June's a real gem

Crystal Clear: June with one of the stones she uses to help get rid of stress.

[Disclaimer: This article is written from a pro-mysticism perspective and as such I distance myself from the comments made within. What someone believes crystals can do and what they can prove that they do are two different things,and personal experiences do not count as a scientific trial that shows positive evidence as an effect.Because of this no one should be pleased that unproven beliefs are entering modern medicine,as they are likely to prove dangerous if not shown to have the actual effects claimed for them.Who would wish to be operated upon by someone who believed he was as good as a neurosurgeon?  Without proof such claims are hogwash -LB]
Crystal gazer June Lamb believes the energies released by precious gemstones can ease the stresses and strains of the daily rat race. But she is definitely not set in the Madame Zazza mould. Unlike others who espouse the healing powers of cosmic energy, she does not dress in weird and wonderful togs or appear at psychic events.
The 30-year-old occupational therapist worked at Hope Hospital, Pendleton, for many years and is now based with a community mental health team in Salford. Her work covers a wide variety of problems from treating basic stress and anxiety to more acute illnesses like clinical depression and schizophrenia. June trained at Salford College of Technology (now University College, Salford) and lives in Rochdale. She says: "I was interested in working in the NHS when I was in the sixth-form so I read up on various professions and decided that occupational therapy was really what I wanted to do.It can be very stressful because the workload is often very taxing, but I really love it."
June is pleased that there has been a move away from high-tech medicine and drug-based therapies to other forms of treatment in the NHS. Activities like art therapy, woodwork, and pottery to help relax people suffering from stress and anxiety are now fairly common.But the health service has yet to embrace such esoteric matters as crystals.
June says: "The crystals are a completely separate part of my life.I became interested in them several years ago and did a training course to become a therapist. I have trained to a basic level and I am now hoping to work up to a more advanced standard."
Forget the diamonds as big as the Ritz. Crystal gazing is not as expensive as it may sound. Gemstones can be bought for anything from a few pence from "alternative" shops. Amethyst, ruby, and quartz stone are most commonly used for healing purposes.
June explains: "You can use them in a variety of ways. Some people wear them on a piece of jewellery or just carry them around. But you can also go to a crystal therapist and have a proper healing session in which the stones are placed on the body."

Bizarre
The question is why? After all, it does sound somewhat bizarre,. June explains: "All matter is composed of molecules which are held together by an electro-magnetic force and energy. The crystals radiate these vibrations and if you are really in tune you can begin to feel them."
Followers of the philosophy believe crystals interact with the body's natural energies to bring about a sense of well-being. It is believed that "trapped" energy can cause all kinds of psychological problems or lead to excesses like drug or alcohol abuse. But crystals, it is claimed, can bring things back into balance and create a more positive approach to life.
June's enthusiasm is based firmly on personal experience. She says: "The only way anyone can really understand how crystals work is to experience it for themselves. "I was interested in the idea, although I was sceptical at first, but then I took part in a course.They asked for a volunteer to demonstrate how the crystals worked and it was so powerful I just couldn't believe it. "I had my eyes shut and then my heart started racing and there was a surge of energy through my body. I opened my eyes and just burst into tears, which was quite embarrassing because the room was full of people! There was obviously a lot of repressed pain and emotion I had been keeping inside."

June Lamb at work as an occupational therapist.

According to June, each stone has a different "vibe" which can be used to treat different problems. Crystal therapists also ask patients general questions about lifestyle and diet to find out what is causing the stress, then choose the stones accordingly. June says the benefits can be felt after just a few consultations. She also believes the healing properties of the minerals can be imbibed by leaving a stone in a glass of water overnight. "The water absorbs the energy and can be drunk the following morning as a tonic," she adds. Crystals may have no role to play yet in conventional NHS medicine, but June believes things may change.
She points out: "Ten years ago, it would have been unthinkable that you could get acupuncture on the NHS, but now it is possible."
June's work as a crystal therapist is confined to friends and relatives but she has considered taking it up full time. For now, she contents herself with talks to community groups and spreading the word about her interest.
She says: "Many people I work with have a strong interest in complementary therapies. A lot of research has been done into crystals and they are gaining credence all the time."
You can obtain more Information from the Academy of Crystal and Natural Awareness, Weston-super-Mare (0934 815083).

Cup curse turns out to be a lucky charm for Margaret
No jinx: Thakeray's Bookshop owner Margaret Williams with the trophy she claims has broken the Denton Carnical Curse.	Margaret said all the wooden planks in the 'suspended' ceiling were secured. But then one day last month, when Margaret made her way past a revolving book stand in her shop in Manchester Road, Denton, she heard a thud, and looked up to see a 13ft plank of wood caught 'in the arms' of the Denton Carnival trophy on top of the book stand. "I was stunned. My first thought was if it hadn't been for that cup I would have had a nasty bump on the head," she told us. "I was just really glad that family and friends had put in so much effort last year to win it. "We appear to have broken the jinx. Since that incident everything has gone really well. "The shop has been sorted out, the building work has gone really well, and we have opened the other part of the shop and a tea room," she said. Margaret is now planning to take part in this year's Denton Carnival on Sunday. Despite having a new shop window put in tomorrow (Friday), Margaret is still hoping she, her mum and the shop's founder, Elsie Thackeray and her daughter and shop manager, Jenny Williams can get the shop ship shape in time. And despite the so called jinx surrounding the cup Margaret believes it has turned out to be a lucky charm. by Nick Hodgson [The Advertiser Sep14 2000]
WHEN Margaret Williams won the best-dressed shop front trophy at Denton Carnival last year she was gripped by a sense of unease. The book-shop owner knew the three previous winners of the prize had subsequently closed down. But rather than being a jinx, Margaret found the cup to be a real life saver when she decided to expand her business by taking over the shop next door. She said the drama started after she had some building work done between her shop, Thackeray's Books and the empty adjoining property - which used to be The Mill Shop, previous winners of the Denton Carnival best-dressed shop front trophy. The separating wall, which had helped support the shop's artificial ceiling, was removed to reveal the much higher true ceiling.

Is Nostro wrong? Perhaps not

SIR - We thank God that, for once, Nostrodamus got it wrong. But has he? He made his predictions through using a combination of astrology, astronomy, physics, mathematics and some say, witchcraft. When he made these predictions the outer most planets were not known about so the gravitational pull and orbital paths could not be added to his calculations. Also the calendars have been changed since he made his predictions. Taking these aspects into account, it's possible that the time of the disaster will be transferred to the millennium. Modern scientists and believers say the terror of judgement will come in the form of a comet or asteroid hitting the planet. I do -not believe this as what else is orbiting the planet above our heads - Star Wars, nuclear missiles? The great nations say these are disarmed and obsolete, but they are still up there only turned off by the computer. -What if there is a millennium bug? What if it strikes these computers, there goes the fail-safe mechanism, the heads are rearmed and bye - bye planet. Let's hope everyone has got it all totally wrong. Nostro Believer, Name and address supplied. [The Advertiser]

Mysteries of life made crystal clear?

EVER wondered what a chakra is or why some people swear by the properties of marble and quartz? Crystal therapist Carol Wallace (right) is starting a new evening class for those who want to discover the wonders of crystals and how they can help everyday life. Carol, who runs Crystal Carols in George Street, Ashton said: "The course is for anybody who wants to self develop. Crystals can help the spiritual, physical and emotional." The course covers how to work with crystals, readings on energies, self awareness, meditation and where your chakras are the energy centres in the body. Classes in this ancient art, which was used by the ancient Egyptians, start on January 22 and run for 10 weeks at Hyde Clarendon Sixth Form College. For further information phone on 0161 8086800. (03-0132) [The Advertiser Jan 18,2001]

I'm absolutely appalled that my Ex college (Hyde) allows this sort of ignorant rubbish to be taught in a place of education.Whether people swear by the properties of crystals or not - it doesn't mean they actually do the things claimed for them.

It's in the cards
		Sinead (Rose Keegan) consults the tarot in Hearts and Bones
	To admit to using tarot used to be like conceding to a belief in the Tooth Fairy but tirnes have changed. Evolution is partially responsible - today's new breed of tarot readers are less Live And Let Die's Solitaire, more sympathetic,intuitively- attuned counsellor types who have disowned their purple outfits and thunderous airs and operate out of low-key, psychic-friendly coffee houses specialist shops and client houses
But tarot's main reason for swapping the mystified margins for the mainstream appears to be our hectic, modern lifestyles. 'People see tarot now,not so much as mystical dabbling,' says Sally Love of new age shop Mysteries in London, 'but almost like a complementary therapy.' In a lifestyle strewn with pressure, pace, toil and trouble, tarot is being greeted as a useful tool to help us pause, take stock and reassess our sometimes railroaded direction.
Sipping a cold beer in Notting Hill's Twelth House, I am hit upon by a fellow punter - it's my reader, Rob. After a general chat, he introduces the cards - a large illustrated deck of 78 - which I fervently scan for any Devils or spectres of Death to palm before he explodes the myth that ominous cards have obvious meanings (Death is but the closing of a chapter while the Devil represents internal repression not eternal damnation). Rob likens the reading of the cards to an art form, drawing out themes he feels are most relevant to those of his client and encouraging them to read the meanings as they shuffle and pick out certain cards. Rarely will a reader utter predictions at a rapt client. Tarot works best [It doesn't work - LB]with client participation - puzzling out together how the cards might relate to present situations. It is for this reason homespun readings are enjoying a growth with urbanites seeking guidance through the cards on everything from finding love to furthering careers. Reading the cards, while a gift, can be taught and most good decks (try Liz Dean's newly illustrated The Art of Tarot £12.99) come with an instruction manual and starter- spreads. Tarot's only potential hazard occurs when cards are accorded too much power - transforming them from a helpful divination tool into an addictive prophecy caster, a claim no true reader would guarantee. Sceptical souls may liken the reading of the cards to tossing a coin- spurring your gut instinct into action whether the outcome be desirable or objectionable and acting asa trigger for reluctant feelings. For my part, much of the reading hit the mark while some fell yards wide. Still, if we're happy to invest in eight-balls and destiny dice, I see no reason not to clear some space on the shelf for a beguiling pack of tarot cards.

Knock once for yes

Anyone out there? On Ultimate Psychic Challenge a bright and breezy blonde posed the question:Can we talk to the dead? Then the poet A.E. Housman was dying, someone told him a dirty joke-which Housman greatly relished. "That is indeed very good," he said, "I shall have to repeat it on the Golden Floor." But what is this Golden Floor like? And do they appreciate dirty jokes there? Even more crucially, why - according to voices from "the other side" - does it always sound so grindingly dull; like some unusually verdant suburb of Basingstoke? Ultimate Psychic Challenge (last night, Channel 4) began with doomy organ chords and a cackle of haunted house laughter before a blonde presenter announced brightly that tonight she and others would tackle "one of the biggest questions we face: can we talk to the dead?" If the answer is no she added, "millions face a crisis of faith." So no shortage of self-importance here then. This was to be the clincher - is there anybody out there? No more messing about Knock once for yes, twice for no and give a low but audible moan for don't know. To enable the studio audience to have its say, "you all have little pads which you can vote on" Not just to vote on, judging by the look of them - they were an elderly crowd. Among the people who stuck up their hands when asked if they believed in an afterlife was one fluffy-haired woman who said that she had woken up once "a long, long time ago and there was a Jewish guy at the bottom of my bed. And I was just astonished." Everyone waited patiently for her to go on, but no -that was it. Hardly definitive proof of life after death, you might think, yet plenty good enough for her; the implication being that the only way a Jewish man could ever have got into her bedroom was by being dead. Then on came a "renowned psychic" called Adam, who told another woman in the audience that she lived in a morgue and had a brother in Australia. The woman was very impressed - until it turned out that "Adam" was actually the American magician, James Randi, who admitted that he had merely done some boning up on her beforehand. At this point members of the audience were invited to lower themselves gingerly onto their pads and vote. This revealed the sceptics to be in a clear majority. Across the infinite chasm of the great divide, certain things were showing through; the main one being that even for a Saturday night in August, this was a remarkably tacky venture for Channel 4 - shrill, windy and proudly thick-eared in tone. There is, inevitably, a very thin dividing line between serving up an entertaining diversity of programmes, and a giant dog's dinner. Increasingly, though, Channel 4 is straying into dog's dinner territory, with no discernible identity to its output and insufficient quality control. While there are some excellent programmes - the previous Saturday's Maidens of the Lost Ark was a notable example - there's also an alarming amount of numbskull tat like this. Meanwhile back in the studio, after more interminable pad business, Keith, a "genuine" psychic, was asking another woman if her father had been called Michael or John, and if she had a problem with her foot. Cue frenzied nodding. At the end Keith, having uncocked his ear from Deadsville, asked how much of what he had said was true. "All of it," said the now sobbing woman. So her father really had been called Michael then, or John? Fractional pause. "Er, no, but my cousin who he lived with was called Michael." "It would be nice to believe," said one man wistfully. "Because no one really looks forward to death, do they?" Alas, this isn't quite true; sometimes it's the less agonising option. In Monday's Tonight with Trevor McDonald (ITV), Reg Crew, who suffered from motor neurone disease, flew from his home in Liverpool to Zurich in order to die. "All I want is a long sleep and not to wake up any-more," said Reg, a pitifully bent and prematurely wizened figure who seemed almost to be vanishing into the depths of his wheelchair. In order to highlight what he regarded as an absurd situation - a mortally ill man having to travel half- way across Europe to end his suffering - Reg agreed to be filmed on his final journey. One of the traditional problems with assisted suicides is that the people doing the assisting are often so creepy; happily tinkering with their homemade death dispensers and racklng up "deliverances" like charnel-house Casanovas. But Dignitas, the organisation that Reg had gone to, seemed a pretty uncranky lot. So too - despite his somewhat operatic name - did Dignitas's secretary general, Ludwig A. Minelli, who met Reg and his wife and daughter at the airport. After opting to take the scenic route round the lake, Reg was soon lying down in an apartment taklng the first of two fatal cocktails. Half an hour later, the second dose sent him off. It was a remarkable sight - remarkable not for its drama, or even for its poignancy, but for its apparent matter-of-factness. Behind a half-closed door and with his family gathered around him, Reg slipped quietly and unobtrusively away. [Sunday Telegraph Aug24 2003]

MAIN INDEX

REFERENCE GUIDE

TRANSCRIPTS

GLOSSARY