. When I eventually got home I thought about the feathers and wondered if they had led me to the old man. Perhaps he needed someone to talk to.
Again, maybe I'm over analysing but I think there are signs out there that we sometimes ignore. As to what the signs may be, I feel that they are different for different people.
My friend always says a robin brought him good luck. One Saturday he was off to a football match to see his team play an away game. The team, by the way, also had the nickname of 'the robins'.
He drove about half the distance and pulled into a lay-by for a cup of tea. His wife was with him and he pointed out a robin sitting nearby. The bird then hopped onto his car bonnet and he said words to the effect that this was lucky and therefore his team would win.
Before he left he crumbled up a small biscuit and left it for the robin. As he left the lay-by, in his mirror, he saw the robin feeding away and the bird appeared to look up as if in acknowledgement.
Yes, his team did win. But he was luckier than this because he bought a lotto ticket as he entered the ground. At half time the result of the lotto was called over the loud speaker and my friend won £1000 (about $1600). So the robin did bring him luck. And maybe leaving something for the bird brought him some extra luck. Kind acts are often rewarded.
When I went out early yesterday for my morning walk there was a grey feather on my path. I have mentioned previously that feathers have become a sort of symbol for my wife and I. White is good, sometimes spiritual, and black is for something bad. So that means grey is somewhere in between.
As I continued my walk there was a white feather in front of me but it was all dusty, though in perfect condition otherwise.
It was only afterwards that I saw the possible significance. The grey feather for something that would happen. Not bad but aggravating. This made me think of the problem of my wife being stuck in Germany.
Then I remembered the dusty white feather. She was still in Germany because of dust - volcanic dust.
It's easy to say that this is a little fanciful and I often say myself that sometimes we can analyse things too much. But somehow those two feathers do seem meaningful for me.
I've been seeing quite a few white feathers recently when I walk. So one morning I let them guide me. By this I mean I let them decide where I should walk. If there was one on the corner of a junction I would turn that way. This happened a couple of times and I bumped into an old man my wife and I sometimes chat to but hadn't seen for a while. He recently lost his wife and seems very vulnerable.
We talked about life and the world and then I continued on my way. When I eventually got home I thought about the feathers and wondered if they had led me to the old man. Perhaps he needed someone to talk to.
Again, maybe I'm over analysing but I think there are signs out there that we sometimes ignore. As to what the signs may be, I feel that they are different for different people.
My friend always says a robin brought him good luck. One Saturday he was off to a football match to see his team play an away game. The team, by the way, also had the nickname of 'the robins'.
He drove about half the distance and pulled into a lay-by for a cup of tea. His wife was with him and he pointed out a robin sitting nearby. The bird then hopped onto his car bonnet and he said words to the effect that this was lucky and therefore his team would win.
Before he left he crumbled up a small biscuit and left it for the robin. As he left the lay-by, in his mirror, he saw the robin feeding away and the bird appeared to look up as if in acknowledgement.
Yes, his team did win. But he was luckier than this because he bought a lotto ticket as he entered the ground. At half time the result of the lotto was called over the loud speaker and my friend won £1000 (about $1600). So the robin did bring him luck. And maybe leaving something for the bird brought him some extra luck. Kind acts are often rewarded.
Thursday, April 15
We Attract What We Fear
A lot of people believe that what we fear we attract. I could give lots of examples but here's a bang up to the minute one.
My wife is a very positive happy person but she freely admits she has one fear or weakness - flying.
She is strong minded enough to fly with reasonable confidence when she is with me. As she says, there are so many places in the world we wouldn't have seen if we hadn't have gone by air. Her biggest fear though is if she has to fly alone.
This doesn't happen very often as we go most places together. Thinking about it, she's only flown twice on her own.
The first was when she went to visit her sick brother in Germany. And what happened? The flight was delayed by eight hours, the airline lost her luggage, there was a mix up with the people who were meeting her and just about everything else happened as well. "Never again, on my own," she said.
Time passes and last Monday I went with her to London Heathrow to see her off to Germany again. She was very apprehensive but the flight out was perfect and she was very happy when she phoned me from her brother's house. "Phew!" I thought.
Karin is due back on a flight tomorrow but all UK airspace has been closed other than for emergencies - an unheard of situation previously. There are no flights in or out of the UK at the moment. The problem, as you have probably heard, is the volcano in Iceland which is spurting volcanic dust. The dust is dangerous to aircraft.
So goodness knows when my wife will actually get back to England.
Now I'm not, for one minute, suggesting that her fear of flying caused the volcano. But it could perhaps have had an influence on when she flew. Originally she was going to come home today. This would have been okay as the flight was very early in the morning. I think it was me, however, who suggested she might as well stay until Friday. So that's what she did.
I remember it was also a similar situation with a friend. He wasn't afraid of travelling but he always expected something to go wrong - and sure enough it did. His wife broke her foot, hotels have been bad and so on and so on. He often used to say to me before setting out, "I wonder what will go wrong this time?" In a way he got what he asked for.
I've always felt that our thoughts, speech, actions towards others and so on create our future. Karma, if you like.
Sometimes though it's difficult to control what we give out. Especially if there is a fear involved. Fear is one of the big challenges in life.
The good news, of course, is that we also attract all of the good, positive things we think and talk about.
Further Reading:
Visualisation Brings About Coincidences And Synchronicity
My wife is a very positive happy person but she freely admits she has one fear or weakness - flying.
She is strong minded enough to fly with reasonable confidence when she is with me. As she says, there are so many places in the world we wouldn't have seen if we hadn't have gone by air. Her biggest fear though is if she has to fly alone.
This doesn't happen very often as we go most places together. Thinking about it, she's only flown twice on her own.
The first was when she went to visit her sick brother in Germany. And what happened? The flight was delayed by eight hours, the airline lost her luggage, there was a mix up with the people who were meeting her and just about everything else happened as well. "Never again, on my own," she said.
Time passes and last Monday I went with her to London Heathrow to see her off to Germany again. She was very apprehensive but the flight out was perfect and she was very happy when she phoned me from her brother's house. "Phew!" I thought.
Karin is due back on a flight tomorrow but all UK airspace has been closed other than for emergencies - an unheard of situation previously. There are no flights in or out of the UK at the moment. The problem, as you have probably heard, is the volcano in Iceland which is spurting volcanic dust. The dust is dangerous to aircraft.
So goodness knows when my wife will actually get back to England.
Now I'm not, for one minute, suggesting that her fear of flying caused the volcano. But it could perhaps have had an influence on when she flew. Originally she was going to come home today. This would have been okay as the flight was very early in the morning. I think it was me, however, who suggested she might as well stay until Friday. So that's what she did.
I remember it was also a similar situation with a friend. He wasn't afraid of travelling but he always expected something to go wrong - and sure enough it did. His wife broke her foot, hotels have been bad and so on and so on. He often used to say to me before setting out, "I wonder what will go wrong this time?" In a way he got what he asked for.
I've always felt that our thoughts, speech, actions towards others and so on create our future. Karma, if you like.
Sometimes though it's difficult to control what we give out. Especially if there is a fear involved. Fear is one of the big challenges in life.
The good news, of course, is that we also attract all of the good, positive things we think and talk about.
Further Reading:
Visualisation Brings About Coincidences And Synchronicity
Wednesday, April 14
Coincidences And Mysteries In The UK News Today
Titanic Coincidences
You might well ask: How on earth can the Titanic be news today? But there it is in today's UK newspapers. It's in respect of a book just published called 101 Things You Thought You Knew About the Titanic...But Didn't.
According to the writer, Tim Maltin, the Titanic came within two feet of crashing into another liner, as it set off on her maiden voyage from Southampton. Had the ships collided then the Titanic tragedy, with the loss of 1517 lives, would never had happened.
Maltin goes on to say how the Titanic's Captain was only used to boats half of the Titanic's size, and that's why he came close to hitting the SS City of New York.
Maltin explains, "The collision was avoided by about two feet, something which obviously is an indicator of the disaster to come. Anyone with a ship that size would have been accident prone - the world had never seen a ship that big before." See also my post Titanic Coincidences.
I'm Going To Win The UK Lottery Tonight!
How do I know? Because my name is Michael (but you can call me Mike).
The UK National Lottery records show that you are most likely to win if you are called Michael, John, David, Peter Robert or James. So how can I fail!
The luckiest lottery winning women are called Margaret, Susan, Patricia, Mary and Christine. Unfortunately my wife's name isn't amongst them so I'll just get the one ticket for myself. If she's good I'll share!
They Said She Was A Heroin Addict
In the UK, if you want to work with children, you have to be checked out by the Criminal Records Bureau. Amanda Hodgson didn't think there would be anything to worry about when she applied to become a welfare assistant at her children's school - how wrong she was.
The CRB sent her a letter claiming that she was a recovering heroin addict who was also violent and had assaulted police. As a law abiding citizen Amanda was shocked by this, to say the least.
How did this happen? Simply because, by coincidence, there is another Amanda Hodgson in the area who just happens to have exactly the same date of birth.
Easy enough to sort out, you might think, but the problem didn't end there. The onus was on Mrs.Hodgson to prove her innocence!
You might well ask: How on earth can the Titanic be news today? But there it is in today's UK newspapers. It's in respect of a book just published called 101 Things You Thought You Knew About the Titanic...But Didn't.
According to the writer, Tim Maltin, the Titanic came within two feet of crashing into another liner, as it set off on her maiden voyage from Southampton. Had the ships collided then the Titanic tragedy, with the loss of 1517 lives, would never had happened.
Maltin goes on to say how the Titanic's Captain was only used to boats half of the Titanic's size, and that's why he came close to hitting the SS City of New York.
Maltin explains, "The collision was avoided by about two feet, something which obviously is an indicator of the disaster to come. Anyone with a ship that size would have been accident prone - the world had never seen a ship that big before." See also my post Titanic Coincidences.
I'm Going To Win The UK Lottery Tonight!
How do I know? Because my name is Michael (but you can call me Mike).
The UK National Lottery records show that you are most likely to win if you are called Michael, John, David, Peter Robert or James. So how can I fail!
The luckiest lottery winning women are called Margaret, Susan, Patricia, Mary and Christine. Unfortunately my wife's name isn't amongst them so I'll just get the one ticket for myself. If she's good I'll share!
They Said She Was A Heroin Addict
In the UK, if you want to work with children, you have to be checked out by the Criminal Records Bureau. Amanda Hodgson didn't think there would be anything to worry about when she applied to become a welfare assistant at her children's school - how wrong she was.
The CRB sent her a letter claiming that she was a recovering heroin addict who was also violent and had assaulted police. As a law abiding citizen Amanda was shocked by this, to say the least.
How did this happen? Simply because, by coincidence, there is another Amanda Hodgson in the area who just happens to have exactly the same date of birth.
Easy enough to sort out, you might think, but the problem didn't end there. The onus was on Mrs.Hodgson to prove her innocence!
Tuesday, April 13
The Date Coincidence On An Old Photo
A 'coincidence' today from Suzie all about a date on a photo.
I have been living with my boyfriend for three years and a couple of weeks ago we went to see his parents. I don't really get on too well with his mother but that's another story, though his father laughs and says it's because we are so alike - ugh, the thought of that!
The boyfriend's mother dug out loads of baby photos of her darling little boy. He looked quite cute as a baby, he still does actually. There was one larger photo and for some reason I turned it over and there on the back was a date in pencil.
I took a bit of a gulp as the date was my birthday: day, month and year!
The boyfriend is two years older than me so it can't have been the date the photo was taken. This picture was of him as a very small baby. His mother and father have no idea why the date is there or what it means.
It's puzzling me as to what this might mean. Maybe our relationship is written in the stars or something. Could that be church bells I'm hearing? Finger's crossed.
The boyfriend's mother dug out loads of baby photos of her darling little boy. He looked quite cute as a baby, he still does actually. There was one larger photo and for some reason I turned it over and there on the back was a date in pencil.
I took a bit of a gulp as the date was my birthday: day, month and year!
The boyfriend is two years older than me so it can't have been the date the photo was taken. This picture was of him as a very small baby. His mother and father have no idea why the date is there or what it means.
It's puzzling me as to what this might mean. Maybe our relationship is written in the stars or something. Could that be church bells I'm hearing? Finger's crossed.
Monday, April 12
The Ghost Who Leaves Old Pennies In A Tyre Depot
When Nick White bought the building to start up a tyre sales depot he was warned by the previous owner, Nigel Lee, about strange goings on in the property - Mr.Lee even had to call out a clergyman to perform an exorcism.
This didn't put Nick off and for three years all was okay ... but now ghostly things are happening again.
The building does have a history as it was once a chapel (in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK) and was also used as a makeshift mortuary in World War II.
Mr.White has now had an uninvited guest, dressed in 1940s clothing, who seems to want to move things around during the night. Tyres end up in different places and the 'ghost' has thrown stones and coins at staff.
One of the strangest incidents is that Nick has started finding penny coins, dated 1936 and 1938, that's from when George VI was on the British throne. Twice the coins have been found in identical places when he has opened up in the mornings.
Mr.White said, "I took all the strange stories with a big pinch of salt when I bought the place. But I wouldn't like to say it's not true any more. There's no logical explanation for the two old pennies turning up like they did - I wish there was. It's a little scary knowing that there's something happening while the place is locked up at night"
Looks like ghosts don't mind where they haunt - even tyre depots.
Further Reading:
The Ghost Of Abraham Lincoln Walks The White House
Footsteps Of Dead People
This didn't put Nick off and for three years all was okay ... but now ghostly things are happening again.
The building does have a history as it was once a chapel (in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK) and was also used as a makeshift mortuary in World War II.
Mr.White has now had an uninvited guest, dressed in 1940s clothing, who seems to want to move things around during the night. Tyres end up in different places and the 'ghost' has thrown stones and coins at staff.
One of the strangest incidents is that Nick has started finding penny coins, dated 1936 and 1938, that's from when George VI was on the British throne. Twice the coins have been found in identical places when he has opened up in the mornings.
Mr.White said, "I took all the strange stories with a big pinch of salt when I bought the place. But I wouldn't like to say it's not true any more. There's no logical explanation for the two old pennies turning up like they did - I wish there was. It's a little scary knowing that there's something happening while the place is locked up at night"
Looks like ghosts don't mind where they haunt - even tyre depots.
Further Reading:
The Ghost Of Abraham Lincoln Walks The White House
Footsteps Of Dead People
Sunday, April 11
UFO Forced Driver Into Bus Lane
A quick Sunday post today about a car driver who used an unusual excuse for being in the Bus Only lane.
When parking officials caught him driving in the wrong lane he told them that he was 'forced' to swerve into the bus lane to avoid a spaceship that was 'hurtling towards him.' Yes, the old UFO excuse!
He launched an appeal about his fine and said how he would 'never normally' stray into a bus lane, but he had to take 'avoidance action' as the UFO approached him.
His excuse didn't impress the Southwark Council. Officials said that the camera used to record his misdemeanour did not show any UFO. He was therefore fined £120 (about USA $200).
A council spokesman said, "UFOs unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons for overturning a fine."
Further Reading:
Over 6000 Pages Of UFO Reports
When parking officials caught him driving in the wrong lane he told them that he was 'forced' to swerve into the bus lane to avoid a spaceship that was 'hurtling towards him.' Yes, the old UFO excuse!
He launched an appeal about his fine and said how he would 'never normally' stray into a bus lane, but he had to take 'avoidance action' as the UFO approached him.
His excuse didn't impress the Southwark Council. Officials said that the camera used to record his misdemeanour did not show any UFO. He was therefore fined £120 (about USA $200).
A council spokesman said, "UFOs unfortunately do not count as legitimate reasons for overturning a fine."
Further Reading:
Over 6000 Pages Of UFO Reports
Saturday, April 10
Kundalini The Serpent Of Adam And Eve
You could say I'm a bit off track today, nothing to do with coincidences, but it suddenly dawned on me that the serpent in the religious Adam and Eve story could well be Kundalini. So I thought I'd jot down a few random thoughts.
Kundalini is known in yoga as the latent power, traditionally said to be coiled three and a half times in the form of a serpent, dormant in the Muladhara Chakra.
Once aroused or awakened the serpent can rise up the spine from this dormant position, through the other chakras via a channel known as chitrini. This leads to knowledge / power / life force / intuition.
How we then go on and interpret this further is something to ponder. Perhaps Adam and Eve are simply female and male energies combining through the serpent (Kundalini) with the Tree of Life being the spinal chord.
Or maybe Eve awakened her own Kundalini serpent power and this in turn awakened her to knowledge - the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil' mentioned in Genesis 2:17. She then showed Adam the way to knowledge. Their nakedness of each other, which they then saw, might not have been their physical bodies but each others thoughts and desires.
There are also sexual connotations regarding Kundalini which I won't go into here.
Sufficient to say that because Eve tempted Adam sex has led to the troubles of man (and woman) ever since. Though it can be used for spirituality.
No doubt I'll come back to Kundalini and Adam and Eve in the future, when I've done some research.
Kundalini is known in yoga as the latent power, traditionally said to be coiled three and a half times in the form of a serpent, dormant in the Muladhara Chakra.
Once aroused or awakened the serpent can rise up the spine from this dormant position, through the other chakras via a channel known as chitrini. This leads to knowledge / power / life force / intuition.
How we then go on and interpret this further is something to ponder. Perhaps Adam and Eve are simply female and male energies combining through the serpent (Kundalini) with the Tree of Life being the spinal chord.
Or maybe Eve awakened her own Kundalini serpent power and this in turn awakened her to knowledge - the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil' mentioned in Genesis 2:17. She then showed Adam the way to knowledge. Their nakedness of each other, which they then saw, might not have been their physical bodies but each others thoughts and desires.
There are also sexual connotations regarding Kundalini which I won't go into here.
Sufficient to say that because Eve tempted Adam sex has led to the troubles of man (and woman) ever since. Though it can be used for spirituality.
No doubt I'll come back to Kundalini and Adam and Eve in the future, when I've done some research.
Friday, April 9
You Never Know Who You Might Meet In a Bus Queue
Back to the world of coincidences today. A story passed on to me about an unlikely meeting. Fancy being in a bus queue, thousands of miles from home, and finding out that the person you were talking too knew not only your home town but your house as well.
My brother and I, we are from England, were travelling in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala last summer. We were getting on a bus to go to an island in Belize and were waiting with a group of people. We got chatting to an English girl and then got on the bus with her.
Later on when we came to a bus stop we had to change buses. She was going to find a hostel to stay in the town so we said goodbye.
About an hour later she returned having decided to go on into Belize, and asked if she could travel with us. We said yes and subsequently spent three days travelling with her.
Her name was Vanessa and it was only about 2 days after we met her that we asked where in England she was from.
We told her we lived in Gloucestershire, and specified it as near Bristol because generally people don’t know where Gloucestershire is.
She said "Oh I know Gloucester, I used to go to school in Cheltenham." (A town nearby with a famous ladies college).
We told her we lived in a small town called Newent (photo top right). She said she knew it and asked if we knew Elly Cox.
My brother and I were stunned! We know Elly Cox, she lived five doors down from our house. She was also our sister's best friend before she went to boarding school.
How crazy is that? Of all the people we decided to talk to in the bus queue we talked to someone who’d been within about 10 metres of our front door!
Later on when we came to a bus stop we had to change buses. She was going to find a hostel to stay in the town so we said goodbye.
About an hour later she returned having decided to go on into Belize, and asked if she could travel with us. We said yes and subsequently spent three days travelling with her.
Her name was Vanessa and it was only about 2 days after we met her that we asked where in England she was from.
We told her we lived in Gloucestershire, and specified it as near Bristol because generally people don’t know where Gloucestershire is.
She said "Oh I know Gloucester, I used to go to school in Cheltenham." (A town nearby with a famous ladies college).
We told her we lived in a small town called Newent (photo top right). She said she knew it and asked if we knew Elly Cox.
My brother and I were stunned! We know Elly Cox, she lived five doors down from our house. She was also our sister's best friend before she went to boarding school.
How crazy is that? Of all the people we decided to talk to in the bus queue we talked to someone who’d been within about 10 metres of our front door!
Thursday, April 8
Are Near Death Experiences All Down To Carbon Dioxide?
In yesterday's post I wrote about an example of a Near Death Experience (NDE) and how this changed a woman's life.
To balance things up I thought I'd put forward the sceptics view of such experiences today. The journal Critical Care has just published details of a study carried out by a team of Slovakian scientists on patients whose hearts had stopped following a cardiac arrest.
The scientists have reached the conclusion that any near death experiences (calmness, travelling through a tunnel towards a bright light, meetings with dead people etc.) are all down to carbon dioxide! An excess of the gas, they say, alters the chemical balance of the brain and this, in turn, fools the brain into seeing these things.
The Slovaks reached these findings after studying 52 people who had been resuscitated after their hearts had stopped. The patients which had an NDE, or something similar, were those who had a higher concentrate of carbon dioxide.
They explain that, though the heart and breathing may have stopped, the brain can survive for several minutes unharmed. It is during this period when the NDEs or out of body experiences occur.
A British expert Dr. Sam Parnia told the Daily Mail that high levels of carbon dioxide indicates that a patient had a 'good resuscitation'. In other words the doctors had ensured a good flow of blood to the brain, and these are the people more likely to remember out of body experiences.
So there you go it's nothing mystical at all, it's all down to carbon dioxide!
I'm not saying they are right, of course.
To balance things up I thought I'd put forward the sceptics view of such experiences today. The journal Critical Care has just published details of a study carried out by a team of Slovakian scientists on patients whose hearts had stopped following a cardiac arrest.
The scientists have reached the conclusion that any near death experiences (calmness, travelling through a tunnel towards a bright light, meetings with dead people etc.) are all down to carbon dioxide! An excess of the gas, they say, alters the chemical balance of the brain and this, in turn, fools the brain into seeing these things.
The Slovaks reached these findings after studying 52 people who had been resuscitated after their hearts had stopped. The patients which had an NDE, or something similar, were those who had a higher concentrate of carbon dioxide.
They explain that, though the heart and breathing may have stopped, the brain can survive for several minutes unharmed. It is during this period when the NDEs or out of body experiences occur.
A British expert Dr. Sam Parnia told the Daily Mail that high levels of carbon dioxide indicates that a patient had a 'good resuscitation'. In other words the doctors had ensured a good flow of blood to the brain, and these are the people more likely to remember out of body experiences.
So there you go it's nothing mystical at all, it's all down to carbon dioxide!
I'm not saying they are right, of course.
Wednesday, April 7
Near Death Experience Changes Womans Life
I guess a lot of us have ideas about an afterlife, so this story of Iris Lemov's Near Death Experience (NDE) will hopefully be of interest. It was sufficient to change Iris's whole outlook on life.
Mrs. Lemov was in hospital for an operation - nothing major but something which had to be carried out. Everything appeared to go well until, that is, she was returned to her hospital room. In Iris's words:
"I was brought back to my room after surgery and was speaking to my nurse, when a strange separated feeling between my body and my brain occurred. High above my body I floated wondering why so many doctors were around the bed."
Her heart actually stopped beating, she looked down on her pale face and then everything went black.
The next thing she recalled was being in a black tunnel, there was a light at the end of it - sound familiar? She continued:
"I felt frightened and excited as I neared the end of the tunnel. I felt peace, without pain and free. The light at the end of the tunnel was bright but easy on my eyes."
Once through the light, "It was a sight to behold. There was velvety green grass and calmness. Music coming from nowhere made me feel comfortable and I began to feel as if I belonged. I saw figures coming towards me who called my name. This man with a white beard told me to go back and said, 'Your family needs you, enjoy your life.' This beautiful man was my grandfather who died two years before I was born."
Iris added, "If we could all have the opportunity of seeing my valley during the course of our lifetime, how much more purposeful our lives would be."
Though Iris Lemov had been technically dead she survived and returned to full health. There does appear to be a right time for life and for death.
There are countless similar stories of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) on record. Many in the medical profession, however, put these down to some sort of psychological, chemical or biological action (see here). The mind or brain, they reckon, simply plays a trick on us - but why would this happen? For what purpose?
I remember reading somewhere of a medical nurse who sometimes saw apparitions at the time prior to her patients dying. She saw figures and in one instance the patient, who was clinging to life, smiled and said that she had just been visited by her dead sister. This tied in exactly with what the nurse had witnessed.
Like so many things about our lives it is up to us to decide what we wish to believe.
Mrs. Lemov was in hospital for an operation - nothing major but something which had to be carried out. Everything appeared to go well until, that is, she was returned to her hospital room. In Iris's words:
"I was brought back to my room after surgery and was speaking to my nurse, when a strange separated feeling between my body and my brain occurred. High above my body I floated wondering why so many doctors were around the bed."
Her heart actually stopped beating, she looked down on her pale face and then everything went black.
The next thing she recalled was being in a black tunnel, there was a light at the end of it - sound familiar? She continued:
"I felt frightened and excited as I neared the end of the tunnel. I felt peace, without pain and free. The light at the end of the tunnel was bright but easy on my eyes."
Once through the light, "It was a sight to behold. There was velvety green grass and calmness. Music coming from nowhere made me feel comfortable and I began to feel as if I belonged. I saw figures coming towards me who called my name. This man with a white beard told me to go back and said, 'Your family needs you, enjoy your life.' This beautiful man was my grandfather who died two years before I was born."
Iris added, "If we could all have the opportunity of seeing my valley during the course of our lifetime, how much more purposeful our lives would be."
Though Iris Lemov had been technically dead she survived and returned to full health. There does appear to be a right time for life and for death.
There are countless similar stories of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) on record. Many in the medical profession, however, put these down to some sort of psychological, chemical or biological action (see here). The mind or brain, they reckon, simply plays a trick on us - but why would this happen? For what purpose?
I remember reading somewhere of a medical nurse who sometimes saw apparitions at the time prior to her patients dying. She saw figures and in one instance the patient, who was clinging to life, smiled and said that she had just been visited by her dead sister. This tied in exactly with what the nurse had witnessed.
Like so many things about our lives it is up to us to decide what we wish to believe.
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