Taking it Personally

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It's become a regular practice of mine to invite my angels to play. Meaning, I invite them to bring me signs of their presence, bits of guidance, and even little happy surprises for my day. And then comes the fun part - I notice them and say thank you.

The things I notice might be things that other people dismiss. But I've decided to take them personally, which is part of this practice. 

For instance, we're on vacation at the beach this week. Every morning about 7:30 I walk to the ocean by myself and sit and enjoy just sitting, watching the waves, the sand crabs, and whatever comes my way. The waves come in, go out, stand out, then merge again into the larger body of water. They're a fantastic representation of the concept of flow. 

During my morning beach time this week, I've seen dolphins - which I love. And every day, there have been more. That delights me! 

I know I have a choice to think, "How nice. Dolphins. They're plentiful this time of year." Or, I can take it a step further and say, "Thank you, Angels, for bringing me this delightful gift of seeing a lot of dolphins, which I love." I choose to take it personally, just as if someone had given me a gift. Because it is.

Two days ago, I was having fun watching dragonflies zoom around me as I walked to the beach. I sent out a thought invitation to the dragonflies to come closer and visit as I sat on the sand. Within about a minute, a green-spotted dragonfly landed on my wrist and stayed for about 10 minutes. I admired the dragonfly, thanked him or her, and enjoyed the little gift of personal attention that I received. By the way, that's the only time the whole week that a dragonfly came that close, or landed on me or anyone in my family. 

Think of it this way - if you really could use a little pick-me-up present, and then someone gives you one, you don't ignore it or dismiss it, do you? You express your delight, and say thank you. Otherwise, the giver might not be so inclined to bring you want you ask for next time, because it sure seems like you didn't really receive the gift - and it seems that maybe you're not so open to receiving after all. 

If I ask for something, I figure I should be totally open to receiving it, rather than not really expecting anything, or even, too distracted to notice when I do. In fact, I'm not really "asking" as much as stating that I'm open to receiving. Asking comes from a place of lack or want. I am not interested in receiving more lack or want! I'm open to receiving a flow of blessings, wonderful surprises, and abundance from the Universe. I'm ready to offer the kind of assistance that's best for those who come to me for guidance, learning, or a Reiki session. I'm grateful to share the gifts and ideas I have to help make life better for others. That's how I live in the flow, as the ocean waves have been reminding me all week. 

It's like a game, and it makes life more fun to play it this way. 

I know people who see their life the opposite way. Something bad happens and they say that the Universe hates them, or that's what they get for trying, or something similarly self-defeating. They go around expecting the next shoe to drop, and so, guess what, it does. And then they feel justified, like the world just confirmed they are right about the way they understand their life. And, yep, they are. Why? Because they expected crap, and they got crap. That doesn't mean that they deserve any more crap than I do. But it does mean that the more you expect something, the more likely it is to happen, because you put all this mental energy into seeing the worst, and then put emotional energy (which is actually fear) into expecting the worst, so the Universe responds by manifesting what's expected. 

Turn that around by expecting the best, and anticipating it with gratitude, and a little excitement, and notice what happens. Try practicing living in the flow, and taking the gifts that come personally.

If something happens that you don't want, or don't like, that's not a personal affront. Instead, it's a chance to be open to something better, an opportunity to learn, reflect, or motivation to try something new. It's a gift of another kind. 

The waves come in, and go out. The tide moves the entire ocean further and back again. The tiny and massive ocean life are immersed in the motion of the flow. And for this week, so are we. My intention is to bring this lesson, and the energy of the ocean experience, back with me when we leave for home on Saturday. 

Blessings. 

Where the Lightworker Stands, and the Energy Flows

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I'm on vacation this week, with my family, in beautiful Sandbridge, VA. We come here every year for a week, to slow down, get some beach time, and be together without a schedule. The weather has been gorgeous (up until yesterday and today, which are cool, just dipping below 70 degrees, and a bit rainy). Still, it's so great to be here.

One of the things that vacations like this do for me is give me time to contemplate. I love this opportunity. I always bring along a book or two to read, which I've been wanting time to dive into. This year, I brought Energy Medicine by Donna Eden. I have been enjoying it very much, and learning a lot too. I intend to continue learning about it when we get home.

This year, I've also been contemplating two very different driving philosophies of energy healing. I've learned a bit of both, and I'm pondering the ideas of how they might work together, if they need to work together, and the ultimate effects and usability of each.

Dr. Lawrence LeShan calls them, perhaps a bit clinically, "Type 1" and "Type 2" healings. These defined types aren't at all unique to his method of healing, but the designations describe two paths to working in this scope of the energy healing field.

The first one, (he calls this Type 2), is the one which is more widely practiced. This describes any approach in which the practitioner is the facilitator, and the recipient is the one receiving the healing. Reiki is in this category, as well as acupuncture, acupressure, Energy Medicine, Therapeutic Touch, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, and most common energy healing modalities. There may or may not be manipulation of the physical body or energy field involved, either through intention or pressure, or both. I teach my students that the recipient is healing him or herself by receiving energy which helps him or her come into balance. The practitioner helps to create a "healing space" around the recipient by initiating and offering a connection to a flow of Life Force Energy. 

In this type of healing, the practitioner is able to observe the recipient's energy field, if he or she so desires, and may receive some intuitive information about the ways and places which may be off balance (and engaged in a process of self-correcting during the session). The practitioner becomes the observer of the process, after intending that the energy flow to the recipient. In this type, the practitioner and recipient are in separate roles, with the first offering and observing the latter, who is receiving.

The second type (LeShan's "Type 1") is different. Essentially, this type requires the practitioner to go into meditation, and then to intend to include the recipient of the healing in this meditative space with him or her. It is thought that when we are in this meditative state, we are connected fully with the All One energy field which is our true essence. In being connected with this true essence, we naturally will be able to experience a return to balance; a clearing, a healing, a wholeness. The practitioner intends to merge into this All One field with the person receiving the healing, so in this sense, the two are not separate, but together inside the All One energy field. There is no observing, because that implies separateness, as in, "I am over here observing you, who is separate from me." You can't observe because that makes you step out of the experience. You are just to BE in this state, and flow with it, and allow whatever happens, whatever you might experience, to occur. Then you're done. The LeShan Method is not the only method that follows this philosophy. There are others, with different names, that encourage doing the same thing. Some call it Non-Local Consciousness healing, or something of that nature that means entering into a deep meditative, altered state of consciousness.

I've read of a man who will sit in the room with someone who is ill, and go into deep meditation for hours. Then the ill person experiences healing. Also, people such as John of God and Braco seem to affect a healing process by looking at, being in the presence of, or touching the recipient. It's a presence - an energy of Beingness- that acts as a catalyst for the healing. I feel that these are also similar to the 'Type 1" LeShan Method that I learned in April.

Both philosophies are valid, and may offer beneficial, sometimes "miraculous" results. Yet, they are so different that they can't be combined together without doing one first, and then the other. I'm able to offer a healing session in which I do the meditative type first, and then switch to offering Reiki. This involves intentionally shifting from the All One state to that of the facilitator-observer. 

As a Reiki practitioner, It's often more comforting and validating for me to be in the place of the observer, because information comes in - I can intuitively tell which chakras are blocked, or where the recipient is experiencing physical or emotional pain. Then I can share these insights with the person, and get feedback from him or her on how my observations and the healing session resonate. It is satisfying on some level to have this interaction.

With the "Type 1" method, on my end, offering the meditative state healing brings me only the sort of deep, blissful feeling of being in a non-physical, flowing consciousness, and perhaps some dreamlike visions. I know that something happened, but can't really quantify it. The recipient may experience something, but I can't always be sure that what I experience correlates in any way with her or her experience, and I have no certainty or expectation of any specific results that may occur as a result of this type of healing method. My only intention is for the recipients Highest and Best to happen during the session. It takes a lot of surrender to do this. Still, I find it very intriguing, and the feedback I've received has been very meaningful when I've offered this sort of healing.


So, now I'm putting these questions out there to you: 

• Have you experienced or do you practice either of these energy healing paths? 
• Do you have some experience you can share about how either affected you?

I realize that learning more, and going deeper, into the understandings of energy healing, and the energy systems of the human experience (aura, meridians, and chakras), is important at this stage of my career and personal growth. I also know that doing so will help me be a better practitioner and teacher. 

So that's where I'm at, and I'm inviting those interested to follow my journey here, or to actively come with me by joining the Advanced Healing Pioneers, a new membership program, here.