The fear of action is the sort of fear that paralyses a rabbit in the headlights. That’s an image we are familiar with. There is also the physiological effect of fear in humans that swamps the brain to such an extent that the person simply cannot react in an emergency and we are literally stunned into inaction. People freeze in terror. It’s common for those unfortunates caught in disastrous accidents like stricken ships to simply be unable to move, even when shouted at and slapped to “bring them round.” Lesser fear can paralyze us into inaction in daily life too….

Roland M. Comtois is an internationally acclaimed channel, best-selling speaker and author of “And Then There was Heaven -A Journey of Hope and Love.” Recently, Roland appeared on Paranormal Encounters with Brenda McGee. In this episode (video) Brenda interviews Roland and Steven Lupo. They discuss the “Heaven Experience,” a one man show that is based on Roland Comtois’s near death experience and what he experienced. It is Jan. 8th at 2:00pm at the Stadium Theatre.

Dear Readers, It’s been a wonderful year for Merlian News! We wish to thank all our many readers and fans for their continued support. The response continues to be positive for our new website and the new look for our newsletter so let’s keep the positive trend going! We wish you Happy Holidays and health and good fortune for the New Year!

Several weeks ago I went through a spate of night sweats and hormone induced tossing and turning that left me wide awake at 2:30 or 3:00 every morning, heart pounding from the surge of adrenaline and completely unable to fall back asleep…. Each wee hour I’d grab a fresh dry night shirt and plod downstairs, resigned to Law & Order reruns and arguing with the cats for four hours about why they couldn’t go outside right then. After several nights of this I decided that I really had to do something better with my time.

Watkins Books is an esoteric bookshop in the heart of London. Located just off Leicester Square, Watkins is a must see if you’re on your way to the museums or the theater. Established over 100 years ago, this is one of the world’s oldest independent bookshops specializing in new and antiquarian titles in the Mind, Body, Spirit field.The book store was established by John M. Watkins, a friend of Madame Blavatsky, in 1897, at 26 Charing Cross. John Watkins had already been selling books via a catalog that he began publishing in March of 1893.

In this year of so many shootings, riots and negative images of police officers, it’s heartening to share stories of police men and women who are making a difference and trying new things to help the public and themselves. In Peel, Canada, police and trainees are learning to meditate (video) to reduce stress, and attending classes in mindfulness and Buddhist philosophy at a nearby temple. As reported in The Huffington Post, the event is expected to be the first of many future classes and will include future sessions with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Peel Paramedics. In a country where the charismatic Prime Minster, Justin Trudeau, is known to embrace yoga and meditation, there has been a groundswell of support for these methods.

In stark contrast to the treatment of prisoners in the United States, therapists working with some prisoners in Brazil have implemented a holistic approach to treating inmates with meditation, yoga and Reiki. Now they have gone a step further in the hopes of initiating changes for the inmates at a deep spiritual level… As reported in The New York Times: Two years ago, the volunteer therapists at Acuda (a pioneering prisoners’ rights group in Porto Velho) had a new idea: Why not give the inmates ayahuasca as well?

“There’s nothing I like more than learning about inexpensive, common herbs or spices that exhibit unusual healing properties. Historically, the use of herbs and spices in cooking evolved as a method to preserve foods and make them safer to store and eat. We’ve grown accustomed to using these items to enhance or accentuate the flavors of food, but researchers continue to discover herbs have much more to offer than just good taste. Cilantro is such an herb and one of its medicinal benefits was uncovered through the work of Dr. Yoshiaki Omura.”

Now I know what you are thinking? How is a woman born and raised in London, in one of the busiest, modern cities in the world, writing an article about living shamanically? And my answer is – it makes sense in a divinely paradoxical way that I would have to learn how to live in flow with nature, as it did not come naturally. I am a Londoner, and have lived here for most of my life. For years I hated it; the dirt, the pollution, the lack of space, the chaos, the impermanence, the concrete, the cars, the car parks, the hugeness of the city. For those who know London it can be a very isolating place, despite the growing population, twenty-four hour lifestyle, and myriad things on offer and to do. Despite this being my ‘natural habitat’ something about this way of life just felt wrong and unnatural….