Marie Cunningham's Blog
July 12, 2014
lovely feedback
Just had more lovely feedback:
Marie... I've just started reading your book .. Just when I've needed it most. I've had it a while but thought ' I'm totally fine I don't need that inner healing '... Hmmm.. Wadda you know- turned out I was desperate for it!!
Such a good read... Explained some things I've not managed to get my head around before x
Marie... I've just started reading your book .. Just when I've needed it most. I've had it a while but thought ' I'm totally fine I don't need that inner healing '... Hmmm.. Wadda you know- turned out I was desperate for it!!
Such a good read... Explained some things I've not managed to get my head around before x
August 18, 2013
Reincarnation by Wallace McRae
"What does Reincarnation mean?"
A cowpoke asked his friend.
His pal replied, "It happens when
Yer life has reached its end.
They comb yer hair, and warsh yer neck,
And clean yer fingernails,
And lay you in a padded box
Away from life's travails."
"The box and you goes in a hole,
That's been dug into the ground.
Reincarnation starts in when
Yore planted 'neath a mound.
Them clods melt down, just like yer box,
And you who is inside.
And then yore just beginnin' on
Yer transformation ride."
"In a while, the grass'll grow
Upon yer rendered mound.
Till some day on yer moldered grave
A lonely flower is found.
And say a hoss should wander by
And graze upon this flower
That once wuz you, but now's become
Yer vegetative bower."
"The posy that the hoss done ate
Up, with his other feed,
Makes bone, and fat, and muscle
Essential to the steed,
But some is left that he can't use
And so it passes through,
And finally lays upon the ground
This thing, that once wuz you."
"Then say, by chance, I wanders by
And sees this upon the ground,
And I ponders, and I wonders at,
This object that I found.
I thinks of reincarnation,
Of life and death, and such,
And come away concludin': 'Slim,
You ain't changed, all that much.'"
A cowpoke asked his friend.
His pal replied, "It happens when
Yer life has reached its end.
They comb yer hair, and warsh yer neck,
And clean yer fingernails,
And lay you in a padded box
Away from life's travails."
"The box and you goes in a hole,
That's been dug into the ground.
Reincarnation starts in when
Yore planted 'neath a mound.
Them clods melt down, just like yer box,
And you who is inside.
And then yore just beginnin' on
Yer transformation ride."
"In a while, the grass'll grow
Upon yer rendered mound.
Till some day on yer moldered grave
A lonely flower is found.
And say a hoss should wander by
And graze upon this flower
That once wuz you, but now's become
Yer vegetative bower."
"The posy that the hoss done ate
Up, with his other feed,
Makes bone, and fat, and muscle
Essential to the steed,
But some is left that he can't use
And so it passes through,
And finally lays upon the ground
This thing, that once wuz you."
"Then say, by chance, I wanders by
And sees this upon the ground,
And I ponders, and I wonders at,
This object that I found.
I thinks of reincarnation,
Of life and death, and such,
And come away concludin': 'Slim,
You ain't changed, all that much.'"
August 9, 2013
EMBRACING OUR SHADOW – William Bloom
This subject is one I've always felt passionate about, so when I cam across this article I just had to share it with you:
When I worked in St James’s Church, Piccadilly, there was a wonderful quotation blue-tacked to one of the walls. If you walked from the adjoining rectory through to the church you could not avoid seeing it. It was a quotation from the Swiss psychiatrist and mystic, Carl Jung.
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."This comes from his book 'Alchemical Studies' and in the same passage he goes on to write that this process of making the darkness conscious "is disagreeable and therefore not popular."
Never was a truer word written. Spiritual people will often do anything to avoid looking at their own faults and shadows. We could have a television talent competition for avoidance, denial and excuses. Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome. And who is the winner today for denying their bad behaviour, blaming others and maintaining a smug composure? Roll up. Roll up. Everyone welcome.
I always smiled when I passed the Jung quotation in the church. I liked the reality-check. I especially liked it because so many of the speakers on our programme were naïve about the human condition. They delivered intriguing and inspiring ideas that promised better health, improved finances and more loving relationships. You are probably very familiar with this type of teaching. Change your thoughts. Change your attitude. And you will attract whatever you desire. But they did not acknowledge or understand our deeper shadows.
To repeat what I wrote a few months ago, that type of teaching points in an interesting direction but is, in my opinion, misleading and shallow. It misleads because it ignores the huge unseen and unconscious material that is beneath the surface. It treats the human psyche as if what you see is what you get. But human beings are like icebergs, only the tip showing. Below the water is a mass of psychological history, karma and ancestral influences.
More than that we are also animals, complex mammals, naked apes with powerful biological instincts. I loudly profess our spirituality — souls on immensely long journeys, developing heart and consciousness — but it would be gullible and immature to ignore our biology. Look at some of the embedded instincts that can drive our feelings, thoughts and behaviour. The need for food, shelter, status and comfort.
Lust and loneliness. Pain, irritability, excitement and sloth. Responses to threat, rudeness and aggression.
You may think all these behaviours are just human. In fact they are driven by biology and you can clearly see them in other animals. (Don’t get in the way of a tired, hungry, irritated beast. Whether it is a member of your family or an elephant in the jungle. Let them have dinner first.)
But there is one biological drive that is particularly human and is especially challenging for us. Our mind-brains, our monkey-minds, are endlessly whirring with a compulsive neural drive to understand, interpret and comment on all that is happening. This never-ending chatter, which includes made-up stories and fictions, results from a biological drive that has ensured our species’ survival. Our brains fill in gaps, so that we have a whole picture and story. You can see this in rudimentary form in animals: Grey clouds = Rain = Animals go to water hole = Dinner. Our brains compulsively fill in gaps — and are often wrong! Someone promised to phone you and then doesn’t. Your brain makes up a story…This continuous brain activity and our other biological drives trigger different levels of arousal. You see food you like and hormones of digestion are produced. You perceive a threat and your body responds with anxiety. You see something you like and your body responds with desire.
Our minds and bodies are integrated in an intimate neuro-endocrinal anatomy. And our confabulating brains — creating the story, filling in the spaces — compulsively tells a story to relieve us from the anxiety of unknowing.Those are the biological realities for all of us: the pursuit of food, survival, status and never-ending internal gibbering chatter. It is problematic, isn’t it? Here we are, beautiful cosmic souls and we are incarnate in this flesh and blood activity. No wonder there are spiritual traditions that try to ignore the body or, even worse, punish it for being so biological.
It is important for people who are serious about spiritual development fully to understand these realities. Yes we are beautiful cosmic souls. And we are also biological creatures enmeshed in our personal and collective karma. Look at the worst forms of human cruelty and you can see all of these dynamics converging and at work. Stupid, cruel, bestial behaviour justified by internal stories of delusion. Exhausted, frightened, threatened, caught up in a herd dynamic, who knows what any of us might do?
Eckhart Tolle graphically refers to our shadow as the pain body and in A New Earth writes that it ‘is a semi-autonomous energy-form that lives within most human beings ... It has its own primitive intelligence, not unlike a cunning animal, and its intelligence is directed primarily at survival.’All experienced spiritual practitioners are realistic about our shadows. There are for example wonderful eastern paintings of serene meditators surrounded by terrible dragons, ghosts and ghouls all representing aspects of the shadow self.
We have to take all of this seriously, don’t we? Surely it merits our highest wisdom, insight and compassion. In acknowledging the shadow we are realistic about the challenges in our spiritual development. We can be strategic and wise in self-managing our growth. We no longer have to lose energy in fandangos of denial. We no longer have to guilt-trip ourselves as if there is something personally and uniquely wrong with us. Our shadow behaviours are all just part of the human condition. So what’s my advice to help us along? It is no different from that of all wise spiritual traditions. First, deepen your experience and connection with the wonder and benevolence of nature and cosmos. You need the fuel and motivation that come from being connected to the great mystery and benevolence of life. Commit to increasing surrender and openness to spirit.
Second, turn up the volume on your insightful and wise compassion. Open your heart more fully to the realities of the human condition, practising acceptance, forgiveness, healing and integration. And if none of that works you might try ice cream or a movie …anything that calms the beast. Until you are ready to make the moral and compassionate effort, to look deeply again into the eyes of your own shadow and embrace it with love.
All my love.William
This article can be found online here:http://www.williambloom.com/writings/embracing-our-shadow-179.htm
When I worked in St James’s Church, Piccadilly, there was a wonderful quotation blue-tacked to one of the walls. If you walked from the adjoining rectory through to the church you could not avoid seeing it. It was a quotation from the Swiss psychiatrist and mystic, Carl Jung.
"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious."This comes from his book 'Alchemical Studies' and in the same passage he goes on to write that this process of making the darkness conscious "is disagreeable and therefore not popular."
Never was a truer word written. Spiritual people will often do anything to avoid looking at their own faults and shadows. We could have a television talent competition for avoidance, denial and excuses. Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome. And who is the winner today for denying their bad behaviour, blaming others and maintaining a smug composure? Roll up. Roll up. Everyone welcome.
I always smiled when I passed the Jung quotation in the church. I liked the reality-check. I especially liked it because so many of the speakers on our programme were naïve about the human condition. They delivered intriguing and inspiring ideas that promised better health, improved finances and more loving relationships. You are probably very familiar with this type of teaching. Change your thoughts. Change your attitude. And you will attract whatever you desire. But they did not acknowledge or understand our deeper shadows.
To repeat what I wrote a few months ago, that type of teaching points in an interesting direction but is, in my opinion, misleading and shallow. It misleads because it ignores the huge unseen and unconscious material that is beneath the surface. It treats the human psyche as if what you see is what you get. But human beings are like icebergs, only the tip showing. Below the water is a mass of psychological history, karma and ancestral influences.
More than that we are also animals, complex mammals, naked apes with powerful biological instincts. I loudly profess our spirituality — souls on immensely long journeys, developing heart and consciousness — but it would be gullible and immature to ignore our biology. Look at some of the embedded instincts that can drive our feelings, thoughts and behaviour. The need for food, shelter, status and comfort.
Lust and loneliness. Pain, irritability, excitement and sloth. Responses to threat, rudeness and aggression.
You may think all these behaviours are just human. In fact they are driven by biology and you can clearly see them in other animals. (Don’t get in the way of a tired, hungry, irritated beast. Whether it is a member of your family or an elephant in the jungle. Let them have dinner first.)
But there is one biological drive that is particularly human and is especially challenging for us. Our mind-brains, our monkey-minds, are endlessly whirring with a compulsive neural drive to understand, interpret and comment on all that is happening. This never-ending chatter, which includes made-up stories and fictions, results from a biological drive that has ensured our species’ survival. Our brains fill in gaps, so that we have a whole picture and story. You can see this in rudimentary form in animals: Grey clouds = Rain = Animals go to water hole = Dinner. Our brains compulsively fill in gaps — and are often wrong! Someone promised to phone you and then doesn’t. Your brain makes up a story…This continuous brain activity and our other biological drives trigger different levels of arousal. You see food you like and hormones of digestion are produced. You perceive a threat and your body responds with anxiety. You see something you like and your body responds with desire.
Our minds and bodies are integrated in an intimate neuro-endocrinal anatomy. And our confabulating brains — creating the story, filling in the spaces — compulsively tells a story to relieve us from the anxiety of unknowing.Those are the biological realities for all of us: the pursuit of food, survival, status and never-ending internal gibbering chatter. It is problematic, isn’t it? Here we are, beautiful cosmic souls and we are incarnate in this flesh and blood activity. No wonder there are spiritual traditions that try to ignore the body or, even worse, punish it for being so biological.
It is important for people who are serious about spiritual development fully to understand these realities. Yes we are beautiful cosmic souls. And we are also biological creatures enmeshed in our personal and collective karma. Look at the worst forms of human cruelty and you can see all of these dynamics converging and at work. Stupid, cruel, bestial behaviour justified by internal stories of delusion. Exhausted, frightened, threatened, caught up in a herd dynamic, who knows what any of us might do?
Eckhart Tolle graphically refers to our shadow as the pain body and in A New Earth writes that it ‘is a semi-autonomous energy-form that lives within most human beings ... It has its own primitive intelligence, not unlike a cunning animal, and its intelligence is directed primarily at survival.’All experienced spiritual practitioners are realistic about our shadows. There are for example wonderful eastern paintings of serene meditators surrounded by terrible dragons, ghosts and ghouls all representing aspects of the shadow self.
We have to take all of this seriously, don’t we? Surely it merits our highest wisdom, insight and compassion. In acknowledging the shadow we are realistic about the challenges in our spiritual development. We can be strategic and wise in self-managing our growth. We no longer have to lose energy in fandangos of denial. We no longer have to guilt-trip ourselves as if there is something personally and uniquely wrong with us. Our shadow behaviours are all just part of the human condition. So what’s my advice to help us along? It is no different from that of all wise spiritual traditions. First, deepen your experience and connection with the wonder and benevolence of nature and cosmos. You need the fuel and motivation that come from being connected to the great mystery and benevolence of life. Commit to increasing surrender and openness to spirit.
Second, turn up the volume on your insightful and wise compassion. Open your heart more fully to the realities of the human condition, practising acceptance, forgiveness, healing and integration. And if none of that works you might try ice cream or a movie …anything that calms the beast. Until you are ready to make the moral and compassionate effort, to look deeply again into the eyes of your own shadow and embrace it with love.
All my love.William
This article can be found online here:http://www.williambloom.com/writings/embracing-our-shadow-179.htm
July 25, 2013
Message from the Universe
Dreams come true, that's what they do. The only variable is when.
For the slow approach:
Resist. Attach. Insist. Deny. Stop. Second guess. Whine. Argue. Defend. Protest. Cry. Struggle. And ask others, when you know the answer yourself.
For the quick approach:
Visualize. Pretend. Prepare. Dodge. Roll. Serpentine. Do not waiver over intentions, but over methods. Show up, even when nothing happens. And give thanks in advance.
You knew that,
The Universe
July 21, 2013
Early mornings
I love sitting in my garden first thing in the morning, with my cup of coffee. Everything is silent, except for the birds chirping to each other, or their wings flapping as they fly overhead.
Suddenly, a blackbird may dash across the garden, hoping I haven’t seen him as he tries to get to the hedge on the other side.Then the morning sounds move on quickly, especially on a week day, as the sound of a neighbour unlocks a car door and drives off to work. The sound of footsteps come into focus and get nearer and nearer, then a letterbox slams as the postie delivers life through someone’s door.
More noise joins in, as a neighbour opens the door and lets the dog out, who at first just paces the garden, then decides he’s had enough and wants to be back in, so he starts barking. And the peace has gone, as daily life takes over from the earlier silence and I make my way indoors to start my own working day, but grateful for the peaceful hour in my garden.
Suddenly, a blackbird may dash across the garden, hoping I haven’t seen him as he tries to get to the hedge on the other side.Then the morning sounds move on quickly, especially on a week day, as the sound of a neighbour unlocks a car door and drives off to work. The sound of footsteps come into focus and get nearer and nearer, then a letterbox slams as the postie delivers life through someone’s door.
More noise joins in, as a neighbour opens the door and lets the dog out, who at first just paces the garden, then decides he’s had enough and wants to be back in, so he starts barking. And the peace has gone, as daily life takes over from the earlier silence and I make my way indoors to start my own working day, but grateful for the peaceful hour in my garden.
July 18, 2013
FUNDING APPEAL Will you be part of the solution?
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!I believe we have a problem here in Middlesbrough and I'm asking you to help me solve it!Many of our people are suffering from low self esteem and have no confidence in themselves, or the system they are part of. I’ve been trying to find a way to change this, but can’t get through ‘red tape’ and the words ‘no funding’.
Money is available once you become a 'victim' of drink, drugs, abuse, etc., but there's not enough invested in PREVENTION.
I know change can happen with the correct help, but we need the finances to start the project. For as little as £500, you can be a main sponsor on the scheme.
When the course finishes we’ll take our feedback and results to the correct governing bodies, to show that affluent people of Middlesbrough care enough to help others in less fortunate circumstances. Of course we will gladly receive help from outside Middlesbrough too :)Recently, the Mayor of Salford invested millions in a scheme to help the people of Salford get help with confidence, self esteem, etc and I would like to start something similar here in Middlesbrough, but our Council says there are no funds available. So I’m turning to you! Will you be part of the solution?What will you get from this? You’ll receive publicity (if you want it) that you are part of the solution in helping Middlesbrough become a healthier, happier town, which could also help in the long run with the high rate of crime, drink and drugs. You will be updated regularly on the progress of the scheme and we will also value your opinion and ideas to help further.If you would be happy to find out more about the pilot scheme please get in touch via info@mariecunningham.co.uk
July 14, 2013
Ignoring our intuition
If you ignore your intuition, you create tension in your system, which eventually leads to unhappiness. This is your body’s way of attracting attention to the area in your life that needs looking at. When you’ve ‘rooted’ the issue, the energy is released, allowing the area to return to free-flowing energy and bringing harmony to the situation/body.
Stress is the manifestation of how we handle a situation and some people deal with it better than others. But stress is simply a word we use when we lose our confidence in being able to deal with the task facing us. The fact is, the human body is self-repairing and self-healing when not in a state of stress.
Our fears reside in our system while they still have an effect on us, but once we are not affected by them, they dissolve. In order to change our lives we need to give the subject of ‘me’ a lot more attention. Instead of looking around at others and pointing out what’s wrong in another person’s life, we must look to the self first.
We spend much of our energy doing things, instead of using that energy for our Self. Then when a crisis hits us, we are low on power, finding it harder to deal with the problem. Usually, it’s come to attract our attention to something that needs addressing in our life and as soon as we find the button that was pressed to bring up the root of emotion, we find the situation calms back down and goes away; of course, how quickly depends on how quickly we find the solution.
Here are a few ways to get your energy back up if you find yourself in this situation:
Take a shower and picture the water as light coming into the head and washing through your body, letting the negativity be washed down the plughole (if you are a bath person you can put sea salt in the water as the salt transmutes negativity (try to immerse your full body). Sea salt can also be placed in rooms that have a low/negative energy, but remember to sweep or hoover them up after 24 hours.
A walk in nature is another good way to restore your energy, especially if you touch a plant or tree and discharge your negative energy Sit/lie with relaxation music on and breathe slowly and deeply.
Stress is the manifestation of how we handle a situation and some people deal with it better than others. But stress is simply a word we use when we lose our confidence in being able to deal with the task facing us. The fact is, the human body is self-repairing and self-healing when not in a state of stress.
Our fears reside in our system while they still have an effect on us, but once we are not affected by them, they dissolve. In order to change our lives we need to give the subject of ‘me’ a lot more attention. Instead of looking around at others and pointing out what’s wrong in another person’s life, we must look to the self first.
We spend much of our energy doing things, instead of using that energy for our Self. Then when a crisis hits us, we are low on power, finding it harder to deal with the problem. Usually, it’s come to attract our attention to something that needs addressing in our life and as soon as we find the button that was pressed to bring up the root of emotion, we find the situation calms back down and goes away; of course, how quickly depends on how quickly we find the solution.
Here are a few ways to get your energy back up if you find yourself in this situation:
Take a shower and picture the water as light coming into the head and washing through your body, letting the negativity be washed down the plughole (if you are a bath person you can put sea salt in the water as the salt transmutes negativity (try to immerse your full body). Sea salt can also be placed in rooms that have a low/negative energy, but remember to sweep or hoover them up after 24 hours.
A walk in nature is another good way to restore your energy, especially if you touch a plant or tree and discharge your negative energy Sit/lie with relaxation music on and breathe slowly and deeply.
July 1, 2013
I LOVE MYSELF
I LOVE MYSELF
I love myself the way I amThere’s nothing I need to change
There is nothing to rearrange
I’m beautiful and capable
Of being the best me I can and
I love myself just the way I am
I love you the way you are
There’s nothing you need to do
When I feel the love inside myself
It’s easy to love you
Behind your fears, your rage and tears
I see your shining star and
I love you just the way you are
I love the world the way it is
‘Cause I can clearly see
That all the things I judge are done
By people just like me
So till the birth of peace on earth
That only love can bring
I’ll help it grow by loving everything
I love myself the way I am
And still I want to grow
But change outside can only come
When deep inside I know
I’m beautiful and capable
Of being the best me I can
And I love myself just the way I am
I love myself just the way I am
Jai Josefs
Forgiveness
After hearing on the Tv lately about the many who have suffered sexual abuse and speaking to a couple of clients last week, I felt the need to write about some of the theories that are around at the moment and the attitude that forgiveness is the only way to heal!
Often when a ‘victim’ hears this, they will give themselves a hard time, as they don’t feel they can forgive the people that hurt them, or a loved one. It can also hinder their healing as they feel ‘bad’ at not being able to forgive, when others can. But for anyone who has suffered at the hands of another (especially those connected to childhood sexual abuse) they know that it’s not always easy to forgive those that have hurt you, or someone close to you.
Although I believe forgiveness plays a great part, I feel I must comment that it’s just not that simple as to ‘let it go’, as often the pain ‘freezes’ in the cells and replays through the system often causing illness, dis-ease and self-sabotage. It also depends on the level of abuse suffered. It stands to reason that if a person had a single abusive incident in their life from a stranger, it would leave ‘bruises’ on many levels of their psyche, but if someone had years of constant regular abuse from someone they trusted, then their ‘healing’ may take longer.
So if you, or someone you know fall into the latter category, please remember to be patient while working through your pain and if others you read of, or around you, are ‘healing’ faster than you, don’t worry, your time for peace will come (and sometimes go again). Once again if you fall into this category, be patient with yourself while you untie your mental and emotional knots.Every person’s pain is individual and our path to ‘healing’ is too, after all, the journey is ours and ours alone and only we can walk it.
Others may sympathise with your situation and a therapist may help you find your solutions, but it’s still you who needs to do the work, and at times it can be a very lonely place to be.
A section on illness from The Energy Within:When there is tension in our thoughts or beliefs, the endocrine gland will secrete hormones, changing the chemistry in the body part. As we direct energy with thought (where thought goes, energy flows), we have the power to unblock whatever thought created the tension in the first place.
When energy flows freely we have wholeness; when energy is blocked we have tension. When we don’t accept a part of who we are, what we did, or what we are doing, there can be a reversal in our energy system. The outcome is an unconscious act to sabotage our dreams and desires.
“The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.” John Milton, English Poet
Often when a ‘victim’ hears this, they will give themselves a hard time, as they don’t feel they can forgive the people that hurt them, or a loved one. It can also hinder their healing as they feel ‘bad’ at not being able to forgive, when others can. But for anyone who has suffered at the hands of another (especially those connected to childhood sexual abuse) they know that it’s not always easy to forgive those that have hurt you, or someone close to you.
Although I believe forgiveness plays a great part, I feel I must comment that it’s just not that simple as to ‘let it go’, as often the pain ‘freezes’ in the cells and replays through the system often causing illness, dis-ease and self-sabotage. It also depends on the level of abuse suffered. It stands to reason that if a person had a single abusive incident in their life from a stranger, it would leave ‘bruises’ on many levels of their psyche, but if someone had years of constant regular abuse from someone they trusted, then their ‘healing’ may take longer.
So if you, or someone you know fall into the latter category, please remember to be patient while working through your pain and if others you read of, or around you, are ‘healing’ faster than you, don’t worry, your time for peace will come (and sometimes go again). Once again if you fall into this category, be patient with yourself while you untie your mental and emotional knots.Every person’s pain is individual and our path to ‘healing’ is too, after all, the journey is ours and ours alone and only we can walk it.
Others may sympathise with your situation and a therapist may help you find your solutions, but it’s still you who needs to do the work, and at times it can be a very lonely place to be.
A section on illness from The Energy Within:When there is tension in our thoughts or beliefs, the endocrine gland will secrete hormones, changing the chemistry in the body part. As we direct energy with thought (where thought goes, energy flows), we have the power to unblock whatever thought created the tension in the first place.
When energy flows freely we have wholeness; when energy is blocked we have tension. When we don’t accept a part of who we are, what we did, or what we are doing, there can be a reversal in our energy system. The outcome is an unconscious act to sabotage our dreams and desires.
“The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.” John Milton, English Poet
June 21, 2013
Client feedback
In 2011 returned to area after 25 years absence, met Marie on my second day back, got talking, as you do, signed up for a workshop and spent the next year or so attending every class she ran. I learned a lot about myself, some of which I thought was absolutely ridiculous (sorry Marie) but over time she was proved to be right, accepting one's faults, mistakes & wrong doings is always hard to admit to. Now I feel I am in charge of my own destiny, still make mistakes, nobody is perfect right :( but life is good! Thanks Marie
