What a busy year!!

I can't believe its over a year since my last blog and what a busy year it's been!
I do have a good excuse, though, as a gas leak under the floor in our living room created an enormous amount of upheaval for us as new gas and water pipes had to be laid throughout the house. This meant all the ground floor ceilings had to come down and all the walls had to be 'chased into' to create space for the new pipes. The resulting drilling, hammering, sawing etc made it impossible for me to give any private sittings, let alone write my blogs as I can only do those from the desk top in the study. Last time I attempted to enter a blog from my ipad I was locked out of my account! I've learned my lesson now!
A year on and we're still not finished, although we do have all the ceilings up, but the kitchen suffered as several cupboards had to be removed and it's still not back together yet!
Ah well, there's no rush and no one has starved!
Now - let's get back to my work.

Last year has come and gone so, rather than go over last year, I will keep you updated on what has happened so far this year!

In February I tutored again for The Healing Light's annual seminar alongside local medium Michael Kingscote, author of Beyond Faith: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death. We had a fabulous weekend and virtually everyone who attended has already signed up for next year's seminar which promises to be amazing as we have popular medium Darren Brittain: www.darrenbrittain.co.uk joining us again. We're also privileged to have another tutor, Jackie Wright: www.jackiewrightsnu.co.uk who is another extremely gifted medium and tutor. Jackie teaches at the much acclaimed and respected Arthur Findlay College at Stansted Mountfitchett in Essex and is also a regular tutor at de Zwanenhof in the Netherlands. Both Jackie and Darren are international mediums and very popular with their students.  It will be my privilege to work alongside them.
If you are interested in joining us full details can be found on www.thehealinglight.net or by ringing Cherry O'Sullivan on 01273 422892.

In March, I was fortunate to travel to Melbourne, Australia as part of Tony Stockwell's tutoring team at The Country Place, Kalorama, Australia www.countryplace.com.au
The Country Place is situated in the Dandenong Mountains and the views are breathtaking (the wild cockatoos work very well as an alarm clock too!). I simply cannot fault the accommodation, food or the staff. This is one of Tony's many annual seminars and details of this and other events can be found on www.tonystockwell.com

My feet barely touched the floor whilst in Australia! For a few days I stayed with well-known Melbourne medium Chris Sheppard and her husband John. I was joined there by Helen DaVita and Lynn Probert, both fellow tutors on Tony's seminar. We were very lucky to visit a kangaroo rescue centre which is not normally open to the public. It was a wonderful experience as I had never expected to get so close to them! After a few days with Chris and John I travelled to Shepparton where I ran a workshop for Shepparton Spiritualist Church and was lucky to be taken into the bush by the organisers to go koala spotting! Unfortunately, our visit coincided with a fishing tournament so, although I saw a few koalas they had disappeared way up in the trees to get away from the hundreds of people attending!
I also had the honour of working at The Victorian Spiritualists Union in Ringwood East, Victoria.
I have to say I was touched by the warmth with which the Aussies greeted me! They are such kind and friendly people and I can't wait to return as I feel I made a lot of friends whilst there!

In April, I visited de Zwanenhof in Holland to teach Trance Healing on one of Jackie Wright's weeks.
Once a monastery, it is such a beautiful place to work. It is set in the countryside and I particularly loved the Chapel. Courses are run regularly so, if you fancy an educational trip overseas, do check their website for further details: http://www.zwanenhof.com/en/mediumship2015

I have just returned from Open Week at The Arthur Findlay College.
Whether you are a working medium or completely new to it, I would recommend a visit to Open Week which is run during the first week in May every year.
Once you have purchased your ticket (for however many days you choose), you are free to attend a wealth of tutorials, demonstrations, lectures and debates. Masterclasses are also available but must be booked in advance as these usually sell out very quickly. Details of all courses are available on www.arthurfindlay.org

Tomorrow (8th May) I will be demonstrating at The Healing Light in Shoreham and next Friday I am off to Scotland to work at The Soul Sanctuary in Paisley where I will be running two workshops and also giving a demonstration. Details for this are available via my website.

Well! I think that's covered everything so far this year. Of course, I have also carried out a number of other demonstrations and divine services but I will be here until next year if I list them all.
One future demonstration I would like to mention, though, is a charity evening for the Blind Veterans Association and, again, full details are on my website. I do hope we will raise lots of money for this worthwhile cause.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I will do my best to ensure I don't take a year to post again!
My very best wishes to you and yours x

The Healing Light Spiritual Centre ‘Above & Beyond’ Seminar February 21st – 23rd 2014

Let’s face it, it is always nice to know that your tutor can do what they are asking of you in class, so it has become a tradition that we ask our tutors give the students a demonstration on the first evening of our annual seminar.  This year we opened it up to the public as well as students, tickets were sold and we had an enthusiastic audience of one hundred and twenty people including some of the hotel staff turning out on what was a blustery night!

Healing Light Spiritual Centre Demonstration at the Windsor Hotel Worthing 2014

This is the third year that we have held the Healing Light Spiritual Centre ‘Above & Beyond’ Seminar at the three star Windsor Hotel in Worthing in Worthing and boy are we made to feel welcome and can only thank Bill and the rest of the staff for their attention.

In an evening that was filled with plenty of tissue alert moments of tears and laughter, Marlene Woolgar drew the first half hour slot and started off the demonstration in her wonderful, considerate style, indicating the true life character and finite detail of the people that she brought through to the audience.  We have all heard mediums giving loved ones flowers from those in Spirit, not with Marlene, you get snakes and Iron Maiden T shirts.  Often details take time to soak in during a message or require third party corroboration and such was the case with one lady who excitedly came up to Marlene in the Bar later that evening.  Marlene had provided correct details and name of the ladies late sister and understood when Marlene said she could see the hands of a clock moving around to five past seven during the link.  After the demonstration she checked the picture of her sister that she keeps on her mobile phone, clearly visible is her watch and what is the time?  Five past seven!  

As the theme of Jane Davidson’s optional classes during the seminar was about using tools to enhance your psychic readings she gave the audience a chance to pick an Angel card for a short personal reading.  Wow was this popular!  The raised hands where like a corn field on a windy day.  Many delighted people received a reading in Jane’s session which concluded with a mediumistic link, which was, as Jane said; “just to prove I can do it”!  Our seminars really concentrate on bring the best out in mediumship, but this obvious enthusiasm for the psychic may influence at least part of our programme at next years event.

If you are lucky enough to go to one of Darren Brittain’s demonstrations you should wear two pairs of socks, because he will blow your first pair off with his accuracy and vibrant delivery.  We don’t know many people who work as hard and in such a dedicated way for Spirit as Darren and despite only just returning from Scotland and driving down from the Midlands that morning; he was dynamic, immediately drilling down to some very relevant information from someone in the construction industry.  (Pun intended)!  Humour is always part of Darren’s delivery and odd, amusing remembrances often come through such as the funny story regarding a white duck and the lady who got lost in a cemetery.  And yes madam, a pigeon is a bird!  All small things that are of no great consequence yet mean so much and provide proof that we do not die.

Tutors Marlene Woolgar, Darren Brittain & Jane Davidson at The Healing Light Seminar in Worthing

We are passionate about bringing out the best in our students, believing fervently that development is a road of never ending self improvement, one upon which you never stop challenging yourself to dig deeper and never stop learning.  We are all familiar with the saying; “practice makes perfect” right?  Wrong, only perfect practice makes perfect!  This is why immersing yourself in a seminar with inspirational tutors is so important.  It provides opportunity to try new things, analyse what we do and how that can be improved in an environment of equality.  This is shared by our tutors and we asked them for any highlights that they would take away from the weekend.

Marlene commented; “The focus of my classes and optional sessions was Trance mediumship and working with altered states to enhance your mental mediumship.  Often ego and jealousy can arrive at the door during classes but I was delighted by the way all the students supported each other and gave each other encouragement.  This led to real breakthroughs among the students with most exceeding all their own expectations”.

At our seminars we have to be able to coach all abilities and this can range from those who have just started their journey, to others who may already be demonstrating or are tutors themselves, but all are treated as equal.  The most important thing is to match the needs of the student as much as possible and at times students will move into a class more suited to their development at that point in time so as not to hold them back or alternatively, the tutor being required to ‘take the time it takes’ with each student to give them the confidence to be the best they can achieve on that day.  It must be remembered that each is an individual and as such must pursue their own path in their own way in their own time.  As much as we may respect or look up to others, we can never attain parity with them, for they are on their own journey.  As adult learning psychologist, Dr. Stephanie Burns notes some students are held back by the fear of doing better than their teacher, but this should not be the case and any worthy tutor is delighted to have a student they have mentored achieve excellence.  Others worry about what their peers may think of them, if they can be encouraged to cross the ‘silly bridge’ and put concerns behind them and we allow them to take risks and experiment within a safe environment, breakthroughs can be made.  This is where real learning happens and “I believe” (uncertain) becomes “I know” (Confident without ego) which is trust in Spirit. 

Jane was responsible for the lower intermediate group and said:It was a privilege to be part of the Healing Light Seminar at the Windsor Hotel last weekend. The delegates in my group were wonderful and worked hard to ensure they squeezed every last drop of learning from each other and myself. They supported one another throughout as naturally as if they had known each other for years. Many identified their 'sticking point' with their mediumship and worked hard to get past it. They are truly an inspirational group of people. >

Darren made an important point in the successful progress of development and something that gets in the way of many aspiring mediums; “Removing our own minds from the process of mediumship is a constant challenge and within the group we worked together in identifying the ‘need’ of our own mind to be in control and also how we can quieten it to allow the full emotional presence of Spirit to be evident. The supportive, nurturing, and loving energy within the group was not only great for Spirit to shine, but there were also moments of great personal growth and increased self awareness too, something which not only served to enhance our links with the Spirit World, but also to who we are and what we contribute to the world around us.”  Is this not the true purpose of what we do?

Saturday evening was the demonstration session for the students representing each of the tutor groups.  It is an opportunity to show their peers where they were at and for some, a chance to use new found confidence, techniques and to shine.  Congratulations to all of you and as noted by the tutors, some real breakthroughs.

At the closing meeting at the seminar we always ask the students to complete an anonymous feed back form to establish if the seminar, tutors, food and hotel have met student’s expectations and how we can improve the event for the following year.  Our last question is; Good, Better, Best!  What was the high point of the weekend in your opinion? 

These are just a few of the lovely comments that we received;

“High quality in every way and can’t wait till next year”.

“Would have liked another day”.

“Keep doing what you are doing”.

“To watch the individual pupils reach such high standards”.

“I would not [formerly] have had the understanding to achieve the things I did.  A very big thank you (name)”.

“A breakthrough in clearing past trauma and [being] able to work in trance.  Have enjoyed the whole weekend with a lovely group of people”.

Thanks to our tutors, who have sent the students home tired and inspired.  And thanks again to all of the wonderful Windsor Hotel staff who are worthy of a plug.  Fancy a stay in sunny Worthing?  Visit; http://www.thewindsor.co.uk/ 

The hotel is already booked for next year’s seminar and tutors are in place, for the 20^th – 22^nd of February 2015 the title of which will be “Spirit Level” by way of a change and yes, we did have a lot of fun with that title!  So why not join us next year? Details will be published on The Healing Light Spiritual Centre web site http://www.thehealinglight.net/ and watch out for our advertisements in the press. 

- Dave Woolgar

Well! The (working) year is over for me as I did my last demonstration on Tuesday 17th so now I can get on with the physical demands of Christmas!
I don't want to ramble on as I am sure you all have far better things to do than to read all about me! I would, however, like to share something with you - just to give you something to think about over the Christmas break.
It's a poem I wrote a few years ago. I know I was inspired by 'them upstairs' and I hope it will touch each and every one of you because, I am sure, if we looked deep into our hearts, we would all have the same thoughts.
Wishing you all and very happy Christmas and I hope the New Year will bring you all the joys your hearts can hold xx

I made a wish for Christmas and I’m hoping someone heard
the thoughts I have inside me, for I never spoke a word.
Instead, I opened up my heart and let the feelings through,
in hope that they’d touch him, and her, and them, and me, and you.
I wished for love throughout our World, and peace of heart and mind;
that no one would know loneliness or suffer deeds unkind;
that every man would have a friend and have no need to fight ;
that every one would have a meal and warm bed for the night ;
that no man sat in judgement of another person’s choices;
that all were open-minded and allowed each others voices
to speak of hopes and of beliefs, to shed a little light
on their own thoughts, without the need to prove that they were right.
I made a wish for Christmas and I’m hoping someone saw
the vision deep inside me, and what I am praying for.
I pray that every child knows love and that that love is pure
and that the Heavens up above will finally find a cure
for all the madness in our World with which we cannot cope;
that negative despondency can be replaced with hope,
so everyone within our World can live in harmony
accepting one another in the way it’s meant to be.
I made a wish for Christmas and I hope it touched your hearts,
because, to make my wish come true, here is where it starts,
with you and me and him and her, for I know, come what may,
if we all wish together, then, I know we’ll find a way
to right the wrongs within our World, to let the Light shine through.
I made a wish for Christmas and I pray that wish comes true.

Marlene 9-12-04

I can't believe how quickly time has passed since my last blog but, then, I have been busy (which is good because I must be doing something right!)

In the last few months I've been back to Switzerland with Eamonn Downey teaching trance and trance healing. We've been there twice, in fact, in August/September and again in October as the students vary in their understanding of trance so we have several different levels we are teaching. The students are so keen to learn and it's refreshing to work with them. We are also very well looked after by the hotel staff. The hotel is wonderfully located, looking out on lakes and mountains and it also has a spa! (I've not yet had time to visit the spa but I hope to in the future). Dates for Switzerland next year haven't been decided yet but they will be on my website once they've been finalised.

As you know, I've also been raising funds for my little great-nephew, Oliver, who needs a life-changing operation. Eamonn Downey held a raffle at the Arthur Findlay College and raised over £500 for the cause! Also Tony Stockwell's Avalon Project held a raffle over their weekend seminar in Eastbourne last month and raised over £900 for Oliver too! Our family is so touched by the love complete strangers have shown in their efforts to help reach the target of £60,000. Thank you so much everyone.
If you would like to read about Oliver you can find more information on his website: www.footsteps4oliver.co.uk 

In September I travelled with Darren Brittain to the London Spiritual Mission. We travelled up on Friday 13th, arriving at 13.13 to our hotel, which had 13 floors. We were booked to work at 13 Pembridge Place - just as well neither of us is superstitious! The trance workshop was well-attended on the Saturday and Saturday evening Darren gave a demonstration. I ran the service on the Sunday.  If you've not yet visited the Mission do go along. It's a wonderful building and I found the people there were really lovely and welcoming.

I've done various demonstrations over the past few months and have just come back from working in Norway with Sue Smith. It was a full-on weekend with sittings all day Friday, a psychic and mediumship workshop on Saturday and an experimental trance and physical day on Sunday.  All were well-attended and I do feel privileged to be able to work in such a lovely country with willing students!

There are lots of things in the pipeline for next year. More work in Switzerland, also the Healing Light weekend seminar in Worthing which is always a popular event.  If you've not yet joined us, do take a look at the link on my website or the Healing Light website. Of course, if you've been before, you've probably booked again as we do have the majority re-booking year after year.  It's a weekend of fun and learning and most people go home happy in the knowledge that they have met like-minded people who become life-long friends.
Darren and I have been invited to work in Scotland next year too and details will be on my site once everything is finalised.
On the 31st January, 2014 I will be doing a charity evening in memory of a dear friend of mine. It's at the Heene Community Centre in Worthing and I am hoping for a good attendance so we can raise lots of funds for the charity. For further details please ring Carol on 01903 533687.

I've also been booked for two weeks of trance healing teaching in Holland for 2015 and details will appear on my site once dates etc have been arranged.

Finally, I wanted to share something with you that has touched me deeply.
It's a message I received last night via Facebook from a young lady I gave a sitting to a couple of years ago.
She has asked me to share it with you because it will give others hope that, when all seems wrong, a little guidance can help enormously. I have blanked out some names as confidentiality is very important to me, even though she has given her wish to share it.

"Hello! You probably don't remember me, but i had a sitting with you a couple of years ago, when you were in ******. I've missed out on your visits ever since, so i hope it won't be long before you come back next time. I was supposed to participate this weekend, along with my cousin, whom is a psykic, and wanting to explore her gift. But Things came up, and we missed it. The reason why i'm writing you is because i wanted to thank you for the experience i had With you that time. It really helped me in a lot of ways. As a result of this, I managed to switch my relationship out of a negative, bad circle. Instead of going in different directions, we are now getting married, and got a second child, a little girl, seven months ago. We named her ***** Marlene. The middle name is to remind me of what changed my life to the better, and maybe to help me be able to bring me back to that state og mind when life gets rough. I remember i was not able to speak much after the meeting i had with you. A lot of impressions and thoughts went trough my mind. So i didn't get to thank you enough. Have been thinking of it a lot of times, so now, better late than never, THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH"

I am so moved by this because, of course, it's always an honour to do this work but to think that someone has named a child after me actually brought me to tears! 
I am so lucky and I also appreciate that this young lady has taken the time to write. As mediums we see hundreds, if not thousands of people every year, some are regular clients, some come only the once, but we rarely get any feedback on our sittings.
It's the little gems like this that make it all worthwhile!  

It's been good to have an actual rest after the past four years of non-stop work! In fact, I'm feeling decidedly lazy but not for long because I shall soon be back in Switzerland with Eamonn Downey.
I've also been trying to help fund-raise for my little great nephew, 2 year old Oliver, who was born nearly 12 weeks early and was, this year, diagnosed with Diplegic Cerebral Palsy. Oliver is just like any other 2 year old, full of fun and a real chatterbox, his only problem is that he can't walk so my nephew and his wife are trying to raise the £60,000 needed to fund an operation which will enable him to walk. His big sister, Millie, is so excited to think her little brother will be able to ride his bike alongside hers and run and play with her.
If any of you would like to donate please click on the link, or copy and paste into your browser.
https://www.justgiving.com/Footsteps4Oliver

In September I shall be visiting the London Spiritual Mission for the first time to run a trance workshop for them. I am travelling there with Darren Brittain who will be giving a demonstration the same evening - If you've not seen Darren demonstrate his mediumship before this is an evening not to be missed. He truly is one of the most amazing mediums you will ever see. Of course, those of you who HAVE seen his work won't need to be told as you will already know.
The London Spiritual Mission is based in Notting Hill : 13 Pembridge Place, London W2 4XB

Telephone: 020 7229 2024 for details of the workshop or demonstration.

What a wonderful time I had in Eire at the weekend. I flew in to Knock Airport on Saturday morning (20th July) and met up with the other mediums at The Corralea Court Hotel in Tuam. I learned Tuam is NOT pronounced Too-Arm (as I'd been saying it) but is pronounced choom! It made sense once I had it explained to me!  I already knew Sharon Fitzmaurice, who is not only one of the mediums but also organised and co-ordinated the whole thing from start to finish. She has been a good friend for several years and it was lovely to catch up with her. Likewise, Declan Flynn, also a good friend. I've worked with Declan on several occasions. Both Declan and Sharon have such a lovely link with Spirit, it was a privilege to work with them! It was my first meeting, however, with Eamon Seixx but, having discovered his sense of humour and that he, too, had a wonderful connection with Spirit, I was glad to realise we would all work well together and so pleased to come home with another medium on my list of good friends!
Our demonstration at the Ard Ri Hotel went down a storm with well over 100 people in the audience and I have to say, I've never known an audience like it! Despite the overwhelming heat (no air conditioning!) they really raised the energy with their enthusiasm for messages from their loved ones! It was a fantastic evening and I hope, one day, to be able to repeat the exercise!
Afterwards we went to the hotel bar where I was taught that the Irish surely know how to party!
It was with some sadness I went to catch my flight home on Sunday (21st July).  My time there was all too short but the warmth and friendship of the people will stay with me forever!

At the end of August I shall be heading back to Switzerland to teach on a weekend seminar with the amazing Eamonn Downey O.S.N.U.
I must admit I'm becoming a bit of a stalker where Eamonn is concerned because I also love attending his weeks at The Arthur Findlay College, Stansted where his innovative ideas always uplift and inspire me and so many others who also belong to 'The Eamonn Downey Fan Club!'
His CD's are also lovely either as a treat for yourself or as gifts for friends, with guided meditations and various exercises to encourage and enhance your own development and your life.

Now I am going to have a little rest. We have some very special friends from Norway arriving on Saturday 27th July and have a busy time planned taking them out and about (though I can't post the itinerary here as it's a secret and they might read my blog!)
I wish you all a wonderful Summer and hope you all take time out to spoil yourselves for a while.
Enjoy the sunshine and I'll be back soon!

I realised after posting my last blog that I hadn't reported on the funds raised from my demonstration for the Starr Trust.  I'm pleased to announce it raised £1,164!! What a fantastic evening we had and I'm so happy because I know the Trust will use the funds wisely in order to help children smile!

I arrived home from Norway a few days ago.  I was working out there with Darren Brittain - an absolutely amazing medium.  If you've not seen him work do check his website (on my links page) - you won't be disappointed.
We had a full-on few days there. Two demonstrations, a day workshop and umpteen sittings but we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Norway is such a beautiful country and the people are so friendly, it's a lovely place both to visit and to work and the views are breathtaking.
I will be back in Bergen in November with fellow medium Sue Smith and we always have a great time working for Spirit Event Norway. The group was set up by Geir Svoren and Grethe Annete Dahle as a means of enlightening people who are interested in spiritualism by holding regular meetings, demonstrations and workshops. They both have full time jobs too, yet they still give their all to Spirit Event and deserve congratulations on achieving so much in such a short space of time.
My diary is as busy as ever. Next week is full of private sittings and a demonstration for the Healing Light in Shoreham on Friday 14th at 7.30pm.
In July I'm off to Eire to give a demonstration alongside Sharon Fitzmaurice, Declan Flynn and Eamon Seixx. The tickets are already sold out for this event so, who knows, if demand is great enough, I might be taking to the air to Eire once more!