Richard Stuttle

Author: Richard Stuttle

Fraudulent psychics and mediums

Be careful when choosing a medium. How could a psychic or medium mislead you? There are various ways spiritually this could be done, both knowingly by a psychic/medium or unwittingly by a psychic. It is important to make a distinction between a psychic and psychic/medium. There is also a moral question to unfold, the word ‘unscrupulous’ in the question leans towards a knowing deception by the psychic/medium.
Starting with the difference between a psychic and a medium. In the U.S the term ‘psychic medium’ is often used to describe what in the UK we generally just refer to as a ‘medium’. As many mediums will say, not all psychics are mediums, but all mediums are psychic. The distinction between the two is clear.
A psychic or psychism is when an individual connects to the energy/aura/auric field or other energetic fields of person or sitter. Though their sensitivity they are able to read the field for information. This can relate to all aspects of the sitter’s life. From current wellbeing and people close to the sitter, both dead and alive to the sitter’s future potential. A medium, through a different vibrational frequency connects to a loved one within the spirit world. This person is generally known by the sitter, the medium is able to give information understandable to the sitter to identify the spirit person. The two different abilities can become clouded as information about a spirit person, namely facts, dates and memories can be picked up in the energy field of the sitter.
In the introduction I mentioned, ‘unwittingly’ by the psychic. They may genuinely feel they are connecting with a sitters loved one in the spirit world as information given can be recognised. Only with further development by the psychic or the presence of a medium during the sitting can this distinction be clarified. It is also worth noting that psychism can be used to connect with any living entity on the earth plane to pick up information. Family pets, animals, or plant life. We could go a step further and psychism could be used to connect with different planes of existence within an individual or reality.
Regarding the moral aspects of misleading a sitter. The psychic/medium may not have a link with a spirit person but knowingly communicate to the sitter that they have even when they are connecting psychically. This could be for a number of reasons, but it is down to the morality of the psychic/medium. They could be having a bad day or could be trying to push something on the sitter for emotional retribution or monetary reward.
I believe it is not the fault of the psychic if they think they are working mediumistically, when in fact they are just picking up information psychically. Although, if working with the public who can sometimes be in an emotionally fragile state, it is the psychics responsibility as practitioners to be competent at their job and honest in who they say they are and what they can deliver.
When a psychic or psychic/medium misleads a sitter, they are causing emotional stress for the sitter. The sitter will generally know that something doesn’t feel right even if they are not spiritually aware. They will feel something is wrong, they will not find the peace and security that a genuine message from their loved one can bring. This will cause emotional unrest with the sitter which can spread to their family and wider into their community.
There are many fraudulent mediums working in the public domain, this is a huge problem for the Spiritualist community and Spiritualism as a religion. These people generally prey on vulnerable people and will take advantage wherever they can, usually for monetary reward or status. There are many cases of so-called mediums researching their sitters before readings. This is not even working psychically, it’s just fraud.
There is also an issue around tutors teaching spirit communication and mediumship. Some people choose to teach before they are fully aware of the subject or understand the energetic stability needed to run a workshop or development group. Badly prepared tutors will produce poor and emotionally unstable psychics or psychic/mediums.
I would like to praise the work of organisations such as the Spiritualists National Union (SNU) in striving to produce a high standard of mediumship. To help prevent people falling prey to fraudulent or poorly taught mediums they offer a robust teaching scheme so people with SNU qualifications are generally at a high standard of mediumship.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
Would I benefit from a development circle?
A development circle is a safe space and has a host of benefits for both trainee and experienced medium. To find a group of likeminded people who can work together is wonderful and should not be underestimated.
For the trainee medium its incredibly important to find the right teacher or tutor. There’s a long history of people sitting in development circles. Many great mediums past and present started by sitting in circle, finding it an environment for development and fast-tracking abilities.
Benefits can include
- A safe working environment.
- Knowledgeable and experienced teacher.
- Likeminded people on a similar journey.
- Access to a new community.
For the experienced medium. They may have been active in a few different circles with a few different teachers. Once a medium has more experience, they generally have an idea of the areas they wish to develop and where their natural abilities lay. These can be developed in a circle environment.
Some benefits can include
- Trance development.
- Physical phenomena.
- Deepened mediumship, discussion, and practice.
- Fast-tracking and pushing every member of the circle.
- A safe space for experimentation.
Development circles
Hannan Swaffer published his book ‘Northcliffes Return’ in 1924. It was around this time he held a circle which included Maurice Barbanell, he brought through famous teachings from one of his spirit guides called ‘Big Jump’ who would later become known as ‘Silver Birch’.
Emma Hardinge Britten wrote about the development circle in the Two Worlds in November 1887. “How to investigate Spiritualism, or rules for the spirit circle. The Spirit Circle is the assembling together of a number of persons seeking communion with the spirits who have passed from earth to the world of souls. The chief advantage of such an assembly is the mutual impartation and reception of the combined magnetisms of the assemblage, which forms a force stronger than that of an isolated subject—enabling spirits to commune with greater power and developing the latent gifts of mediumship.”
She went on to lay out a number of rules that applied to her circle, she was famous in her own right and one of the pioneers of Spiritualism, but also for channelling the energy of the Welsh reformer, Robert Owens.
To find the right circle is important
The energy must be right and regular meetings must take place with the cooperation of individuals and their spirit teams. Sitting in circle can be of huge benefit to even the most experienced medium. There is an opportunity for fast-tracking, it is possible to go further within a group energy than just alone.
I have heard stories of amazing happenings in circle from many good standing mediums reporting any number of physical phenomena and direct voice communication from the spirit world.
Written by Richard Stuttle
January 11, 2025
Proving life after death with mediumship

Every medium is unique in the way they work and their attunement with the spirit world. One of the main reasons people visit a medium is to know their loved ones are in the spirit world. To know their life energy continues after mortal death.
Proof of survival is the overarching responsibility of all mediums. Spiritualism is the only religion that constantly works to prove its own beliefs. One of the main reasons apart from bringing a message of love, healing and comfort to a recipient is to offer proof of life after mortal death. This is not always easy.
Proof of survival needs to be factual verifiable evidence
This should include names of people here and in the spirit world, their relationships to the recipient and each other. Ages, physical and character descriptions. Health issues and how the spirit communicator passed. Shared memories and any information about recent events where the spirit communicator was present. If possible, addresses can also be given.
Albert Best was a prominent Irish medium, he saw spirit people from a young age ‘Albert became aware of his psychic gifts at the age of nine. Several times he “saw” an elderly man’s spirit form around the house.’ Before developing his trance and mediumistic abilities he worked for the post office. He was renowned for giving addresses during his platform demonstrations and spirit communications. This is another prime example how the spirit world will use the skills and knowledge of the medium to help give evidence.
Evidence of survival is also down to the relationship between recipient and communicator. If a strong personal connection was present in our world, the communicator can use personal points or situations only known between the two. This can be something similar to a private code. A shared memory, situation or anecdote can be summed up in one word or phrase. Sometimes evidence will only make sense to the recipient, even the medium won’t understand what they are saying or its significance. Especially if the demonstration is in a public setting and the connection is of a personal nature, the recipient might not want the whole congregation to understand all of the evidence given.
If we look at Spirit Art as it is now referred to, a portrait of a loved one in spirit is irrefutable evidence of survival. Frank Leah was a fantastic portrait artist in his own right. He produced some incredible spirit portraits, which when compared to a photograph of a spirit communicators the comparisons are an almost exact match. In the book Faces of the Living Dead by Paul Miller there are many cases studies of drawings and experiences had by Mr Leah. The book starts, ‘“If only I could see his face.” That is the heart-cry of the mourner from the moment the body is laid away until time wears down the sharp edge of grief – or until Spiritualism answers the cry and there appears in reality the voice, the touch, the message, or the face of the living dead.’ (Faces of the Living) What more proof could someone have than an exact portrait of a loved one in the spirit world.
To offer further evidence of survival the medium should ask the spirit communicator for information relating to the recipient since the communicator passed. This will support proof of life after death and that our loved ones in the spirit world are still around us after they have left their mortal bodies. There are many cases after the passing of the spirit communicator when the recipient has been looking through photos or visiting certain places for example and the spirit communicator has been present. This also offers great comfort to recipients.
If a medium is giving a demonstration of mediumship on a platform or in a church setting time is of the essence. It’s important the medium identifies the recipient as soon as possible and uses precise language to convey the information as quickly as possible. Some mediums are able to identify the recipient and go directly to them, if this is possible then it should be done. If not, the information about the spirit communicator should be delivered as succinctly as possible.
What does not constitute evidence of survival and is not acceptable? Giving information about a recipient’s spirit guides, even if the recipient has awareness of their spirit guides or helpers. This misses the point entirely; proof of survival is identifying people in the spirit world who lived on the earth plain with a strong family/friend connection to a recipient. Anything other than this does not constitute evidence of survival.
The prescribing of medication or anything that the recipient might take to feel better or otherwise is not acceptable as part of a communication or as evidence. Also, telling people to stop taking any prescribed medication. This is irresponsible on the part of any medium. The point of evidential mediumship is to prove life after death, mediums are not fortune tellers and should never try to predict the future, pending illnesses, deaths, or accidents. Other things like lottery numbers (Which would be nice) or babies that have not yet been born are also not acceptable.
Every medium is an individual and they have their own ways of working, they use their gifts and develop skills to work in specific ways. Whichever method they adopt the evidence they pass on from a spirit communicator to recipient needs to be of the highest standard.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
Does psychic ability increase attunement with spirit?

There are a few areas of consideration. As part of spiritual development many mediums naturally become aware of their psychic ability. It becomes a tool for better understanding information through perceptive mediumship. The other main area is when a medium is holding connection with a spirit communicator and recipient or sitter. Part of the connection is a psychic link with the sitter to allow the flow of energy and love from the spirit person. The final area I would also like to touch on is the importance of personal development for a medium.
The spirit world has far greater intelligence and a wider perspective than us in our earthly bodies. They are always looking for the simplest and most energy efficient ways to communicate with their loved ones. The more facets and tools the medium has to offer the spirit world the more they will use. When a medium is developing their psychic senses many of the sensations within the body work in a similar manner when tuning into spirit, it is like learning a language. Once the medium understands their own vibrational range on a psychic level the same range is used when working on a mediumistic vibration.
With expanded psychic abilities there is a point of connecting for a spirit communicator, some people in spirit are better communicators than others (just like in life). The wider the understanding or boarder the psychic range, the more subtle energies can be used by the spirit communicator.
As the medium delivers a spirit communication, they are creating a link between spirit communicator and recipient, this link allows the spirit communicator to transfer energy through the medium to the recipient. It is often said during spirit communication that the recipient could feel their love or presence. This flow of energy is enhanced by the mediums ability to connect on a psychic or energetic level. There is also a point to make within public demonstrations, the congregation often can feel the love and emotion of spirit during a demonstration. This is also party down to the medium’s ability to connect psychically to the congregation during the service.
I would also like to mention spiritual healing. I believe that all spirit communication is healing for the recipient and spirit. It’s a wonderful connection, all mediums are healers, and all healers are mediums on some level. They are channelling energy and love from spirit or the God source to the recipient. Become the hollow bone and allow energy to flow.
As a medium, you are dealing with love and in many cases grief and loss in the form of heavy emotion. If you have developed your psychic abilities the spirit world can use those abilities to defuse heavy emotion allowing communication and spiritual healing to flow without the recipient becoming overwhelmed and upset.
The final point I would like to make is around personal development, it is the responsibility of the medium to be working on their personal development. There is nothing a medium can really do to prepare of a public demonstration as it all happens within the energy of the moment. The preparation comes within personal development, and this includes working on their psychic awareness and connection. A quote taken from the teachings of Gordon Higginson has always resonated with me “Before you can touch the Spirit, you must find it within yourself. For all truth, for all knowledge and all love, must be found first within oneself. And the Spirit can never touch you and bring love and peace within your being and from your being, until you have found it for yourself. And before you can build a picture of love from the Spirit, you must learn to find it in this life.”
It is incredibly important to work on psychic ability to help your attunement with spirit. Attunement is partly about awareness of vibrational frequency, the more aware you can be the better channel you become for the spirit world.
Mediums often find they attract a certain type of spirit communicator, someone similar to them. Just as in life, likeminded people come together. A spirit communicator will connect to a medium who is open to their vibration. The wider spectrum you have as a medium the more spirit communicators will be able to connect.
I genuinely feel that when working with mediumship, connection with the spirit world and attunement is vital. There are areas of personal development which raises awareness of spirit and other frequencies, the medium is able to tap into information and give a clearer message or allow a greater flow of energy.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
Is Mediumship only Telepathy?

Telepathy is based on non-verbal or energetic communication. To start we can look at the origins of telepathy. The word itself is derived from two Greek words. “tele” (afar) and “pathy” (feeling). The dictionary definition of Telepathy is: “Action of one mind on another at a distance, through emotional influence without communication through physical senses.”
It is well documented that telepathy is a real and practical phenomenon. It relates to non-verbal but energetic communication. Most people in everyday life have experienced telepathy on some level, “I was just thinking that!” is a common statement. Or thinking of someone and they get in touch. There have been many studies which all state that it’s possible to communicate through frequency with others. If telepathy is to be explained by the medical community, they took thoughts as electromagnetic impulses and measure these outside of the body. They have been recorded as not travelling much further than an inch outside the body. This does not fully explain the phenomenon.
There are cases of twins or siblings who know exactly each other are thinking at great distance. It lends itself to thinking that the connection is deeper. There is an example relating prayer given by Silver Birch and the Buddha which in summary states; Praying with only words is meaningless, praying with the depth and sentiment of love behind the words is incredibly powerful and can change the world. This means that feeling and emotion play a huge part in understanding and enhancing your telepathic ability.
Telepathy is one method considered to dispel mediumship; it can be classed as part of cold reading. Cold reading is not the same as telepathy, it is picking up on subtle tells to decipher what people are thinking. Reading their reactions to statements. People cold read naturally and pick up on what’s happening. Mentalists have learned to read these signs and consciously recognise specific responses. There is no connection to mediumship (spirit communicator), or telepathy as both are picking up on energetic vibrations which can be done without the sitter present. Cold reading is picking up on signs as things happen or after the fact.
Communication of mind to mind is not in question and can be done over distance by attaching emotion. We know that a psychic link is mind to mind, connecting energy field to energy field, which includes the aura and auric fields. It is no different in the sense of picking up vibrational energy and interpretating the information through the mind.
Telepathy can be seen as precognition. Time doesn’t function the same outside out earthly existence. As thoughts leave our mind they are no longer bound by linear time as we know it. A thought with a strong emotion attached for a specific future action can be picked up by a perceptive mind in the present. People planning terrible events or natural disasters that may have been planned by a more powerful force or entity can be picked up and deemed as precognition.
There is also a sense that we are communicating telepathically with our own body. Our mind or consciousness doesn’t function within our brain, it is happening externally. We are sending thought waves to our body in order for it to move and react to energetic stimulation. It also makes sense that this process is happening in reverse. Frequency waves are travelling in the form of feeling and emotional reaction by our body to our external consciousness telepathically.
The question comes down to the belief in life after death
Telepathy is being used as a scape goat on picking up spiritual energy. Telepathy itself proves the ability of an individual perceptively picking up on vibrational information but its deeper than just mental energy. It is mental and emotional energy.
In conclusion, it is not possible to pick up information telepathically only reading electromagnetic responses from another person. There needs to be more vibrational energy which is created by emotional energy. This moves the vibration away from telepathy in the realm of psychic ability.
There are emotional frequencies travelling all around our world and felt my many, whether individuals can distinguish these emotions from their own is another question and which comes down to training. When an individual passes to the spirit world they leave their physical body, there emotional consciousness and spirit is still active. Just as when we are alive, or consciousness is external to our body accessible though our mind. Mediumship is communication with the emotional consciousness of people who have physically left the earth plane. This frequency can be understood through the principle of telepathy but cannot account for the distance required or frequency change of a connection with spirit.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
Energy cannot be destroyed, it only changes form

Human energy. Its who we are, its everything we see and of course everything we don’t see but can feel. There are a few important aspects in relation to energy, its perpetual existence and how it interacts with us and our awareness to it.
Energy is harnessed to create the world we live in, through the development of science we have defined and understood many different forms of energy which now power our world. Energy takes many different forms. Our basic kinetic level of function, picking up and moving physical items, to the motor functions of the body. Other forms of energy include mechanical, heat, light, electrical, electromagnetic, and nuclear. These forms of energy can be fully measured. Like the electricity which comes into our homes and powers our appliances. We pay for the amount we use. The creation of nuclear energy or the small explosions happening in a combustion engine. It is taking energy in one form and manipulating it to become another. We are not creating energy we are alchemising matter or frequency to change it from one form to another.
When we talk of psychic energy, we are raising our energetic vibration to harmonise with another vibration thus been able to decode information. We are using energy in the same way electrical energy comes down the cable in the TV, creating a picture which appears on the screen. To define the picture, a signal or wave form energy are picked up by the arial or satellite dish and transformed by the electronics in the TV to read the energy waves changing them into pictures which are shown through 1000’s of pixels on our screens.
We have incredible tools within our bodies to translate energy from one form to another. Our ears translate sound waves into electrical impulses which our brains turn into words. Every system in our body is used to translate energy. Our endocrine system, which is closely linked to our chakras is a receptor and transmitter of energy. Our DNA is a transmitter and receiver for information. Our world is made up of different forms of energy that take different forms depending on the interaction. The old question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well, the simple answer is No, as there is no ear drum to translate the energy into sound. But the energetic properties around a tree falling still happen, the forces and changing of energy still take effect. If a deaf person were present, they wouldn’t hear the sound, but they would still be aware of the visual, the physical aspects and of course the emotional aspects of a tree falling.
Another nice representation of energy repercussive effect is throwing a pebble into water, the ripples go off getting smaller and smaller, but they will never end.They will become so small we couldn’t possibly register them but as with the nature of infinity they will always be a ripple from one point to another.
Photography is another good example of energy changing form. In 1939 Semyon Kirlian discovered that passing a high voltage between an electrode and object reviled the energy field around the object in a photograph. A photograph is taken and transfers energy onto a screen or plate which then becomes reflective of the energetic process its experienced. ‘Thoughtography’ as its sometimes called is when different energy states, thoughts or energy fields are captured on a photographic plate. This technique has evolved and today its used in auragraph photography. A person’s physical representation is captured but also their energy fields which are represented visually by colours around the physical form.
Energy is the building block on which everything happens. It’s the power held in a molecule, it’s the shifting from one place to another. The perpetual nature of cause and effect. We have the ability to tap into energy, we can pick up frequency from millions of miles away. Light is still travelling from stars and galaxy’s which exploded millions of years ago. Energy just changes form from one state to another. We can see it in the nature of our planet. The life cycles in mother nature, symbiotic relationships which have kept life thriving on this planet for hundreds and thousands of years.
As mediums we can pick up energy from people living in different times and ages, we see ghosts from different civilisations. It is all energy changing form. Trance is used to pick up information from beings from different worlds operating with the same energy, only using it in different ways. Science says that the universe is expanding, this is perfectly rational as every living being is constantly emanating energy.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
What is the aura?

As living beings, we all have an aura. An energy field that extends outside of our physical body. There are a few important factors to consider when discussing the auric field. Someone who is new to mediumship will already have worked with their aura and the aura of others in a different capacity and will understand it through different terminology.
When discussing the aura with someone new to mediumship I will often try to relate the information to something within their lives that they can relate to. A good starting point is drawing their attention to times they have entered a room as felt a certain way. The energy of a room or place is a good way for people to start to become aware of energy.
We could go on to discuss people, how people can make you feel a certain way.Uplifted or drained for example, some people are very much in control of their energy and how it affects others. If used in the right way these people are generally a pleasure to be around and can leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. Others can drain your energy and leave you feeling down or drained. It’s also worth noting that this sometimes happens subconsciously, and the individual is not aware of their auric field.
The basics of the aura and auric field. Surrounding the physical body are many energy fields. There are many interpretations but in a basic sense working out from the physical self.
We can go a little further in a practical sense. Feeling the energy of others on a one-to-one basis and understanding how that makes you feel. Once you have a feeling, relating that feeling back to yourself as a colour. This is a nice development technique to start understanding energy and emotion as colour or the other way around, colour as energy and emotion. We can then shift our focus to others and pick up the same feeling and emotion, relating that to colour. That colour should appear somewhere is the other persons aura. This is a very simplified approach to understanding the aura and colour but also a very involved technique which can open up development and awareness.
Another way to understanding the aura is looking at the persons likes and interests. I love gardening, green for example could appear in their aura. I have a passion for healing, yellow could appear in their aura. It’s worth remembering that the aura is a fluid as your feelings, it is constantly changing and moving. This way of looking at the aura is a gentle way to open up the awareness of someone looking into auras for the first time.
I would also mention about cameras which can capture auras. If a photo was taken of the person, they could start to understand their own aura, what colours are present and how they relate to themselves. An auragraph is another way to open awareness and access information.
When taking to people who are new to energy or just looking into the aura and auric field, I feel a better approach is through feeling and experience. We can explain the mechanics and different energy fields outside the body, but I have always found the best way to learn and understand is through practical experience.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
Another week at the Arthur Findlay College
Who am I? What is the nature of the world around me? I know I am more than the image I see looking back at me in the mirror each morning, just as we all are. I know the world is more wonderous than I can possibly imagine. The Arthur Findlay College has given me the opportunity to explore these questions over the last twenty years.
I have an inquisitive nature and always felt there was more to life and our existence than what I experienced though just my five senses. I recently spent another week at the Arthur Findlay College on a course titled ‘Energy Management and Mediumship’. It is fundamental to understand your own energy and power, to experience energy or frequency within others and the world we live in.
We feel different things around different people, some make us so happy, excited and we feel lifted in their presence. Others can leave us feeling drained. Either way, it is not the fault of the other person but only how we react to their energy. The course went in-depth to help better understand our own energy and becoming more aware of how you use it.
As an artist I spent a lot of time painting. Tapping into the world and people with creativity, understanding what I feel about subjects and capturing that energy on canvas. Another part of my work is on the platform in Spiritualist Churches, delivering addresses and demonstrations of mediumship. The basis of it all is to better understand yourself. Defining your own energy allows you to become more aware of the different energies around you. Through shifting focus a medium can give messages from loved ones in the spirit world. It is the same for art, the artist is creating art from their own source and reacting to the world they see.
Whatever you choose to do in life, understanding our own energy is of the utmost importance. This knowledge is priceless. Once we know how we feel (which changes daily) and our own energetic space, it makes a huge difference in how we react to other people and situations we find ourselves in.
- We realise what are our own feelings and what we are picking up from other people.
- It is possible for us to change our energy to create stronger connections.
- We can better gauge the atmosphere of places and groups of people.
- Creative freedom to flow more freely through us.
- Our confidence increases in seemingly uncomfortable situations.
- We can experience feelings and emotions more deeply.
When working with the spirit world, we shift our focus creating a wider channel to pick up information from different energies around us. A question that is often asked is, “Is it me or is it spirit? “. Knowing what you feel, putting yourself in a space you feel comfortable and neutral allows information from spirit to flow more freely.
Losing yourself in a painting is wonderful. Evoking a flow state when time seems to disappear and inspiration hits is where most artists thrive and wish to be. Allowing feeling and emotions to flow through you without getting entangled in them is when true creativity occurs.
Whichever way you choose to develop and whatever your focus, I can certainly say that life is an incredible ride. For me, time spent at the Arthur Findlay College mixing with likeminded people has really helped me understand more about the nature of our existence and given me a group of friends who are asking the exact same questions as me. I wish you a wonderful journey and constant learning from this moment forward.
Written by Richard Stuttle
January 11, 2025
Simple Mindfulness Practices to Enhance Your Daily Routine

Life can be extremely hectic, everything around us is designed to distract and keep us busy. Take some time for yourself whenever you have the opportunity, time spent relaxing or looking at your own personal development is never wasted.
The more you can feel comfortable with yourself and in your own skin, the better you will be able to interact and appreciate the world around you. Here are a few ideas of mindful techniques and beneficial ways to spend your time.
Top Mindfulness Practices
Focus on your breath: Sit for a few minutes each day to focus solely on your breath, become aware of your natural rhythm. Any thoughts that come into your mind, let them pass through and refocus to your breath.
Offer gratitude: At the end of each day or first thing in the morning, write down what you’re grateful for. Focus on the positive aspects of within your life and how you help others.
Mindful munching: Become aware of the foods you are putting into your body, make sure you have a balanced diet. Follow your cravings within reason. Sometimes it’s your body telling you what it needs. Take time to enjoy each mouthful, notice the flavours, textures, and colours.
Meditation: Sometimes meditation can be daunting, if you become mindful of your breath meditation is just sitting within yourself. Raise your awareness of the different aspects of yourself, acknowledge your thoughts and allow them to pass through your mind.
Yoga or stretching: If you can find 10 minutes each day to stretch or attend a yoga class, moving your body and stretching your muscles can help to help reduce stress, improve flexibility, and increase awareness of your body.
Likeminded people: Find your tribe, spend time each week with likeminded people. When in discussion allow the conversation to flow, listen carefully and speak freely. Know that you are in a safe space with no judgement.
Walk in nature: Enjoy your local environment, parks, forests, fields, or beach. Whatever you have locally. Take time to breath the fresh air, feel the freshness on your face, listen, look, smell, and absorb your surroundings.
 Unplug from the matrix: Switch off technology whenever you can. It plays a huge roll in our lives. Try to start the first hour of the day without social media, put down your device an hour before bed. You will have more time to process your own thoughts.
Self-awareness: Take the time to look in the mirror and reflect on yourself. Really look, smile, and appreciate all that you are. Treat yourself like someone you love.
Spiritual development: Attend courses and workshops with spiritual practitioners and teachers. Look at advancing your knowledge and skills in a safe and secure environment.
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
I hope you find some of these ideas useful. The more we can relax and explore our true nature, the more we will get out of every aspect of life.
Be present as much as possible.
Written by Richard Stuttle

January 11, 2025
Road to recovery from Bacterial Meningitis
I shuffled around my home everything looked the same but slightly different. It felt surreal, the space was the same, but my viewpoint and understanding had shifted. It was me that was different, almost like looking at a well-known painting upside down, I knew what it was, it was familiar, but I could see new shapes. A perspective that I had not realised before.
Posted to Facebook and Instagram on the 19^th February 2022
“Back at home and I have been administering my own intravenous antibiotics for the last couple of weeks. A visit to the hospital and CT scan revealed that the mass on my brain is now 6mm which is down from 1.3cm. I am covid free and the infection level in my system is down to single digits. The doctor is pleased with my progress. I’ve had my midline removed and feel far more human again.
Physically, my strength is returning. Although I still get headaches, they are manageable and I’m starting to work on my mind, focus and memory. Keeping positive and striving for a full recovery!
A big thank you to Ruth for looking after me every day. Thank you to everyone who has sent me love and healing over the last 6 weeks, it’s definitely made a difference. I am forever in your debt”
The healing process, what had happened to me?
Six weeks since I was admitted to hospital with no immune system, bacterial meningitis and a 1.3cm abscess on the right side of my brain. My body had been physically destroyed. Since then, it worked incredibly hard. Identified the inflection and abscess and unleashed its defence mechanisms targeting the foreign bodies reinforced by antibiotics, steroids and painkillers. It also started to rebuild my immune system.
“To the NHS I offer my eternal thanks for their brilliant service and keeping me alive. If it wasn’t for the paramedics and doctor’s diagnosis and the nurses care and treatment, I am pretty sure I would no longer be here.”
Another important role I believe was played by my friends and loved ones. Their thoughts, energy and love. Many friends and colleagues are spiritual practitioners working with healing, energy, and mediumship. They had been sending love and healing on a regular basis. I had time to think about how this had helped, the energy of positive thought and the spirit world, working alongside my medical treatment. I truly believe it helped to put me at ease, reduce the pain and made a difference.
When I look at what could have happened, my chances of survival and the sequence of events, I surely believe that I am blessed. I am incredibly lucky to still be here and to be recovering.
I believe there are a few considerations to my recovery
1. Always listen to the doctors and follow their advice and course of treatment.
2. To receive openly the love, support, compassion, and healing from others.
3. Letting go of all stress and any bad will towards others.
4. Understanding what’s happening with your energy, wellbeing, and emotional state.
Continuing to heal after hospital
The doctor was pleased, I was making good progress. The antibiotics had done their job, physically I was getting stronger. I could walk around the block without getting out of breath.
Mentally, I was not myself. I didn’t feel as quick as before or on the ball. Still healing but my mind felt different, my body was different too. It all felt a little unreal. I had symptoms that the doctor said would disappear over time and I was expected to make a full recovery.
- I still got headaches and sharp pains in and around my head.
- My focus was not the same as before, my mind would wander off thinking about nothing.
- My memory was not great, things would leave my mind right after a conversation.
- I searched for words and struggled to find a decent vocabulary.
- My balance was not quote right, especially with change of light or elevation.
- I was creativity drained. I had very little enthusiasm for anything.
I just didn’t feel myself anymore, of course it was completely understandable as I had been seriously ill. The doctors had fixed me so I would live, they had done their job. My family, friends and colleagues showed me how much they cared, for which I felt incredibly humble. Now it was my turn to heal myself the rest of the way, it was my responsibility.
Firstly, I knew from experience that I wasn’t aiming to become the person I used to be. That person had gone. I had an opportunity to become a new and (hopefully) improved version. This whole experience had many valuable lessons to teach me but right now I had no idea what any of them were.
I truly believed that understanding personal and other people’s energy, knowledge of chakras and the importance of meditation comes to the forefront. These were areas I had studied, and I knew I needed to use for the next stage of my recovery.
Reflection & Insight
I was never the best meditator, I always had too much to do, or my mind wanted to create something new. Though art and short daily practices I found my quiet space. I had not created any art in nearly two months, I found it scary to sit in front of my easel again. A blank canvas scared me, which never had before.
I had just finished reading a book by Caroline Myss, it inspired and seem to come at the right time. I recorded my own guided daily meditation, only fourteen minutes but would start to move my mind into the right space each morning.
I was unable to work and had to turn down jobs, I couldn’t worry about it now. For the first time in a long time, I had a clear schedule, my only focus was on healing. Maybe this focus of healing and self-care should have happened a while ago.
With time to think, even if I’m not always thinking clearly. I still had time to consider some important questions.
- Why has this happened to me?
- What can I learn from this?
Why has this happened? Possibly to remove the “should haves” A coincidence of events that points to serendipity, something significant to stand up and take note. Is there are grand plan? This is not at all relevant and some questions are for another time, but the “should haves” that I have been dealing with for a while. After passing 40 years old, my body doesn’t repair at the same rate or react as quickly. If I want it to do another 40 years, I need to make time to look after it, look after me like someone I love and respect.
I have certainly had time to look back at what I have been doing, how I spent my time. I have the opportunity to remove the things that no longer matter and reducing the amount of “should haves”.
Written by Richard Stuttle
January 11, 2025