Archived Newsletter XIII - November 19, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Making a decision as to whom to train with defies the rational mind. I have found that those whom I study with first connect with me on an energetic level, and there is a resonance and an exchange of information that has no words. Rumi probably came close to expressing an aspect of this experience:

Something opens our wings,

Something makes boredom and hurt disappear,

Someone fills the cup in front of us.

We taste only sacredness. 

Sometimes it can be prudent to challenge the Western rational mind more often.

Last week I immediately connected with a couple of wonderful Reiki Masters from New Jersey who were attending the conference. Afterwards, it was amazing to meet with and listen to pioneers in the field of sound healing, most of whom I have only read about. It would take pages to mention them all; however, pre and post conference intensive workshops were spent with Layne Redmond, author of When The Women Were Drummers, and Silvia Nikkach, world renowned composer, singer and Clinical Psychologist who now focuses a great deal of her sound healing work with Hospice patients. Onye Onyemechi from Nigeria, founder of African Rhythms, demonstrated some amazing healing work derived from his African roots. Interestingly, he mentioned that in the West, doctors use forceps during labor and delivery, which can damage a baby. He said, “In Africa, we play our drums and sing and dance and beat on our chests. Babies do just fine with this.” At one point in time, he asked a question, and several people raised their hands trying to give rational answers. Interestingly, some of the comments were contradictory, and it was obvious that there was a wide range of opinion. Onye finally commented that he could not relate at all to such a rational and intellectual approach and said, “I’ll have to talk to my ancestors about this!” Then I thought about all of my children who were born via the utilization of forceps. One daughter’s delivery included a mid forceps rotation and my other daughter suffered multiple birth injuries because of the use of forceps. To this day she has large calcified hematomas on both sides of her scalp with the forceps indentations clearly identifiable. I have to ask myself why we accept some modalities in our Western world, assuming that they are the best available and most viable option? I sometimes wish that my consciousness didn’t awaken with a big leap at age 40. What we can do, however, is educate so that our children realize that truths can lie beyond our current mode of thinking and beyond the boundaries of the country in which we live. Afterall, truth is true, regardless of the variety of culturally tinted glasses worn by people around the world.

I must share one of my mystical experiences. The first day of the conference I saw a pile of embroidered cloths (song textiles) made by a woman of the Shipibo People who live up the Upper Amazon river, in the heart of the Peruvian jungle. There was a large 3x4 foot cloth that seemed to call out to me but my rational mind didn’t want to make a purchase; thus, I made an excuse not to purchase it. However, I realized that I couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility so I decided that if it was still there at the end of the conference I would take it home with me. Every day I saw the smaller embroidered cloths disappear. Even Silvia Nikkach purchased a medium sized one and put it on the podium when she gave her presentations. She understood its deep significance and healing power. Then, on the last day of the Conference, I saw that the one large cloth was sitting there—all by itself--- the one that I was obviously taking home with me. This is what I have learned:

The dark brown stain on the cloth is from mahogany bark and the other stains are from the Huito berry that changes color when exposed to air. The application is done with a nail or piece of bamboo. There are a lot of embroidered geometric designs. This design, specifically, is the Chant of Pachamama and Chacruna that has been woven into the fabric, which honors the earth—a symbolic story telling of the ability of nature to heal itself. There was a notation on the cloth that the chant raises frequency. I have learned that the pattern is not only an expression of the oneness of creation, the dynamic of light and sound, the union of perceived opposites but an ongoing dialogue with the spiritual world and powers of the Rainforest, which, of course, honors plant medicine. Thus, the visionary art of the Shipibo is brought into physical form as “visual music.” The patterns do not end at the border but extend and permeate the entire world.

Westerners do not understand how one can listen to a song or chant by looking at the designs and inversely paint a pattern by listening to a song or music. Yet, each design is unique and cannot be mass produced. A Professor of Ethnology Angelika Gebhart-Sayer wrote, “Essentially, Shipibo-Conibo therapy is a matter of visionary design application in connection with aura restoration; the shaman heals his patient through the application of a visionary design, every person feels spiritually permeated and saturated with designs. The shaman heals his patient through the application of the song-design, which saturates the patients’ body and is believed to untangle distorted physical and psycho-spiritual energies, restoring harmony to the somatic, psychic and spiritual systems of the patient. The designs are permanent and remain with a person’s spirit even after death.” Among other things, I appreciate the plant medicine component of this piece. I can honor that appreciation with therapeutic grade essentials oils and with a thankfulness that much plant spirit knowledge is being restored and acknowledged. We can move beyond the plant medicine power that we saw in our endeared children’s book, Jack and the Beanstalk. Few realize that Alice in Wonderland also developed such an awareness of plants.

SAVE THE DATE—Saturday March 15 (9am-6pm) and Sunday, March 16 (NOON-10pm) is the weekend for my intensive Sound Healing Workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah. I just returned from the International Sound Healing Conference in Santa Fe but no shopping or hot tub for me. I was absorbed in pre and post conference workshops, early and late evening workshops, and my meal breaks were spent downloading sound onto my computer or talking with marvelous healers. I feel closely connected with this international sound healing community—they are a real touchy-feely group who truly care about people. I can say, enthusiastically, that my upcoming workshop really is one of its kind. It gives an overview of many sound healing modalities, and there is no way I could have synthesized this workshop from such a huge, broad based body of sound healing research and knowledge if I had not been developing educational curriculum for over 20 years. Sound Healing I and Sound Healing II will be presented as one weekend workshop. The experiential group work—whether using the voice or sound instruments---is nothing short of cleansing, healing and transformational. A flyer will be forthcoming but info can be found currently at http://carolwilson.org/sound.html and http://carolwilson.org/sound2.html

Boundless Love-Light

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © 2007, Carol A. Wilson

Archived Newsletter XII - October 7, 2007

Dearest Friends:

I was prompted to write this newsletter now because of an experience I had yesterday when I telephoned one of my former students who now lives back east. At one point in our conversation he said, “I don’t mean to change the subject, but do you remember the crystal you gave to me?” I had to think for a second but yes, I remember the day he moved away. He came by to say good-by, and I told him that I was going to give him a book. He said he had no where to put it—he was flying, and his suitcases were bulging—all he had was his pocket. Thus, I went into the other room and found my Reiki crystal grid that I had empowered for so many years. I picked up one of the quartz crystals, carried it to the living room, and gave it to him. “Yes”, I said on the phone. “I remember.” Then he replied, “I have slept with that crystal every night. I sleep with it on my chest. It helps me.”

Later that night, as I was falling asleep, I was so touched at his deep appreciation for this crystal—this powerful and living consciousness--that I felt tears welling. Then I reflected upon the enigma that is characteristic of so much of what we know as human behavior---how people can deeply appreciate a very small gesture but yet others will appreciate nothing, even when enormous efforts are taken. Attitudes are certainly influenced by values of our society, I thought---the instant gratification phenomenon, and the “keep up with the Jones’s” mentality, due in part, by the power of our media. However, I also concluded that much of our literature doesn’t encourage the value of gratitude and appreciation. For example, look at Shel Silverstein’s beloved book The Giving Tree. The story begins, “Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.” “Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk . . . and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave.” 

Teachers, mothers, caregivers and children themselves read this book and admire the self- sacrificing and generous nature of the Giving Tree. However, the reality is that she gave the boy all of her apples, and he wasn’t happy. He wanted more. She gave him all of her branches that had provided climbing and shade, and the boy still wasn’t happy. He wanted more. She gave him her trunk so he could build a canoe. And, he still wasn’t happy. At the end of the book, he is a disgruntled, unhappy old man sitting on her remaining tree stump. The moral of the story is supposed to be that we are able to have serene acceptance of another’s capacity (or shall we say incapacity) to love in return. But, what is this story really about? My perception is that The Giving Tree is about enabling and co-dependency! If people would view the book in this manner, it provides an astute, insightful, and educational message. The Giving Tree did nothing to discourage what eventually developed into a man’s selfish and narcissistic behavior. Rather, she actually encouraged, enabled and reinforced that behavior by continuing to give him all that she had, believing that extrinsic “things” could make him happy. However, the proof is in the pudding: nothing she gave him created happiness. She unknowingly got involved in his pathology, and sadly, his problem soon became her problem. The book doesn’t disclose how truly devastated she must have felt at the conclusion of the story unless she was a Buddhist practitioner tree who transformed all of that trauma into wisdom during her meditations.

As you remember, when Jesus returned to Nazareth during his ministry and people were offended at what he had to say, he simply dusted off his feet and left. He didn’t waste his time with disgruntled people who didn’t appreciate him. Thus, too, the Giving Tree did not have to invest all that she had into someone who didn’t appreciate what she had to offer. In retrospect, she could have provided much for other people. There would have been others who would have appreciated her apples, her branches and her tree trunk. There surely who would have been another boy or old man who would have appreciated one of her apples. In fact, he might have even taken it home and slept with it on his chest.

AND, that moment would have been a memorable moment. You know, a moment that you will cherish when you look back and reflect upon your life--the moment after moment that soon accumulates to become collectible moments, of which Elisabeth Kubler-Ross spoke:

It’s very interesting when you look back at hundreds of dying patients—young and old. Not one of them has ever told me how many houses she had or how many handbags or sable coats. What they tell you of are very tiny, almost insignificant moments in their lives—where they went fishing with a child or they tell of privacy in an interpersonal relationship. These are the things that keep people going at the end…they remember little moments that they have long forgotten and they suddenly have a smile on their faces…they begin to reminisce about little memories that make their whole lives meaningful and worthwhile.

Therefore, as we near the Holiday Season, I look forward to collecting little memorable moments that I will hold near and dear to my heart--- like hearing that one of my students sleeps with my Reiki grid crystal on his chest. I also hope that we can continue to encourage others to collect memorable moments, also, recognizing the fine line between when someone else’s problem starts to becomes our problem and thus, an even bigger problem. We are of little use to others as healers if we are like the Giving Tree and our well goes dry with nothing left to give. Let us re-write her story. Afterall, there’s a whole world out there waiting for more light and love to dispel of the darkness. There might even be a disgruntled old man or other individual just waiting for you to not attempt to fulfill selfish needs but rather, to point your finger at his own Divine Essence so that—hopefully--hopefully--he might recognize it. 

Love-Light

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © 2007, Carol A. Wilson

Archived Newsletter XI - September 2, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Our Reiki Clinic was an amazing success. Our Community, as a group, raised the power of our intention and the power of Reiki. We manifested that intention with focus, and some incredible healings occurred not only for those who were present but for those whose names were placed on the Reiki empowered Crystal Grid. Every Reiki practitioner who channeled Reiki that day came from the heart. 

Those who felt obligated to come in order to support me, I told them not to come if it was from a place of obligation. Healing work really does need to come from the heart. It’s a heart thing---not an obligation thing; thus, we worked from the heart. As a result, it heightened our commitment to healing, and it developed our appreciation in being with like-minded people who “support” our path in improving our own lives and the lives of others. The sacred, morphic field we created was not punctured nor deflated by a single person with a negative and/or judgmental thought or comment. We were focused in unity and wholeness with a group intention of healing, and that kind of focus is necessary in order to manifest a powerful and desired outcome.

Our Reiki Clinic will be an annual event. One of my Master students in San Diego, Mike Simms, won the 13” crystal bowl in our raffle drawing. I said that whoever won it would really need it, and Mike has wanted that bowl for quite some time! Mike is a cancer survivor. He is among many of us who suffer a death and is reborn onto a spiritual path. Thank you again to everyone who participated and to Susan, Ric, Kimberly, Denise, Craig and Cindy for bringing Reiki tables. About 20 of us ended up at Thaifoon’s after the Clinic, and just so you know how MUCH we love Thaifoon’s: Lilian’s boyfriend PROPOSED to her in Thaifoon’s, and they were married in July.

Another Lesson

We could have had a disruption in holding sacred space at our Clinic, however, and I wish to share this experience with you because a lesson was learned. I had recently told Andi Goldman, Jonathan Goldman’s wife, that at Jonathan’s Healing Sounds Intensive in Colorado in July, Jonathan drew boundaries quicker and faster than any one I had ever seen. When he teaches and with the exercises that participants engage in, a sacred vibrational space is created. Behavior by someone that doesn’t support the resonance of the group is “nipped in the bud” very quickly. Although I have years of managing classrooms and groups, which started as a Middle School Teacher in the Public Schools, I realize that there have been a couple of occasions when I have tried to work at length--tirelessly--with disruptive people to “keep them in the fold” but sadly, at the expense of others. I left Jonathan Goldman’s healing intensive feeling that what I had learned most from him was the importance of drawing boundaries more quickly when a boundary needs to be drawn. Well, you know that when we think we’ve learned a lesson, the Universe will test us to determine if we really learned that lesson. Thus, the test: I wasn’t told what this situation was all about until the next day, but a woman followed her boyfriend to our Reiki Clinic. Her energy might have been perceived as equivalent to a nuclear bomb that had been dropped into our event. As soon as she arrived in the entrance hall where I was multi-tasking, she was very confrontational about who my students were, what they were doing, if they lived in the building, that invitations should not have been distributed throughout the building, and even picked up one of my Reiki brochures and challenged the Reiki principles, stating that they were from the 12 step program. Dina was on her way to the bathroom and heard this comment, so she quickly jumped in with her Russian accent, “They’re from Japan!!!!!!” While this was going on about 10 people were arriving every 15 minutes—some who were sick and others who were grieving. I asked this disgruntled woman if she wanted to make an appointment and she bluntly replied, “NO!” A man came out of the Reiki room beaming after his session and asked this woman if she was going to go in for a session, and she again replied, “NO!” I later realized that the reason she was looking through the closed glass door was that her boyfriend was on the table and one of my most gorgeous students had her loving hands on him. Although the woman’s behavior only lasted for a couple of minutes, it did seem like an eternity. I then walked over to her and said very firmly, with my hands in Gassho in front of my heart, “This is the deal. You can either get on a table, or you can leave.” She left. 

I can honestly say that two months ago I would not have acted so quickly, and as a result, this woman would have had even more of a negative impact on others who were in the hallway waiting for their appointment. The Universe gave me a real test on drawing boundaries. I took yet one more step into my own power, although one of my students who is quite a big guy felt that I could have used him as a “bouncer.” Yes, I have compassion for this woman who was so miserable in her own suffering that she had no qualms about making others miserable and putting a dent in the quality of their experience; however, my first responsibility was to facilitate a positive and healing experience for the more than 100 other people who were in attendance. It is important in the healing work that we do. I hope that this event will be remembered so we are reminded that we need to be protective of those who are truly depending on us to help facilitate their healing, recognizing that we must first do no harm. In a way this reminds me of my work as a researcher. I have to control extraneous variables or those variables will confound my work and thus, contaminate the outcome results to the point where the results are not worthy of publication and thus, of no use to anyone! A researcher’s mantra is, “Garbage in---garbage out.” If you want good outcome results, look at the energy (intention) that is going into the process.

I have studied and been involved in Reiki Communities for many years now. I have seen few that thrive and survive. Reiki is pure and whole but often people are not; thus, when human elements get involved (i.e. ego, competition, gossip, judgment—essentially when a sub-social group forms whose intention is no longer focused on healing as a group), the resonance of Reiki can be derailed and thus, not sustained. It makes sense---why would Reiki choose to function in a dissonant field? Thus, it’s not Reiki—but people—who can get sidetracked. The resonance of Reiki needs to be supported--and with pure intention. The additional power behind Reiki is in the intention in which it is practiced and channeled, which, in my opinion is one of the distinguishing factors between a so-so Reiki practitioner and a powerful Reiki practitioner. 

As I have been saying for years, in the future we will be called upon as a cohesive community to do some very important work, not only on an individual and group level but on a planetary and universal level. The ALL appreciates you and appreciates the fact that you recognize the significance of our sacred and much needed healing endeavors.

MUCH Boundless Love and Light,

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © Carol Wilson 2007