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Parallel Community

Newsletter

The Parallel Community is a linking network and a platform

where people can express and develop their positive

contribution for change - human, social, ecological, creative and

spiritual. June 2013

INSPIRITREES

PC member JOSA PEPPER, inspired by her love for trees, has set up the organisation InspiritreeS. The website is at

http://www.inspiritrees.co.uk and there is a Facebook page too.

“Josa Pepper loves trees. She loves trees because she feels their energy very strongly and that is something everyone can

easily do - even if they are in their car driving under a tunnel of trees - trees are that powerful. Josa wants to co-create a

community of people who are so clear about their connection to and dependence on trees that they are inspired to get

more planted. And they don't have to be people who get muddy in the countryside, like she does, to enjoy trees!”

TREES - their power, wonder,

wisdom and energy.

Nearly two years ago I was walking in Lincoln’s

Inn Fields in London when the great and ancient

London Plane trees there changed the energy

around themselves so that I had the most

wonderful experience. I saw them in a

completely different way and they were shining

with light as if a veil had been lifted.

Since then my connection with trees has grown and grown in strength as has my understanding of what we have been doing

to this beautiful planet. First, I noticed the absence and lack of care of the trees and hedges around all the agricultural fields

which led me to set up InspiritreeS www.facebook.com/InspiritreeS . Then I deeply felt the barrenness and neglect of the

land and soil. Finally, I was shown vividly how disconnected humanity has become from

Nature, and most especially young children. The insanity of mind consciousness, with science

as its most extreme manifestation, constantly pushing and pulling us to believe this is the way

we should go.

Now we must stop! And start to do all we can to put everything back into harmony and

balance with the glorious abundance and healing vibrations Mother Earth offers us so freely

when we don’t interfere. We are all deeply connected to and dependent on trees for our

health and well-being, and the trees themselves have been waiting and waiting for us to wake

up so they can share their wisdom with us. They are very tired from holding all this knowledge

in the density of the 3rd

and 4th

Dimension and that is the reason, I believe, they are becoming

vulnerable to attack from dis-eases and predators. They are asking us to wake up by drawing

attention to what we have allowed to happen on this planet.

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Begin now to take action to change things:

Become aware of where more trees can be planted and then actually plant them. Approach a land owner

and offer them 10 native trees unconditionally. Ask where they can be planted and do it for them. This

new way also helps to break down the them-and-us mentality, and creates community.

Plant native trees in the old way by joining and supporting tree planting organisations and events – local,

national and international. Trees For Life in Scotland are doing wonderful work.

Try and find native trees to plant that have been started in healthy soil where the mycelium and

mycorrhizal partnerships are functioning. This makes them much stronger and more vigorous. Chemical

fertilisers produce forced and weaker trees.

Go out and just be with trees to imbibe their healing energy. The Japanese call it shinrin-yoku or tree

bathing. Read http://bit.ly/Uq5xO8 . This is a very powerful way of relieving stress and resetting your

energy.

Find “your” tree and ask questions (for the greater good) by placing your hand/s on the trunk and

sincerely connecting with it. Visit it regularly and be in its space.

Buy organic food, especially fresh and locally produced. If every family buys, at least, one item of organic

food every week we can create such a strong and stable market that more farmers will move to that

system. This has huge benefits for the land, soil, nature and the environment as a whole, not just from

the farming itself but also because organic farmers are nearly always incorporating nature conservation

policies into their work. Burwash Manor Farm near Cambridge is one to visit.

Start to visualise all the field edges having strong, healthy native trees and/or hedges around them, and

see more trees growing along all roads and paths, including street trees. Hold this vision clearly.

Don’t believe any of the prescribed nonsense about there being a food crisis that can only be “solved” by

pouring toxic chemicals into the earth. We have a worldwide nutrition crisis because of chemical farming

that is appearing as the huge increase in human dis-eases such as cancer and diabetes.

Realise that pure, unadulterated, organic (read normal) food is the source of our health and we only

need a quarter of the amount we

eat now if we get it in this form.

Some people even less because

they will draw the white light and

energy of the Earth into

themselves for nourishment.

Take your children out into Nature

and wild places from the day they

are born. Create a deep, strong and enduring bond in their hearts with their own true nature. Teach them

about the abundance, the natural rhythms, the mystery and beauty of it all.

I wish you well on your journey and thank you from my soul to yours, and from the Trees.

InspiritreeS has just released its first e-book, especially for young children, and “also for the children in all of us who know

that to be closely connected to Mother Earth and Nature is the very best way to heal”.

To find out more, visit the website http://www.inspiritrees.co.uk

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REFLECTION ON THE CHALLENGES FOR OUR BEES

By PC Member BRENDA DESBOROUGH

The winter of 2012-2013 has not been

a good one for bees. Chatting to bee

keepers I know, it has been a challenge

to stay optimistic when many have

been finding their colonies have not

survived through to the very late spring. In the south east

of England where I live, reports of hive loss have been

commonplace, some more dramatic than others. The

gentle colonies in the bee sanctuary in Sussex where I have

spent many a happy hour weeding and planting as a

volunteer, sadly all succumbed and I heard of a much

larger apiary of 100 hives losing all but three colonies – a

devastating situation. While the number of losses has

varied from location to location, and bee keeper to bee

keeper, the ultimate cause of colony collapse varies. So

what has been going on? Is this honeybee Armageddon?

Or is there reason, still, for hope?

A senior member from the British Bee Keepers Association

described it as “the worst year for a long time” and

cautiously suggested that overall, losses have averaged

out to at least 30%; but also pointed out that different

bee keeping organisations might quote different

statistics – some better, some worse. A bee keeper for

many years, he felt there were many possible

explanations, including parasites, diseases and predators

and the widespread use of agricultural chemicals; but

thought the long damp summer we had last year was the

main factor as it led to both a shortage of pollen, so the

bees could not forage as freely, and persistent rain which

also made for bad flying weather – bees just don't like

damp.

So by autumn the bees were weak and less able to sustain

themselves over the winter. Cold dry weather does not

usually bother them – the bitter

winter of 2010-2011 did not have the

same effect. He was, however,

quietly positive and has noticed his

own bees fattening up in the last few weeks, starting to

feed and forage and that the blossom on apple trees, in

particular, is setting and looks to have been pollinated. He

pointed out that in nature bad years as well as good, for

anything, do occur and was philosophical rather than

catastrophic or complacent.

Other bee keepers have been equally phlegmatic, learning

from the experience and observing what has been going

on. My friend Cornelia, the subject of an earlier article on

bees (PC Newsletter November 2012), and a beginner bee

keeper with the Natural Bee Keeping Trust, lost the wild

colony of bees inhabiting an outhouse on her land, but

discovered that the bees in her own hive had not only

survived but seemed to be still thriving.

She made me laugh when she told me how, after

anxiously opening the hive to check on them once the

weather had warmed up, having expected them to have

suffered the same fate as their wild cousins on the same

land, she was relieved to find them alive. They were

buzzing away with just a few dead ones on the shelf at the

base and a few others inside. Having swept the bee

corpses into a dustpan, she put them into her compost

bucket in her kitchen, intending to add them to the

compost heap along with other waste once the bucket was

full. John, her husband, though supportive of her bee

keeping, likes to keep his distance from bees and made

sure Cornelia sited her hive well away from the house.

So he was not best pleased to discover that two hours later

the “dead” bees had been revived by the warmth of the

kitchen and there were a couple of dozen

resurrected creatures recuperating noisily

indoors. Cornelia was, of course, delighted and it

was easy enough to take the lidded bucket back

near the hive so the bees could return to the

colony; but the whole incident begs many

questions.

Why did the hive bees survive and the wild bees not? Why

did seemingly dead bees come back to life when given just

a bit of warmth? Was it the herbal bee tea (an NBKT

preparation) she had given them, and the fact that she had

not taken any honey at all but supplemented their

provisions over the lean winter in accordance with good

bee keeping practice? Were her bees just randomly tough

little critters? Was it the position of the hive that made the

difference? Was she just having beginner's luck with her

bees? Others adopting the same methods and with the

same love and passion and much more experience had lost

bees. There are no easy answers.

But the awareness that emerges out of such a bad year can

be helpful, if media sensationalism, political and personal

prejudice, commercial greed, naïve sentimentality and

plain ignorance are all set aside. Wisdom, knowledge,

common sense, practical experience and good practice –

both traditional and new - need to be shared to the benefit

of the bees and the rest of us. There are signs this is

beginning to happen. Certainly, more universities and

organisations like the National Trust are researching bee

health, the temporary ban on bee toxic pesticides is a small

step in the right direction and the many bee keeping

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organisations all have informative websites. But the

world is changing rapidly and the forces affecting the

bees are likely to be as complex and multi-factored

as they are for everything else alive on this planet.

To end on an upbeat note – the Sun Hive project, featured

in an earlier article and run by the Natural Bee Keeping

Trust, celebrated the first swarming of bees from their

original Sun Hive colony at Tablehurst Farm on 12th

May

this year. Swarming is seen as the sign of a healthy

colony and the bees' timing couldn't have been better –

it happened in the middle of a Sun Hive making

workshop, to the delight of the participants. Pictures on

the NBKT website -

http://www.naturalbeekeepingtrust.org/

Brenda Desborough

THE ENERGY OF CHANGE

By PC Member PETER HENDRY

One thing is for sure: trying to stand still for one's whole

life isn't a great idea. The only alternative therefore is

change.

Change for the better, like many good ideas, first involves

going back in steps to examine what has happened in some

detail and then moving forwards again. This short

explanation is presented as a series of steps. It's taking

three steps back specifically, and then ending up with a big

leap forwards in life, hopefully.

The first premise is that alongside all the great advice we

may ever get, one thing that stands out, is the need to

experiment with the 'energy' of change.

Everything, absolutely everything we perceive ought to be

considered as being 'a lever for change' and, if used

successfully, the results can truly 'inspire' both ourselves

and as importantly, all those around us. Perhaps the most

important thing in life, is to be 'inspired', so do things that

you are 'inspired' to do.

The first problem comes when you realise that even

though something may inspire you, it's not necessarily

worth doing - in all cases! So, going-back using step one to

find worthwhile inspiration, we need to combine it with a

reliable form of wisdom.

When you think about it this is what we are truly looking

for in life and it is not always that easy to find.

Going back using step two, in order to gain a reliable form

of wisdom, we need to use a little intelligence.

Intelligence is rather like the pressure in a water pipe. You

need enough to make the water flow. Too much can make

things become somewhat uncontrollable. The pipes could

even burst if excessive pressure is present! So, use

intelligence quite sparingly when using it to 'divine' a pure

source of wisdom. The pointer is to be gentle with

yourself when learning to sense or seek out pure wisdom.

Having located a pure source of wisdom, tap into it and

start replenishing the dark, dry reservoirs of your mind

with the pure wisdom that you have encountered. The

resultant feeling should be blissful and inspiring.

If you think this all sounds a bit nebulous, you may want to

ask how we should use our intelligence to seek out and

find the wisdom that we can use to fill the reservoirs of our

mind with blissfulness and inspiration, and thus live the

remainder of our lives happily and to best advantage.

Firstly we should each know that we are all blessed with a

certain (yet adequate) amount of intelligence, so do not be

worried about whether you have or have not got that. We

all have!

Going back once again, but to step three: the way to find a

pure source of wisdom is to silently meditate on certain

specific objects. What objects? Compassion for everything

that is happening these days, combined with a faith in the

potential for continual but slow improvement and a wish

for that to happen for everyone's benefit, including

ourselves. We are part of everything and everything is

part of us.

The resulting wisdom is telling us that we are all, in some

way, connected and that though we may not be able to

sense the full scale of these connections, they truly exist.

They are actually the very fabric of what causes

'everything' to exist. Knowing this wisdom, is 'knowing'

the need to love all beings, as if they are each your long

lost son or daughter - now rediscovered. Knowing this is

knowing all such connections exist. The science is the

mathematics. The wisdom is the knowledge.

Getting to know this takes practice, but the results are

undeniably startling.

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INTERNATIONAL DOWSING DAY & SINGING THE SONGLINES

Sunday 5 May was International Dowsing Day; Dowsers from the Trencrom Dowsers group and Earthsingers were joined by

PC folk on Trencrom Hill, near Hayle. Jill Moss of Trencrom Dowsers tells us about it…

Hamish Miller and Paul Broadhurst's Athena energy current passes over the hill, (the Apollo and Athena energy lines were

explored by them and their partners, Ba and Vivienne, in their epic 10-year journey, recorded in The Dance of the Dragon and a

set of beautiful hand-painted maps). Before the main focus at 3pm the line was dowsed and found to be approximately 15 feet

wide. Over 60 dowsers, Earthsingers led by Danu Fox, as well as members of Parallel Community, sang, chanted, read poems,

sounded gongs and drummed - sending love, harmony and healing along the current. Danu had composed a chant

incorporating the significant sites along the current, from Skellig Michael off the south west coast of Ireland, across Cornwall,

through Europe to Mount Carmel, where Hamish, Ba and the others ended their journey. A happy, sunny occasion in a glorious

setting and the afternoon was completed by a cream tea in Ba's lovely garden.

Last year the focal point of the ceremony was at Carn Lês Boel, where the Michael and Mary energy currents flow in/out of the

Atlantic, and this year PC member and Trencrom Dowser John Watts felt that this important site should not be excluded.

Before the 3 pm focus he dowsed for a pattern or pictogram around the node point and a deeply indented, irregular seven

pointed star was found. The Mary and Michael lines were measured at about nine feet wide, with seven strands in each line. At

3 pm John, (brave and alone!) sang and chanted, visualising the lines spreading across the country and beyond, as conduits for

consciously directed love, well-being and healing. Shortly afterwards a group of German tourists appeared on the headland

and John succeeded in starting one woman off on her dowsing journey! He then measured the lines again. He writes, "Both

were now twelve feet wide and while I was still only able to detect seven strands within the Michael line there were now nine

in the Mary line. Dowsing the pictogram showed that the points of the star had softened and the indentations rounded, so

while it was no bigger it had come to resemble a flower with seven petals rather than a star".

After the event, the Athena current on Trencrom Hill was found to have doubled in width. For more information on Trencrom

Dowsers, go to http://www.trencromdowsers.org.uk

Singing and Dowsing the Athena current on Trencrom Hill. (Photo: GREGORY LEACH)

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Meanwhile, over at the easternmost end of the Michael and Mary line, at St Margaret’s

Church, Hopton on Sea, Norfolk, another celebration was going on. Brian Howard writes …

National Dowsing Day on 5th May coincided with our annual Mayday Fayre, (see video on PC

site) so we had many visitors to the Village taking part with us. Sue did a great job leading the

singing & dancing and we had drums, gongs, pipes and a load of other stuff. Everyone enjoyed it

and stayed for a brief on what it was all about. The lines grew as they did last year this time to

engulf the whole site within their boundaries. They were still as wide more than a week later.

The node is now a very, very, powerful place, full of lovely balanced calming energy. I’m sure

with all this attention Mary & Michael are getting stronger by the month, and I know they

enjoyed the day as well. They were so fizzy. Here are some pictures of our celebrations.

Earthsinger Danu Fox introducing the chant, incorporating all the significant points along the Athena energy current. (Photo: GREGORY LEACH)

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THE WAY OF THE DRAGON

By PC member HANNAH SPENCER

The ravager of the night, the burner who has sought out barrows of old and found his hoard of undefended joy. The smooth

dragon swims through the gloom enfolded in flame, the folk of that country hold him in dread. (Beowulf)

The mythical, fire-breathing beast which swoops effortlessly over the landscape, guards untold riches in the midst of its coils and

draws valiant heroes into ferocious battle, the dragon has acquired a unique place in the minds and imaginations of mankind. All

cultures past and present recognise this magical creature, be it known as the dragon or the synonymous terms of serpent, snake

or worm. Through the heroic stories of Jason and the Golden Fleece, the Lambton Worm, Beowulf, Sigurd and Fafnir, St George,

St Michael and Hercules to name but a few, the dragon or serpent is integral to our culture and heritage.

But the symbolic role of the dragon runs far deeper than simple folk stories and myths. To delve beneath the surface of these

ancient stories is to discover clues to the nature of our very existence.

Everyone has heard of ley lines, a phenomenon named by Alfred Watkins in the 1930s. Watkins discovered that the ancient

roads of Britain, often long pre-dating the Roman period, followed arrow straight lines across vast distances, connecting villages,

ancient burial mounds, churches, stone circles and many other sites of ancient and sacred significance. Many of these place

names included the syllable 'ley,' hence the term 'ley line' was born.

A few decades later, ley lines were associated with electromagnetic (EM) energy currents which criss-cross not only Britain but

the whole world, connecting sacred and religious sites of all cultures across the globe. These currents, readily detectable by

dowsers, are also known as Fairy Paths in Europe and Dragon Paths or Feng Shui to the Chinese, and are known and understood

by almost all traditional cultures across the world. It is these energy currents that are symbolised by the dragon or serpent. But

why are these currents of such universal significance, and why is man depicted to be in constant battle with them?

The correct exposure to EM energy is essential for our health and well-being. For example, ultraviolet light is needed for our

bodies to synthesise Vitamin D, and the condition Seasonally Affected Disorder (SAD) is caused by a lack of exposure to daylight.

On a simple level, everyone feels happier when the sun is shining. An artificial chamber which blocks all exposure to EM energy

provokes feelings of panic, dread and hysteria. And in the opposite case, an artificial elevation of EM energy evokes feelings of

intense well-being and euphoria. Just like the typical transcendent religious experience.

So people are consciously or intuitively drawn to sites where the EM energy is elevated, where the ley currents are channelled or

transfixed by natural or artificial means. The slaying, or rather, transfixing of the dragon, or the energy current it represents, is a

Singing the Lines at St

Margaret’s, Hopton

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metaphor for the pooling or channelling of the energies. These special sites became integral to the local spiritual or religious life,

and this sanctity transcends time, place and culture.

It is well known that sites of religious significance retain their sanctity over many centuries or millennia. Archaeologists have

discovered that in the ancient land of Sumer, now modern day Iraq, there was a temple to the god Enki, built on the site of no

less than seventeen earlier temples. In Egypt, a building was not considered sacred unless built on the site of another sacred

building. Many churches and mosques were built on the sites of earlier pagan shrines or ancient burial mounds, and many Holy

Wells in Britain were once revered by the Celtic religion. The Shanidar Cave in Eastern Europe has been a place of reverence for

over 20,000 years, not only to modern humans but Neanderthals as well.

Why? Because all these sites are situated on focal points of the earth-energy, and since time immemorial man has associated

them with his spiritual experience and his Gods- whoever those Gods may be.

Why was the dragon chosen to symbolise the earth-energies?

A clue is given in Hamish Miller's book The Sun and the Serpent, in which he dowsed the St Michael ley line which runs from

Cornwall to Norfolk. Although ley lines follow arrow-straight lines over long distances, Hamish showed that when followed

locally, they are much more organic and fluid, and follow a twisting, serpentine route. There are no straight lines in nature, after

all. This is one reason, although the full story is likely more complex, for the integral association of ley lines with the dragon or

serpent.

Many churches situated on ley lines are dedicated to St

Michael, St Mary or St George, all known for their dragon-

slaying exploits. And many places now linked to St Michael

were previously associated with the Celtic god Beli, who

was also a dragon-slayer. Bronze Age burial mounds and

long barrows, regarded with superstitious dread in later

culture as referenced in Beowulf, were often associated

with dragons and treasure. This treasure is of course

spiritual rather than physical - the transcendent energy

surge which uplifts and enlightens the soul. And so the

dragon or serpent was traditionally the great benefactor of

mankind, by way of the great metaphysical power it

represented.

In China, the dragon is the most revered of all creatures. In Aztec and Mayan myth, the God who civilised and educated the

people was called Quetzalcoatl or Kukulkan respectively, both meaning 'Feathered Serpent.' And even in the Garden of Eden, the

much maligned serpent was representative of the Tree of Knowledge. And it is also for this reason that the serpent is intricately

associated with healing and medicine. The caduceus, two serpents entwined around a stick, is an ancient symbol of healing and

of Aesculapius, the Greek God of healing. It is still seen on every ambulance and medical insignia as the symbol of the NHS.

And the final question: why the battle with the dragon?

The path to heaven, God, enlightenment, whatever name you choose to give it, is not easy. The heroic battle with the dragon or

serpent is metaphoric of the battle of life which we must all accomplish to reach The Truth. When the dragon is defeated, the

treasure he guards, the transcendence of the soul, is yours. This is the esoteric meaning of the universal story of the dragon-

slayer.

But as always, people naturally fear what they don't understand, and wish to avoid what is hard to do. And so in more recent

history the dragon-serpent became demonised and feared, a danger to be avoided.

And so, after haunting the dreams and nightmares of our subconscious minds for millennia, the reason why is now clear. The

dragon is the symbol of ourselves: our souls and the spiritual life-force of the earth which feeds our souls. And this most

beautiful and majestic being will no doubt continue to haunt us for millennia to come.

PC Member HANNAH SPENCER http://light-onecandle.blogspot.co.uk

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A JOURNEY INTO ENLIGHTENMENT

Parallel Community Member Brian Howard has sent us a “personal account of my introduction to Mary & Michael,

Hopton, Norfolk”.

It all began in the Millennium year of 2000. I was (in hindsight) fortunate enough to be elected Borough Councillor for Hopton on

Sea ward for the next 4 years, (which turned out to be 10 years).

Whilst walking round my new patch I noticed a church, or rather just the tower, sticking up through a dense undergrowth of

trees and ivy, enclosed in an unsightly security fence. It was the ruined Church of St Margaret’s. I asked many of my new

constituents what it was and how it had got into the state it was. A majority didn’t know anything about it, much to my surprise.

But my inquiries were answered at the first Parish Council (PC) meeting I attended, and that is when I decided to do something

about it.

There followed many meetings with the PC, Borough

Council, Church Commissioners and English Heritage. We

concocted a rough plan to start looking for funding to

preserve and open up the ruin again. In the meantime the

then PC allowed me access to try and clear the years of

neglect and weeds from around the site and get an idea of

what was required. It took me and a good friend a month of

hard back-breaking graft to achieve some semblance of

tidiness about the place. It took chainsaws, axes, brush

cutters and a load of other heavy duty ground clearance

machinery, all loaned by generous contractors and friends.

But no hands: there were just us two. I am lucky now some

13 years on to have a dedicated team of volunteers who

give up their time whenever they can to keep the site clear

and maintain the gardens that surround the site to a high

standard. We have won Silver Gilt and Silver awards from the Borough In Bloom judges over the last two years.

During this time I was totally unaware of any energy lines or dowsing for that matter. But there was something in the

background that kept me on the case whenever I thought of giving it up. Little did I know how powerful this something was.

While we were working there one afternoon, a chap turned up on a bike, rather scruffy and weather-worn, and asked what was

happening to the place. I told him what the plans were and he lit up. “At last,” he said, “someone has heard the call to save the

place and the Leylines.” Leylines, says I, what are they? Then he introduced me to the ‘bible’, “The Sun & the Serpent”, and from

then on I was hooked. I read and read this book over and over, try to dowse, with no success, saying “It’s all BS” and put it on the

back-burner. Then one day when I was inside the church

I had a very strange feeling of something watching me. It

was unreal. Little did I know then that I was standing on

the node point. I was rocked back & forth and

experienced a flush of light going up in the air for about 8

foot or more. There was also a sense of people around

me, but no sounds at all. I was, to say the least, scared.

But after a while when I had finished what I was doing, I

felt a sense of complete calm and tranquillity. I didn’t

think any more of it for a few days as I was busy

elsewhere, but when I returned to do a bit more work,

when I entered the church I was met by an

overwhelming sense of belonging; without prompting I

went to the node point and said “Thank you, spirits: I will

carry on”. What made me say that? I don’t know. But I do

now; there are some 300 spirits in there sometimes,

none of them want to move on, and all are happy. There

Local schoolchildren and WI members planting heritage apple trees.

BSD dowsing weekend at St Margaret’s (photo: Susan Bowness)

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are loads of other anomalies there as well; more on those later.

The next time I went I took my bent coat hangers along and tried dowsing again. I didn’t know what questions to ask or what to

expect. But lo and behold, they worked, crossed, spun: you name it, they did it. It was only after reading up on it from Hamish’s

“Wee Dowsing Book” that I was able to decode the reactions. 13 years later I now communicate regularly with the spirits, Mary

& Michael and other stuff in there. It has led me to meet many like-minded people and new friends, and the all important Earth

Healing work. To say dowsing has changed my life would be an understatement. It has opened up my spiritual portal, which I

didn’t know existed before, and led me to healing through Reiki, and Earth Healing through blessing and prayer. All sorts of

previously mysterious sensations and feelings are being brought out of the dark and into the light, my light; everything now has a

purpose and reason for being there: it’s wonderful.

I have got so much to thank Mary & Michael for, it would fill a book. And it is all because of the writings and inspiration of one

Mr Hamish Miller: my mentor and guide through this world. I can always feel his presence inside the church when I’m there, as if

he was keeping an eye on things. I dearly wish I had met him. Blessings to you Hamish: we will meet one day, I know.

The project to preserve the ruins has now reached a very sensitive stage. We are very close to securing the funding needed to

carry out the work. With the help of the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust, who are now on board and have submitted our bid

in the proper HLF lingo, we are confident in getting it. It also includes training for overseas students in the art of restoring

ancient buildings and techniques. A steering group of three Parish Councillors has been set up to help the Trust see it through;

without me, much to my disappointment, to say the least. But that leaves me free now to look after the lines and spirits there,

who were always top of the list anyway.

Our dedicated team of volunteers still put in the hours to make the surrounding area look great and do a marvellous job

organising the Fayres etc. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.

Brian Howard: Project Coordinator

PC AT HEARTLANDS

BA MILLER writes … On April 6th/7th Parallel Community had a stall at the Holistic Health and Spiritual Weekend at Heartlands,

near Camborne. Heartlands, a new complex in Cornwall, is well worth a visit. The building where the Holistic Health weekend

was held had great facilities for drinks and light refreshments and plenty of free parking. The hall was light and spacious which

allowed each exhibitor freedom to talk to the interested people. Both days were well attended and we were delighted as people

of all ages especially the young seemed interested in what we had to share. I would like to give a big thank you to David

Anderson and Lynn Forest who gave up their weekend to help me and make it a success. Ba Miller

TRENCROM DOWSERS

The group’s next visit is planned for Sunday 9 June and is a visit to Carwynnen Quoit, near Camborne, a late Neolithic burial

chamber which collapsed in 1967. Carwynnen Quoit was recently purchased by the Sustainable Trust (www.sustrust.co.uk),

which is now working with archaeologists to rebuild it. Also take a look at www.giantsquoit.org. This is an unusual project which

is of great interest to dowsers of earth energies. Pip Richards, of the Sustainable Trust, will be speaking to the dowsers there.

This is a joint event with Tamar Dowsers and West Cornwall Dowsers. http://www.trencromdowsers.org.uk

(A short film on Carwynnen Quoit can be found here: http://vimeo.com/65998702 The film explores the experience

of archaeologists and volunteers, uncovering memories and artifacts during the Quoit excavation in 2012.)

MAKING KEFIR AND KOMBUCHA

New PC Member MARTIN STILWELL from Redruth has sent us the following article.

This is a short article on the benefits of probiotic products such as kefir and kombucha, and a quick ‘how to’ on making your own,

which I hope you will want to do after reading this! Let me point out straight away that I am not a doctor, scientist or qualified

nutritionist, but I have read a great deal about probiotics, diet and health in general, and kefir and kombucha in particular, and

have been using both for a couple of years or more. Put simply, my belief is that the majority of people have a compromised gut

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flora and an immune system that is working less than perfectly, to put it mildly. That leads to toxicity in the body which

manifests itself as dis-ease, “irritable bowel syndrome”, allergies, intolerances or whatever other label the medical world and

drug companies decide to put on it.

I don’t pretend to understand all the science but let’s just say that your body is a complicated place, though beautifully put

together. How it deals with the food you eat is a critical part of the whole living process, and the trillions of cells of different

bacteria that live in a properly functioning gut play a vital part in that process. To use a car analogy, it doesn’t matter how good

the fuel is that you put in, if the engine’s not running properly, the oil is low, the air filter is blocked and, more importantly these

days, the computer system isn’t functioning, then the car won’t go well, you won’t get maximum performance and sometimes it

won’t even start. So, getting your gut flora in good shape is important and I believe that kefir and kombucha will do that for you.

Kefir is fermented milk, and can only be made from dairy, preferably unpasteurised, unhomogenised milk. The fermentation is

triggered by Kefir “grains,” consisting of various species of symbiotic bacteria and yeast. Bacteria (mostly lactobacteria and

streptococci) ferment lactose, which is the sugar found in milk; yeasts perform alcohol fermentation, producing negligible

amounts of alcohol. The resulting drink has a pleasantly tangy taste, similar to yoghurt.

Kombucha is fermented, sweetened tea with different active bacteria, including cetobacter xylinum, acetobacter xylinoides,

gluconobacter bluconicum, acetobacter aceti and acetobacter pasteurianum. The resulting drink varies in taste depending on

how long it has fermented, how warm an environment it has fermented in and how long it has been kept for. Personally, mine

ferments for about a week during the summer and is then kept in the fridge in a flip top bottle. That gives a wonderful,

refreshing, slightly fizzy and probiotic drink.

Making kefir

So simple! All you need is some milk, some kefir grains and a non-metallic bowl. Grains are available from anyone you know who

makes kefir (me maybe?), or by post from Ebay. They look like little pieces of pipe-cleaner, or fluffed up pieces of boiled rice

and they’re very resilient.

When you start first time, give the grains a quick rinse in some nice water (ie preferably not tap!), put them into your non-

metallic bowl and pour on your lovely milk – if not unpasteurised, unhomogenised, then at least organic. How much? Well, start

with 1/2pint to a pint and build up as the grains grow, as they will as they do their work and you continue to feed them! Cover

with a clean cloth and keep them somewhere warmish, out in your kitchen, in the sun sometimes maybe. The fermentation will

work quicker the hotter the environment, so after a couple of days, when you see thickening and a few bubbles, take your kefir,

strain through a non-metallic sieve, put the strained kefir in the fridge to keep and use and put the grains into a clean bowl, top

up with more milk and start the process again. (I prefer not to rinse, others do).

Should you wish to slow things down or when you go away, just put the bowl in the fridge, covered with a cloth or muslin, and it

will hibernate till you take it out and put it back into the warm. If you forget about it and it appears dried up, don’t worry! Just

put some more lovely milk into the bowl, put it in the warm and your super-tough kefir will fire up again. Occasionally I take my

grains and cut each one in two to double my population – then I have more grains to give away! I use a super sharp ceramic knife

as kefir and metal are not good together

Use your kefir as you would yoghurt. Add fruit if you like, put it on your granola, cook with it……..

Making kombucha

Also super-easy! I make mine with organic green tea, though you can use black tea or herbal and fruit teas. You will get different

results depending on which tea you use and I have more information on that if needed (or Google, or read Harald Tietze’s book –

Kombucha Miracle Fungus).

You’ll need a kombucha starter, sometimes called a Scoby, or fungus. Again available from me, or, yes, Ebay! I make 2 litres or

about 4 pints of tea using my filtered water and 2 or 3 teaspoons of organic green tea or 2 to 3 teabags. Let it brew well and then

strain. Add 160grams or about 5.5oz white granulated sugar while the tea is still warm, and stir until dissolved. (Don’t forget, if

you’re thinking that’s a lot of sugar, this is the kombucha’s food and very little sugar will remain after the fermentation). Put the

tea into a non-metallic bowl (glass, porcelain or highly glazed earthenware) with a good wide top (big pudding basin or mixing

bowl type). You can buy a purpose made kombucha container which will have a tap but it’s not necessary.

If this is your first kombucha brew, then you need to add either some of the liquid that came with your starter, or a couple of

tablespoons of cider vinegar or white vinegar. For subsequent brews, just add a bit of the previous brew to the next one. When

the tea is cool enough to put your finger into comfortably, pop your kombucha starter into the tea. It may float, it may sink.

Either is fine! Cover with a cloth or muslin and put your container somewhere out of the way and warm. In the summer,

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somewhere in the kitchen will be fine, in winter, maybe the airing cupboard or somewhere else reasonably warm, ideally 70-84

degrees F or 23-28 degrees C.

The fermentation will take 5-10 days, depending on the temperature. When is it ready? Well, if you taste a little bit and it’s still

tasting sweet then it’s not ready. Leave it another day and taste again. You’re looking for a zingy, non-sweet taste with a cider-

like tang to it. When you’re happy with it, take the fungus from the top of your brew and you’ll notice that it will have produced

another scoby under the original one. Peel the two apart and now you have double the production capacity! Or one to give to a

friend!

If you’re starting another brew then the scoby can go straight on to the next batch of tea and off you go again, while the newly

grown one can go onto another batch, or into a lidded container, with a little of the fermented brew, and into the fridge where it

will sit, dormant, till you need it or give it to a friend. Strain your lovely liquid through a fine sieve (or I use muslin) and then

bottle. I use flip top glass bottles but anything glass is good. Be aware that the kombucha may fizz up even when it’s been

strained and is in bottle and in the fridge. You may need to release the gas, and be aware that your flip top bottle may pop when

you flip the top! There is a recommendation not to ‘overdo’ the use of either kefir or kombucha when you first start using it.

Personally, I use both as and when I feel like it and I listen to my body, not just about probiotics but about anything that I’m

eating or drinking.

I hope that you found this interesting and that you might be inspired to try one or the other, or both. I can be contacted through

www.parallelcommunity.com or on 01209 216358. © Martin Stillwell 2013

HEALING LIGHT FESTIVAL

The Healing Light Festival is on June 9th

from

10am to 4.30pm, at Princess Pavilion.

Falmouth TR11 4AR. With music, therapists,

stallholders, clairvoyants, reiki … etc.

Therapists will include Sue Weaver, who

specialises in crystal healing and Shamanism;

astrologer Marcus Mason; Tim Salisbury, consultant

Medical Herbalist; Peter Smith, registered

Homoeopath; clairvoyant Debbie Clayton.; and

many more. More information at

http://www.thehealinglightfestival.com/

STONEHENGE TO AVEBURY TREK

Friends of the Earth invite you to join a fundraising trek from Stonehenge to Avebury on June 29th

. This trek, lasting for one day,

is graded “tough” and is 26 miles long. There is a registration fee of £59, and the fundraising target is £120. “Starting at the

prehistoric circles of Stonehenge we'll take a trip through 6000 years of British history as we make our way to the Neolithic

henge monument of Avebury. Stonehenge is the most famous stone circle in the world and Avebury contains the largest stone

circle in Europe. Crossing beautiful countryside with an abundance of wildlife and plants, we'll cross historic chalk downs dotted

with ancient earth-works and burial mounds. Passing the highest point in Wiltshire and the ancient landmark of Silbury Hill, we'll

reach the finish in Avebury ancient stones.” Booking and information on the Friends of the Earth website, at

http://www.foe.co.uk/events/stonehenge_avebury_36656.html

MEET THE MEMBERS

LOTS MORE NEW PEOPLE are signing up to the Meeting Place, PC’s internet home. Members now total 448 people as of June

2nd. When new members sign up, they are asked the question, “Tell us something about yourself, or share what skills & talents

that you could bring to the Parallel Community table.” This question frequently promotes some very interesting answers, and

hopefully opens a dialogue with others who feel they might have something in common. The following were responses from

people who have joined over the course of the last month or so. If any of them resonates with you – get on line, and make

contact. After all, that is the whole point of Parallel Community: to bring people together who are doing amazing work, and to

make them realise that they are not alone.

Ernst from Ontario, Canada, says, “I am not sure what skills

I can bring. All I know is for the last while I have gained a

strong desire to connect with others, both locally, and

beyond, to discover alternate lifestyles, energy sources, and

economic systems. I feel the need to seed a peaceful

movement within my community that challenges local,

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provincial, and federal government, to seek alternative

ways to educate our children, to strive for a simpler life,

and to spread universal love, joy, and happiness.”

Ayesha from Redruth, Cornwall, says, “I work as a health

care assistant, I am nearly qualified as a reflexologist and

now training to be a healer. I am passionate about animals

and the environment and recently have (one step at a time)

turned vegetarian. I'm only 24, but I am completely

different from some of the people of my age. I don't long to

get drunk or sit in front of the tv, I yearn to learn, create

and try to do the best I can to create a peaceful surrounding

for myself and the people/animals in my life. I want to try

and find people that share the same interests or that I can

learn from and create a better way of living.”

Kimbery from Springfield, Missouri, is a “reiki master who

can assist in remote energy work.”

Richard from Norfolk is a published writer. He says, “I share

the caring of my disabled step daughter. I am sceptical but

intrigued about concepts of energy and dowsing. I am

married to a homeopath, so some of that discipline rubs off.

Oh and I am a medical lawyer (still deciding what I really

want to do when I grow up).” Catherine from Hayle,

Cornwall, does sports massage, using dowsing and Reiki to

guide her through this healing process through her hands

and intuition. She says she is level three qualified and a

member of the federation of holistic therapists. Yvonne

from Shropshire is a Reiki Master, about to pursue some

Shamanic training. She says she has a “shared ethos with

your community, and a desire to make a difference having

become disillusioned with mainstream politics and

organisational corruption.” Kenneth from Ormskirk spent

“18 years in the army, finding how pointless getting injured

in action for this country really is. 21 years as volunteer

community advocate. Artist, used to be a woodcarver and

turner. Somebody who is not happy with the way things

are in England and the world.”

Sarah, from Hampshire, has a diploma in group work, and

says, “I regularly attend a Women's Circle run on the lines

of Jean Bolen's "Millionth Circle". We loosely follow the

Pagan cycle by creating our own ceremonies as we are

moved. My life seems to be stalling, at the moment, as a

result of my daughter's death from cancer.” “I am a retired

honest person with a passion for our land and am

interested in learning more and sharing experience with

others,” says new member Barbra Ann from London.

Dianne from Devon says, “I am a Grandmother helping to

home educate two grandchildren in a small way. I love to

bring earth teachings to children.”

Members have also been joining from the United States.

Dale from Lancaster, Ohio, is “holding space for all that

brings greater peace and healing to Earth.” Nancy from

New York is “a filmmaker, currently working on a film about

Lennon, exploring his energy and how it has reached so

many people with his message of peace.” Edward from Kew

Gardens, New York, is a “Tarot Card reader, intuitive,

spiritual advisor.” Milo from Rohnert Park, CA, says, “I am a

Behavioural Psychologist using Transactual Analysis and

Cognitive Therapy, often using Clinical Hypnotherapy.

Mostly I work with those who have anxiety, substance

abuse smoking and eating disorders... Workings of the mind

that affect attitudes and behaviours are my major interest.

I've read and sometime used material from your fields

mentioned.”

Crissie from Swindon says, “I'd probably describe myself as

a quiet individual, and a life long seeker of wisdom and the

sacred in all life - and for me all of creation is alive! Always

learning, I have also led courses in various subjects related

to spirituality and earth mysteries, as well as being an

occasional speaker at conferences such as the Druid

Network annual gatherings. I am an initiated Druid, leading

the Gorsedd of Cor Gawr at Stonehenge twice a year; I am

an animist, shamanist and deeply connected to the energies

of the land and the seasons. I can be found regularly

walking the Ridgeway and around the Avebury complex, as

well as following ancient tracks and pathways further afield

from my home. I'm also an experienced Celebrant and have

trained with the organisation 'Greenfuse'. I read tarot and

the runes, and was resident tarot reader for Gaea in

Aylesbury.”

Vanda from Buckinghamshire says she is “a long time

seeker always looking to connect with kindred souls.

Apathetic writer seeking inspiration and motivation.

Meditation and spiritual study are as impossible for me to

live without as air. I am a devotee of Advaita Vedanta.

Cornwall is my spiritual home and hopefully soon to be my

physical home too.” Elizabeth comes from Launceston,

Cornwall, and is a “retired nurse, spiritual healer, Tarot

reader and training to be a psychic medium. Enjoy being in

the garden and any open spaces.” Sue from Mullion,

Cornwall, says, “I practice Reiki, mainly on friends & family.

I am currently on a crystal healing course, as I am

passionate about stones and crystals & have collected them

for many years.” Maria from Glastonbury is another reiki

practitioner, as well as an artist and teacher. “I celebrate

the solar festivals and full moons and make new art and

writing inspired by the energy of these times. I am a regular

visitor to megalithic sites and have recently been tutored in

the art of dowsing!”

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Louise from Sussex kindly offers her artistic skills to PC: “I

make my living as an artist... any artistic help needed and

I'm your lady.” Susan from Bolton is a “free thinker and a

seeker of truth and I love my holidays in Cornwall for the

past 25 years.” Fee from Middlesex says, “I am a 55 year old

woman with three adult children. I am a Quaker. I have a

strong interest in past lives and reincarnation, genealogy

and work in the virtual world of Second Life making medical

training simulations. I am also a writer and blogger. I enjoy

crafts and make jewellery. I spend a lot of time online for

my job. I write music and love singing. I home educated my

children and have a strong interest in alternative education.

In fact I find it difficult to focus on one activity!”

This is just a small selection of the people who have joined recently. There are many more, all with their stories to tell. A big

warm welcome goes to all these ‘new’ PC people!

If you’ve been inspired by what you have read to sign up yourself and open a conversation with any of these people,

it’s not difficult. Go to http://www.parallelcommunity.ning.com . Click at the top right where it says, “If you’re not a

member, click here to sign up” – (even if you are a long-established PC-er!) and follow the instructions, creating a

new account, and click ‘sign up’. If you have already signed up to the Meeting Place but have forgotten your

password (it happens), that’s no problem: just click where it says “Forgot your password?” If you have any difficulty

at all, email the main PC email address as below and someone will help you. Frances Watts

The next Parallel Community newsletter will be coming out early in August. The deadline for articles etc is Friday July 26. We are

always happy to hear from you. Please send articles, letters or comments to the address below, by post or email.

Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to any friends you think might be interested.

The Parallel Community, c/o Treviscoe, Trencrom, Lelant Downs, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 6NP, UK

info@parallelcommunity.com

www.parallelcommunity.com