September/October 2023 Alchemical Voice

September/October 2023 - Issue 22 

I N A S S O C I A T I O N W I T H L I K E - M I N D E D B U S I N E S S E S 

ALCHEMICAL VOICE 

LOVE 2 MEDITATE 

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT | HEALTH & WELLBEING | HOLISTIC CRAFTS 

Digital copy FREE 

Hard copy £4.50 

PUBLISHED EVERY 2 MONTHS 

ANCIENT VIBRATIONS 

ENERGY HEALING TECHNOLOGY 

WHERE THE PLANTS WHISPER 

BALANCING HUMANITY WITH NATURE 

Shamanism - 

A Personal 

Reflection 

insightful perception 

The Disillusionment of 

Indigo Children 

ADHD versus Indigo? 

THE OSIRION, 

ABYDOS 

MORE MYSTERIES UNRAVELLED 

Pitta - The Fiery Dosha 

Insights into Ayurvedic nutrition 

WE ARE ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE 

COURAGE, BELIEVE, PROSPER 

Mitochondria Part 2 

The Essence of Chronic Fatigue 

N O U R I S H | S U P P O R T | B A L A N C E 

Digital & printed publication - www.alchemicalvoice.com

Alchemical Voice - L2M - Issue 22 

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Chief Editor 

Columnist 

Marketing 

Marketing Consultant 

Jovi Hoonjan 

Karam Pentland 

John Sjovik 

Lisa Hill 

Iain Marshall 

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A L C H E M I C A L V O I C E 

CONTENTS 

Higher vibes and wild energies are searing through us! Freedom is at your doorstep drumming on your front 

door - let it in! 

Things have indeed manifested! Ask and you WILL RECEIVE! I hope you are seeing the results! I certainly am! 

We have a full packed edition of insightful wisdom! 

Jovi Hoonjan | Publisher 

4 

MABON 

Sue Penney 

32 

MITOCHONDRIA PART 2 

Martin Lewis 

7 

CRYSTALS FOR NOW 

Sue Penney 

36 

THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF INDIGO 

CHILDREN 

Stacey-Ann Postma 

9 

CHOOSING AND CHOICES 

John Sjovik 

38 

THE FIERY DOSHA PITTA 

Claire Sparks 

10 

HAVE WE LOST THE PLOT? 

Nasreen Pritchard 

40 

WHERE THE PLANTS WHISPER 

Hannah Gauss 

12 

ANCIENT VIBRATIONS 

Jane Cuva 

44 

FRONT COVER WINNER 

Roy Shadrake Photographer 

14 

THE OSIRION, ABYDOS 

Julie de Vere Hunt 

18 

WE ARE ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE 

Carol Coggan 

24 

SHAMANISM - A PERSONAL 

REFLECTION 

John Sjovik


MABON 

Sue Penney 

Mabon is the festival that celebrates the autumn 

equinox. This is around the 21st of September and is a 

time for celebrating all of the things that we have from 

the simple blessings in our life like our home and 

families to the abundance of everything we have grown. 

This would have been the harvest festival celebration in 

years gone by. 

This is also a time for reflection on the successes of the 

year to date and for letting go of the things that no 

longer serve you. 

Mabon is the perfect time to set intentions, release bad 

relationships and anything that is unhealthy or 

destructive in your life. 

I always find that September, especially is a great time 

for new beginnings, with the new school year in the UK, 

as a child it was always exciting to get our new things 

for school. The blank exercise books and it always felt 

like a fresh new start where everything was possible. 

You can celebrate Mabon by decorating the house with 

fresh and dried flowers, you can even buy or create 

your own Mabon wreath to hang on your door. 

Go apple picking, and have a picnic. The weather is 

usually still clement in September. 

Spend some time journalling all of year achievements 

and blessings for the year so far. 

Also note things that you still wish to achieve and 

things that you wish to stop doing and remove from 

your life. 

4

Issue 22 

You can have a bonfire, invite your friends and then you 

can send your written notes up to the universe by 

placing them in the fire. 

You don’t need to have a big ritual. 

You could just create a simple altar, placing some fruit 

and nuts on it and perhaps a bit of greenery from your 

garden. 

You could place your journaled notes on the altar and 

place a candle in a votive glass on top and light it 

instead. 

As with any ritual it is personal to you. There are no 

rules and you can just do what you feel fits in with you, 

your life and beliefs. 

Sue Penney 

Soul Verse 

www.soulverse.co.uk 

5


Wonderfully insightful poetry, beautifully 

illustrated offering healing to the readers 

Available on Amazon 


6


CRYSTALS FOR 

NOW 

Sue Penney 

September – Lapis Lazuli 

October – Opal 

Lapis Lazuli has been treasured since ancient times, 

prized by the Egyptians and used to make pigments, 

it’s very name means blue. It is known for joining the 

heart and the mind and giving insight. It encourages 

self-awareness and, as a blue stone is great for 

anything to do with the throat, from healing a sore 

throat to instilling you with the confidence required 

to speak your truth. 

Opal is all about stabilising emotions and reducing 

inhibitions. They are beautiful iridescent stones 

which can appear to change before your eyes. They 

are said to instil loyalty and trust in the wearer and 

they are a symbol of purity and hope. 

Opal is said to spark creativity, and is associated 

with the sacral chakra to spark love and passion. 

Along with this it can soothe inflammation and 

boosts the immune system. It is great for helping to 

overcome insomnia and reducing depression and 

vertigo. It is also great at dissolving anger and 

dispelling negative thoughts. It is such a beautiful 

stone that just looking at it brings me great joy. 

I would use it when I need clarity on a situation and 

needed to be able to speak from the heart as it helps 

to reveal your inner wisdom whilst helping your body 

to remain calm. It enables you to draw on and trust 

your intuition. 

Lapis is best worn at the base of the throat on a 

pendant but you can also just keep a tumble stone in 

your pocket. As with all crystals the energy will 

automatically go to where it is most needed. 

Opal can help you change if you are feeling stuck 

and as they can enhance your natural traits and 

energies you need to be in the right and positive 

frame of mind when working with them. 

Opal will help you to understand yourself and others 

and can bring love and passion into your life. Opals 

are great for strengthening your memory and will 

assist you in expressing your true self. 

One of my favourite precious stones. There are many 

types from fire opal to common opal that can help 

with many disorders connected with the stomach 

and the eyes. They are a stone of good luck, 

happiness love and positivity. For all-round good 

fortune in love and life, you cannot choose a much 

better crystal to work with than the opal. 

Sue Penney 

Soul Verse 


7

SHAMANIC 

WAY 

COURSE 

healing using shamanic tools and techniques 

This 3-week course (4-hrs a week) based near Basingstoke is 

open to anyone who is keen to learn about the shamanic way of 

healing 

 

We cover 

~ shamanic journeying ~ 

~ connecting to your power animals and guides ~ 

~ shamanic healing ~ 

~ remote healing ~ 

~ sacred prescriptions ~ 

~ soul retrieval ~ 

JOVI HOONJAN 

LOVE 2 MEDITATE / SHAMANIC JOY UK 

https://www.love2meditate.com/theshamanicway.html 

8


CHOOSING AND 

CHOICES 

John Sjovik 

The few times when I have made clear and decisive choices, 

they have never been intellectual. All of them have been 

based on fear, fatigue, irritation, delusion, hope, desire and 

also (sometimes) on a gut feeling. 

When my decision has gone against my internal compass, it 

has always turned out to be wrong. When my decision has 

been founded on basic feelings such as fear and delusion, 

hope and desire, it has turned out to be wrong, or at least 

less wise. 

The best choices I have made in my life have been based on 

thorough logical analysis, matched against my gut feeling, 

my heart and with a healthy portion of doubt. 

The best choice is always slightly tainted with doubt. Doubt 

sharpens your senses and enables you to have greater 

awareness and critical analysis. You will continue to doublecheck 

information, question the seemingly obvious and 

make sure to always have a way to back out with keeping in 

control of possible losses, financial or emotional. Whenever 

you feel 100% certain, you should always pause for a 

moment and double-check. 

Also, note that what was a clear and obvious choice at one 

time, may not remain good at a later date. The situation you 

chose to enter may not fit you or be beneficial for you as 

you grow, learn more and become more nuanced and 

developed in your skills and abilities. It is always a good 

idea to re-evaluate the choices you once made, however 

good they might have appeared at one time. 

Everybody, including beggars, can and should be choosers. 

Just make sure to keep your wits about you and listen to 

your heart and gut. 

John Sjovik | Shaman Healer | www.shamaqi.com 

9


HAVE WE LOST THE 

PLOT? 


Have we lost the plot? 

And if so… the Plot of which or even better WHO’S’ 

story? 

I love to play with words. Their origins, multiple 

meanings, intentions… 

It’s been on my mind a lot that we may have borne the 

brunt of this phrase in society. 

A lot like ‘mid-life crisis’, it’s not that helpful… and can 

be harmful. 

Lucky for us, Joseph Campbell so beautifully offered 

an alternative ‘mid-life awareness’ in The Hero’s 

Journey. 

ANY period of such strong change deserves to be held 

and supported. 

Maybe some of our resistance and discomfort to 

change has significance to how far we have travelled 

away from our true selves, our True Nature. 

We are Nature 

And so, it is true, we are nothing BUT change. We 

exist on the Earth, and we are OF the Earth! 

Our bEARTHdays are celebrations of this! 

I guess a ‘plot change’ shakes us up for many reasons. 

We might hear phrases like ‘I never saw that coming’ 

or ‘you’d never believe’ or even ‘I’ve/they’ve definitely 

lost the plot!’ 

10


We know the phrase well “You are the creator of 

your own destiny”. 

But, 

What if our Story is written in reverse? 

And when we ‘change the plot’, we are slowly 

revealing OUR story. 

With each plot change a sign, a lesson to help 

guide us? 

Reconciling what we already know deep inside, bit 

by bit…. 

What if the biggest Plot Twist is when we can no 

longer ignore the story within? 

For this next bEARTHday spin around the Sun, I am 

listening like I’ve never listened before… maybe 

losing the plot a little, but only to be unravelling a 

beautiful story... 

I hope you are too! 


Movement & Meditation Coach 

Author of Keep Calm and do 

BODMAS, available at all online stores 

Based in Farnham 

www.flowwithnasreen.co.uk 

Flowwithnasreen@gmail.com 

07803264457 

11

ANCIENT 

VIBRATIONS 

Jane Cuva 


There is a quiet revolution happening around the 

globe. A huge shift occurring, that, over the next few 

years will see many more people start to take notice 

of the new (and old) energy healing technologies that 

are gaining not only popularity but more space in 

academic research journals. It is literally occurring 

before our eyes. I would like to share with you over 

the next few issues the advanced, next (and now) 

generation devices that have been too long in coming. 

The truth is, there is much ancient knowledge that 

should have been passed down through the 

generations. For whatever reason, modern medicine 

took over, and it has its place. 

But, there is much to discover about the sacred sites 

and monuments left behind by our distant ancestors 

(and who they really were) - and the purpose behind 

their construction, the materials they used, the 

frequencies that resonate within their walls, the sites 

upon which they lie. My dear friend David Elkington, 

in his book “The Ancient Language of Sacred Sound”, 

writes; “I would suggest that our normal mode of 

consciousness is like a partial hologram: one that can 

view only certain frequencies unless an effort is made to 

perceive more. We seem to be like television sets, 

perpetually tuned in to one mundane programme, while 

an infinite number of other interesting transmissions are 

available, but not yet tuned in to.” 

In the next issue, we shall look at the true nature of 

DNA and how it relates to human language and what 

power our own thoughts, beliefs and words have on 

our ability to heal ourselves. Why is a singer/ 

songwriter interested in all this? Because it is now 

becoming clear that we have much to learn about 

frequency, energy and vibration. 

www.janecuva.com 

12

w o n d e r f u l i n t u i t i v e p s y c h i c r e a d i n g s b y 

O r i e l L u x 


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Sue Caustick 

Farnborough, Hampshire 

Light language is a celestial, galactic and angelic language channelled 

through the soul. Light language during Reiki treatments provides an even 

deeper effect on the healing. 

 

Clear blockages in your energy fields 

Release stress and anxiety 

Contact 

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hands. I am now a regular!" 

13

THE OSIRION, 

ABYDOS 



The Osirion is shrouded in mystery. 

No one knows when or why it was built. Was it built 

as the tomb of Osiris, a cenotaph of Seti I (1294- 

1271 BC), or for spiritual initiation? 

With the exception of the Valley Temple in Giza, 

there is no architectural equivalent to the Osirion 

with its massive blocks, seamless regular joints and 

lack of round pillars. 

As one exits the western entrance of the Seti 

Temple into the bright sunlight one is blinded by the 

incongruous sight of a mass of stone pillars and 

walls that jutt up from a great waterlogged 

depression in the sand. 

The Osirion was discovered by Professor Margaret 

Murray in 1903. 

The foundations of the Osirion are much lower than 

the temple of Seti I, and believed to be much older. 

This would account for the uncharacteristic L shape 

of the temple of Seti I; if the temple builders had 

discovered the foundations of the Osirion when 

they were mid build, they would have had to avoid 

building over the foundations of the Osirion. 

L-shaped Temple of Seti I with 

the Osirion to the rear 

The perimeter of the Osirion is lined with retaining 

walls of dark red quartzite sandstone, faced on the 

inside with a number of small, square cells. In the 

centre is a raised platform, an island made of larger 

blocks of red granite; on top of the island stand ten 

monolithic (i.e.cut from a single piece of stone) 

pillars, weighing some 50-70 tons. The invisible 

joinery of some of the limestone walls and massive 

masterfully and worked granite stones that wrapped 

sculpturally around corners are mind boggling. We 

do not have the technology to build this now! 

14

Was Osirion linked 

to the Atlantean era? 

Being built some 50 feet below the adjoining Seti 

temple resulted in a channel about six feet wide 

running between the island and outer wall filling 

with water. No one knows how deep this channel 

actually is. This is also a characteristic of Atlantean 

temples. 

Omm Seti (see July/August Alchemical Voice) 

believed this water to have healing properties – in 

her book she cites several examples of spontaneous 

healings after immersing herself in the ‘Well of 

Roarings’. 

The Osirion is the heart of Abydos, with its 

depictions of the Flower of Life on the huge pillars 

representing eternal life, resurrection and divine 

union. This is believed to be the earliest known 

depiction of the Flower of Life. 

There are numerous versions of the Osiris and Isis 

myth but a popular one is where the sisters Isis and 

Nephthys “re-membered” and restored their brother 

Osiris following his murder at the hands of his 

brother Set. The myth says his head was buried 

here. 

Our local guide told us he believed the Osirion was 

+50,000 years old but my feeling was it is much 

older. 

I was doing some research and came across material 

linking the Osirion with Atlantean times. This 

prompted me to ask some questions in a recent 

kinesiology session. 

15

It appears the Osirion was built by extra-terrestrials 

from the Leo constellation some 125,000-130,000 

years ago. These ET’s were the semi aquatic ‘gods’ 

worshipped by the Dogon tribe depicted on their 

caves. The Dogons referred to these beings as 

Nommos; the Dogon said they had arrived by space 

ship and imparted knowledge to them on creation 

and cosmology. 

Like the Great Pyramid, the original purpose of the 

Osirion was as an energy plant. 

Fast forward +100,000 years and the Atlanteans 

were displaced from Atlantis around 9,000 BC due 

to an intergalactic war. Many of them came to 

Egypt. 

Osiris was from Atlantis and he and his family came 

to live at the Osirion. The Flower of Life was 

inscribed during his time. It is indeed the oldest 

known Flower of Life symbol (there is an older one 

yet to be discovered at the Brotherhood of the 

Seven Rays high in the Andes Mountains). 

Osiris was a wise teacher and wanted to share his 

knowledge on the workings of the universe with the 

common people. As with all our great teachers 

(Buddha, Jesus) he was seen as a threat and 

murdered. His followers buried his heart at the 

Osirion temple. 

The Osiris cult was established and for thousands of 

years Abydos became the Mecca of ancient Egypt. 

This is why Egypt has me spellbound - there must 

be countless mysteries buried below the desert 

waiting to be discovered… 


www.marymagdaleneslegacy.com 

16


SHAMANIC POWER (TIBETAN ENERGY) 

COURSE 

Kinesiology and Shamanic techniques and tools to help 

improve health and wellbeing 

We will cover: 

Figure 8 energy flow 

The healing effect of sound 

Spiral energy flow 

Spinning vortices 

Energy, stamina and vitality nutrition 

Tibetan meridian activation 

Shamanic chi rituals 

The power of ancient language and words 

Course dates: 

Sunday 17th September 10am - 3pm 

Sunday 24th September 10am - 3pm 

Sunday 1st October 10am - 3pm 

Sunday 15th October 10am - 3pm 

Location: 

Lady Rose Hall 

Laverstoke Lane 

Laverstoke, Whitchurch 

RG28 7NY 

Cost: £485 per person 

https://www.love2meditate.com/shamanic-power-tibetan-energy.html 

Martin Lewis 

West Berkshire Kinesiology 

kinesiology@hotmail.co.uk 

www.appliedmetaphysics.co.uk 

Jovi Hoonjan 

Love 2 Meditate/Shamanic Joy UK 

jovi@love2meditate.com 

www.love2meditate.com 

Tibetan Energy and Vitality


WE ARE ONE WITH 

THE UNIVERSE 

Carol Coggan 

Archangel Ariel has come forward for this issue. She is responsible 

for so much. Whilst all Archangels are available to help you at any 

time, you will know that Archangels also take on specific 

responsibilities. Previously, I have talked of the Moon cycles and 

working with Archangel Haniel. We can also work with other 

Archangels at the same time e.g. Archangel Raphael for healing, 

Archangel Michael for safety and protection. 

The three cards presented highlight aspects of Archangel Ariel. 

Archangel Ariel is the Archangel of the planets including Earth. 

She is concerned with the health of the Earth, its natural resources, 

the oceans, the animals, humans and nature. She is specifically 

involved with nature and the environment. 

Archangel Ariel is a warrior of feminine energy, she gives us 

courage, and if you see an image of a lion/lioness then you know 

she is around. This is her role of protecting the birds and animals of 

the planet, and as such she therefore protects us as human beings. 

Within this role of protection she is wanting abundance for us all. 

She wants to ensure there is enough healthy food, clean water, 

shelter and other resources for all beings on the planet. Within this 

desire for abundance for all, she will help you meet your earthly 

needs. 

We as humans often compartmentalise our lives into issues such as 

the environment; relationships; politics; health cycles; but we are 

all part of this one Earth, which is a small dot in the Universe. The 

Angels and Archangels are wanting us to view the Universe as a 

whole, so we consider the Moon cycles in relation to our lives, we 

can also interrelate that with Archangel Ariel, the environment and 

nature. Her warrior outlook encourages us to treat all as equals and 

interrelated, with the aim of protecting the Earth and all animals 

here. 

There is talk of climate change, sea and water pollution, the decline 

in bird population, lack of pollinators and people living in scarcity. 

So how can we work with Archangel Ariel to protect our Earth and 

be at one with the Universe. 

18

We can be mindful of the Moon cycles and how we are personally 

affected. From this we know when we need to “hibernate“ and go 

within or when we need to be outgoing. 

When we do go within, we can ask for Archangel Ariel’s guidance as 

it is like animals “hibernating“. 

In these two months, there is a new Moon on September 15th and 

the full Moon on September 29th (the Harvest Moon). In October 

the new Moon is on October 14th and the full Moon is on October 

28th (the Hunters Moon). The two full moons are labelled Harvest 

and Hunters moon, Harvest specifically being a time of bringing in 

supplies for the winter, and Archangel Ariel governing the abundance 

of the harvest. 

The Archangels can and do act, but they need us to act also so that 

we can be custodians of the natural resources. 

Archangel Ariel needs us to support the environment, to enable nature and the planet to thrive. Having 

considered how you interact with the Moon cycles, consider your daily life and see how all aspects are 

interlinked rather than being compartmentalised. When you go out to work, or leisure or in relationships, don’t 

leave your spirituality and beliefs at home. 

How do you remain spiritual and be at one with the Universe? Archangel Ariel will help you in your thinking. 

She will give you the courage to move beyond your comfort zone. Some suggestions may be that you make a 

list of your core beliefs and how these fit in with the environment and nature. Once you have done this, think 

about your daily life and how you can promote the Earth’s natural resources. Ask Archangel Ariel to give you 

the courage to stand up for your core beliefs. Some suggestions Archangel Ariel offers. When you travel, you 

do not need to give up your car, but think about how and when you travel. Think about your recycling, not 

only the weekly waste collections, but also in what you purchase and how you can reuse and refresh. Maybe 

you think about the food you buy. Many change brands to something that is cheaper, or you may consider 

whether you need it all. Some people only eat vegetables that are grown in this country, to ease their carbon 

footprint. Others check out where the products come from so the food/product is sustainable e.g. the use of 

palm oil. Others buy food to donate to food banks to ensure all can benefit from the planet’s prosperity. 

I am sure you can think of many more ways to enable the planet to prosper. Just getting out into nature and 

walking, or having a picnic in the peace and calm enables you to tune into the planet. Ask Archangel Ariel 

before you make any decisions and listen to guidance. Don’t always expect her guidance or any Angelic 

guidance to come as you expect. I took part in the no mow May, primarily for the pollinators. My mower broke 

down, so even in July the grass was still long. I was just about to mow it but had clear direction not to do so, 

and the result was that there was a mass of sparrows in my garden feeding on the grass seed. 

In all this ask Archangel Ariel for your spirituality and care for the Universe 

to be a way of life. We are constantly receiving blessings and abundance from 

the Universe and can then pass them on. We are one with the Universe. 

www.carolcoggan.co.uk 

hello@carolcoggan.co.uk 

+44 (0)781 806 5514


EDEN PEOPLE 

Based in Guildford & S.W. Surrey, we have over 20 years’ 

experience of supporting peoples’ wellbeing for body, mind & 

spirit; and we are here to enhance and support this. We are a notfor-profit 

community group. 

Below is information on our activities, contact us to join our 

mailing list so you can get priority access to book into sessions. 

Get in touch 

info@edenpeople.org.uk 

www.edenpeople.org.uk 

https://linktr.ee/EdenPeople 

FB: @eden.people.uk 

Twitter: @edenpeople 

Body Blessing & Positive Postures Sessions 

This is a physical, spiritual, and emotional activity that connects 

body, mind and spirit. It centres on who we are, how we are and 

where we are in the present moment. Spoken positive words 

about & over areas of the physical body encourage the 

participant to understand their uniqueness and the importance of 

their body. 

As we move or create a stance or position during the session the 

person connects inwardly (spiritually & emotionally) to the 

outward physical; and this can bring about new thought or 

feeling from the participant regarding themselves, others and the 

world. 

Designed to support your mental health, physical health, 

spirituality, wellbeing and positive thinking towards self, others 

and the planet 

20

LifeWalks Sessions 

Life Peace Meditation Sessions 

This is a physical, spiritual, and emotional walking activity 

that connects body, mind and spirit. As we engage with the 

‘outdoor space’ around us we can sense, learn, receive, and 

understand more about ourselves, the world around us 

physically, spiritually, and emotionally. It centres on who we 

are, how we are and where we are in the present moment. 

These meditation sessions are shaped to 

help participants rest, relax, and find new 

depths of peace for the mind, body and 

spirit.Good for those who may have 

anxiety, restlessness, negative feelings, 

lack of motivation or self-worth. 

As we walk, talk, think, rest, breathe during the session the 

person connects inwardly (spiritually & emotionally) to the 

outward physical; and this can bring about new thought or 

feeling from the participant regarding themselves, others 

and the world. 

Designed to support your mental health, physical health, 

spirituality, wellbeing and positive thinking towards self, 

others, and the planet 

Differing Meditational activities focus on 

creativity, the natural world, breathing, 

imagination, use of the senses and tactile 

interaction. 

Designed to support your mental health, 

physical health, spirituality, wellbeing and 

positive thinking towards self, others, and 

the planet 

SpiritSpace: Online monthly gathering via zoom. Creative 

expression, Encounter Rooms for Inner Healing, Heart & 

Destiny Insight, Ruach Cards and much more: more on this 

via: https://linktr.ee/inspiritspace 

Dream Station: Dream Interpretation - email us your dreams 

for interpretation 

Insight, Destiny & Encouragement: Opening life in the fullest 

Healing: Hands-on or hands off and distance healing 

Blessing: Positive input for you 

Card readings: Ruach and Jesus Deck Card readings 

Booking is required for all events 

Cost: Free or donation 

Email: edenpeople@edenpeople.org.uk 

Text: +44 (0)7866247919 

21


Energy healing using crystals 

and Reiki 

Meryl McArthur 

Crystal Cave Healing 

Winchester 

www.facebook.com/CrystalCaveWinchester 

SnowFall 

Consciousness music 

Martin Lewis, West Berkshire Kinesiology 

Music to help 

you move 

through the 

grief process 

www.love2meditate.com 

/consiousness-music 

22


SHAMANISM - A 

PERSONAL REFLECTION 

John Sjovik 

A friend of mine is a practitioner of Shamanism. He 

gives workshops and offers individual healing. I asked 

him to explain to me his definition of Shamanism. His 

answer was swift and short. “It is a word”, he said to 

me. I was somewhat taken aback by that almost curt 

reply. Then I realized that in many ways, it is as good a 

definition as any. “Shamanism” really is a word as much 

as anything else. 

If you search the internet for Shamanism, you will get 

millions of hits, with a great variety of definitions and 

explanations of it. In my private collection of books, I 

probably have more than thirty books about Shamanism 

or with a reference to it. 

As with many modalities within spirituality, Shamanism 

is not an exact science. Otherworldly experiences are 

non-consensual. 

If you ask five practitioners of Shamanism, to search for 

an answer to a particular question, you might well end 

up with five somewhat different answers. 

This is quite natural and a reflection of the animistic 

quality of Shamanism as well as the fact that people will 

invariably influence and interact with that which they 

are studying. 

Complete neutrality and objectivity do not exist. 

Whatever you study or interact with you will interfere 

with. If you shine a light on an object to see it better, 

you have effectively changed its appearance. 

Light is energy and when it hits an object, the energy 

will interact with it and generate a vibration that 

changes its properties. 

23

In his book “Siddhartha”, the German author Herman 

Hesse talks about the challenge of being too specific in 

one's ambition to find truth and wisdom. If you seek 

something which you carefully define in too much 

detail, you will struggle to find it. Only by being open 

and allowing that which you seek to have its own shape 

and form, will you be able to gain higher wisdom. When 

searching for wisdom, do not try to forecast or 

anticipate it. To specify its nature could risk hijacking 

your search and limit the creative freedom of it. 

Shamanism is a highly personal experience in the 

interaction with helping spirits. For this reason, you 

cannot turn to other people and ask them to interpret 

your experiences. If you do that, you will give away 

your power by sharing the personal guidance helping 

spirits have given to you. 

Also keep in mind that magic shared, is magic reduced 

or even lost. 

Rituals and ceremony 

Many people are curious about rituals and ceremonies 

and are often quite fascinated by them. They ask 

questions about how to perform them and what 

happens if they make a mistake and perform them 

incorrectly. 

I think it is important to keep in mind that rituals and 

ceremonies are mostly if not completely for us humans. 

We need them to be able to focus, to do the work and 

to embrace healing. Spirit does not need rituals. 

People require rituals to make sure they stick to a 

certain schedule or discipline. That is why an airplane 

pilot has a check-list to go through before taking off. 

That is why people in an operating theatre follow 

carefully constructed routines when working on a 

patient. One of my teachers in Shamanism always 

advised the students to maintain a certain level of 

discipline in Shamanic work, no matter how confident or 

self-assured they might feel. This was simply to make 

sure that the practitioner observed the major guidelines 

in Shamanic work, in order to ensure safety and enable 

good results. 

24

An ancient way of life 

Shamanism goes back to the origins of the human race. 

It probably developed from human interaction with 

animals and with nature; from being curious about the 

stars in the night sky, the sun and the moon. People 

reflected on the relationship between various 

phenomena, whether they be physical, biological or of 

some other nature. As today, people also had dreams 

and visions. They used their imagination, creativity and 

experience to try to develop an understanding of the 

world they lived in. It was important to be able to 

somehow predict events in the future, to ensure good 

health of the community and for protection against wild 

animals and enemies. And I do believe that our 

grandfathers and grandmothers in the distant past had 

a profound sense of the spiritual aspect of the planet 

with all its plants and animals. 

In its very nature, Shamanism is an animistic 

understanding of the world around us. Everything is 

alive, has spirit and consciousness to a certain degree. 

Various forms of Shamanism exist on all continents. 

Even though rituals may differ, as well as ceremonial 

clothing and use of drums or other tools, the basic 

methods and principles are similar all over the world. 

Cultures and geographical settings may differ greatly, 

from Australasia across Africa to the Americas, Europe 

and the Nordic region. Yet the fundamental principles 

are so similar, you might call them universal. 

Stories from mythology can be very similar in character, 

even though details in the stories reflect local features. 

In Norse legend, there is the story of a wild boar called 

Sæhrímnir. The beast is killed and eaten by the Gods 

every night. It is reborn only to be killed again the next 

day for the next feast. The present day Inupiat Eskimos 

of Northern Alaska tell a similar story about hunting 

seals for food and other uses of the seal’s body. 

Treat the seal – also when dead - with respect. Return 

its bones to the sea. Pray to the sea goddess to release 

the souls of the animals that were killed in the hunt. 

Then there is a good chance that the seals will return to 

Earth as new life, so they can be killed again so that the 

Inupiat people can live. 

25

The fundamental purpose of Shamanism is to perform 

divination, to influence the course of events and of 

course to do healing. In all such work, it is of 

fundamental importance that the work is done with 

clear – and fair - intention and with profound respect. 

Keep in mind that you do not have universal 

knowledge. It is impossible for you to know if a certain 

outcome is good or bad, desirable or should be avoided. 

Only Spirit has that knowledge. For this reason, it is 

advisable to include in the declaration of intent, a 

request that the outcome of all Shamanic work should 

always be for the highest good of the Universe. 

Man with feathers 

In one of my early encounters with the otherworldly, I 

had a dream. I was standing in front of a hill. There was 

a figure standing on top of the hill. It was a man who 

slowly raised his arms straight out from the sides of his 

body. As he did that, I noticed feathers on his arms. 

Then he leaped from the hill, somersaulted through the 

air and landed steadily on his feet right in front of me, 

almost with a “ta daa!” expression on his face. He 

looked straight into my eyes and raised his eyebrows as 

in a “you see!?” greeting. I did not understand, so I 

asked him who he was. He just looked at me with a 

smile. So I called him “Man With Feathers” when I 

wrote about the encounter in my spiritual diary. 

Some years later, I participated in an introductory 

workshop in core Shamanism. I experienced difficulties 

to properly engage with the work and felt frustrated. 

The second day, we did an exercise where we walked in 

a circle around a group of people to the steady beating 

of their drums. I mumbled a prayer and asked Spirit for 

assistance. I said ”Please somebody, help me!” In the 

next moment, I noticed “Man with Feathers” walking 

next to me. He smiled at me and gradually moved closer 

as we continued around the circle and the beating of 

the drums became more intense. 

He moved closer and closer until we began to merge. 

When we were fully merged, I could feel how feathers 

grew out of my arms and I realized that “Man With 

Feathers” was me! 

26

Not a straight line 

Each moment in time, your life moves along a 

trajectory. It is tempting to extrapolate it as a way 

to foretell the future. I believe this would be a 

mistake. As a metaphor, look at a yacht sailing 

against the wind. It does not sail in a straight line 

but cruises along a zigzag path. This means that 

the yacht never moves directly towards the 

destination. Whenever you would extrapolate the 

movement of the yacht, it would go astray. 

It is similar with your life. If you expect it to move 

in a straight line directly onto the target or 

destination of your life, you will either miss it or 

break down. 

You need to accept going a little bit this way, a 

little bit that way. To navigate your life like that 

takes patience, dedication and insight into the 

nature of your destination and the path you 

follow. 

The best way to understand where you are headed 

is to work closely with Spirit, to seek wisdom from 

the Great Mystery and to trust the Sacred. 

My first power animal 

In a dream in the early hours of the morning, my 

first power animal came to me. 

He was a field mouse and he had a message for 

me. 

He reminded me that there is no up, down, left or 

right. That goes for the physical world as well as 

for the spirit world. 

He advised me to regularly go back to basics, to 

reiterate the learning I had at the beginning of 

Reiki, Shamanism and other modalities. 

He told me that I need to repeat the basic steps 

from time to time. By doing that, I will remain 

grounded and safe. 

27

We are co-creators of reality 

Reality stood peacefully in front of me and 

regarded me matter-of-factly. It flashed a smile 

and lifted its hands in a friendly but averting 

gesture. 

“Who are you?”, I asked 

“Do you not know?” Reality replied 

“I hesitate. You change shapes ever so often.” 

“I am merely a reflection of you humans. You 

never seem to be able to make up your minds.” 

”But reality is what it is, isn’t it? We humans just 

live in it.” 

“You are presumptuous and arrogant” 

”What do you mean? How can we humans 

influence the big world out there? We live our 

lives, as we always have. We have dreams. We 

have feelings. Reality is what it is.” 

”You are the world and Reality. Consider the world 

and you will find yourself in Reality. You create it 

with every action you take, with every breath, 

with every thought.” 

An eagle as a sign 

Sometimes I have a feeling that just as I am doing 

Shamanic "journeying", the "journeying" is doing 

me! It is as if the spirits are participating in my 

development, to the extent that they are actively 

involving themselves by their own desire to do so. 

There is an interaction, which is outside of my 

control. 

It is as if there is a path intended for me to follow 

and the spirits are very happy about my own 

actions and eagerly contributing with theirs. 

28

Many years ago, an eagle appeared during a drum 

journey. It was not a journey primarily intended to find 

a guide, teacher or anyone. It was a journey to help a 

friend find an answer to a question. Well, this eagle 

showed up and was very helpful. 

In my subsequent journeys, the same eagle appeared 

again and again. Every time without me calling for it. It 

simply arrived just like a dear friend who will come to 

your assistance without you having to ask for it. 

At the time, I managed to get hold of a copy of Mircea 

Eliades book "Shamanism; Archaic Techniques of 

Ecstasy". I opened it at a random page. 

Immediately, my eyes fell upon the sentence "...the 

appearance of an eagle is interpreted as a sign of 

shamanic vocation." 

Synchronicities are wonderful, aren’t they? 

Main focus of Shamanism 

The main focus of Shamanism is to encourage each 

individual to regain their spiritual authority 

You have to let go of the mind, of control and ego, so 

that the power of nature can flow unhindered. 

In their work, Shamans transcend and dissolve 

borders. Borders of time, space, gender, species and 

more. You surrender to the Shamanic work and 

thereby unite ecstasy and consciousness. 

John Sjovik 

Shaman Healer 

www.shamaqi.com 

29


ONLINE SHAMANIC GUIDED MEDITATIONS 

Love 2 Meditate 

 

CONNECT WITH YOUR POWER ANIMAL 

Power animals are spirits showing themselves in animal form. 

When a power animal connects with you – he or she brings to you the energy 

and characteristics you need at that time. 

To purchase: 

www.love2meditate.com/meditations.html 

jovi@love2meditate.com 

30

MITOCHONDRIA 

PART 2 

Martin Lewis 


MITOCHONDRIA - THE ESSENCE OF 

CHRONIC FATIGUE 

What are our mitochondria? Well, if you have read 

Alchemical Voice Issue 17, you might recall that in 

that article they were described as the ‘powerhouse of 

the cell’. Fatigue is fundamentally an imbalance 

between energy supply and energy demand. If you 

have chronically low energy levels, then your cells are 

not getting the energy supply they need. If the 

demands on your energy are too high this creates an 

energy deficit, which results in the symptom of 

fatigue. 

While there are many contributing factors to this 

energy deficit, the single most important thing to 

understand is that, in physical terms, the fatigue issue 

centres around your mitochondria. 

Within almost every cell of our body, we have 

between 500 to 2,000 mitochondria whose job is to 

literally make the energy your cells need to work. The 

more mitochondria we have, the more energy can be 

produced. As we age more mitochondria are lost than 

are replaced, hence the older we are the less energy 

we have. Also, when we get stressed our mitochondria 

need more nutrients to produce the energy that we 

need. 

Mitochondria take the oxygen we breathe and the 

food we eat (primarily carbs and fats) to create 

adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fuel used to power 

all cellular and metabolic processes. Without oxygen 

and nutrients you will fade VERY fast ….. and without 

mitochondria, your cells will not have the ability to 

create the energy they need to function, meaning no 

process in the body can happen the way it was 

designed. 

31


It’s no stretch to say that without mitochondria there 

is no life! 

Fundamentally, low energy levels are simply the 

result of a chronic cellular energy deficit. Fatigue is 

the symptom that results when the mitochondria in 

the trillions of cells that make up your body — your 

muscles, your hormone-producing glands, your heart, 

your liver, your brain, etc.—are not producing enough 

energy to power their functions effectively. 

Studies involving people with chronic fatigue or other 

disease states in which fatigue is commonly present, 

show that there are consistent associations between 

fatigue syndromes and mitochondrial atrophy and 

dysfunction. 

The Crux of the Matter 

Nutritional Aspects 

One of the fundamental issues involved with 

mitochondrial dysfunction is nutritional imbalance. 

So….. what causes our cells to have a deficit of 

energy? And why do our mitochondria sometimes 

fail to produce enough of it? 

And the answer is: signals. 

Apart from the obvious implications of eating ‘bad 

food’ - i.e. highly processed and sugar-laden ‘fast 

food’, nutritional deficits can include: 

the amino acid Carnitine, which is required to 

transport fat into mitochondria for use as an 

energy source. Several conditions can decrease 

the efficiency of carnitine reabsorption, and 

correspondingly increase carnitine excretion. 

Such conditions include the aforementioned highfat, 

high sugar intake, low-carbohydrate diets; 

highprotein diets; pregnancy; and certain disease 

states. 

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which is required to 

produce energy, is depleted by statins. 

Antioxidants, which help with immune function 

and oxidative stress 

...and this results in: 

Lower rates of ATP (cellular energy) production 

Reduced gene expression in functional pathways 

for energy production, such as those related to 

metabolism, protein transport, and mitochondrial 

capacity. 

The core idea is that lack of energy at the macro 

level (you) is caused by a lack of energy at the micro 

level (in the trillions of cells that you are composed 

of). 

32 

The quality of mitochondria function is determined 

by the signals that your mitochondria are receiving 

about their environment — from the things you feel, 

think, believe, and what you do or don’t do. 

These are essentially NEGATIVE ENERGY FIELDS 

that you, or something else creates. The signals 

from your environment, that you expose your 

mitochondria to, are the critical factors that 

determine whether your mitochondria are 

performing at 20 per cent or 100 per cent of their 

capacity for energy production. 

In the longer term, these signals also tell your cells 

to either increase or decrease the number and size 

of your mitochondria, which is a process that 

heavily affects not only your energy levels, but also 

your resistance to dozens of diseases, which heavily 

impacts your ageing process and longevity. 

If you want to beat fatigue and build a high-energy 

body, the big key is that you want to give your 

mitochondria the signals that allow them to 

function at as close to 100 per cent of their 

capacity as possible.


Negative Energy Fields 

Robert Naviaux, M.D., Ph.D, performed a groundbreaking 

‘metabolomics’ study where he and his team 

looked at the biochemical pathways in people with 

chronic fatigue and found that, compared to healthy 

adults, a mind-blowing 80 per cent of their 

metabolites (the substance required for healthy 

metabolism) were decreased, meaning that there 

were widespread systemic changes in metabolic 

function throughout their organs and cells of their 

whole body. 

The key thing to remember is: 

Fatigue is a type of survival mechanism that 

switches on in response to signals that indicate 

that you’re in a ‘harsh environment’, either one 

that you are experiencing in the now, OR one that 

you experienced in the past that has been 

UNRESOLVED, and is still creating metabolic 

dysfunction in the present - hence the diagnosis of 

‘M.E.’ or what is now termed ‘chronic fatigue 

syndrome’. 

Interestingly, Dr. Naviaux described this downregulated 

metabolic state as chemically similar to a 

peculiar state of physiology called ‘dauer’, (from the 

German word ‘dauerschlaf ’ - a type of therapy that 

uses drugs to induce deep sleep) which, in basic 

terms, is a survival mechanism that is triggered when 

an organism is faced with extremely harsh or toxic 

environmental conditions. 

Essentially this state is a ‘shut down’ of metabolism 

to enable survival, which keeps your body’s 

machinery working just enough to stay alive (but not 

function well), with the hope that this metabolism 

can switch back on again when a safer, less toxic 

environment exists. A classic example is when you 

fall asleep - or ‘zone-out’ - in the face of extreme 

demands or pressure! 

Dr. Naviaux found that the biochemistry of a person 

with chronic fatigue suggested that their body is 

going into a hibernation-like mode and turning down 

the dial on energy production. Their body is keeping 

just enough of the machinery on to stay alive and 

continue functioning, but not enough to actually 

function with vitality and abundant energy. 

What IS the resolution? 

The first thing you need to do is adjust the ‘harsh 

environment’ you exist in. This may be at work, at 

home, with friends, colleagues, family, - or more 

crucially in your own mind! 

This will require you to be accurate and honest 

about what, who, how, and when your environment 

did or does NOT, suit your energy production 

processes. For instance, if you live under constant 

threat on an emotional level, then your 

mitochondria are likely to shut down to enable basic 

survival, but nothing else! 

This requires a brutally honest and accurate 

assessment of what changes you need to make to 

increase this energy production. This may require a 

‘giving up’ of a state of mind or some physical 

activity OR situation that which no longer suits you, 

OR has ‘run its course’. 

Often a ‘sacrifice’ will need to be made, in order for 

your mitochondria to once again function at normal 

levels. This is not a ‘step-back’, it is a necessary 

step-up in order to move forward with purpose and 

abundant energy. 

References: Ari Whitten's book ‘Eat for Energy: How to Beat Fatigue, 

Supercharge Your Mitochondria, and Unlock All-Day Energy’ 

MARTIN LEWIS 

www.appliedmetaphysics.co.uk 

kinesiology@hotmail.co.uk 

+44 (0)7968 740550 

Newbury, Berkshire 

33

SOUL ESSENCE PAINTINGS 

BY MAMISHA ART 

mamishaart@gmail.com 


We channel art 

through Spirits of 

Vision and Essence, 

they show us the true 

spiritual essence of 

others. 

"The Shaman Seer - 

There is a true 

ancestral 

connection with the 

strength of dragon 

energy plus the 

wisdom and 

guidance from 

ascended masters." 

34


THE DISILLUSIONMENT 

OF INDIGO CHILDREN 


I’ve known for a long time I am a truth teller. I‘ve always 

searched relentlessly for what’s fair, I can hyper-focus on 

details that don’t match up. This gives me the ability to 

see through what’s on the surface, and then there’s the 

zero tolerance for bullshit. Mostly these skills are useful, 

but soon the shine of being right about people’s motives 

wears off and you can be left feeling despondent and 

alone. 

It also raises questions. Why can’t others see what is so 

blindingly obvious to me? Why aren’t we doing something 

about it? How much more of this can we take? It can feel 

isolating and hopeless when you see the full picture and 

the contributions you can make aren’t so much as denting 

in the problem. 

Talk of Indigo children first started in the 70s, describing 

a special group of children around the world who have 

high intelligence and intuition, healing abilities, and a 

strong spiritual connection. Yet these children are often 

mislabeled as having behaviour disorders. Both my sister 

and I, as it turns out, are probably indigo children. 

It made for an interesting dynamic when we were 

younger. Born in the mid 80s, I sometimes feel our 

generation was the last one to be able to experience 

childlike innocence. On the cusp of the technological 

revolution, we had a computer in our home long before 

most people, but it wasn’t connected to anything and 

essentially we used it as an arcade game, family photos 

were on film, and never in our wildest imaginations could 

we have come up with the idea of deep fakes and fake 

news - something rampant in our world today. 

So now, not only do you need to work so much harder to 

find the truth, but it feels like humanity is determined 

more than ever to distract and deceive itself. 

35

Enter the almost fashionable rise of ADHD 

information and diagnosis. My sister is one of those 

who is exploring this as a ‘reason’ for her struggles. 

In a recent conversation with two of my most 

wonderful friends, it became almost a running joke. 

How we talk, moving from topic to topic in the logical, 

but probably nonlinear, way of people who haven’t 

caught up in a while, and almost all of the things we 

discussed, led us to ‘label’ ourselves and our mutual 

friends as ADHD. 

Let me be clear, I don’t take away from anyone who 

has this or any other condition. The systems in which 

we operate reward a certain type of behaviour, and all 

things that fall outside of that are hardly catered for. 

It must feel unimaginably hard to overcome this daily. 

As I write this, I’m trying to find ways of managing my 

ongoing fatigue that will fit into my job. 

I know today will be hard because I’ve woken up early 

and felt inspired to write, so later I am going to either 

need to take a 2 hour nap or know I might not be able 

to bring any value to the workshop my team has 

planned. It’s been challenging. 

My curiosity lies in looking at how, when we feel so 

disillusioned, when the anxiety of knowing on a soul 

level that things are bad and they are not getting 

better, when we can’t bare to keep conforming 

because we can’t find the real solutions to the hard 

questions - why do we then turn to labelling 

ourselves, our biology, as a reason for our feelings, as 

an explanation that means the problem is us, and not 

the world around us? 

Would there even be such a thing as ADHD if we 

were allowed to learn and work and live in the way 

that best suited each of us? Or is it just another way 

to try and shove a multifaceted, beautiful shape into a 

round hole. 


Communications specialist helping others find 

their voice 

36


THE FIERY DOSHA 

PITTA 

Claire Sparks 

The ancient healing system of Ayurveda places looks 

to the doshas for understanding an individual’s 

constitution and overall well-being. Among the three 

primary doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, Pitta stands 

as the fiery force representing transformation. 

With its blend of fire and water elements, Pitta, 

derived from the Sanskrit word for "digestion" or 

"transformation", signifies the transformative power of 

these elements. 

The energy of Pitta dosha is responsible for metabolic 

processes, including digestion, absorption, and 

assimilation. It also influences our intellect, 

understanding, and power of discernment. It is 

described in Ayurvedic philosophy as possessing 

qualities of heat, sharpness, oiliness, and slight 

liquidity and spreading (in the way fire and water 

spread when they’re not contained). 

Pitta dosha is characterised by specific qualities which 

manifest physically and mentally. Its primary attributes 

include fire, providing warmth and energy; heat, 

regulating body temperature; sharpness, fostering 

mental acuity; oiliness, lubricating joints, and 

nourishing skin; and liquidity, maintaining fluid 

balance. 

When Pitta dosha is in balance it brings forth 

intelligence, ambition, courage, and effective 

leadership. Individuals who have a greater proportion 

of Pitta dosha in their mind-body make up, exhibit a 

sharp intellect, excellent digestion, radiant skin, and a 

strong metabolism. 

They embody passion, determination, and a natural 

drive for success. 

37

An imbalance in Pitta dosha, can lead to health 

issues. Physical symptoms of such an imbalance may 

include skin rashes, ulcers, acidity, inflammation, 

excessive body heat, and heat sensitivity. 

Mentally, imbalanced Pitta can result in irritability, 

anger, frustration, and a critical nature. In the 

seasons of summer and late summer, which are 

governed by Pitta energy, Pitta dominant individuals, 

or those with a Pitta imbalance, may experience 

these symptoms in their mind-body more acutely. 

Ayurveda recommends several lifestyle practices to 

maintain a harmonious Pitta dosha. Consuming 

cooling and hydrating foods, establishing a routine, 

engaging in relaxation activities, and adopting a pace 

of mindfulness can each contribute to balancing Pitta 

energy. 

Understanding Pitta dosha allows us to embrace the 

transformative power within ourselves. By balancing 

Pitta, we can experience optimal digestion, mental 

clarity, and vibrant vitality to lead a healthier, more 

harmonious life. 

Claire is a Diploma Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and Yoga 

Therapist specialising in women’s health. With over 15 years 

experience in the wellbeing industry she is a weaver of women’s 

magic, supporting women to reawaken the divine feminine 

within to understand their uniqueness so they can live a healthy 

and balanced life. 

Based in Hampshire, UK, Claire supports women across the 

world from her online clinic. 

www.earthlightwellbeing.co.uk 

Facebook @earthlightwellbeing 

Instagram @earthlightwellbeing 

claire@earthlightwellbeing.co.uk 

38


WHERE THE PLANTS 

WHISPER 

Hannah Gauss 

It is damp in the forest. The rain just left, leaving raindrops 

falling off the leaves drumming rhythmically. Mist slowly rises 

from the warm earth and hovers through the Bluebells. The 

forest floor is alive. Every green is stretching and moving as if 

waking up from a long slumber. 

x 

The plants are whispering. The magic is tangible on this mild 

evening light. 

Our ancestors around the world understood the importance 

of plants for their survival and prosperity long ago. Plants are 

not only a source of food and medicine, having various 

healing properties, but they also carry important information 

and knowledge in their seeds and leaves. Plants teach us how 

to navigate the various terrains we find ourselves in, how to 

return to the knowledge of the lands, and essentially how to 

heal ourselves. When we begin to work with plants, we gain 

access to this knowledge by learning how plants whisper. 

One way to do that is by making Medicine Drums. 

Local plants are key players in assisting the birth of new drum 

spirits as well as gifting us healing. They voluntarily donate 

part of themselves to lend their healing abilities and wisdom 

to a drum. The most common way is to soak the animal skin in 

water with the plants, and get the rawhide to absorb their 

energies. 

Nettle is a great cleaner of energies and fern shows us how to 

grow in darkness. 

Another way is dying the skin with natural dye made of their 

leaves. In some cases the drum calls in the plants for 

assistance. Other times, the plants themselves are so 

powerful that they can call in a drum spirit. This means the 

energy field of the plant acts like a magnet to the 

corresponding energy of the drum spirit, and actively attracts 

it. 

39

In some cases, Plants weave a web of energy that acts 

as a vessel holding the spirit through the birthing 

process until it has taken form in its physical body, the 

drum itself. Without the assistance of plants, drums 

would not exist. 

 

The most profound way of learning the ways of plants is 

by physically working with them. We are automatically 

getting to know our local environment, and learn about 

the different properties each plant holds. For instance, 

Gorse grows in the mountains and has incredible healing 

powers for asthma, swelling, dermatitis and so on. We 

reconnect to the knowledge of our ancestors and 

recover it for our healing. At the same time, when we 

touch plants, weave grass, harvest flowers, their 

energies transfer to us just like they transferred to the 

rawhide. Have you ever noticed how you feel after 

collecting Mugwort or drying Nettle? 

The delicate nature of plants requires us to learn where 

they grow, their healing properties or safety in order to 

handle them properly. We also learn how to harvest 

these plants responsibly so that we may find more next 

year. In Shamanic or Spirit work, we strive to live in 

balance with our environment, and only ever take as 

much as is needed. In a sense, plants teach us to 

consider other needs than our own. When we work with 

natural material we unavoidably are becoming more 

fine-tuned and caring for our environment. 

When we remember the bond with nature through land 

work, we return to living in inner and outer balance - a 

healing desperately needed for humanity at this time. 

This is how we serve our communities and our planet 

through craftsmanship - when we begin to listen to the 

plants whisper. 

Hannah is a Shamanic Healer and Medicine Drum 

Maker near the Cooley Mountains in County 

Louth, Ireland. In her craft, she has whispered with 

many plants. Though they are not as talkative as 

stones, she recommends stopping by for a listen 

with your local Dandelion now and then. 

www.hannahgauss.com 

@hannahjgauss 

40

Hidden in the Mist 


Susan always knew she could sense 

things that she couldn't see, so when her 

husband James starts to act strangely is 

there more to his behaviour than meets 

the eye? 

With her daughter also starting to act 

strangely, Susan's nerves are on a knife 

edge, having lost all of her self-esteem 

at her husband's hands, not knowing 

where to turn and with echoes of the 

past still clinging persistently to her 

home. 

Susan instinctively knows that 

everyone's survival depends upon her. 

Will Susan be able to save her family 

from the malevolence which threatens 

to engulf them all? 

Hidden in the Mist is a supernatural 

book that is loosely based on some reallife 

experiences that Sue personally had 

in her childhood. 

“I read Hidden in the Mist in less than a 

week as I got gripped by the characters 

and the storyline - really needed to know 

how it was all going to turn out! I enjoy a 

good ghost story and this was a really 

good ghost story.” 

Pulling out all stops in her debut work of fiction, Sue Penney’s Hidden in the Mist is a 

ghostly tale par excellence. 

Aware of her own personal supernatural abilities since the age of three, the author 

draws on real-life events she experienced as a child to give Hidden in the Mist an 

authenticity and scare factor that plays with your mind from the outset. Adding further 

to its spooky credentials, the front cover is illustrated with an image of the actual house 

in which the author first experienced the paranormal. 

Worthy of a solid ten out of ten for its accomplished plot, pace and the fear it evokes, 

Hidden in the Mist is most definitely one to read with the lights on full." 

Hidden in the Mist book now available www.soulverse.co.uk 

sue@soulverse.co.uk 

41

Life behind 

the mask 


A compelling story of a young mother, happy in her 

first marital home, running her successful dance school. 

Everything changed one fateful night; following a 

severe car accident, her husband developed paranoid 

schizophrenia. A year of desperation, misery attempted 

murder, a shooting and a suicide followed. 

A second husband with rage issues, led to physical 

abuse of her son and a life of fear. Follow her fight to 

protect her children and explore the horrors they faced 

growing up. Years remaining silent for fear of reprisal 

and the guilt carried from seeing the effect it had on 

her children. 

Another near fatal car accident and the unexplained 

miracle rescue. An illness that drained her body, stole 

her career and left her bedridden. This is one woman’s 

battle against insurmountable odds. The will to survive, 

protect, overcome years of torment, fear and 

oppression and the day she discovered the strength 

within, to fight back and step out from ‘BEHIND THE 

MASK’ 

I spent most of my working life as a professional dance instructor, designing and 

producing theatrical shows for children. When a severe back injury resulting 

from a car crash forced me into early retirement, I started looking for new ways 

to be creative and find a new outlet in life to express myself. Writing filled this 

void and allowed me to clarify, accept and eventually script what has happened 

to me over the years, which makes for a compelling and at times, difficult read. 

For a very long time I tried to come to terms with what I have been through and 

how it has affected both me and my family. Having finished this book, I am now 

able to look back and reflect on my life in a way I never thought possible. The 

sheer number and variety of traumas I have experienced is almost 

incomprehensible and the horrors of some of the situations are a lot to take onboard. 

These have shaped me into the woman I am today. 

Within the book you will experience my life in its rawest form including a suicide, 

a ruined career, a lengthy lawsuit, a terrible marriage, an abusive husband, 

terrified children, a debilitating illness, broken families, dreams shattered, hope, 

fear, and impossible choices. Only when you are at your lowest, when you feel 

that life has taken too much from you, do you look deep inside yourself and 

make a choice. This story is my choice. 

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith or 

Pegasus Elliott Mackenzie Publishers 

42

R O Y S H A D R A K E L R P S 

P H O T O G R A P H E R 


Photography is, for me, 

entirely personal. I 

create images for my 

own pleasure and 

enjoyment, however I 

do hope from the 

images on these two 

pages, I can share what 

I feel with you. 

There is something meditative in the process of creating an image, from exploring the surroundings of 

wherever I am and deciding on what to photograph, to how I photograph the subject matter and 

being absorbed in the process of getting the exposure correct and then deciding what should be in 

the picture and perhaps, more importantly, what should not be included. 

Once the image is captured the process is not over for me. The image still needs to be “developed”, 

nowadays on the computer and then decisions are made on how to get to that final image. 

43


All images 

Roy Shadrake 

All rights 

reserved 

w w w . f l i c k r . c o m / p h o t o s / r o y s h a d r a k e / a l b u m s 

44

O r i g i n a l a r t s t r a i g h t 

f r o m t h e h e a r t ! 

Alchemical Voice - L2M - Issue 22

WWW.PILCHART.SHOP 

PILCHART11@GMAIL.COM 

Commissions accepted 

Courses in Dorset


L o v e & L i g h t J e w e l l e r y 

Ruby is associated with improved energy 

and concentration, creativity, loyalty and 

compassion. It also helps to stimulate the 

heart chakra, bringing in spiritual 

wisdom while shielding against psychic 

attacks . 

Natural rough ruby crystal wire wrapped 

in pink copper with pink agate beads. 

On a rose gold chain. 

£35 

Ametrine is such a pretty stone and 

combining amethyst and citrine gives you the 

colours of purple and yellow hues. 

The combined properties of both amethyst 

and citrine will give you balance and 

harmonious energy that promotes mental 

stability and self confidence. 

Email: suecaustick@gmail.com 

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/suecaustick 

 

47 

Pretty ametrine crystal wrapped in silver 

copper wire with malachite bead. 

On black silk cord. 

£40


L o v e & L i g h t J e w e l l e r y 

Black amber is such a beautiful stone 

with many physical benefits including 

inflammation, pain relief, detoxification, 

depression, anxiety and mental clarity. 

Black amber is also said to be the stone 

of love and relationships, attracting new 

love into your life. 

Beautiful black amber pendant wrapped 

in copper with shungite bead, on silk 

black cord. 

£35 

Garden quartz also know as iodolite, the 

shamanic dream stone. The beauty is you can 

see all the secrets of the stone with its multi 

coloured ,scenic inclusions reminding us of a 

underwater fairly tale forest. 

 

Meditating with the stone will help unlock the 

doorway to spiritual realms and to facilitate 

with lucid dreaming . Giving you guidance 

and direction and support on your spiritual 

journey. 

Email: suecaustick@gmail.com 

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/suecaustick 

 

48 

Stunning garden quartz wrapped in 

copper with black tourmaline and 

hematite beads 

£35


BE GOOD TO YOURSELVES 

Jan is a gifted and professionally 

recognised healer, spiritual counsellor 

and psychic, working with clients to help 

them find the root cause of their physical 

condition which is normally an emotional 

issue buried deep inside. 

Jan Reid 

Be Good to Yourselves 

Dorset (distance healing available) 

www.begoodtoyourselves.com 

email@begoodtoyourselves.com 

+44 (0)776 993 6500 

SPIRITUAL HEALING WITH INTUITIVE INSIGHTS 

 

tameshka@hotmail.com | 07786 194 149 

Mytchett, Surrey 

49


SHAMAN ALCHEMIST 

balancing vibrational energies 

Helping you to 

release the past 

change belief systems 

feel more complete 

bring yourself into alignment 

We visit past lives that could be 

the source of a current issue. 

We clear emotional and physical 

pains carried over from many 

lifetimes. 

50

P R A C T I T I O N E R ' S 

E N E R G E T I C P R O T E C T I O N 

O N L I N E C O U R S E 

Jovi Hoonjan 

Arm yourself with 

protection tools and 

practices that you can use 

in your day-to-day life and 

during sessions. 

Essential for anyone who 

works with the public. 

Online Shamanic 

guided meditations 

with protection 

formulae 

Root Race transition 

Oracle cards 

Powerful ancient 

sacred symbols 

Rituals and ceremonies 

w w w . l o v e 2 m e d i t a t e / o n l i n e - c o u r s e s 

51


ALCHEMICAL VOICE 

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT | HEALTH & WELLBEING | HOLISTIC CRAFTS 

To purchase a hard copy of this or previous editions, 

click on the QR code 

Published by Jovi Hoonjan, Love 2 Meditate 

www.alchemicalvoice.com 

N O U R I S H | S U P P O R T | B A L A N C E

September/October 2023 Alchemical Voice

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