Mary from Ipswich has this question: "What are near death experiences and what significance do they have for us? Can they help us understand our lives better? Are they helpful in other ways to the living?"

A near death experience is a phenomenon which can happen to people during an operation, for instance, or a traffic accident or in the early stages of drowning, when they slip into a clinically dead state and report on this experience in similar ways.
People who have firsthand experience of a near death experience say that they were able to leave their physical body; that they passed through a sort of tunnel where they saw a bright light, met with the deceased, saw their whole past life in fast forward and experienced boundless love in the form of a luminous figure, which they identified with Christ, God or a ball of energy.

People who are reanimated after being declared clinically dead also report a ongoing sense of their own identity, a feeling of an all-encompassing understanding and the universal awareness or certainty that they are a part of the universe, of visions of wonderful landscapes, an altered sense of time and feeling of gravity, the impression of high speed, the vision of a boundary and a phase of return to waking life.

In medical terms, the causes of near death experiences can be explained by brain cells dying off or a change in the blood supply to the brain during the dying-off phase. The experiences are interpreted as hallucinations produced by the lack of oxygen to the brain of the clinically dead person. Pilots and astronauts who often undergo high acceleration and thereby lose consciousness report similar “perceptions”. Similar hallucinations are experienced under the influence of LSD.

Based on a representative poll of 4000 Germans, just under 5% of the population have had a near death experience. The 5000 year old epic of Gilgamesh contains such reports, although there were no methods of reanimation then. At the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS) reports of near death experiences from all over the world are examined by experts in different fields. The German representative, the doctor, neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Michael Schröter-Kunhardt, maintains that it is very possible that NDEs indicate the existence of a life after death.

Created: 01:01 PM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

Created: 12:00 PM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [4]

What must one be aware of when burning incense?

The advantage of incense sticks is that they are very easy to use. The lower end is placed in a special plate or container made for the purpose. If none is to hand, then a potato, vase etc. will do. Whatever you use, be sure that the stick cannot fall over. A fireproof mat should also be used to rule out any potential fire risk. The incense stick is lit and after it has been burning for a few seconds, blown out. An incense stick should not be left burning; after being blown out it should glow until it has been used up.

If you have a negative reaction to incense, try a milder one next time – fortunately there is a wide selection of scents. You should remember to air the room well before and after using incense sticks.

Created: 11:40 AM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

Mike from London: "So-called dove’s blood is used in certain magic rituals: what exactly is it?"

“Dove’s blood“ is a certain kind of magic ink; other inks have mystical names like dragon‘s blood and bat‘s blood. They are all definitely only of vegetable origin. The name of the ink tells us something not only about its colour but also the intended effect. Dove’s blood is used in witch mythology in rituals concerning love and harmony.

Created: 11:09 AM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

"There’s something called Raga music; when you dance to it, you can apparently put yourself into a trance. What’s it like?" A question from Claire from Blackpool.

Raga is a classical Indian music form. The word “raga” means tone, feelings and mood, and also joy and pleasure. This is why it is said that that which colours (the spirit with joy) is a raga - "Ranjati iti Ragah".

In classical Indian music, the various melodies and tone sequences with which the musician improvises are known as ragas. The outward form of a raga is composed of three elements. The first movement is called “alap”. In this movement the structure of the raga is developed: slowly, tone by tone, starting with at a lower pitch then progressing to higher ones. In the second movement, the “gat”, the percussion instruments come in.

The piece ends with a fast “jhala“. A raga performance can last several hours, during which trances and ecstatic states are quite likely.

Created: 04:37 PM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

Thelma from Bradford wants to know, what "Reiki" stands for.

Reiki has been practiced by the great masters in Far Eastern healing arts and passed down through subsequent generations for a very long time. Records exist describing such healing methods as “Buddha’s Hand” and “Medicine Buddha Reiki”: techniques which are also passed on in rituals and use mantras and symbols.

Reiki is passed on by a master (that is,  Third Degree or higher) in an attunement ceremony. Original Usui Reiki is divided into 3 degrees, or levels, which anyone can receive. After attunement, reiki energy flows through the hands and is present for the rest of one’s life. Reiki is a non-polar energy, which means that no additional energy is given when a reiki practitioner lays their hands somewhere, rather, the existing energies are harmonised. 

There is no word for “illness” in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), only the term “imbalance”, thus Reiki works to reinstate balance.
 

Created: 08:49 AM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

A question from Andrea via mail.

What must you be aware of when reading and analysing someone’s palm for the first time? Are there any books which can help you learn palmistry?


Palm readers take the whole hand into account – including the back of the hand, the fingers and fingertips. Every hand is unique. No two hands are ever the same.

What many people don’t know is that the lines on the palm can alter with time. Secondary lines can develop, become clearer or fade. Breaks appear or join up. In the course of a person‘s life, their personality and health improve or worsen. The hand lines trace the course of these developments.

With right handers, it can be assumed that the left hand mirrors the tendencies which someone brings with them when born into the world. With left handers it is exactly opposite (surprise, surprise!)

The skin tone of the hands can reflect someone’s state of health. Very pale hands can be a sign of anaemia, while ruddy skin can point to high blood pressure or diabetes. A normal, healthy hand looks pink. The form of the hand should also be taken into account.
 

Created: 12:23 PM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [1]

Kate from Glasgow has this question: What exactly happens in Aura-Soma therapy?

Aura-Soma is a wholistic colour therapy, in which the healing power of colours , herbs, crystals and aromatic essences combine with light to harmonise body, spirit and soul. At the heart of this therapy are 100 bottles of colour, the Equilibrium oils, also known as balance bottles. The Equilibrium bottles are a dual colour combination of oil and water. The lower fraction consists of spring water in which herbs and minerals have been dissolved.

The upper fraction consists of matching essential oils in inert vegetable oil. Each bottle is infused with the energy from the colours, plants and crystals. They work not only at a physical level, but also an intellectual and emotional one, too. By applying the oils we undo blockages on both a physical and ethereal plane. This allows us to make changes in our life and reinstate harmony.

Created: 02:37 PM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

Johnny from London: How do people see auras? Does everybody have an aura and how can you recognise them? 

Everyone has his or her own unmistakable aura which can be reproduced using so-called Kirlian photography. Kirlian photography is a form of electro-photography in which electrostatic images, with typical corona rings, develop in a high frequency, high voltage field. These coronas are seen as an expression of the energy field or “aura”. Unlike the very regular flows around inanimate matter, there are considerable irregularities in the dimension, optical density, regularity and length of the coronas. Most people with auric sight try to live a life free of stress and aggression where possible; they do not smoke, or drink alcohol or coffee or eat meat. They spend a lot of time in the countryside and are aware of their spiritual and physical nourishment; they are also in touch with their own Self. They usually have some kind of training in an esoteric field.
 

Created: 11:19 AM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]

A question from Mark, Ipswich: I noticed moqui marbles on sale in pairs in an esoteric shop. Are they healing crystals? If so, what effect do they have?


Moqui marbles belong to the so-called iron oolites. These are sandstone rocks with incorporated iron oxide pellets (ooides). The word oolith = egg stone (Gr. Oion = egg, lithos = stone) is also derived from this. They are found on the island of Amrum in the Baltic Sea under the name of “limonite pellets”.

Moqui marbles are large iron ooides with a hollow, sand-filled centre. They get their name from the Moqui Indians on whose land in Utah, USA they are found. The stones have been known to the Indians who live there for many hundreds of years. They have not only bestowed peace on the tribes since time immemorial, they also ensure survival in the tough American West. These stones are often known as “shaman stones” and even today every Indian family has a pair, to ward off all kinds of evil or false friends.

In addition, Moqui marbles offer protection from fire, flood and lightning. They bestow increased fertility, fortune and energy on the whole family and all their next of kin.

Created: 04:20 PM | Author: Jörg Dahlmann | Category: Current questions  |  Comments [0]