Saturday, January 22, 2011
Blocks to Knowing Yourself
Have you ever had to deal with someone whose behaviour was not conducive to harmony and love? A difficult spouse, co-worker, boss, colleague, teacher? ... better yet - how about your own difficult behaviours and mental/emotional patterns which create challenges and false limitations ... beliefs, values etc. for you in your life?
And have you ever tried to bring these things to the other person's attention only to receive hostile responses or more subtle diversion tactics? Ever try to break a pattern of your own and meet with other aspects of yourself which are not in agreement to see it and alter? Ever ask ... what the heck is going on, here?
The answer to these things lie in Soul Work too. People, our selves included, will only behave according their level of being in that moment. The lens through which they view the world depends on their level of being. Quite literally, we see things differently as we develop higher level of spiritual awareness. We can work to alter this. It begins with a willingness to do so and a development of awareness to a higher degree.
Remember - we may not like what someone says, what they do, or the way they think; we can not control that. We can ask them to observe themselves. We can confront people and give them examples of what we see them doing and ask them to work on change. We can not control the outcome of this; however, we can only control our own responses to these things. This is where our work lies. I will not suggest that you put up with dysfunction; this too, can contribute to illness. If you must walk away, due to a refusal of the person to see what they are doing, and how it impacts you, then walk away you must ... for as long as necessary.
What, then, prevents us and others from breaking free of these patterns - in particular ... seeing them?
Self-protective States
Mental/emotional in nature, they are actually energetic blocks. These patterns occur during a self-protective instance, and then became a habit, and then an unconscious pattern; therefore, not available to the conscious mind. Sometimes they occur due to a dysfunctional childhood environment which does not allow for a child's natural responses to unhealthy situations or people. Other times it can be due to a traumatic experience. In order to survive a threat or perceived threat, a particular internal response is created which allows us to cope ... to survive. The inner self often equates threats or perceived threats with the potential of annihilation. So, in essence, our defenses are really survival or perceived survival tactics.
One can easily see how you can confront someone with a particular behaviour you are viewing in that moment right in front of you, and the person themselves may not ... can not (in that moment) or even WILL not see it at all. Even when this can be quite humorous, as we can see that the person could easily do something different and get a better response, the inner world of that person may not perceive this as just a little thing ... and it may not seem funny to them at all.
Psychic Sleep ... unconsciousness ... lack of awareness ... ignorance ... NOT KNOWING vs. TO KNOW ... an inability to see ... operating at a different energetic frequency ... vibration ... point of reality .... energetic blocks ... level of soul development ...
Denial ... Resistance - even in an environment of agreement to work ... Buffers to perceiving clearly ... DIRTY MIRRORS of self-reflection ...
We have developed many other fancier names for specific ways in which these self-protective behaviours and unconscious patterns manifest themselves in our daily life. Some of these include: projection, sublimation, deflection, reaction formation and on and on.
To me, this is like the many ways in which modern medicine labels various dis-eases ... some of which have many of the same symptoms (ever notice that?) ... and end result ... illness with eventual death. Even though, in certain cases, these specific labels and names have their place, I am far more interested in the roots of things and less interested in the concepts or names of them.
These defense mechanisms, as they are often called, have roots ... they are a self-protective measure which is adopted by the individual in order to deal with something which proved too challenging for them in whatever aspect (energetically too demanding for the individual's overall state at the time); therefore, resulting in some sort of adaptation - a survival mode/tactic for the soul in a perceived or often very real state of shock or traumatic situation for the psyche (soul). What is difficult or traumatic for one person may not be so for another; we must remember and respect individual differences according to the level at which someone is at. This does not mean that we must put up with abusive/ignorant behaviour!
At some other point in the person's life, this adaptation may no longer work and can interfere with the quality of their life, relationships, success, spiritual development ... even health. Perhaps someone gives them an ultimatum relating to their behaviour, attitude or whatever. Sometimes it is something an individual does see in him/her self and they wish to alter this. Now they must make the decision to embark on the journey of transformation.
Once one is clear that change is necessary or desired, one requires a willingness to work and then a commitment to engage in work which develops a greater awareness (experience in the moment) of this energy block (which, is essence, it is) they wish to alter. Then it is vital that an internal acceptance of this takes place within the individual. Many times, we can see something and know we are better off working through it, but find it revolting or difficult to see consciously ... that, yes, I am like this ... or yes, I really do this ... this can often trigger unconscious reactions like resistance or denial once again ... inner defense mechanisms.
Once acceptance is there, and we know the behaviour or attitude (whatever it is) for what it is, we are freer in terms of making choices in each moment to do new things. We require time and consistent application of new behaviours, thoughts and attitudes (whatever it is we are working on), in order for it to become a new pattern within us ... a new way of responding to the various experiences we encounter. Over time, change can take place. This is very individual ... which is why there is such varying results between people in when walking the same path and using the same tools. How can it be otherwise? We are unique.
It is important to respect where an individual is at, the pace in which they can/or are willing to work and the timing in which it may all take place. One moment it may seem we are taking two steps back ... suddenly we have a breakthrough ... then it goes on like this ... layer upon layer of discovery ... Know Thyself can be challenging, yes ... and fun too, if we allow it to be so. One of my teachers once said ... we all have stuff ... so what? ... do your Work. Avoid judgments, comparisons and measuring sticks ... do the Work and keep growing. Commit and devote your life to the Work.
Are we not amazing beings? Do we know our full potential as human beings? What would we be capable of if we looked at our stuff and said ... yeah, I have stuff ... so what ... I am more interested in moving forward than staying here in the same old ... same old ... comfort ... limitation and patterns which limit my spiritual potential and capacity to really see, feel and hear more of GOD's Energy, Universal Intelligence, Great Spirit... whatever your word for the ALL THAT IS is. ... inside and all around me.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Healing and Spiritual Growth: Body, Mind and Spirit
Body mind and spirit is a common phrase - has been for a long time now. Let us examine what this truly means and then ask ourselves where our Work currently lies. Everything we look at points back to the same thing: Know Thyself, as the ancient Greek oracle is so famous for saying to seekers in those days.
Tools which masters, ancient healers from throughout history, and modern day mystics have taught us really point us back to ourselves. Every true spiritual path and healer will do so. In essence, though we do gain abilities to heal and to soothe the body, mind and emotions of others, real and lasting healing occurs within the individual and due to each person's innate ability to engage in their own healing process.
Many people feel better after seeing a healer, counsellor, or spiritual guide; however, shortly after, going back to their ways of being and unconscious, conditioned patterns, the illness (dis-ease) can return - sometimes worse. One of my teachers was known to have said ... I work on the person, they get better, then they come back with the same thing again soon after and they wonder why ... don't be like this ... do your Work as taught and come in for sessions ... sessions alone will not always rid you of the challenge you are working through if you do not change as a person and continue your work as you walk in life.
Those who get the message and make necessary changes are often called the medical miracles! There are countless cases on record - check it out for yourself - of which doctors can not explain how diseases (some even given a terminal label) have left the patient with no trace of being there upon examination. Remarkable recoveries and changes in personality and lifestyle (happiness, wealth, wisdom etc) occur all the time in individuals who once struggled through life with various disorders, unease, unhappiness and mental/emotional disharmonies. If we were to interview these people (and it has been done already), we would find some interesting things about these individuals. They made changes of some sort - some turned to spiritual practice, prayer, drastic diet changes, exercise, an altering of mental/emotional attitude and focus, visualization practices ....
We do not have to wait until we have manifested a label in order to do these changes. We can embark on this path as a preventative measure ... to continue radiating good health and mental/emotional well-being ... and in order to evolve ourselves to higher levels spiritually - the Soul Work we have discussed in a previous blog. Or, if we are working with a label and dis-ease of any form, we can also embark on the path to regain balance and harmony inside and out and then progress from there.
In any of the true spiritual paths, a high level of health and well-being is necessary in order to progress. This is due to the fact that we are a particular VIBRATION OF ENERGY first ... so if there is dis-ease and imbalance, or a negative mental/emotional state, our level of vibration and energy lowers ... this impacts our spiritual level of being. It can take many forms: weight gain, organ removal, labels of various sorts, inappropriate behaviours, mental/emotional stress and excessive armouring on the body (which can be easily felt with training ... massage therapists feel this ... some may call it something else ... muscle tension equates to energy blocks).
Vibrational and energy medicine, mental/emotional Work and certain spiritual practices all work together to address this fact and work on our energetic level. The physical manifestations of this, which is our denser physical form (body), will always manifest last. Therefore, we are energy beings first ... spirit into matter ... soul into the soul case ... The densest part of our beings are our organs ... therefore, when we are diagnosed with a label, it really has been there much longer than we think ... impacting us first energetically ... if the disharmony/imbalance is not corrected, it progresses.
These are very basic principles ... seen in traditional teachings of Yoga, Kung fu, Chi Kung, acupressure, acupuncture, energy vibrational medicine, shamanic healing practices from all over the world, and so on (I am not talking about the pop, diluted mainstream teachings of these). These therapies and practices are not the airy fairy hocus pocus that some people view it as. It is actually a very accurate, highly evolved spiritual science based on universal principles which ancient people have known far before modern medicine became so popular.
Modern medicine and science have wonderful discoveries to share with the world. Some of their practices; however, are not as wonderful - such as the quick and easy delivery of prescriptions which may not be the best course of action, the impersonal symptom-oriented approach which often misses the story of the whole system and their lack of understanding and knowing of the energy body. On a positive note, many doctors are now educated in the spiritual healing arts (I have met some) and they are seeing the benefits of combining the two approaches.
Once again, it is a sad fact that the two paths had not merged their truths in the past, but separated, leaving both at a loss of the benefits of each one's specialty. This is an outward manifestation in the world which reflects our inner fragmentation as beings. The historical significance of this is astounding, but that is another story, and not the focus of our work. We can be sure that brighter days are upon us when the truth of this will become undeniable. Much work in physics and other interdisciplinary studies are bridging this gap very quickly.
Body, mind/emotions and spirit. We can not separate these aspects of our being, though, generally speaking, we often behave this way in our world ... we live in a world which has separated these things and then we wonder how to get to higher levels of well-being and ability. This is what is meant by holistic. Everything impacts us. Everything is energy. We have to look at the whole thing without losing sight of the details. Integration is key.
At Souhl Center, our classes, counselling sessions, seminars and training embodies this teaching ... being energetic in focus without excluding the physical appearances. We use our physical body in our practices. This impacts us on all levels. We clear inner blockages, clean our mirrors in order to reflect and see ourselves clearly, and we reap the physical benefits of strength, flexibility and endurance. In our work these are the side effects (fringe benefits!) and not necessarily the primary focus ... which is INSIDE and all around us. Looking at ourselves and Knowing Ourselves is a major focus. We can learn much through observing ourselves moving in the arts and then throughout our day. We also learn through observing and working through our mental/emotional patterns which lead to our behaviours and actions in the world.
We examine the air we breathe, the food (and drink) we put into our system and the impressions we receive all around us every day. It is this last point which many of us lose track of. Remember that since all is energy, everything we do, all environments, all people and the things they think, say and do will impact us. How we react to all of these things also impacts us energetically first. Raising our level of being assists us in dealing with these things ... many of which we choose to be around due to our relationships, work environments and places of residence.
So take some time ... ask yourself ... in what areas of my life do I see or feel the desire or room for improvement? Take the step to do something about it today.
Tools which masters, ancient healers from throughout history, and modern day mystics have taught us really point us back to ourselves. Every true spiritual path and healer will do so. In essence, though we do gain abilities to heal and to soothe the body, mind and emotions of others, real and lasting healing occurs within the individual and due to each person's innate ability to engage in their own healing process.
Many people feel better after seeing a healer, counsellor, or spiritual guide; however, shortly after, going back to their ways of being and unconscious, conditioned patterns, the illness (dis-ease) can return - sometimes worse. One of my teachers was known to have said ... I work on the person, they get better, then they come back with the same thing again soon after and they wonder why ... don't be like this ... do your Work as taught and come in for sessions ... sessions alone will not always rid you of the challenge you are working through if you do not change as a person and continue your work as you walk in life.
Those who get the message and make necessary changes are often called the medical miracles! There are countless cases on record - check it out for yourself - of which doctors can not explain how diseases (some even given a terminal label) have left the patient with no trace of being there upon examination. Remarkable recoveries and changes in personality and lifestyle (happiness, wealth, wisdom etc) occur all the time in individuals who once struggled through life with various disorders, unease, unhappiness and mental/emotional disharmonies. If we were to interview these people (and it has been done already), we would find some interesting things about these individuals. They made changes of some sort - some turned to spiritual practice, prayer, drastic diet changes, exercise, an altering of mental/emotional attitude and focus, visualization practices ....
We do not have to wait until we have manifested a label in order to do these changes. We can embark on this path as a preventative measure ... to continue radiating good health and mental/emotional well-being ... and in order to evolve ourselves to higher levels spiritually - the Soul Work we have discussed in a previous blog. Or, if we are working with a label and dis-ease of any form, we can also embark on the path to regain balance and harmony inside and out and then progress from there.
In any of the true spiritual paths, a high level of health and well-being is necessary in order to progress. This is due to the fact that we are a particular VIBRATION OF ENERGY first ... so if there is dis-ease and imbalance, or a negative mental/emotional state, our level of vibration and energy lowers ... this impacts our spiritual level of being. It can take many forms: weight gain, organ removal, labels of various sorts, inappropriate behaviours, mental/emotional stress and excessive armouring on the body (which can be easily felt with training ... massage therapists feel this ... some may call it something else ... muscle tension equates to energy blocks).
Vibrational and energy medicine, mental/emotional Work and certain spiritual practices all work together to address this fact and work on our energetic level. The physical manifestations of this, which is our denser physical form (body), will always manifest last. Therefore, we are energy beings first ... spirit into matter ... soul into the soul case ... The densest part of our beings are our organs ... therefore, when we are diagnosed with a label, it really has been there much longer than we think ... impacting us first energetically ... if the disharmony/imbalance is not corrected, it progresses.
These are very basic principles ... seen in traditional teachings of Yoga, Kung fu, Chi Kung, acupressure, acupuncture, energy vibrational medicine, shamanic healing practices from all over the world, and so on (I am not talking about the pop, diluted mainstream teachings of these). These therapies and practices are not the airy fairy hocus pocus that some people view it as. It is actually a very accurate, highly evolved spiritual science based on universal principles which ancient people have known far before modern medicine became so popular.
Modern medicine and science have wonderful discoveries to share with the world. Some of their practices; however, are not as wonderful - such as the quick and easy delivery of prescriptions which may not be the best course of action, the impersonal symptom-oriented approach which often misses the story of the whole system and their lack of understanding and knowing of the energy body. On a positive note, many doctors are now educated in the spiritual healing arts (I have met some) and they are seeing the benefits of combining the two approaches.
Once again, it is a sad fact that the two paths had not merged their truths in the past, but separated, leaving both at a loss of the benefits of each one's specialty. This is an outward manifestation in the world which reflects our inner fragmentation as beings. The historical significance of this is astounding, but that is another story, and not the focus of our work. We can be sure that brighter days are upon us when the truth of this will become undeniable. Much work in physics and other interdisciplinary studies are bridging this gap very quickly.
Body, mind/emotions and spirit. We can not separate these aspects of our being, though, generally speaking, we often behave this way in our world ... we live in a world which has separated these things and then we wonder how to get to higher levels of well-being and ability. This is what is meant by holistic. Everything impacts us. Everything is energy. We have to look at the whole thing without losing sight of the details. Integration is key.
At Souhl Center, our classes, counselling sessions, seminars and training embodies this teaching ... being energetic in focus without excluding the physical appearances. We use our physical body in our practices. This impacts us on all levels. We clear inner blockages, clean our mirrors in order to reflect and see ourselves clearly, and we reap the physical benefits of strength, flexibility and endurance. In our work these are the side effects (fringe benefits!) and not necessarily the primary focus ... which is INSIDE and all around us. Looking at ourselves and Knowing Ourselves is a major focus. We can learn much through observing ourselves moving in the arts and then throughout our day. We also learn through observing and working through our mental/emotional patterns which lead to our behaviours and actions in the world.
We examine the air we breathe, the food (and drink) we put into our system and the impressions we receive all around us every day. It is this last point which many of us lose track of. Remember that since all is energy, everything we do, all environments, all people and the things they think, say and do will impact us. How we react to all of these things also impacts us energetically first. Raising our level of being assists us in dealing with these things ... many of which we choose to be around due to our relationships, work environments and places of residence.
So take some time ... ask yourself ... in what areas of my life do I see or feel the desire or room for improvement? Take the step to do something about it today.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Be Your Potential
Do you desire to live life maximizing your potential? Are you settling for less than what you feel you are capable of? Do you still dream? Is it a beautiful dream ... emphasizing the unique skills and abilities you have? Have you ever wondered .... is this all there is?
Your potential is not what someone else says it is (or what they say it should be) ... it can be a simple quiet life of peace and ease ... it could be a successful business ... a career or path or way of being in the world which brings you contentment and fullfillment. Settling for less than who we really are contributes a great deal to disatisfaction, restlessness, unease, unhealthiness and unhappiness.
Dreams take work. I am not suggesting that you stand with open arms waiting for the silver platter to drop out of the sky or sit at the edge of the water waiting for your well-deserved ship to come in. We will, however, attract the very things in life we require to make our dream a reality when we work to align ourselves with these things from the inside out.
I am saying that each of you is unique ... special and endowed with natural talent waiting to be used - or discovered ... action is one of the keys. It may take time to manifest the dream you can feel, see or desire. Some dreams take longer due to the preparation and/or years of work required to make it happen. Other dreams can manifest overnight. It is all relative. No one can tell you exactly how long it will take. Sure, there are estimates and intuitives ... the bottom line is that you are the major determining factor ... do you realize this? Do you see how you are creating all the time? Do you like what you are creating in your life/dream right now?
Blame not your life situation or your current circimstances. Blame not your high pile of bills or lack of education ... motivation ... determination ... courage ... strength ... This is what the Work is all about. These things shift and change as we do. ALL of it comes from the inside out. Do you KNOW this? Your actions will show whether you do or not, so answer quietly to yourself ... simply reflect on your life honestly. Where could you improve: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, sexually, financially, in relationships... etc.
Cultivate awareness of your inner dialogue and pay attention to the thoughts you entertain all day. Pay attention to the words you use all day. Reflect on the sort of actions you take all day. Check it out for yourself .... Keep track of what you are noticing in a journal. These things represent how you are on the inside.
Now ...ask again ... are you living the life you desire? If you see room for improvement, inner work can assist you. Embark on the journey. Be your potential; in every moment you have this creative potential .... Take the steps you have to take to make it happen. Create a better dream and reality.
Your potential is not what someone else says it is (or what they say it should be) ... it can be a simple quiet life of peace and ease ... it could be a successful business ... a career or path or way of being in the world which brings you contentment and fullfillment. Settling for less than who we really are contributes a great deal to disatisfaction, restlessness, unease, unhealthiness and unhappiness.
Dreams take work. I am not suggesting that you stand with open arms waiting for the silver platter to drop out of the sky or sit at the edge of the water waiting for your well-deserved ship to come in. We will, however, attract the very things in life we require to make our dream a reality when we work to align ourselves with these things from the inside out.
I am saying that each of you is unique ... special and endowed with natural talent waiting to be used - or discovered ... action is one of the keys. It may take time to manifest the dream you can feel, see or desire. Some dreams take longer due to the preparation and/or years of work required to make it happen. Other dreams can manifest overnight. It is all relative. No one can tell you exactly how long it will take. Sure, there are estimates and intuitives ... the bottom line is that you are the major determining factor ... do you realize this? Do you see how you are creating all the time? Do you like what you are creating in your life/dream right now?
Blame not your life situation or your current circimstances. Blame not your high pile of bills or lack of education ... motivation ... determination ... courage ... strength ... This is what the Work is all about. These things shift and change as we do. ALL of it comes from the inside out. Do you KNOW this? Your actions will show whether you do or not, so answer quietly to yourself ... simply reflect on your life honestly. Where could you improve: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, sexually, financially, in relationships... etc.
Cultivate awareness of your inner dialogue and pay attention to the thoughts you entertain all day. Pay attention to the words you use all day. Reflect on the sort of actions you take all day. Check it out for yourself .... Keep track of what you are noticing in a journal. These things represent how you are on the inside.
Now ...ask again ... are you living the life you desire? If you see room for improvement, inner work can assist you. Embark on the journey. Be your potential; in every moment you have this creative potential .... Take the steps you have to take to make it happen. Create a better dream and reality.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Shrew and the Deermouse
This is a true story. The observations are accurate accounts and my interpretations of them are simply my own ideas....really, the story of this led me to reflect on human nature.... I use this story now as a metaphor for our mental/emotional/physiological reactions and attitudes towards the experiences we encounter along our journey through life.
Many years ago, I lived in an old farmhouse in the country. We came to realize that there were mice in the attic of the house. My husband and I were both lovers of animals, so we began to feed them. Soon, they started running around the house and leaving deposits everywhere. Realizing that this was getting out of hand (we thought they would stay in the attic), we began to catch them in friendly traps, using cheese as bait. One particularly comical memory I have was while doing a holding position for my kung fu practice one day. I was facing the wall holding horse stance, when a little deer mouse came around the corner, sat down right in front of me, looked up at me and began to clean itself. I didn't move and neither did it. We simply looked at each other quietly. Finally, after some time, it walked away.
Because it was winter, and I did not have the heart to throw them out into the elements, we bought a cage, put a wheel in it and fed them all winter. In total we caught about 7 deer mice that winter. We placed them all into the cage one by one as we caught them. It was very interesting to watch them. Deer mice are gentle creatures. They will usually not attack - even when caught ...but I do say usually, because each one is a bit different. We noticed this by observing them over time in the cage. They had different personalities. One seemed to be a fearful mouse; it sat in one of the little shelters we provided and only came out to eat. It would chatter its teeth every time we came to look...and it shook. Over time, this one got very fat. Others were content building little nests, eating the food and wandering about the cage...scurrying when we came around. One of the mice was very interested in the wheel. Every time we came down, it was on the wheel...when other mice tried to get it off, it would try very hard to keep its position there. This mouse was the most fit after the winter...and it wasn't very scared to see us...sometimes stopping on the wheel to sit and observe us when we came to see them. Are we so very much different?
Years later, here we are in the country again - though in a different part of Ontario. After settling into our home, we began to hear scurrying sounds coming from the vents. My son was sure he saw a little face with whiskers one day when he peered into the duct. I was hoping it was deer mice again - I really love these little creatures! After our first trap was successful, we soon realized that we were dealing with a totally different creature. We identified it as a shrew. Ah! The taming of the shrew ...???... highly unlikely with these creatures. They are extremely aggressive and fearful. They are tunnel diggers...they have been known to ruin many a lovely garden with their many tunnels.
These creatures have a very distinct odour as well - and it is very unpleasant...possibly their urine? There is a a poisonous shrew variety here in Ontario - the Northern Short-tailed Shrew.... its poisonous saliva can kill and paralyze its prey. I never knew that! Anyway, due to the odour, we decided we were not willing to keep it in the house for the winter like we did with the deer mice, so we left it in a container to decide what to do. Watching it for several minutes, we could see how intensely aggressive it was...clawing, gnashing its teeth and backing up all hunched up any time we would come close to it.
We saw none of these behaviours to that degree in the deer mice...once we caught a deer mouse with our hands and after we put it down, it sat very quietly, looked up at us, and proceeded to clean itself!! No emergency in this moment! Is this how it is for them? Regardless, there is a lesson for us in that... react only to what is in the moment ...and only to the degree to which we must for survival - it is healthier .... many of us are reacting to life, experiences and imaginations which are not even real... or we are reacting to things in a way that will hurt us ... whether we realize it as so or not ... like the shrew. If we can come to see this as so, we can then embark on a journey to learn a new way of being.
So... back to our little friend the shrew...we went upstairs to do a few things and then we got ready to take the shrew to the truck and to be released somewhere away from our home. We went downstairs to get it, but when we looked into the container, the shrew was dead. We were very surprised. Soon after this incident, we heard more scurrying in the vents, so we set another trap, figuring there could be a family of these little creatures in our house. Sure enough, we caught another one. This one behaved in the same way...high-strung and very aggressive. We decided not to observe it or disturb it very much- hoping that we could take it out somewhere more quickly this time and let it out. This one died too. This happened to us four times. We finally figured out that it was very likely that the shrews were dying of stress...perhaps a heart attack or something.
Consider these two creatures and the difference between them. It is really quite astounding and a great study for us in understanding human nature...and illness, in particular. Are we any different?
In all of the healing modalities I have studied, including even mainstream practices, stress is known to be a killer. We know that stress creates tension and that this tension interferes with the balance and harmony of the intricate systems of our body. This is a very basic way of looking at it, and it is true. We also know that our mental/emotional states directly impact our physiology...muscles (tension)...impacting the meridians (energy flows in the body) they are related to...impacting the organs they are related to..and then creating energetic imbalances which impede organ function and eventually a label (illness of variety of labels) appears. If this is not corrected, and the imbalances continue to accumulate (energy blockages ...accumulations...in the flows within and around), health continues to deteriorate until death.
With the shrew, we could see this process within a matter of hours. The shrew's body was very tense once it was captured ... any time we went to observe it, that is what we saw ... and it relentlessly ran around the container digging, pawing without stopping for more than a few moments here and there. It would jump up in the air with a squeeking sound if we put our hand in the container. We observed quite a different response from the deer mice, some of which would sit quietly in the container, cleaning themselves and just sitting there looking at us. Sometimes they would jump and move around the container to look for a way out, but never with the aggressive intensity of the shrew. Overall, they were more relaxed. They lived.
Ask yourself ... quietly ... am I more like the shrew or the deer mouse? ... to what degree? Were there situations or periods on my past where I was more like one or the other? How about right now? What situations might trigger a shrew-like response in me? What might I do now in my life to cultivate more of the deer mouse qualities? Spiritual practice is one such tool. Honest reflection allows us to go on with our Soul Work ... denial and resistance keeps us where we are.
Many years ago, I lived in an old farmhouse in the country. We came to realize that there were mice in the attic of the house. My husband and I were both lovers of animals, so we began to feed them. Soon, they started running around the house and leaving deposits everywhere. Realizing that this was getting out of hand (we thought they would stay in the attic), we began to catch them in friendly traps, using cheese as bait. One particularly comical memory I have was while doing a holding position for my kung fu practice one day. I was facing the wall holding horse stance, when a little deer mouse came around the corner, sat down right in front of me, looked up at me and began to clean itself. I didn't move and neither did it. We simply looked at each other quietly. Finally, after some time, it walked away.
Because it was winter, and I did not have the heart to throw them out into the elements, we bought a cage, put a wheel in it and fed them all winter. In total we caught about 7 deer mice that winter. We placed them all into the cage one by one as we caught them. It was very interesting to watch them. Deer mice are gentle creatures. They will usually not attack - even when caught ...but I do say usually, because each one is a bit different. We noticed this by observing them over time in the cage. They had different personalities. One seemed to be a fearful mouse; it sat in one of the little shelters we provided and only came out to eat. It would chatter its teeth every time we came to look...and it shook. Over time, this one got very fat. Others were content building little nests, eating the food and wandering about the cage...scurrying when we came around. One of the mice was very interested in the wheel. Every time we came down, it was on the wheel...when other mice tried to get it off, it would try very hard to keep its position there. This mouse was the most fit after the winter...and it wasn't very scared to see us...sometimes stopping on the wheel to sit and observe us when we came to see them. Are we so very much different?
Years later, here we are in the country again - though in a different part of Ontario. After settling into our home, we began to hear scurrying sounds coming from the vents. My son was sure he saw a little face with whiskers one day when he peered into the duct. I was hoping it was deer mice again - I really love these little creatures! After our first trap was successful, we soon realized that we were dealing with a totally different creature. We identified it as a shrew. Ah! The taming of the shrew ...???... highly unlikely with these creatures. They are extremely aggressive and fearful. They are tunnel diggers...they have been known to ruin many a lovely garden with their many tunnels.
These creatures have a very distinct odour as well - and it is very unpleasant...possibly their urine? There is a a poisonous shrew variety here in Ontario - the Northern Short-tailed Shrew.... its poisonous saliva can kill and paralyze its prey. I never knew that! Anyway, due to the odour, we decided we were not willing to keep it in the house for the winter like we did with the deer mice, so we left it in a container to decide what to do. Watching it for several minutes, we could see how intensely aggressive it was...clawing, gnashing its teeth and backing up all hunched up any time we would come close to it.
We saw none of these behaviours to that degree in the deer mice...once we caught a deer mouse with our hands and after we put it down, it sat very quietly, looked up at us, and proceeded to clean itself!! No emergency in this moment! Is this how it is for them? Regardless, there is a lesson for us in that... react only to what is in the moment ...and only to the degree to which we must for survival - it is healthier .... many of us are reacting to life, experiences and imaginations which are not even real... or we are reacting to things in a way that will hurt us ... whether we realize it as so or not ... like the shrew. If we can come to see this as so, we can then embark on a journey to learn a new way of being.
So... back to our little friend the shrew...we went upstairs to do a few things and then we got ready to take the shrew to the truck and to be released somewhere away from our home. We went downstairs to get it, but when we looked into the container, the shrew was dead. We were very surprised. Soon after this incident, we heard more scurrying in the vents, so we set another trap, figuring there could be a family of these little creatures in our house. Sure enough, we caught another one. This one behaved in the same way...high-strung and very aggressive. We decided not to observe it or disturb it very much- hoping that we could take it out somewhere more quickly this time and let it out. This one died too. This happened to us four times. We finally figured out that it was very likely that the shrews were dying of stress...perhaps a heart attack or something.
Consider these two creatures and the difference between them. It is really quite astounding and a great study for us in understanding human nature...and illness, in particular. Are we any different?
In all of the healing modalities I have studied, including even mainstream practices, stress is known to be a killer. We know that stress creates tension and that this tension interferes with the balance and harmony of the intricate systems of our body. This is a very basic way of looking at it, and it is true. We also know that our mental/emotional states directly impact our physiology...muscles (tension)...impacting the meridians (energy flows in the body) they are related to...impacting the organs they are related to..and then creating energetic imbalances which impede organ function and eventually a label (illness of variety of labels) appears. If this is not corrected, and the imbalances continue to accumulate (energy blockages ...accumulations...in the flows within and around), health continues to deteriorate until death.
With the shrew, we could see this process within a matter of hours. The shrew's body was very tense once it was captured ... any time we went to observe it, that is what we saw ... and it relentlessly ran around the container digging, pawing without stopping for more than a few moments here and there. It would jump up in the air with a squeeking sound if we put our hand in the container. We observed quite a different response from the deer mice, some of which would sit quietly in the container, cleaning themselves and just sitting there looking at us. Sometimes they would jump and move around the container to look for a way out, but never with the aggressive intensity of the shrew. Overall, they were more relaxed. They lived.
Ask yourself ... quietly ... am I more like the shrew or the deer mouse? ... to what degree? Were there situations or periods on my past where I was more like one or the other? How about right now? What situations might trigger a shrew-like response in me? What might I do now in my life to cultivate more of the deer mouse qualities? Spiritual practice is one such tool. Honest reflection allows us to go on with our Soul Work ... denial and resistance keeps us where we are.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Counselling: An aspect of Soul Work
Receiving and engaging in wise counsel can assist us with increasing our awareness and understanding of things. What things? How we think, what we say and what we do, primarily ... and the impact this has on our life and being. The progress we make in counsel depends entirely on how much we are able to see of ourselves during our various experiences in life (how well we can see in the many mirrors provided...are our mirrors of self-reflection clean?)... how open we are to observing ourselves as we are in the moment ... how much resistance we have to what we will encounter when we look into the mirrors provided. Thus it is very individual, and as mentioned before, it is our own work - no one can do it for us. We are provided with opportunity and tools, and we are either ready at this moment or not ... willing in this moment or not.
Some of us feel we Know Ourselves quite well; this is prior to realizing that for the most part we are asleep and not fully aware. Generally speaking, as humans, we mostly operate from unconscious patterns, conditioning and habits aquired over time. We tend to react to our experiences rather than engaging with them fully ... and consciously choosing our responses with awareness. It is quite easy to demonstrate to someone whether they are more awake or asleep. With simple practical methods, we can gain our own experience of this - then we see for ourselves where the Work is really needed in order to grow. We can then make the choice to engage in the Work or not.
Why do we do what we do? Why do we NOT do what we could do ... or even desire to do? We can identify and experience our thinking/emotional patterns ... typical responses and reactions to things. We can look at our personal history and gain understanding about where our patterns in life come from .. our attitudes, beliefs and values ... our relationship patterns, our strengths and weaknesses in character etc. Once we see these things clearly and gain understanding, we engage in erasing this history and the patterns which operate like a parasite in our energy system ... this will occur at your own pace depending on many factors.
Through our Work, we gain awareness of our own particular areas which interfere with advancement in Soul work as well as experiencing a better life while here. We can begin to understand how we create our reality on all levels - including health. The diligent work we do leads us to eventual freedom from the restrictions of psychic sleep, unconscious patterns, and unhealthy conditioning from the many experiences in our life. Everyone has stuff to work on ... we can learn to face ourselves, and accept what we see. Once we can do so with clarity, we learn the art of Know Thyself and Co-creation.
Some of you wish to engage in counsel for specific personal reasons in order to gain assistance and tools for use in everyday life situations: home or work, family dynamics and histories, personal relationships, anxiety, depression, working through past or present issues, addictions and so on. Feel free to come in for whatever personal situation you may wish to work with. It is not necessary for you to be engaged in the school on any other level. This is the same for body treatments as well. We are here in order to provide services according to your own individual plan - which you assist us in creating for you when we first meet.
For students: Remembering that seeking wise counsel is only one aspect for the Work, we commit to and are disciplined in working all the aspects of ourselves ... this promotes balance ... we commit to daily practices .. more on this later ...
Some of us feel we Know Ourselves quite well; this is prior to realizing that for the most part we are asleep and not fully aware. Generally speaking, as humans, we mostly operate from unconscious patterns, conditioning and habits aquired over time. We tend to react to our experiences rather than engaging with them fully ... and consciously choosing our responses with awareness. It is quite easy to demonstrate to someone whether they are more awake or asleep. With simple practical methods, we can gain our own experience of this - then we see for ourselves where the Work is really needed in order to grow. We can then make the choice to engage in the Work or not.
Why do we do what we do? Why do we NOT do what we could do ... or even desire to do? We can identify and experience our thinking/emotional patterns ... typical responses and reactions to things. We can look at our personal history and gain understanding about where our patterns in life come from .. our attitudes, beliefs and values ... our relationship patterns, our strengths and weaknesses in character etc. Once we see these things clearly and gain understanding, we engage in erasing this history and the patterns which operate like a parasite in our energy system ... this will occur at your own pace depending on many factors.
Through our Work, we gain awareness of our own particular areas which interfere with advancement in Soul work as well as experiencing a better life while here. We can begin to understand how we create our reality on all levels - including health. The diligent work we do leads us to eventual freedom from the restrictions of psychic sleep, unconscious patterns, and unhealthy conditioning from the many experiences in our life. Everyone has stuff to work on ... we can learn to face ourselves, and accept what we see. Once we can do so with clarity, we learn the art of Know Thyself and Co-creation.
Some of you wish to engage in counsel for specific personal reasons in order to gain assistance and tools for use in everyday life situations: home or work, family dynamics and histories, personal relationships, anxiety, depression, working through past or present issues, addictions and so on. Feel free to come in for whatever personal situation you may wish to work with. It is not necessary for you to be engaged in the school on any other level. This is the same for body treatments as well. We are here in order to provide services according to your own individual plan - which you assist us in creating for you when we first meet.
For students: Remembering that seeking wise counsel is only one aspect for the Work, we commit to and are disciplined in working all the aspects of ourselves ... this promotes balance ... we commit to daily practices .. more on this later ...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Seek Out Wise Counsel
Why? when we seek out wise counsel, we gain the assistance of someone who is able to advise us on matters relating to our Soul Work. Some people call this Soul Work the path to enlightenment...or they term the path of study for Soul Work as a spiritual path. Wise counsel comes from someone who is walking this path and is able to shed light along our way.
Avoid expectations of perfection - in a guide/teacher (and yourself!); their work is on-going - however many steps ahead of yours. You seek them out to learn from their experience. They do not fix us - nor do we require fixing... we learn to walk the path and do our Work from wherever we are at the moment. They offer tools and insight about pitfalls, signposts, guidelines for natural healthy living, & healing practices. As I was taught: Immortal Monk points the Way; Wise Man walks the Path.
In ancient cultures, the shaman or medicine person was someone who interpreted dreams, visioned for treatments and remedies, created and passed on ceremony and ritual, studied the local plants and animals for healing remedies and poisons, and was generally responsible for the well being of the people in mind, body and spiritual matters. They were often excellent trackers, intuitive Seers and masters of the inner landscape - having travelled their own. They were sought out for healings, divination and private counsel along the way of many seekers along their journeys thorough life.
Training to become a shaman, medicine person, or wise woman was often arduous - even extreme in many cultures across the globe. Their unique abilities developed as a result of their training (though there were often certain qualities looked for in the apprentice), and in fact, they would only sharpen and deepen these abilities over time and with experience. They were the ancient psychologists. They were valued highest in their tribes by the leaders of groups, Chiefs and people - and in later times by Kings, Queens and Emperors who always had wise men and women around them.
Over time, the world shifted, and with the dawning of what was considered more modern times, some of these ancient paradigms, practices and teachings were overlooked, ridiculed and even violently suppressed. With all due respect, wonderful new discoveries have contributed to positive changes in many disciplines. Rather than integrating these discoveries with our spiritual natures (and thus maintaining and contributing to the harmony and balance of the natural world), we have contributed to the fragmentation and poisoning of ourselves and our planet in many ways. The growing awareness of this explains the surge of interest and participation in natural medicine and other healing and spiritual practices that are still around from earlier times. In fact, these practices have continued to expand in their knowledge/experience base from the on-going practical wisdom gained by teachers and students over the centuries.
We are fortunate that many of these teachings have come forward and are available to people...seek out wise counsel (as in all things, we must choose well). Doing genuine personal Work, we integrate ... from the inside out. The world becomes a better place with this integration - it is inclusive and expansive. Be a part of it. Do your Work.
So how does this history fit into the present? How does this relate to seeking out wise counsel? To answer this, we can begin by looking at the word psychology more closely. Words have a history too. They tell the origin of things, the history of things ... words come from other words ... languages come from other languages ... search out meanings of things and be delighted.
Psychology ... Psych ... ology
PSYCH comes from psyche which is a noun meaning the soul, human, spirit or mind. The origin of psyche is middle 17th Century via Latin from Greek (psukhe): meaning breath, life, soul ... My students, clients and apprentices will already know this, understanding why we have such a strong emphasis on breathing practices as a major part of our Work.
Psyche also comes from Greek mythology - Psyche is a personification (Hellenistic) of the soul as a female ... or sometimes as a butterfly ... butterflies are also symbols commonly representing transformation ... Soul Work involves transformation ... in all aspects of our being.
OLOGY... this is usually attached to another word or part of a word in order to represent that it is a subject of study ... a branch of knowledge .. or of interest.
Considering the definition above, taken from an Oxford Dictionary (get a good dictionary if you wish to get a start at researching word origins), we can see that the original intention .. or, perhaps, the root meaning of the word psychology has to do with the study of human nature ... the study of the soul or spirit (psyche).
The SOUL is defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of human or animals ... regarded as immortal. We view our work with others as soul work ... not in sterile offices of textbook practices, but in doing personal transformative work ... involving breath ... the soul ... the mind ... the human (and so the whole body) ... the spirit.
I approach Soul Work with respect for each individual's uniqueness. The work is Divine ... it is Sacred ... it is YOURS ... it is your Work ... No one can do it for you. A textbook will not do it; reading books and thinking you are working on your self will not do it ... and neither will prescriptions. Although prescriptions are SOMETIMES invaluable in emergency situations, they do not address the roots of the illness/imbalance...disharmony. These medications tend to further numb us and assist with psychic sleep ... as do all addictive substances/behaviours.
You can discover a spiritual practice which can offer you the tools to enlightenment .... This is what seeking out wise counsel can do for you. Gain higher levels of energy/vibration and benefit from the many ways that this impacts your inner and outer life for the better.
Avoid expectations of perfection - in a guide/teacher (and yourself!); their work is on-going - however many steps ahead of yours. You seek them out to learn from their experience. They do not fix us - nor do we require fixing... we learn to walk the path and do our Work from wherever we are at the moment. They offer tools and insight about pitfalls, signposts, guidelines for natural healthy living, & healing practices. As I was taught: Immortal Monk points the Way; Wise Man walks the Path.
In ancient cultures, the shaman or medicine person was someone who interpreted dreams, visioned for treatments and remedies, created and passed on ceremony and ritual, studied the local plants and animals for healing remedies and poisons, and was generally responsible for the well being of the people in mind, body and spiritual matters. They were often excellent trackers, intuitive Seers and masters of the inner landscape - having travelled their own. They were sought out for healings, divination and private counsel along the way of many seekers along their journeys thorough life.
Training to become a shaman, medicine person, or wise woman was often arduous - even extreme in many cultures across the globe. Their unique abilities developed as a result of their training (though there were often certain qualities looked for in the apprentice), and in fact, they would only sharpen and deepen these abilities over time and with experience. They were the ancient psychologists. They were valued highest in their tribes by the leaders of groups, Chiefs and people - and in later times by Kings, Queens and Emperors who always had wise men and women around them.
Over time, the world shifted, and with the dawning of what was considered more modern times, some of these ancient paradigms, practices and teachings were overlooked, ridiculed and even violently suppressed. With all due respect, wonderful new discoveries have contributed to positive changes in many disciplines. Rather than integrating these discoveries with our spiritual natures (and thus maintaining and contributing to the harmony and balance of the natural world), we have contributed to the fragmentation and poisoning of ourselves and our planet in many ways. The growing awareness of this explains the surge of interest and participation in natural medicine and other healing and spiritual practices that are still around from earlier times. In fact, these practices have continued to expand in their knowledge/experience base from the on-going practical wisdom gained by teachers and students over the centuries.
We are fortunate that many of these teachings have come forward and are available to people...seek out wise counsel (as in all things, we must choose well). Doing genuine personal Work, we integrate ... from the inside out. The world becomes a better place with this integration - it is inclusive and expansive. Be a part of it. Do your Work.
So how does this history fit into the present? How does this relate to seeking out wise counsel? To answer this, we can begin by looking at the word psychology more closely. Words have a history too. They tell the origin of things, the history of things ... words come from other words ... languages come from other languages ... search out meanings of things and be delighted.
Psychology ... Psych ... ology
PSYCH comes from psyche which is a noun meaning the soul, human, spirit or mind. The origin of psyche is middle 17th Century via Latin from Greek (psukhe): meaning breath, life, soul ... My students, clients and apprentices will already know this, understanding why we have such a strong emphasis on breathing practices as a major part of our Work.
Psyche also comes from Greek mythology - Psyche is a personification (Hellenistic) of the soul as a female ... or sometimes as a butterfly ... butterflies are also symbols commonly representing transformation ... Soul Work involves transformation ... in all aspects of our being.
OLOGY... this is usually attached to another word or part of a word in order to represent that it is a subject of study ... a branch of knowledge .. or of interest.
Considering the definition above, taken from an Oxford Dictionary (get a good dictionary if you wish to get a start at researching word origins), we can see that the original intention .. or, perhaps, the root meaning of the word psychology has to do with the study of human nature ... the study of the soul or spirit (psyche).
The SOUL is defined as the spiritual or immaterial part of human or animals ... regarded as immortal. We view our work with others as soul work ... not in sterile offices of textbook practices, but in doing personal transformative work ... involving breath ... the soul ... the mind ... the human (and so the whole body) ... the spirit.
I approach Soul Work with respect for each individual's uniqueness. The work is Divine ... it is Sacred ... it is YOURS ... it is your Work ... No one can do it for you. A textbook will not do it; reading books and thinking you are working on your self will not do it ... and neither will prescriptions. Although prescriptions are SOMETIMES invaluable in emergency situations, they do not address the roots of the illness/imbalance...disharmony. These medications tend to further numb us and assist with psychic sleep ... as do all addictive substances/behaviours.
You can discover a spiritual practice which can offer you the tools to enlightenment .... This is what seeking out wise counsel can do for you. Gain higher levels of energy/vibration and benefit from the many ways that this impacts your inner and outer life for the better.
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