Latest post from ThirdAid

Making a new sound by Cumie Dunio Amengual

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 11:29:00 GMT

What a gift to be able to look back upon a past experience from a new height of understanding and love. This usually also means that any future reminders or similar challenges can be met with a much more fluid grace and ease - and perhaps even a smile, from knowing that you can handle it or knowing that it won't even be an issue. My "knowing" is part due to the help from Judy Fraser and her Second Aid. Now I can help inspire others in a tough spot by sharing my story.

10 years can include many things... In my case, they included divorce, a rapid move to a new continent, later marrying the love of my life (married by Judy!), dealing with the Spanish government's smothering expenses & seemingly endless red tape upon my current husband's company, the painful closure of that company, loosing our Palma property to the bank -- and yet now living & working across 4 properties in both Spain & England.

I also lived the loss of a close family member who was in her 50's.

More experiences include having met music icons (& in most cases having gotten to sing with them!), such as Bobby McFerrin, Garry Christian, Donovan, Dave Stringer... licensing my music for Armani videos with tennis pro Rafael Nadal and actress Megan Fox, releasing my first formal album, being contracted for my dream singing role with a full orchestra and four backing choirs, and growing my once shy & slightly awkward singing workshops into a fully-fledged experience of love-in-action through breath, voice and movement.

All this and much more by 36 years of age.

And one of the most important and private issues of all... the surrendering of my perhaps oldest & deepest pattern (both it's positive & negative aspects) to LOVE... which means patience... more patience... and trusting in the process. This private challenge is something you would not guess by looking in from the outside, and it's still a work in process. Should I be blessed enough to reach old age, perhaps I'll write about this particular challenge in my memoirs. Most people would be surprised. The story of an unusual challenge that is met with love across many years... that would surely inspire others, so I'll quite likely be able to share it some day.

So HOW did my husband and I overcome such immense challenges? Meditation, compassion, willingness to talk in depth about difficulties, and trusting that if we continually gave our energy to right-action, the Universe would continue to show signs of supporting our efforts. Plus, giving ourselves some moments to rest (though not always possible), with an occasional dose of fun or pampering, helped too! No doubt the strain we were under made us at times appear rather odd to some people - remembering this gives me added compassion when people do annoying or seemingly nonsensical things.

Judy's group meditation sessions helped us in that they connected us to Source, allowed us to safely discharge some mental-emotional static, and let us *accept* each stage along the path - as well as feel the oncoming connection to a healthier state of being.

I also enjoyed many sessions of active meditation through singing. The voice is a special tool in that it serves as a bridge between the invisible and the manifest worlds. Slow singing is one of the fastest and least invasive ways to harmonize the breath, heartbeat and nervous system. Singing/toning creates an internal massage - where we can literally "hold ourselves" in our own vibration, moving stuck energies in both our physical and subtle energy bodies. The voice can serve as a powerful amplifier for our healing.

I've always enjoyed singing, and I've been particularly lucky to have met and joined a group of kindred spirits who enjoy slow singing as much as I do. "MuOM, Barcelona Overtone Singing Choir", is a group of 7 singers from different countries and walks of life. MuOM has been together for years. My years with them have been greatly enriched, by the work & art that transpires both within and outward from this group.

I've also seen the lives of quite a few of MuOM's concert-goers & workshop participants change for the better. Slow singing & overtone singing (aka harmonic chant) have many positive affects on our psyche/emotions/physical state. The overtone scale is also known as "Nature's scale". Just listening to overtones can trigger emotional releases and alter a person's state of consciousness. Even if you've never heard overtone singing before - when you eventually do, it seems so familiar. The sacred geometry of these musical-mathematical relationships is actually built-in to our DNA. Much of today's music is built upon altered, man-made tuning - so when we sing/hear/resonate with Nature's tuning, we feel relieved and supported. It's like sonic nutrition.

It is deeply inspiring to witness how MuOM's work is touching & changing people's lives for the better. MuOM has toured much of Spain, and in late July this year, we travel to Manchester, Liverpool & Northern Wales. We are now gathering contacts & resources for MuOM's first visit to the UK - and to be able to travel further with this project. We are also interested in building a dome in Catalunya, where we can hold intensive workshops - so that each participant can experience their own vibration and the group vibration, in a space with good acoustics and supportive energy. We welcome your input and participation.

In closing, Judy Fraser & Second Aid helped mine, and also my husband's, healing processes after some beyond-stressful events. And much of my continued renewal is happening through the sonic-energy work of MuOM... perhaps yours can too. Please get in touch. In addition The multiple facets of yoga practice have also helped guide me on the path of life. After having been briefly introduced to Kundalini Yoga in Manhattan in 2003, I later was given the serendipitous opportunity to go to K.Y. classes in Mallorca, on a trade basis. In 2012-13, I earned my Level I teacher certificate via trainings with Sat Guru Kaur Khalsa in Barcelona & Karta Singh at Amrit Nam Sarovar (ANS) in France.

cumie@cumie.com

MuOM short video - http://youtu.be/Avykxc9n1WY

judy@judyfraser.com

judy@i-sky.net

www.judyfraser.com

www.i-sky.net

judyfraser1.wordpress.com

Fear Courage Fulfilment Service

Thu, 06 Mar 2014 16:10:00 GMT

Fear then Courage

and now

Fulfilment and Service

Within life we have many defining lines that indicate the end of one chapter in our book of life and the beginning of the next one. It is not a rare event and we get better at managing endings and beginnings as we go along. Rarely are lines as clearly defined as that experienced by Liam and Marie (pictured above). The line was drawn when Marie was involved in a head on collision. This indelible marker was to redefine their lives.

On the 30th June 1998, at the midpoint of the year, Marie was driving in forestry commission land. As she turned a corner a speeding driver, on her side of the road appeared. There was no time to take evasive action: impact was imminent. The speeding driver walked away from the accident. Marie broke her neck.

In the car and paralysed, she called out to God and the great unseen for help. She was aware of a sound, rising in pitch, reaching a crescendo. She followed the guiding sound and in an instant was fully alert and aware. She called on everything she had ever believed and trained in and this became a source of great healing support. She became aware of an inner sound that began to inform her, "be still, you have broken your neck. Trust, all will be well." She was in a life and death situation and this inner wisdom spoke deeply while people gathered around the car to help. She told them not to touch her, to get help.

Liam was called at work and told that Marie was in a critical condition. When Liam arrived at accident and emergency, Marie was on a spinal board, sandbags packed around her neck and body. The news was not good; her reflexes were not responding, a spinal cord injury and paralysis. Immediately, the medical profession gathered to support and enable healing. Throughout the whole experience Marie was listening to inner communication and responding to that wisdom. She was operated on, part of her hip placed into her neck, her vertebra wired and a titanium plate fixed to strengthen and support her spine. The operation was a success. With the love and support of Liam, family and friends and the Great unseen, she moves around this planet with ease, with every cell singing.

Liam and Marie met when both 7 and attending primary school. Many years later they met again and married. Liam was an IT consultant and people manager and his hobbies were football and world music, a great source of knowledge on all things musical, and a keen concert and live music supporter. Marie was a teacher of complimentary health and her interests were in spirituality and the healing arts. She grew up in a musical family and loved singing. Marie and Liam began studying with Judy Fraser. Marie went on to train in Judy's work. She also trained in voice and body, a dynamic marrying of voice, body movement and fluidity - the full body being the vessel of sound. She was actively exploring these subjects when the line was drawn.

Liam, challenged to unconditionally care, nurse and love his wife back to health had to toughen up and manage the recovery programme. He was not in a popular position, everyone wants to help but the space and time need to be appropriate. Liam had the courage to act as gatekeeper and to manage what was necessarily a protracted recovery; it would not be days but weeks and months. He watched and responded and loved and this amazing approach enabled space to heal from the trauma they shared. Family rallied round to support while Liam became an expert at clearing space to enable healing and working and earning as Marie could do neither. That was the line, the indelible marker that separates the before and after.

To help express her new status, Marie started to sing once more. As a result, gently and together they began to strengthen and realise that it was possible for Marie to sing and dance her way back to health. Her singing teacher retrained her voice and body as they were no longer the voice and body that had been originally trained, there is metal in the neck. A few years later, Liam took redundancy from work and they set off travelling around the world, but life had other plans. Three times they were called home as beloved key members of their families died. They never did finish their travels but trusting there was a reason they began working again.

Marie found another dynamic singing teacher and joined a choir. The choir leader left and Marie was asked to conduct the choir which she did with great success. She integrated sound, music, spirituality and the interplay between the inner and outer song. As each member joined, Marie supported the sound of wellness regardless of circumstances. She encouraged all to sing and move without fear, and the community of singers grew and grew to the extent that she was asked to start a second choir and it is becoming a full time occupation.

Few people know the story behind the obvious. As she stands and beats time with her arms, few know that once her body was still, as she moves her body to the rhythm of sound, few know her deep gratitude as she internally celebrates every movement. All they know is that Marie is alive, singing, dancing, thanking, loving and stumbling through life with a song in her heart. Marie is now looking at taking this healing knowledge into research and study. Liam is gently reflecting on the next step....and how he can help support Marie with the choirs. The journey through sound, song, music, the love that they share together has allowed them to traverse the many challenges that being on this planet brings. They embraced the Healer in the ultimate adventure and now they offer this gift onto others who need it.

For further details or direct contact email Marie

The Intrepid Medics and Abesu

Thu, 17 Oct 2013 15:19:00 GMT

First to be featured THE INTREPID MEDICS AND ABESU

Two medics usually working for the London Ambulance Service decided they wanted to input into the health and well being of an under equipped health care service in Zambia. The health clinic is staffed by one nurse who provides services to 2,500 local households. This initiative was sanctioned by the government and the administrators of ABESU. The two intrepid medics visited to learn what specialities were needed, and to augment and set up systems to support health education, emergency care requirements and implement routine vaccination programs. Their intention is, to not only offer remedial techniques and to input life saving measures but also to help to prevent the spread of disease. Recognition of the need in this one area encouraged them to expand the service, now colleagues within the London Ambulance Service are seeking to join with them and to enable improved health care. These people who give so much are still willing to give more as and where they can.

ABESU is a charity that was set up in Wales to help administer a group of women building their own houses in Chongwe, Zambia. In It is bringing abundance to the women in Africa who have a special approach to poverty and who have a track record in helping themselves after which they help others to build brick housing. Their efforts have attracted attention as such more funds are urgently needed. AIDS and HIV have had devastating effects as a result of which one parent homes often have to stretch to accommodate extended units. As well as the one person resident with their children already. Home-making has become an art form as they nurse extended families as well as working to earn a meagre living. Building their homes brick by brick, they make each brick one at a time. The beginnings of a hospital and an IT centre have been added to the facilities but evermore is needed. Supporting those who have proved they want to help themselves is an obligation and an honour and a service that has extended to other areas such as clean water, IT education and much more.

The reason ABESU is the first one featured is that one of the medics is one of Judy Fraser’s sons Andy. He is an IHCD trained and HCPC registered Paramedic currently employed by the London Ambulance Service as a solo rapid responder. He is trained in advanced life support (supraglottic airway management/cannulation) and certified to administer controlled drugs via IV/IM/Sub cut. He has worked in the Hospital environment alongside Nurses, Midwives and Doctors in Maternity, Theatre's and Accident & Emergency. He is a certified practice educator experienced in mentoring junior doctors and paramedics in pre-hospital emergency medicine. He is additionally trained in advanced pediatric emergency management, pre-hospital and neonatal life support.

The other founder medic is the daughter of parents who started ABESU. Rebecca is an Anthropology Honours Graduate who joined the University Hospital Cardiff as an Auxiliary Nurse and became an Emergency Technician in A&E. She is an IHCD trained HCPC registered paramedic with London Ambulance and has experience of treating patients presenting with CVA and STEMI’S, respiratory problems, traumatic injuries, acute medical conditions, and patients in cardiac arrest and in labour. She has completed numerous further training courses in pre-hospital trauma life support (Royal College of Surgeons), obstetrics, spinal injury, neonatal life support and infection control. She specialises in phlebotomy, cannulation, IV drug administration and endotraheal intubation.

If you choose to get involved or make a donation please contact the people listed directly.

You can make a difference by contributing financially. If you would like to help this initiative contact www.justgiving.com/IntrepidMedics

Are you already involved in something you would like to see featured in ThirdAid?

Please let Judy know: thirdaid@i-sky.net