An Interview with Johnny Fincham

By Colin Whitby

Johnny Fincham has been a practitioner, researcher, writer and teacher of palmistry for twenty-two years. He offers palm readings and teaches workshops in the UK and worldwide.

His new book, ‘Palmistry – Apprentice to Pro in 24 Hours’ is the UK’s best selling palmistry book and is published by O-Books.

Johnny has kindly provided some articles for future Magic of Being issues which we will publish over the next two months, so watch out for these.

Colin.

Palmistry is often relegated to an end of the pier side show, how do you move people from their pre-conceptions of the 'Gypsy Rose Lee' image.

Yes, unfortunately palmistry is loaded with associations about an ominous fate marked in the lines of the palm and of terrifying predictions. The principle way to dispel these ideas is to press home the point that modern palmistry has lots of science to back it up. For instance, if your ring finger is much longer than your index, you have higher than average levels of residual testosterone and are more likely to take risks and to desire public attention in some way. Another angle to re-assure people is to emphasise the point that palmistry isn't about prediction, but about self-knowledge. I always say that having a palm reading isn't about being confronted by a fixed fate, but a moment of revelation, opportunity and change

On your web site you mention Chirology, Palmistry and Handreading - how would you describe them and what are the key differences between them.

The modern, enlightened, non-predictive approach to palmistry is often called chirology (from the Greek for 'hand-knowledge'). This is to put a little distance between this and the predictive fortune telling one, which palmistry has become associated with over the years. Another way to avoid the palmistry label is to call oneself a hand reader.

Your books offer and up to date method of learning palmistry, can it be applied by anyone?

Yes. I discovered how astonishingly difficult it is to learn palmistry from a book when I attempted to learn the art in my early days. I've written my new book for complete beginners, building the key stages of reading analysis in ten simple steps. To make it easier, I've ditched a lot of gobbledegook, dodgy astrological references and a number of false and misleading ideas.

When did palmistry first link lines and attributes of the hand to our emotional and spiritual development?

When the art moved from a predictive to an analytical approach. Really, the first book to initiate this angle was William Benham's 'A Practical Treatise on the Laws of Scientific Hand Reading'. Published in 1900

You illustrate how hands change over time, how do these changes reflect someone's personal development?

In various ways, both negatively and positively. For instance, a hand may show lots more fine lines developing over the thumb ball than were there before. This would show a person is entering a time of life when they are under a great deal more strain, particularly as regards home and family life. On the other hand (get it!) there might be a longer, stronger clearer earth line developing out of a short, fragmented one. This would show that a person has developed a great deal more sense of security, their digestion and diet would have improved and also their energy levels.

If someone was considering taking up Palmistry what would your advice be?

Not to take too simplistic an approach would be my main guidance. It isn't just a matter of looking at markings on the lines, but a case of having to put lots of points together. The skin texture, relative length of digits, the finger prints and the lines all have to be brought together to build a complete picture. Oh, and of course, I'd recommend my book, 'Palmistry - Apprentice to Pro in 24 Hours' because its' the easiest palmistry instruction book ever written. But then, I'd have to say that, wouldn't I?

Thanks very much for that Johnny, I look forward to publishing your articles on Palmistry over the next two months.

http://www.johnnyfincham.com/

An Interview with Hilary Carter

The questions for this interview were from both myself and Hayley Wynne who was kind enough to review Hilary’s book The 11.11 Code earlier this year.

(photo courtesy of  Bournemouth Daily Echo)

Your book the 11.11 code describes how 11.11 become an important part of your life, how would you describe the first time it became obvious something or someone was trying to get your attention?

In one word? Frightening. I can handle coincidence when it happens in a reasonable way. I even used the word coincidence to describe meeting a man in a bar in Liverpool who lived in the very room in Newcastle upon Tyne where I was born! But my 11:11 wake up call was too extreme to be classed as coincidence. It happened on 11^th November, Armistice Day. I parked up outside an ancient church and noticed the time was 11:11am. Not only that, but both the trip meter and the milometer were on 1111. Try and imagine what that was like. Scary. That was the day when it became glaringly obvious to me that there was something odd going on. From then onwards I realised that 11.11 meant something but at that time I didn’t know what.

You say it is your higher self using the 11.11 code, did that surprise you initially?

I didn’t know that 11:11 was the language of the higher self at that time. It gradually dawned on me that this was the meaning of the 11:11. Having spent the last few years using 11.11 as a sign I can now see that the 11:11 led me towards my destiny. It revealed the purpose of my life thus aligning me with the intentions of my higher self.

Did the prospect of acknowledging that something outside your understanding was communicating with you cause you to wonder if you had just a vivid imagination?

What I love about the 11:11 is the fact that its appearance can be seen by anybody and everybody. Imagination doesn’t come into it. When I had my 11:11 day I was with my partner. He could see those 11’s as clearly as me. It’s not an ethereal experience like feeling an energy or seeing a ghost. No, it’s actually right there in front of you in the mundane world and can be seen by anybody who has eyes to see.

We have been getting other numbers come up in our lives, such as 222, 333 and so on, more recently I have been getting 999's and 000's. Have you noticed others happening in your own life?

I’m obviously quite tuned into numbers and I notice them everywhere. I often see repeated numerals and also patterns like 1221 or 1010. In my book ‘The 11:11 Code’ I describe how the number 22 kept appearing when I was selling the old Spanish convent I had bought but it was the number 11:11 that had led me there.

So, like you, I experience other numbers, especially 222 and 333. However, I believe that the 11:11 is different from these other repeated numerals and number patterns.

Firstly it’s a binary number. Carl Sagan believed that our encounters with higher intelligence would occur in the form of a binary code.

Secondly, 11:11 is a perfect mirror. Upside down, backwards or reflected in a mirror, 11:11 remains perfect. Only 8, 1 and 0 do that.

Thirdly, 11:11 is the date of Armistice day, the one day of the year when we actually stop and pause as one consciousness. 11/11 at 11am. Do you think all those 11’s are coincidental?

Lastly, I believe 11:11 is linked to 2012. Most people are now aware of the date of the ending of the Mayan calendar on winter solstice 2012. That’s 21.12.2012. Add those numbers up and what do you get? What’s more, winter solstice is the time of the sun moving into Capricorn and in 2012 that happens at exactly……11:11am!

Are you aware of any other significant numbers?

23 is curiously significant. In the I Ching 23 is the number of breakdown. I had incredible 23 experiences in the 1980’s. Looking back, I wonder if it appeared in my life as a sign that I was breaking down my old patterns of being and thinking. This number began to appear when I began practising Tai Chi and yoga.

Since publishing your book have you found others have had similar experiences to yourself?

I hear from people all over the world who are experiencing the 11:11. They are all asking what it means. When the 11:11 appeared in my life I realised that the only way I could answer the question ‘What does it mean?’ would be to use it as a sign and follow it. The 11:11 took me on an incredible journey and my question was answered. If you put ’11 11 phenomenon’ into a search engine you will see how widespread the 11:11 phenomenon is.

I know that you and a number of your friends had to ‘work through’ your past experiences in order to move on and wondered whether you have experienced any similar occurrences since leaving the convent?

Not linked to the Spanish convent. However, I have now bought another ancient convent in France and already I have had several channelled messages from psychics. I didn’t go looking for psychics, nor did I ask for their insights. Living beyond the ego by following the 11:11, I find that I am helped and supported by the universe in many unexpected ways. Life becomes an adventure!

To the reader, that particular experience was terrifying and I wondered how you managed to overcome your fears/apprehensions in order to resolve past experiences.

I try not to operate from fear. I believe that the 11:11 is the sign that shows us the way back home, back to the one consciousness that we are. By following the 11:11 I am being shown the part I have to play in that journey, OUR journey. So when I choose to surrender to an 11:11 sign I know that I’m fulfilling my destiny and that fact gives me strength. Yoga and meditation is a huge help. Yoga keeps me balanced and if I miss my practise I find I am less courageous.

Are there any methods you could suggest to enable us to see any number connections which are present in everyday life, but we may not currently be aware of?

Quite simply, be in the moment. Aim for full awareness in each moment. It’s easier said than done. There can be 11:11 signs all around you but if you’re not alert you could miss them. 11:11 can be on car park tickets, emails, dates, train times, receipts, your student number, your date of birth, digital clocks, account numbers, as loose change, the number of letters in a name, on the trip meter and so on. Don’t forget to look out for K as well, the 11^th letter of the alphabet.

You could also try using the website Days Between Dates. (www.timeanddate.com) That’s how I discovered that my cousin John (my financial backer) had lived for exactly 2,222 days. Where were you on your 1,111^th day? Who were you with? How many days between your date of birth and your partners date of birth and so on. It’s fascinating to play with days between dates but be warned, it can become addictive!

Hilary, thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions.

Hilary is co-creator of Taiyoga and co-founder of HigherMoon transformational workshops. She is a British Wheel of Yoga teacher, workshop leader and consultant astrologer, having studied with the world-renowned faculty of Astrological Studies in London in the 1980’s.

Hilary lives between her homes in Dorset and the Dordogne. She is currently involved in restoring her French property which dates back to the 10th century and was originally a convent. The story of this French convent will be told in her next book….

http://www.hilarycarter.com/3.html 

An Interview with Mary Angelico

By Colin Whitby

Mary has been on our mailing list since the web site started and this month she wrote to tell me that there was someting in the last edition that really spoke to her. This gave me the opportunity to ask if she would like to contribute herself, and this interview is the result, I hopy you enjoy.

Has Art always played a part in your life?

My mother was an artist, so as far back as I can remember we always had an abundance of art supplies and creative support. My older sister was creative and I also loved to draw. But one specific incident occurred at school when I was about 7 years. I believe this changed art from something outside myself to something more internal. One day my teacher handed me a picture of a frog and asked if I would enlarge it on the chalkboard. I was quite the shy, reserved little girl and I don’t know to this day why she chose me, but I walked tentatively to the front of the class, picked up the chalk, looked at the frog and proceeded to copy and enlarge it as best I could. When I was done and turned to go back to my seat, what stands out as one of those never-to-be forgotten childhood memories, is the feeling that the class was in awe, and someone shouted out "She’s an artist!" By the time I got back to my seat- I knew that I was an artist. At age 13, I received some private instruction in painting an oil portrait. Though the teacher did most of the painting, what few strokes I contributed thrilled me beyond anything I had ever done before. That was the beginning of my lifelong passion for oil painting and portraiture.

At what point did you consider your Art to be a sacred medium of Spirit, and how did this occur?

When I was 17, I had a profound spiritual awakening. Shortly thereafter, I began to be "pursued" by an inner voice that quietly and constantly urged me to take voice lessons. Still being shy as I was, this was not good news! I resisted for quite some time, but finally yielded. After several years of vocal instruction, and what I now know was the beginning of clearing my throat chakra, I began to be pursued by another quiet message: "You could write songs if you wanted to." As painting was my highest and most skilled priority, I didn’t have a great desire for this.

Still, I yielded and began to write and share the music that started to come to me. Though I felt my musical talent was nothing beyond ordinary, and though my recording skill seemed even less ordinary and quite homespun, there seemed to be something else happening- a consistently deep and poignant response from those that I shared the songs with. I began to realize that it was not at all about me, but that I was being used as an instrument and the music was being used as the catalyst for something greater that was flowing through it. I knew that certain kinds of music can take people out of their head and into the heart. That was a given.

But I now began to imagine Spirit and Light coming down from higher realms, condescending to ride these little musical waves that I was creating- and from that vantage point, slipping right in with the music into people’s unsuspecting open hearts. I intuitively felt this was being done to activate the powerful work of transformation. I loved being a part of this mystical covert process and the feeling that it was not I, but something greater flowing through me. I called this "New Music." This continued with much guidance and for many years. Still I had an unfulfilled desire- that somehow my painting could be the medium of Spirit’s choice in the way that it was using the music. I still had a sense of separation between the two. Art was my personal passion, whereas, the music belonged to God.

About five years ago another shift occurred. I was considering upgrading my art training by taking a local community college art course. Right up to the very last day for registration, I felt torn about it for some reason. I decided to check in, asking my inner guidance: "Should I take this community college art class?" Answer: "No." I questioned: "Should I take a class?" A: "Yes." Q: "From what school?" And then the oddest answer came: "The School of the Mystical Arts." I began to scan in my mind about this school with the unusual name. Was it in our area? I had never heard of such a place. A funny, giddy feeling came over me and a suspicion that it might not be located in my town or even on this earth plane, so I asked: "Who is the instructor?" The answer came with finality: "Spirit."

How has working with spirit changed your Art?

Working with spirit has changed everything for me. I sit in silence longer. I listen more deeply. I draw more from prayer and meditation. I receive my inspiration in what I call "downloads" of information and energy prior to beginning and so have more confidence in the process and the outcome. I get to participate in miracles. I believe my work as an artist is more significant now as a spiritual service. I feel it is a part of, but not greater than, anything any other Lightworker may be about at this time of planetary transformation. It has given me a strong confidence, born of experience, that I need not worry so much about talent or skill level, but rather focus on the purity of the internal work which will eventually manifest more beautifully and powerfully in the outward form. It is much more significant to love, to forgive and to clear myself, to open in utter trust to other dimensional help, to be the open door, and to practice holding a strong, focused intention on a spiritual outcome rather than art for art sake. I now consider the mediums of art and music to be catalytic vehicles for transformation. The following verse I wrote describes exactly how it goes.

Pour out the fear...

Empty and trusting...

And I will fill you up

With the fresh flowers

Of my joyous love.

To empty out...

To be refilled...

This pattern of breath

And life

Goes on and on...

And you,

The open vessel,

Will hold all that you

Were ever meant to hold-

And it will be

Beautiful!

You also have writing as a creative outlet. Does this also come from spirit?

Yes, absolutely.

From The Heart

I sit in sacred silence
Before the empty page...
Contemplating everything
That brought me to this stage...
Always one for holding tight
The reigns of my control,
Always one for guarding fast
The portals of my soul,
Till you took me on a journey,
Till you shook me upside down,
Till you left me in confusion
Still and wounded on the ground...
Dying to the world I knew
Of cautious carefulness,
You lifted me beyond myself
And showed me how to bless
Everything I feared before,
All my mind can’t know-
How to open up within
And let my feelings go...
And now I feel the thrill and risk
Of living by the heart!
Born anew, a child to you,
God, show me where to start.

You also offer Soul Portraits, what gave you the inspiration to offer this kind of service?

I used to want to paint portraits- period. But as my marriage of spirit and art has deepened, so has my desire to portray not just a physical likeness of people, but to include more aspects of their inner soul and their deeper spiritual journey through life. Part of the work I now do in private commission is to draw out from the heart of my clients their own creative visions and dreams. The process is unique and the possibilities are endless. By helping them take their inner reflection a creative step further, we go into the visual realm of symbol, color, design and portraiture. This personalization becomes a continuation of exploration and discovery for us both, using whatever art medium best reflects their choices. It’s wonderful!

On your web site you feature memorial art, how would you describe that?

I also do a work called "Angel Bridge" which is a memorial art service available for those who have had loved ones pass away. The interesting twist on this work is that I am not to market the business so much from this side of the veil. Those on the other side of the death veil who "commission" me must, through a series of magically synchronistic events, bring their people to me! It’s things like this that make this work so fun and exciting.

A recent addition to this work has been where unexpectedly a personalized song or poem will come through to me during my process of painting for someone. The highlight for me so far, was a song that came through while I was working on a memorial portrait of my own father who had passed away a few years ago, commissioned by my mother.

One morning as I was exercising, I felt a strong musical wave wash over me. This usually indicates that a song is waiting. I stopped what I was doing, picked up paper and pen, and asked: "What is it called?" I heard the words "My Heart." I was touched to the core, realizing that this was from my father, as those two words were loaded with intense meaning. He had struggled with congential heart disease and multiple open heart surgeries throughout his life. He had struggled with emotional issues of the heart. There had been gaps and holes and troubles. He had difficulty with expressions of love. His family had been wounded. The words began to pour in: "My heart didn’t know how to love, to be... Didn’t know how to give what you needed from me. It was broken somehow so long ago... Didn’t know why, but I loved you so." I sensed that this song was for my mother. Then the chorus came in: Sweetheart, forgive me... I’m learning to love a very new way, hoping somehow you’ll feel me today- opening and healed to the core. With open heart, I stand at your door." It was a love song spanning the two worlds. Needless to say, the tears began to flow as a healing blessing came to me and of course, eventually, my father’s sweetheart.

No matter what form it takes, the most essential part of my work is the Divine Light and blessings that permeate, and the healing powers of spirit that flow through these art forms on into the listener or the viewer. It ties me more deeply to a sense of connectedness, to being a part of all, rather than having a frustrated ego thinking it all depends on me and that I am not good enough to hold my own against the more talented "competition" out there. I now know I have my own work and no one can take that away from me. I have a huge back up team for success, AND my definition of success is very different now. I work for the sheer blessing and joy of knowing that through my art people are moved, deepened, touched, blessed and inspired. If it brings beauty, transformation, comfort, healing, peace or joy- I know that this is success.

Mary, what a wonderful thought, thank you so much for your time.

Mary Angelico ~ born February 18 1957, has been drawing and painting almost as far back as she can remember. Developing her talent through a variety of private instruction and local community college courses, she still considers herself primarily self-taught. At age 13 she displayed a talent for portraiture; at 17 she was chosen to compete as a Sterling Scholar in Art, representing her high school in a statewide competition, eventually winning first place and receiving a college scholarship. She majored in Art from 1975-1976. Drawing from a variety of artistic styles and influences, Mary has been most strongly attracted to the work of John Singer Sargent and inspired by the Pre-Raphaelite vision and dedication to noble ideals. Once described as an ‘Illuminist Visionary,’ Mary acknowledges that she now considers Art to be a part of her spiritual practice, a sacred medium of Spirit.

Her work has been featured at the Flying Hare Gallery in Nevada City, CA, and a current show hangs at the Unity Church of Seattle in Seattle, WA.

Open for commission and creative consultation, Mary currently resides in Edmonds, Washington, USA and can be contacted by email or phone at:

maryangelico@gmail.com / (001) 425-648-9192 www.freewebs.com/maryangelico

Website:

An Interview with Maat Barlow

By Colin Whitby

For some time now I have been interested in numbers and how they keep appearing in our lives (see my article 'stepping into the one'). Then the opportunity came to read Maat's book where I learned a really interesting and practical way of using numbers. Maat explains in her book Living by Numbers how numbers are everywhere, all around and connected to everything, they are always at hand, directing, guiding and recording everything we do through time and space. I hope you enjoy our interview.

How did you come to be interested in numbers, particularly how they express more than just numerical values?

Numbers have always been part of my life, like most people, but it was only when I started going to Kundalini Yoga classes given by Shiv Charan Singh that I began to see them in a different light. Shiv is an unusual man – a Scottish Sikh with a long, flowing red beard and turban, so that in itself was out of the ordinary. After the yoga class ended, he opened another space into the numbers where people sat in a circle and discussed different aspects of life in reference to the numbers. It was all very new and abstract. I couldn’t get a grip on much in the beginning and found it difficult and confronting. But there was a part of me that recognised something in this strange, new experience, and soon I became a regular at his classes.

Were you interested in numbers as a child?

Yes, simple arithmetic at that stage of life was fun, but the numbers also grabbed me in other ways that weren’t so obvious. One of my early memories was around the age of 3 at pre-school. I still vividly remember the counting book with its orange cover, white pages and big, black spots that represented the numbers. On my 6^th birthday, my mind zoomed back to the page in that counting book with the two perfect columns of three black spots, and decided the time had come when I could do anything. Turning 6 seemed to be a very important birthday and an opportunity not to be missed. Like a vandal, I ran through the garden bashing down the flower heads on all the rose bushes, which of course, was very shocking for my parents, especially as I was a "good" child. It was definitely an act of rebellion. And all these years later I find that attack, shock and rebellion are expressions of 6, so the numbers had already begun to make themselves known in their own inimitable way.

What interested you in the teachings of Shiv Charan Singh and his approach to numbers?

The whole concept and conversations in those group meetings were unlike anything I’d met before. I liked the way Shiv let the numbers speak for themselves, rather than manipulating them into a system by stamping meanings or labels onto them. Each number has its own language that naturally unfolds, so everything can be related to them without someone else’s interpretation or judgement.

Since a child, I’ve always been interested is the hidden stuff behind the front that most of us put up. It was obvious that the unsaid was powerfully evident, but since no one seemed to want to go there or express it, it was difficult to find the language and bring those abstract thoughts and feelings to the surface. Shiv’s classes were an opportunity to practise finding the words, and with the spiritual teachings as the focal point through the numbers, things began to get a little clearer.

You explain how numbers, particularly 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, each have a significance and you take us through that journey in your book. How did the idea formulate for you, does it form part of the teachings of Shiv Charan Singh?

Yes, my book is based on Shiv’s teachings. From what he taught, I took a strand which I felt particularly drawn to. I focused on the fundamental elements and presented it through a simple equation: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10. Shiv uses this format to demonstrate the four-fold nature of life, and the neutral mind at 4 as a shortcut to transcendence at number 10. I found this equation to be a very logical and neat way to present the basics of life in an easy-to-remember visual, and so chose to open it out and based everything around it.

It’s easy to get fascinated by the colourful, interesting aspects of spirituality, but there has to be a point when all those teachings and techniques are embodied and lived. And that depends on a fundamental determination and willingness to move through any internal programmes of resistance, as well as a generosity of spirit to keep the energy flowing when meeting an external clash from someone else. It’s not an exciting or glamorous point of sale, but it is the bottom line. That’s the simple message I wanted to get across, and the equation, I think, lays it out so simply and effectively.

I’ve not seen numbers described in this way before, like personal and impersonal, but they make perfect sense the way you describe them. Was this your own idea for the book?

The personal and impersonal are two sides of the same coin; just another expression of duality. Shiv paired the numbers to represent this dynamic, and my contribution is, hopefully, to help promote these abstract points of interest. In the book, I often refer to the infinity symbol ∞, which is like an 8 on its side. One expression of number 8 is the vital life-force, which moves through the circuit of opposites – waking up in the morning and going to bed at night, charging up and emptying and charging up again. It’s a simple visual, which perfectly illustrates the polarized energy in which we all live and interact with everyone and everything; the personal and the impersonal.

You share many of your own personal lessons as illustrations for the book, which is really brave. How does this feel now the book has been published and you are ‘out there’?

It’s strange why we do things, but now that the book has been published, it becomes clearer. In the book, the basic message is to learn to listen to the voice of your soul at number 1 in the equation, and live by that directive. That means letting go of needy attachments at number 2 and the ego’s control at number 3. And that can only happen by taking the leap of faith to meet oneself without all the beliefs and illusions that cushion and buffer reality at number 4. It’s easy to say in words, but unbelievably hard to do, or even to know how to do it.

I set myself up for this leap by leaving Shiv’s group and writing the book, which for me was symbolic of stepping into number 4. The decision was very natural; it was just that’s what I had to do. As I wrote about the numbers, I started to weave in what I believed was the hidden stuff behind the front. Of course, that hidden stuff is personal, and now that the book is out, it’s no longer safely tucked away. The impact of that was the reality hit, and I saw myself clearly without the illusions that have shielded me in the past. It was shocking, but that’s what I wanted - the saying "be careful of what you wish for" springs to mind!

How has writing the book changed your life, will you continue with your other work interests or do you see yourself focusing more on the book and it’s teachings?

The whole point of studying the numbers was to change aspects of my life, and the experience of meeting myself in the raw through the book has done that; at least, it’s started the process. I’ve been in a phase of learning and introspection for the past few years, and now it’s time to come out of that. It’s like I’ve got the theory and now I’ve got to make it real. I can’t imagine abandoning the teachings of the numbers, but there are different ways to go forward. I’ve just moved, so everything is very new, and structures have to be built again. This time, I have the opportunity to build them consciously in the way that I want.

Like the experience with the rose bushes that I had as a child, the hit of reality is a time when number 6 is powerfully evident. Not only is it a chance to become clearer, but it also opens the way for other possibilities to shine through.

Do you see yourself doing workshops or talks about the teachings in your book?

In Kundalini Yoga, there’s a saying: "If you want to know something, read about it; if you want to learn something, write about it, and if you want to master something, teach it. So having followed the equation myself, I hope the process will help me develop a really worthwhile way to offer the teachings of the numbers, whether that’s a workshop, talks or something else altogether!

Maat Barlow has been studying the numbers since 1999. She also draws upon her experiences as a mother, yoga teacher and illustrator.

Maat Barlow - www.maatbarlow.com

Shiv Charan Singh - www.karamkriya.co.uk

An Interview with Andrew and Angela Donovan

By Colin Whitby

I met Andrew and Angela at their home in the UK to talk to them about their new book The Hidden Oracle of India. In the book they describe their journey to India to meet the Naadi Palm Leaf Readers and how, for Andrew in particular, this has made an impression on their lives.

Colin – In order to be able to understand the Naadi Palm Leaves and the fact that they were taken from the Akashic records there are a number of beliefs to take on board, such as there is such a thing as the Akashic records, and that the Lord Shiva had scribes copy from them onto the leaves, thousands of years ago. How do these ideas sit with you?

Andrew - I have problems with it actually, for Angela it is just par for the course, it’s a natural thing, but for me to imagine that Shiva could have decreed that my life should be recorded on a leaf and then be relayed to me when the leaf chooses to meet up with me (not when I choose to meet it), I found, and still find staggering.

I can’t really make sense of it, but there’s part of me that doesn’t mind. When Angela first told me of the Naadi’s and the way they worked I thought it was poppycock, I just couldn’t believe it whatsoever. Now, having been through the experience of the leaf reading, I’m perfectly happy to accept it, even though I am still sceptical as to how it is done.

I can’t square the circle, I am suspicious of Shiva but am happy to accept that he’s there, I’m suspicious of the Akashic records but somehow what has been told to me can only serve to demonstrate that they exist.

The way that the Naadis have behaved and how they have related my life to me was not vague generalities end of the pier stuff, they were remarkably specific and there is a lot that was said to both of us that is not in the book, so there is no way that they could do this without some other agency assisting them. For me it was Earth shaking.

Colin - Do you find that the journey has stimulated more questions, more searching?

Andrew – I haven’t gone too far down other tracks yet as I have found that what we experienced was daunting enough in a way. It has shaken me so much, yet reassured me much more that I’m almost happy to just accept it for what it is.

Colin – How do you feel about your life having been recorded all those years ago?

Andrew – I find it astounding that we are doing exactly what we knew we were going to do aeons ago, our souls are going down the tracks they are supposed to be on, I hate to think that my life is just running on rails, I’d rather I was building the rails as I went.

Colin – One of the things I found rather mind boggling was the way the Naadis have of sorting the leaves through thumb prints, so how did they know all those years ago which thumb prints we would have?

Angela - It depends where your mind and your thinking is stuck, from your background, your education, or your belief system.

If you can take yourself out of those limitations and find yourself looking down to get an overall picture, take yourself out of linear time and measurement to be able to see the whole of our civilisation, then you can take on the concept of beyond time, where everything is happening at the moment.

You can see or hear at any moment of this civilisation that you wish to pick upon. In doing this you will understand that the intelligence of the Creator overviewing this civilisation gave permission for this information to be given to the seven prophets.

It was known by the Creator that humanity would be based in categories. Anything we do and understand in our consciousness today, we end up categorising. So they created the 108 categories and defined there would be a marking imprint that would come through with the consciousness of the soul that goes into the physical body, hence the thumb print.

Colin – So somewhere there must be a mountain of leaves if every life is recorded?

Andrew – Yes everything was done on leaves. It’s phenomenal and it’s not just lives that were recorded, there’s architecture, medicine, alchemy – every branch of civilisation is there. The whole of South East Asia have developed their own libraries from the leaves as their cultures have developed.

Angela – This is also not to do with religion – we can bless the ancient Hinduism for keeping these records, and if it wasn’t for that they wouldn’t exist, but this is beyond religion as we know it today.

Colin – So the people who were asking you the question must have been working on more that one level, the verbal and the non verbal, in order to sort out who you were and if they had your leaves.

Andrew – Well that was another strange thing because there were many occasions when we would get down to a leaf that I really believed was mine - there would be 10 or 20 questions that I had answered with a 'yes' and then there would be one 'no', and for that he would discard the leaf and start again.

So there are an awful lot of people just like you, just like me, because we found 3 or 4 leaves that I thought were me that transpired to be someone quite different in the end. I can now quite believe that there might be such a thing as doppelgangers.

I was so shocked and staggered that all this could have been sitting there on the table in front of me written down by some bloke in a cave, it was just unbelievable. If it had been happening in Sheffield or Oxford at least it would be in our culture, but this was 4 or 5 thousand miles away with a group of people who spoke an entirely different language, and in a culture that was totally alien to me and presented in a form that was equally alien to me.

Yet here was a leaf in front of me that had details about my university degree, all about by father’s background and his Christian name, there were details about my mother and what she did for a living, it was just unbelievably detailed.

Colin – How did you get on with the idea that you had to clear your past sins?

Andrew - The other thing I found very interesting and again quite a shock was this whole concept of sin. Previously I had dismissed the idea of sins, and when it was mentioned in the reading that I would have to make amends for my sins, it was almost an affront.

Colin – Yes and the idea of having someone, on your behalf, carrying out some kind of ritual for you, purchasing some symbolic clothing on your behalf for ‘puja’ and then giving it to the poor, chanting and so on.

Andrew – Yet when they started to tell me what my sins were, it all made perfect sense, the way I had reacted in this life because of the sins in my past life it was just like clicking a switch, it just made the connection, it felt right. I can’t explain why but deep within myself I know they were 110 percent correct.

It seemed to be a bit like pre-destination, those other worldly notions that really shouldn’t exist, but I’m pretty sure they do now. Does that mean there is a heaven and a hell I wonder?

Colin – As soon as you step into one area, you seem to be asked to take on board a number of others, like the whole thing of Karma and re-incarnation. Some people are really nervous around previous lives for example but I’m absolutely convinced that previous life experiences can transfer to this life.

Andrew – Well it’s interesting to me because they only talked about one past life, when I was a Kshatriya Warrior. And yet when Angela had regressed me previously we encountered a totally different life. It seems that whatever sins you have from each life, you carry them forward each time, and the life the Naadis spoke of made just as much sense as the one with Angela.

For a sceptical, logical man it just didn’t sit very well really!

Colin – Well thank you both for inviting me into your home today and talking so openly.

Angela Donovan has been a spiritual mentor and medium for 15 years, and paranormal advisor for television series including Jane Goldman Investigates. She is author of The Secrets of Psychic Success (Rider, 2007). Her clients include the royal and famous. Angela has been featured in magazines and press including the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, The Sun, TV Times, and on UK television and radio (BBC1, ITV, Living Channel, BBC Radio 2 with Johnnie Walker) LBC The Psychic Show, My Spirit Radio). She also has a media presence in LA and New York. http://www.angeladonovan.com/

Andrew Donovan had his own architectural practice in London until 2003. Since then he has written books, screenplays and television documentaries. Andrew has appeared on Sky television talking about past life regression.