HALLOWEEN

#          Good Vibrations… 

Hello and welcome to Patsy’s Good Vibrations on Radio Glan Clwyd at 10 0’clock this Sunday morning… inviting you to share the next hour and a half with me... enjoying my choice of music... which sometimes surprises me... and always delights... HELLO to whoever’s listening in hospital... and to those who may be listening online... WELCOME to you too!

Coming up to Halloween… and naturally, my mind turns to the spooky and supernatural…

So what’s Halloween all about anyway?  Well… it’s more relevant to the northern hemisphere because of our climate… this is an ancient festival to mark the turning of the year… with the smells and colours of autumn, the chill in the air… from the abundance of summer to the  cold and dark of winter.

#1        Ghost Town… The Specials 

This pagan festival of HALLOWE'EN… also known  by other names… SAMHAIN… DAY OF THE DEAD… ALL SAINTS DAY… and ALL SOULS DAY…  is about the ending of cycles and new beginnings. This is the time of year when the curtain between the real world, as we experience it and the spirit world is at its most thin and transparent, especially during the periods of dawn and dusk… and so this is a festival to honour our ancestors… as acknowledged by various religious observances.  And as we enter into winter… and the start of a new cycle… we have time for meditation and reflection… preparing for death and rebirth.

#2        Faithful Departed… Christy Moore 

There are several religious festivals associated with this time of year… in September the celebration of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when Jews ask for forgiveness and look to the future.  Then in October / November, Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights to celebrate the New Year is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia, and is also the occasion for celebrations by Jains and Sikhs as well as Hindus.  The festival of Diwali extends over five days. Because of the lights, fireworks, and sweets involved, it's a great favourite with children.

T                      Then on 31^st Oct… we have Halloween… the name comes from All Hallow’s Eve… the eve of All Hallows day which we now call All Saints Day.  The custom began in Ireland of hollowing out turnips to hold a lighted candle to ward off evil spirits… but the pumpkin is an American development.  On 1^st Nov… All Saints Day when Christians offer thanks for the work of all the saints, know or unknown and on 2^nd Nov... All Souls Day… to remember the departed and offer prayers on their behalf. 

And so we associate Halloween with the supernatural… witches and wizards… ghosties and ghoulies… and things that go bump in the night…so we just have to have this one...

#3        Monster Mash… Bobby Pickett

In this modern world we seem to have lost touch with the reality of life as it used to be… a fight for survival in often harsh conditions… so it’s not surprising that people looking for causes and solutions tried to influence the circumstances of their lives by turning to superstition and magic…

#4        Magic Works… Patrick Doyle… (Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire) 

Of course… we don’t believe in magic these days.. do we?  But we love the Harry Potter movies… well I do… just imagining we could fly and make spells…

#5        I put a Spell on You… Nina Simone 

She’d have been burned as a witch only three hundred years ago!

I wonder why it is that we love to scare ourselves… with horror stories and movies… there’s no end of them… from Frankenstein to Voodoo and Black Magic…

#6        Black Magic Woman… Santana 

So what do we have to fear in these days of Health and Safety?  Maybe it’s because we’re so cushioned from danger that we want to experience that sense of danger from the comfort of a cinema seat or our own familiar surroundings… knowing that really we’re quite safe…

#7        Devil Woman… Cliff Richard              

Can’t imaging Cliff with a devil woman… can you?  But we all like to act wicked at times… pretend to be something we’re not… just for a little excitement in life… as long as its only an act…

#8        That Old Devil Called Love… Billie Holiday

You know that we always welcome your requests for a particular record, or a mention of someone or something special... and if you have an interesting or funny story to tell, connected to a special song... we’d love to hear from you.   You can contact Radio Glan Clwyd by phone on 01745-584229... or if you’re here in hospital, on Extension 4360, or ask one of the volunteers going around the wards. And you can also listen online at... www.rygc.co.uk

#9        This is Halloween… (Nightmare before Xmas) Danny Elfman 

Isn’t that great?  Suggested by Mark who’s in VietNam… from The Nightmare before Christmas… the movie. Great fun.  

Those of you who’ve heard my show before will know that I usually give an introduction to EFT... that’s Emotional Freedom Techniques… and the whole point of doing this is to FREE yourself of any emotions that still make you feel disturbed about yourself or anyone else.

So now I’d like you to think about any fear that disturbs you... any emotional feelings... of dread or panic… whatever you feel. Now rate that feeling on a scale of 0 to 10... 10 being the very worst feeling you can get. (Write down the number if you can... and name that feeling.)  

Start by tapping the fleshy side of your hand... below the little finger... we call that the Karate Chop... and take a long deep breath. Keep tapping and say out loud... if you can..

Even though I’ve been feeling .... this fear… when I think about………………………………

I accept myself with all my feelings..

Even though I’ve been  feeling ...this panic…

I deeply and completely love myself anyway…

Even though I’ve been feeling... this dread of……………………………………………………………

 I forgive myself for having this feeling… its only a thought after all… making me feel this way…

Take another deep breath... and now we start tapping around the face.. 

1^st point... right between the eyebrows... just above the nose... tap with 3-4 fingers... and say... this feeling of… fear

2^nd point... at the side of the eye right on the corner... either side... and say... I don’t need this feeling…

3^rd point... under the eye on the cheekbone... this feeling of… fear and doubt…

4^th point... right under the nose... is this fear real or not?  

5^th point... in the cleft of the chin right under the lip... this feeling of… fear and doubt

6^th point... collarbone... at the top of the chest... I’d rather not have it…

7^th point...  under arm… at the side of the ribs… this feeling of…

8^th point…  top of head... and say... This feeling of....... who needs it? maybe I could just choose to let it go... because I’d rather feel love and peace… love and peace… 

Is that right?  Wouldn’t you rather live in the vibration of love and peace?

Take note now of how that feeling might have changed.  Has the number gone up or down?

You can repeat that sequence of EFT any time on your own… or while we play the next track… so just let go of all that dead weight…

And from another great movie… Spielberg’s ET…   

#10      ET’s Halloween…  John Williams 

So as we celebrate Halloween… or All Soul’s Day… let’s appreciate the changing of the seasons that affect us in more ways than we might realise.  These festivals have been part of our culture for untold times past… so ENJOY THE MAGIC of life!

#11      That Old Black Magic… Peggy Lee 

When our minds are focussed on what’s good in our lives… instead of constantly thinking about what might happen… or what could go wrong… but when we feel love and appreciation instead… then we’ll attract good things into our lives… because like attracts like.  Just think about how happy you can feel when life is good… and we always think things were better in the old days…

#12      Moonlight Serenade… Glen Miller  

You are listening to Patsy’s Good Vibrations… and I hope to be playing the kind of music you enjoy... that can bring back happy memories and make you feel good... and I like to express some of my own thoughts, ideas and strategies that could inspire you as well.  

#13      Tam Lin… Steeleye Span 

Steeleye Span with an old folk song. What is there to fear but the thought of FEAR itself?  Unless you’re actually faced with a life-threatening situation… fear is just a thought… and that’s all!  And it can become a habit… just like having a smoke or drinking alcohol… or over eating… FEAR is a thought that comes out of nowhere like a…

#14      Bat Out of Hell… Meatloaf

You know when you suddenly feel afraid… your heart skips a beat… maybe your palms get sweaty… or you feel sweat on your brow… and you hold your breath…  maybe you feel sick to your stomach or paralysed so you can’t move… you know how that feels…  So if you have any fear now… anything that causes anxiety or distress… this is what I do to calm my fears… its really very simple…

#15      Evenstar… Lord of the Rings 

So if you’d like to do this now... follow along with me... and... **Just focus on your breathing... slowing down with each breath... for a couple of minutes... breathing slow and easy... relaxing your body... releasing the tension in every muscle... sinking down into the bed or chair... with every breath... and relaxing your mind... letting each thought float by... with every breath... any thoughts floating away like little clouds... only aware of each breath... and my voice... just for the moment... until you feel completely relaxed... free of all bodily sensation... sinking down into a comfortable relaxation... does that feel good...

and NOW... while you’re relaxing... bring to mind someone you really love... or some memory that always makes you feel really happy... and feel that love and joy filling your heart. Magnify that feeling in your heart... with every breath... filling your heart with love and joy... like a big pink balloon... and hold that love and joy in your heart... you can tie off the balloon to contain that feeling.... and bring it back whenever you need to remind yourself of how good you can feel.**

You can do this while you’re lying in bed... or sitting in your chair... bring that feeling into your heart... all those feelings of gratitude for the people you love...

So at this festival of Halloween… let’s remember all those we’ve loved… even those who’ve moved on... and appreciate your friends... because a true friend is like star-dust!

#16      Stardust… Nat King Cole 

We’re all made of stardust… all matter is made up of atoms… and as science has discovered… all matter is energy… so we’re all made of the same stuff and bound in the same matrix of energy… and that’s quite a thought isn’t it? when you watch the stars…

#17      Watch the Stars… Pentangle 

The night sky has fascinated mankind for aeons… and much has been made of the position of the stars… and phases of the moon… because the moon has such an effect on water… the tides of the sea… and because we’re about 95% water ourselves… on us as well.  So what must it have felt like for those who walked on the Moon…

#18      Walking on the Moon… Sting & The Police

My time today is coming to an end and I’d like to thank you all for accompanying me on this journey today and I trust you’ve enjoyed my take on Life, the Universe and Everything... I’ll be back next Sunday morning at 10.0’clock… for another journey in music and song, when maybe you’ll be able to join me again... and this is Patsy Wynne signing off for today... from Radio Glan Clwyd...  and remember...

#   Always look on the Bright side of Life... Monty Python...