11^th March 2013 (Monday)

Due to a little misunderstanding with Tim I headed to Oak House on my own today. We were back in the shed (I mean Log Cabin) again, not because of any poorly animals but because it was such a success last time.

There were nine of us including Mary and Zoe and a new lady who had come all the way from Nuneaton. Mary told us that Zoe will be taking the circle for a while.

The room had almost a holiday feel with the candles and flowers and bright radiant heaters.

After the opening prayer Zoe said we were going to try sitting in the silence for a while and we all closed our eyes and found our silence, managing eventually to disregard the howling winds outside. ‘A while’ turned out to be about forty-five minutes. Several times I sneaked a peek to see if everyone else was still in the silence, and felt a little guilty when I realised they were.

Eventually Zoe said, ‘bring yourself back into the room,’ and I wasn’t the only one stunned when she said ‘I only did a short meditation today because of the time, and I wanted to give us enough time for feedback.’

‘Short!’ a couple of us spluttered.

Now it was Zoe’s turn to look surprised as she explained that most good mediums sit for at least an hour a day, and very often for much longer. She said that it is in the silence that spirit are really able to speak to us, or more accurately, that we can hear them. Much of the work we do with props, cards, colours, tea leaves, crystal balls does not require direct connection with spirit, but that pure mediumship does.

We were given the option of doing these longer meditations or the more psychic work with shorter meditations. I’ve favour alternating weeks, as I’d like to develop both sides. I think the jury is still out as some people were missing.

When we came to feedback I realised that one of the drawbacks of the length of sitting was that I’d forgotten the images I’d got at the beginning and could only remember the ones at the end. I wasn’t the only one experiencing this problem. Zoe said that if we asked spirit to show them to us again, that they would – and indeed they did.

My first images were of me in an attic where there were many old style rounded top chests with silver and brass fastenings and decorations. At the end of this row of chest was a huge mirror with a thick gold frame covered in a dark cloth. I pull the cloth down but was too afraid to look into the mirror. I got a sense that I wouldn’t see myself, but someone else.

In another scene I saw a huge expanse of land – almost prairie like, arid and cracking. As I looked I saw tiny yellow and purple flowers push up through the earth fully formed. These appeared in small clumps near where I was, but didn’t cover the whole ground.

In another I saw a torrent of words appearing in the air, as if being typed but not on paper, as if being typed in the air. When there was a big chunk they folded into a paper aeroplane and flew off.

Again the images and messages were many and varied. One person was flying in on a golden eagle which changed into a white horse while another saw flocks of butterflies. Some got names while others got place names.

Both Mary, Zoe and other members offered explanations and possible interpretations for our various experiences.

Zoe tried to instil in us the importance symbolism, and asking spirit to help us make sense of what we’ve seen so that we can accurately pass on a message. For example, one of us had seen a camel. She said it was no good telling a sitter that we’d seen a camel. We should be able to interpret the meaning of the camel for the sitter, and to remember always that we can and must ask spirit for the meaning for that person. For instance, a camel could mean a trip to Egypt or to the desert or to the zoo. It could also mean that you have the hump with someone, or that you were going to have to survive for a long time on very little, making sure your resources stretched for the duration of the journey.

The more we sit in the silence and get the symbols, the more we will become familiar with the way spirit wants to communicate with us and to use us.

It was quite sobering for me, realising that I will need to do more meditation. To be honest, since I started the circles I’ve been meditating less, working on the belief that I was getting enough in the sessions. Obviously not!

Zoe then went into trance and her guide spoke to us about the importance of making time for meditation, that it is in the stillness that we find the answers.

We then spent a few more minutes trying to get messages from spirit. Again we had success in varying degrees. Someone saw a ladder for me, a sign that my climb will be rapid. I will be making progress in leaps and bounds.

I saw a kiwi fruit, a coconut and palm trees, and got a splitting headache. I thought it related to the new lady and that there was a New Zealand link. She couldn’t take it but someone else said she had a brother in New Zealand who wears glasses. I said maybe he needs to have them changed, trying to not just give the symbol but an interpretation.

Any thought on what my meditation meant?

How long do you sit each day? Have you noticed increased ability with increased time?