There are two main schools of Shiatsu:

1. Nippon Style Shiatsu, developed by Tokujiro Namikoshi, which in Japan is based exclusively on Western medical concepts but in Europe and the USA incorporates some aspects of Traditional Oriental Medicine.
2. Zen Shiatsu, developed by Shizuto Masunaga, which is based on the principles of Traditional Oriental Medicine but integrates Western physiology and psychology.

There are also other methods of Shiatsu that incorporate aspects of both of the above methods in varying degrees.

The method that I practice is Zen Shiatsu.  It differs very much from Western style massage as it is practiced on mats on the floor rather than on a massage table, no oil is used, and the recipient wears loose comfortable clothing.  The technique involves stretching and leaning body weight onto areas of the recipient’s body.  Pressure is mainly applied using hands, thumbs and fingers, and occasionally the forearms, knees and feet are also used. The treatment is focused along the acupuncture channels known as meridians.  

These meridians carry the subtle body energy known as Chi or Ki.  There is no accepted equivalent of Chi in Western Medicine;  Chi is roughly translated as ‘essential life energy of the body, mind and spirit’.  According to Traditional Oriental Medicine, the effective flow of Chi within the body is the basis of health.  All illness, disease, pain and tension is a result of blockages in the flow of Chi.  The existence of Chi has yet to be recognised by Western Medicine mainly because it is so subtle that the technology required to measure it has only recently been developed.  As this technology further develops Western Medicine will eventually be revolutionised by the recognition of Chi and the combination of traditional techniques with these new technologies.

Shiatsu releases blockages in the flow of Chi, and thus heals and relaxes the whole person to a very deep level.  The first time I received a Shiatsu massage I remember telling the therapist afterwards that although I had felt very relaxed after various Western-style massages, Shiatsu had left me feeling peaceful.  This is due to its holistic qualities – it calms the mind, emotions and spirit a well as the body.

Shiatsu is a full-body treatment normally lasting 50-60 minutes and often includes a head and face massage.

Various forms of reflexology have existed in indigenous societies across all continents for thousands of years.  The earliest known reference to a form of reflexology is an illustration on the walls of the physician’s tomb at Saqqara in Egypt.  In China it was a precursor to the development of the acupuncture system.  It was introduced to the West as Zone Therapy in 1913 in the USA by Dr William H Fitzgerald and Dr Edwin Bowers.  But it was the work of Eunice Ingham, a nurse and physiotherapist, in the 1930s that gave reflexology its name and provided the foundations of most current menthods.

There has been very little scientific research done to help us understand how reflexology works, but it is generally believed that as the feet contain hundreds of thousands of nerve endings, the stimulation of these nerve endings sends messages to the brain to regulate the corresponding area of the body.  This idea is further supported by the fact that reflexology produces instant results for the nervous system, as it is an extremely relaxing therapy.  It has also been shown to have positive effects on more chronic nervous conditions.

It is very effective also for the endocrine system, bringing significant improvements to problems caused by hormonal imbalances.  It has also been shown to be effective for the digestive and circulatory systems, and helps regulate imbalances in all of the other body systems.  It has a balancing effect on all of the organs of the body and has even produced results for some chronic conditions considered incurable by allopathic medicine.  It is not an instant miracle cure however.  As with most holistic treatments one or two sessions of reflexology can be very effective for acute conditions, but chronic long-term conditions will usually require a longer term course of treatments in order to see results.

On a more holistic level it calms the mind and brings clarity to the emotions, and as it puts the recipient into a meditative state it can facilitate spiritual awareness and has been known on occasion to help bring on a spiritual experience.

- The Bigger Picture -

The question ‘Who Am I? is possibly humanity’s number one frequently asked question, a question that probably produces more possible answers than there are stars in the sky.  I have asked myself this question many times in my life so far, and explored many of the recommended methods that are supposed to help one find an answer. These methods have ranged from world travel to travelling the inner worlds, and this website is an attempt to document some of my experiences during this exploration.  But here I offer some of my ideas about who I am now.

I am a spiritual being having a human experience, as I believe are all of us.

I am a virtual reality computer game avatar in a vast holographic 3D virtual world, where the players – many of whom created the game in the first place – have handed the remote control to the avatars, so soon after the avatar’s entrance in the game that most avatars are not aware of the existence of the player.

Although I would lend credence to many of the ideas of the so-called New Age movement, I no longer consider myself purely as a lightworker, having had to learn to work with the darker aspects of my soul in recent years!  But I am not just a darkworker either, I consider that both of the light and dark polarities are different manifestations of what is basically the same energy, so I would rather call myself an energy worker.

Despite some of my lyrics in The Love Frequency, I am not sure that the term ascension – the idea that one spiritually evolves moving up through the dimensions until one can finally throw off this mortal coil and become purely spirit – is fully appropriate for the pathways I find myself on.  I certainly believe it has been important in our understanding of the whole process of spiritual evolution, but these days I find myself more aware of a process of descension, that of my soul or higher divine self in the gradual process of ‘descending’ into my physical body. Because of the soul’s inherent multi-dimensionality, I am becoming more aware of the different dimensions but not in the sense of ascending through the various levels so much as being aware – from my physical centre – of dimensions intermingling with each other.

I wonder that in some ways the focus of many on ascension is a stepping stone – or perhaps a hangover –  from the Christian idea of the rapture. It still has the idea of physical reality being something somehow considered as low consciousness and something that needs to be moved beyond.  It is often suggested in many of the channels of the Crimson Circle rather that physical existence is in some ways the highest ladder on the rung that existence or All-That-Is has seen so far, and that there are angels and spirits simply clamouring to come here.  In order to evolve, one must enter and master the Earth realms, over may lifetimes.  The soul guides the ‘lower’ human ego to gradually evolve its awareness to the point that the soul feels welcomed by the human to merge with it, momentarily at first but gradually increasing to the point where it becomes the norm.

I will continue to add to this as more ideas come to mind…

Alahuin Graphics

When I began creating this site I had several aims in mind. I intended to create a website that is representative of ideas that are important to me, as well as being aesthetically pleasing, functional, quick to load, informative and intuitive to the user – all on a low budget.  Not all these aims were immediately compatible and some compromises had to be made.  For example, a plain colour background, header and sidebar would load more quickly but I compromised a little speed in order to include images and a more textured finish.

The four background images that sit in the main body of the site are all taken from recent crop circles.  I have long been fascinated by the crop circle phenomenon, as many of the symbols represented give me the feeling that what they are expressing is a form of higher consciousness, much more than just what appears at face value.  The four crop circles I have chosen represent for me the four classical elements.  The top image of an eagle in a South American indigenous style represents the element of Air.  Going in a clockwise direction, the next image of a star represents Fire.  The goddess image at the bottom is Gaia, the spirit of Earth.  The left image of stylized dolphins represents the Water element.

The animated image that changes colour in the top left hand corner is taken from the psychedelic computerized artwork of Alahuin.  It is a stylized version of a Mandlebrot Set, a type of fractal. A fractal is a mathematically generated geometric shape that appears similar at all levels of magnification. Fractals are based on new mathematics that have been developed over the last hundred years or so.  They are considered to be infinitely complex and therefore more accurately describe natural processes than the traditional Euclidean geometry that has dominated mathematics since 300BCE. Natural objects that approximate fractals include clouds, mountain ranges, lightning bolts, coastlines, and snow flakes.  Ecometry has many fascinating images of fractals in nature.

Alahuin’s artwork is also represented in the background image of the buttons in the left hand side bar,  and also the image that appears on the left of the footer bar at the bottom of each page.  This image is a stylized version of a Vesica Piscis, a powerful symbol in sacred geometry, that over milenia has been used as a representation of the divine feminine principle, as well as later being adopted by Christianity and stylized as a fish.

For information on links on this site, hover the cursor over the link.  A description box will appear with some information on the site being linked to, and whether it opens in a new or same tab/window.  All links to other sites normally open in a new tab or window.  The general rule I have followed for internal links – links to other pages on this site – is that links within the body of the text open in a new tab or window, and links at the bottom of the page open in the same tab or window.  This is because when I am browsing I often like to read a whole page first, and then afterwards go to the other pages that are linked to in the body of the text.  If this annoys you, just right-click on the link and open it in the same tab or window.

Many of the external links in the site are to Wikipedia.  This is not because I consider Wikipedia to be the ultimate source of knowledge, rather that it is often one of the best places to start when researching a topic.

Most of the images on the site, unless otherwise credited, come from Big Stock Photos.  This site is built on the WordPress blog tool and publishing platform.  It is free to use open source software. If you would like a similar site built, please contact me.

Many thanks to Ricky of qubetech.net for his hard work and patience while building this site.

If your mind’s confused, your heart is wrenchin’
Your spirit is low, or your thirst needs quenchin’
Check out the road to ascension

Drop secondhand beliefs that need suspension
There’s new ways to see that defy comprehension
If your mind is holdin’ so much tension
Open your heart

Oh, it won’t be so easy to sit on the fence
And deny that we’re all headin for a drenchin’
Time to apply for an extension
Open your heart to love

Open your heart to the love frequency
Feel the beat of the dance of energy
From separation to synergy
Open your heart, open your heart, to love

Do you need to be convinced to drop all pretension?
As secrets long buried now defy retention
You hold the keys to end your detention
Open your heart to love

If disaster seems beyond prevention
Remember time is only an invention
The secret’s in the moment if you pay attention
And open your heart to love

Open your heart to the love frequency
Get yourself ready for the new energy
From chaos comes synchronicity
Open your heart, open your heart, to love

As we move beyond the bounds of three dimensions
You manifest more easily what you intention
Open to your own divine intervention
Open your heart to love

Open your heart to the love frequency
Feel the beat of the dance of energy
From separation to synergy
Open your heart, open your heart, to love

Open your heart to the love frequency
Get yourself ready for the new energy
From chaos comes synchronicity
Open your heart, open your heart, to love

—===<<>>===—

Listen to The Love Frequency

Watch The Love Frequency video