The Following Writeup is from The August 2017 Aura-Soma Academy News Letter:
It is always hoped that in the endeavors of mankind, each generation will build upon the knowledge and creations of those that came before it. But for all the accumulations of experience and knowledge – and despite the illuminations of hindsight – it seems that each new generation must mine the shiny jewels of wisdom that beckon elusively at the heart of all knowings and doings then and now. Wisdom is not something that can be acquired by telling or teaching or passing down; wisdom is refined within us, forged in the fires of living and loving that transmute knowledge and experience into a gemstone of new beingness. This is why each new age brings forth new voices, vocabularies and applications for old knowledge – to help trigger the wisdom-making process. As we partake of the ways and meanings of those who came before us in the context of who we are today and who we aspire to be tomorrow, we can re-kindle the power of the ancients to help us meet the particular challenges of not only our own personal individuation, but also the age and planetary conditions in which we live. In the work of so many who came before us and in the revelations which have come through the Aura-Soma system for over a quarter-century, colour has been revealed to be a catalyst for this rekindling of light and the refining of wisdom which expands the light within and around us. Thus, “wine in new bottles” was often how Aura-Soma founder Vicky Wall would answer when she was asked about the ingredients contained in Equilibrium.
Vicky’s birthday is 20th August, a day that we join to together to give thanks for her legacy and remember her story. Vicky’s inspired work re-enlivened the ancient mysteries of colour and its effects on emotional, mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing that have been explored by so many through the centuries. Among these pioneers in colour exploration are notables such as Aristotle, the Roman physician-philosopher Paracelsus, Isaac Newton, Goethe, Rudolf Steiner and today’s colour explorers in science, medicine and wellness modalities including psychology, philosophy and spirituality. Through Vicky’s work and legacy we have learnt that colour is a universal soul language, with deeply individual meanings – offering keys to who we are, why we are here and what we need for our greater wellbeing and expression. As the Aura-Soma system continues to build on Vicky’s work, we carry on the call to part the veil on the mysteries of colour. One by one, each of us and together, we give voice and presence in our time to all that shimmers within hue-man potential through our infinitely colour-full lives!
In early 1983, while Vicky Wall was in her nightly meditation, she found herself enveloped in the most beautiful cascade of colour, which receded and advanced like the ebb and flow of the tide, sighing softly as it went. Suddenly, the still small voice within that she had always obeyed instructed her to “go and divide the waters, my child”. She was mystified as to what that meant. Vicky had retired from a lifetime of devoted care for others as a surgical chiropodist due to blindness. After suffering from a major heart attack during which she had an encounter with an angelic presence, she was given “borrowed time” to complete what she had come to do. Almost 70 years old, clinically blind with only 40% of her heart function, she immersed herself in her spiritual practice, meditation and prayer to find out what was being asked of her. In her meditation the next night, the colours came again more vividly than before and again the words “divide the waters my child”. Vicky responded, “What waters?” Still she did not know what to do. On the third night the colours came even more strongly. She got up out of her bed and went into her small laboratory, yielding to the unseen hands which guided hers to create she knew not what with a mixture of essential oils and waters from plants and herbs, the energies of crystals and gems, and water from the Chalice well which someone had given her. When morning came, Margaret, her devoted companion and partner in their healing practice, questioned her about the beautiful liquids radiating in the sunlight, revealing two distinctly different layers of glittering colours through their clear bottles. “What are they for?” Margaret asked. “I don’t know”, replied Vicky. “It is something I did in the night”. After breakfast, Vicky revisited the small room where the bottles had been born during the night. She described in her autobiography:
|
~ Self-Discovery Through Colour, by Vicky Wall.Vicky’s life was about to take a turn towards an unexpected new beginning. She and Margaret took the bottles to decorate the tables at an exhibition of her coloured face creams, and they created quite a sensation. In the coming months, a whirlwind of attention began to gather around the bottles by all who encountered them, Vicky was inspired to create more and more colour variations, each with its own distinct vibrations. As Vicky, Margaret and others chronicled the effects of the bottles upon people who used them, they began to build a body of solidly researched knowledge. Why did people choose certain bottles? What were the individuals’ life dynamics before and after continued exposure to or use of the contents of certain bottles? Over a period of a few short years, this in-depth analytical approach verified the answers to all these questions and more. Equilibrium was a mirror of the soul – an illuminator of a person’s true colours – and a catalyst for transformation, wholeness and balance.
As the Aura-Soma system grew, Vicky handed over to Mike the inspirational duties of birthing Equilibrium with bottle 44, entrusting him to carry on the creation of Aura-Soma and the unfoldment into the world. When Vicky passed in 1991, Mike assumed the stewardship of Aura-Soma. In the years between 1991 and now, the Aura-Soma system has come a long way from Vicky’s first private and precious moments with the birth of Equilibrium. Mike and Vicky’s shared understanding of the importance of personal individuation and wellbeing to a strong and vital collective also included care of the earth that supports and nourishes life on all levels. Thus, Mike’s interest in the philosophies of Rudolph Steiner, originator of biodynamic farming. Colour as a language of universal consciousness would become significant influences in the development of Aura-Soma philosophies and practices. As Aura-Soma undertook to grow the plants and herbs for the botanical ingredients in its products, Mike chose to use biodynamic farming, initiate reforestation projects and production methods that would adhere to the concept of “reciprocal maintenance”. This worldview sees all things and beings in life as interconnected and interdependent. Likewise, at the heart of the commitment of the Aura-Soma system to the greater good is the understanding that the actions of each impact the whole, and if each of us do what we do with regard for ourselves, each other and the earth which sustains us, then we can all thrive. This remains the guiding principle of Aura-Soma for the way we do what we do.