Dr. Carol Wilson | Healing Intervention

Newsletter XXIV - Suffering In A Modern World

2010-04-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

As I watched “The Buddha” PBS special last week, I was reminded of the fact that everyone suffers. We all fall prey to its merciless grasp—often without warning— similar to a sudden hailstorm crashing down on streams of sunlight. Whether we are rich or poor, educated or non-educated, male or female—regardless of our race, age, ethnicity or religion, suffering does not discriminate. Thus, a human bond connects all of us: we suffer, but we wish to be happy, because happiness and our natural capacity to empathize with others is our true nature—our primordial beginningless-endless, joyous, indestructible reality often referred to as mind by Buddhists and by others as consciousness or spirit.

Paradoxically, however, we develop a personal “I” ego and a personality, the illusory identity created by the brain and sense faculties. We become so strongly attached to this ego personality that we lose connection to our true self and are motivated and driven to seek things, extrinsic phenomena, outside of ourselves in the search for enduring happiness. We believe, in our illusion, that this investment will yield a positive return. We emerge in modern society as human clocks, ticking and running, requiring that we keep pace as we grasp and become attached like super-glue to material success through the accumulation of money, possessions, education, and employment. We become preoccupied with our individual selves as we cling to our ideas, hopes, and dreams and become very attached to things as we also develop feelings, thoughts, and perceptions about them. We grasp at relationships with attachment, believing that we could never be happy in our aloneness because we need things, reinforced by societal advertising themes of “things go better with coke.” However, we fail to realize that all of these things, our relationships, and the feelings, thoughts, and perceptions about them come and go as floating clouds in the sky or dancing ripples on a pond. They are impermanent and imperfect and do not last, even if the termination is death itself; thus, we become frustrated and dissatisfied. In our delusion, we suffer in the conditioned world of samsara--the uncontrolled cycle of birth and death in which sentient beings, driven by unskillful actions and destructive emotions, repeatedly perpetuate their own suffering.

Ironically, because we often prevail in an egocentric ME rather than a WE generation, we live in a culture where solutions to our suffering often seem to lie in biological, psychological, and social dimensions outside of the self-realization of our spiritual true nature. We neglect, forget, or ignore the spiritual dimension. We seek “quick fix” solutions for our physical and emotional suffering, which are also impermanent and imperfect. We are caught in a perpetual cycle of frustration, dissatisfaction, and suffering. We seek doctors, therapists and anyone who will assist us in pursuit of the “instant gratification” that we demand, which has become a well-established and prevalent norm in our society. Across-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs are abused, and the use of psychiatric drugs among our children and adolescents increases at alarming rates. In addition to medicalizing ourselves, substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs are consumed, often to self-medicate, to the extent that addiction is a national epidemic. Other addictions plague us, i.e. shopaholics, foodaholics, chocolateaholics, coffeeaholics, workaholics, gamblingaholics, sexaholics, and televisionaholics.

For some enigmatic reason we are in denial that things, our relationships, feelings, thoughts, and perceptions and “quick fix” solutions are impermanent, imperfect, frustrating, and dissatisfying. We continue to suffer. We also become attached and addicted to the compulsive chattering of our thinking mind—the drama we create that becomes our all-important “I” ego identity—the drama that consumes us and robs us of connection to our true nature, which causes us to suffer even more. We have forgotten that we only become free to experience our true nature when we no longer identify with the limitations of the physical body and our “I” ego self.

“Make the suffering go away,” we say. Why? Again, we want to be happy. It is our true nature. Yet, happiness eludes us, and we wonder if lasting happiness is a goal we will ever attain because all of our “quick fix” attempts prove to be futile. We continue to grasp for this-and-that, here-and-there things that cause suffering because we don’t seem to understand and accept that they are suffering. With the exception of suffering due to natural, insurmountable causes, our suffering is primarily self-imposed and a symptom of our need for spiritual development. As stated by Seng Ts’an in “Trust in the Heart” (Suzuki, 1972):
To set up what you like against what you dislike—
This is the disease of the mind;
When the deep meaning of the Way is not understood
Peace of mind is disturbed to no purpose.
The Way is perfect like unto vast space,
With nothing wanting, nothing superfluous;
It is indeed due to making choice
That its Suchness is lost sight of.

There is an alternative view of existence in the conditioned world of samsara in which the limitations and confusion of our lives are transcended by our potential for self-realization, spiritual liberation, and enlightenment. A spiritual path is the avenue wherein we experience the truth of our existence. We reclaim the happiness and joy of our true nature, which has, and will, infinitely exist. Everyone, all sentient beings, have the seed of this true nature, waiting to unfold, just as the seed of a flower blossoms and the seed of a tree grows in majesty.

The Buddha discovered this self-realization and enlightenment as he meditated under the Bodhi Tree but admonished us to accept his discovery only through our own understanding and our own experience: “Be a lamp unto yourself”; however, it is challenging for us to understand the far-reaching implications of this truth. In the quest for greater spiritual realization, we are at a loss in knowing how to renounce the illusion of the conditioned world while existing in a conditioned world—experiencing and loving each moment of life at its fullest, with passion and fearlessness, but without super-glue attachment to our endless array of things that are in a constant state of flux.

There is a silver lining in the dark cloud of suffering. Suffering can be a gift when it motivates us and defies us to discover the deeper meaning, purpose, and truth of our lives as found in our true nature. If we fall and break a bone, it is the physical suffering that motivates us to take action and seek the help we need in order to heal. The same is true with emotional suffering. If we don’t feel the pain, we don’t realize that something is wrong, and we don’t take the action that is necessary to alleviate the pain. We often hear of those with addictions who won’t seek help until they hit rock bottom and lose everything—their job, their friends, their family, and often, their sanity. Therefore, when suffering is so unbearable that it is the catalyst that motivates us to seek greater spiritual realization, then suffering is a gift in disguise. Physical and emotional suffering is also a gift if our suffering is the debt we finally pay off for past karma—all of the wrongful deeds and hurts that we inflicted on others, including ourselves. The law of cause and effect escapes none of us; our every action will have a consequence, either in this life or in another life.

“There are no mistakes in life—only lessons, and we repeat the lessons until we learn.” We’ve all been there—repeating the lessons of suffering until we learn—finally asking the questions, “What is the lesson here? Why is the Zen Master of the universe hitting me with a stick? What do I need to learn? How will this lesson help me discover my true nature?” The challenge then lies in transforming the suffering into gratitude for having been given the opportunity to endure and transcend the lessons of suffering for our ultimate good. We also recognize that the outcome of suffering is often the development of our character, as reflected in a poignant statement made by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, renowned for her work with dying patients: “Should we shield the canyons from the windstorms, we would not see the beauty of their carvings.” We agree that suffering the perils of Job assists us in the development of wonderful character traits. However, at the time that we suffer, the development of those wonderful character traits doesn’t offer us much consolation.

We come face to face with the same reality that the Buddha faced: there is suffering. However, the Buddha didn’t settle for mere acknowledgement. Through his own experience, he discovered—and then taught—the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cure for suffering, and the path one has to take in order to end suffering.

I bow.

Newsletter XXIII - The Moral of Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends:

Happy Groundhog Day! I always enjoy this annual celebration, which is the precise halfway point between the Winter and the Spring Equinox, designating that Winter is now officially half over. We can almost feel the breath of spring. However, today also reminds me of the movie where Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocenetric and arrogant weather forecaster who, during a dreaded coverage of the annual Groundhog Day event, finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. Stuck in what science fiction would call a "time loop", the movie focuses on correcting past mistakes or getting a character to recognize some key truth in order to escape from the loop.

From a Buddhist perspective, Connors is extremely negative, especially to other people, which creates a lot of negative causes. The effect of these causes is that people relate back to him from his own level of negativity, which causes him to have a miserable day. Thus, the next day, and on subsequent days, he experiences the same miserable day all over again. Desperate to escape this demise, he decides to commit suicide many times but the next morning, when he awakens, the date has not changed. He is in the same bed, in the same room, and with the same song playing on the radio, "I Got You Babe", by Sony and Cher. His attitude undergoes many changes and transformations until he finally spends most of his time trying to help people. As his inner attitude transforms to greater positivity, the days gradually get better until he is able to experience a new day.

The moral of the story, and its teaching, focuses on how we respond to our daily situations and life events. We can transform anything if we respond in a skillful way. Again, this is karma in action. If we greet situations with a positive attitude, we will eventually create a positive return. If we respond with a negative attitude, negative things will eventually come our way. Unlike the scenario in Groundhog Day, these changes do not always occur immediately. We can be wonderful people but still have difficulties. On the other hand, we can be acting terribly and have a wonderful day; however, it is just a matter of time before we receive the results of our conduct (the effect of the cause).

It is clear from this example that an individual is responsible for his own liberation. Not until Connor abandoned ego and began to live harmoniously among those around him did he escape the time loop that he alone had created for himself. I sometimes think of this loop as being stuck on the fast-paced freeway around Washington D.C. going around and around and around, forgetting to take the next exit. We all know the feeling....but the exit is always there, waiting for us to plant positive karmic seeds in order to create a new day that is always now.

Love-Light,

Carol

http://www.carolwilson.org/

Newsletter XXII - Happy Holidays 2009

2009-12-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends and Family:

The big holidays news is that I signed a contract witih O-Books for the publication of my book HEALING POWER BEYOND MEDICINE, which is now in the hands of a copy editor; however, for the most part, 2009 was the “Year of the Family” with the birth of my first two grandchildren, Lindsey’s wedding, and three family moves. Chelsey and I are foregoing our annual Christmas Eve Nutcracker performance by Ballet West. Instead, I just returned from taking my parents to breakfast at Rembrandts Coffee House and Café in Eagle, Idaho. Rembrandts was once the old Boise Baptist church, which was moved to Eagle in the early 1900’s so you can imagine how charming it is as a restored coffee house. I believe that Eagle could boast of being home to the friendliest people in the U.S.; it is wonderful that my parents relocated here from Virginia.

Cicily Diane was born on February 3 and was in intensive care for a week due to complications from Sarah’s protracted labor and delivery. Sarah underwent gallbladder surgery a couple of months later. Colby was then asked to open the Rich Haines Art Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming so I drove one of the cars (with Lola) for the move and helped them unpack for a few days. I awakened every morning in the upstairs guestroom to a breathtaking view of the Grand Tetons, which Colby and Sarah continue to enjoy in their nature excursions with Cicily, Bella and Lola. Cicily is a happy, sunshine baby who loves climbing, and is on the verge of walking.

Lindsey traveled to Siena, Italy in May for a study abroad. She and Peter Colby then taught art for the summer at a private school in Switzerland, which included visiting some amazing European cities. They returned from Europe in August--in a time crunch--having to find an apartment and plan their wedding, which was held on October 8 in Salt Lake City at Rose Sachs Gardens in Parley’s Canyon. An outdoor setting with autumn leaves and waterfalls was perfect for the two of them. Lindsey will graduate in the spring from the University of Utah with a B.A. in Art History. She continues to work at Montgomery Lee Art Gallery in Park City, Utah. Peter Colby is teaching his third year of art at a private school but is looking forward to beginning his Master’s Degree in Art; therefore, the two of them might not be residing in Utah much longer.

In June we had a scare when Chelsey developed severe preeclampsia and was rushed to Utah Valley hospital in an ambulance from her OB/GYN’s office. Delivery was delayed for two days but Chelsey still had an emergency c-section and Braxton Paul was born at 1 pound 13 ounces. He remained in intensive care for nearly two and a half months and was named “Little Rock Star” because of how he thrived. Like Colby, Brian is a hands-on dad and refers to Braxton as “little man.” It was a day of celebration when Braxton was discharged from the hospital, just in time for Chelsey to be Matron of Honor at Lindsey’s wedding. Understandably, Chelsey is taking time off from her job as a Federal Investigator for Hill Air Force Base.

I am still teaching and enjoying my wonderful students and friends. I am anticipating a return to India and Nepal in the near future; thus, perhaps next year you’ll be receiving a holiday card from me with a picture of the Himalayas!
MUCH Love and Happy Holidays To All of You,
Carol

Newsletter XXI - A Tribute to Fran Brown

2009-12-16T23:44:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends:

Mrs. Hawayo Takata’s 7th Reiki Master, Fran Brown, transitioned on April 12, 2009. She had just celebrated her 85th birthday. I am sorry I didn’t realize this sooner and did so because I was going to make a follow-up phone call to her. She and I had talked about her coming to Salt Lake City to talk with my students about Mrs. Takata as she had known her. Fran wasn’t going to charge a fee, telling me that she was always willing to talk about Reiki when it was requested of her. She only asked that her husband travel with her because of age. Fortunately, because of conversations I had with Fran on the phone, I share some of her comments in my forthcoming book, HEALING POWER BEYOND MEDICINE, which will be published in 2010 by O-Books.

The autobiographical information that Fran shared with the world is as follows:
“The winter of 1973 Hawayo Takata was invited to the San Francisco Bay Area to teach a class in Reiki. I was in that class. She taught Reiki to many people here. In 1977 I took Second Degree Reiki and in the first week of January, 1979 I took my master's training with her as her seventh master and began teaching Reiki anywhere people want to learn Reiki as taught by Hayashi and Takata. These thirty years of teaching have taken me to many parts of the world. In 1997 I was asked to come to Japan and teach Hayashi's system and in 1999 it was my privilege to meet with members of the group founded by Usui as well as students and masters taught by Chujiro Hayashi. We compared teachings and initiations and were delighted to find them to be similar. Hayashi organized the hand placements taught by Usui so that it was easier to teach Reiki. Takata says that he never changed any of the teachings and asked her not to change them either, nor have I.” Fran attuned 22 of her students to Mastership and retrained 15 other students to be Masters, for a total of 37 Masters. Her book LIVING REIKI: TAKATA’S TEACHINGS is on my student recommended reading list.

Another great one has passed—one who was as devoted to Reiki as Mrs. Takata. Let us celebrate that devotion and her life with such gratitude.

Love-Light,

Carol

http://www.carolwilson.org/

Newsletter XX - Voices of Angels and Archangels

2009-09-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:
Last Sunday another group of wonderful people attended my archangel workshop, and once again, the experiences we shared were intense and healing. My strong wish is that you will be touched in some way by these celestial entities--angels and archangels--whose strong desire is to assist us in our many efforts in the journey we call life. Perhaps you will hear a whisper, sense a nudge, or feel a spark of awareness that removes all rigid frames around our existence--a frame that separates us from others.

I am probably motivated to write this blog entry because one of my students telephoned me recently and informed me that she hasn’t taken my workshop “because archangels and angels are for Christians.” “Archangels and angels are non-denominational”, I replied. “They are as non-denominational as Reiki. They are limitless nonphysical beings. They can help everyone who calls upon them simultaneously. They are here for everyone, and they honor all spiritual paths.” I also remember a blunt comment that a woman made once at a healing circle when another women mentioned her angels. "I don't believe in angels", she said.

The first conscious experience I had with an angel was nearly ten years ago when I was lying on a table at a Tibetan healing center, trading a Reiki session with a Reiki Master friend of mine. The room was filled with Buddha images and Thangka paintings of Buddhas on the walls but yet, about half way through my session, I saw an angel at the end of the table, raised above my feet. I said, “Beth, there’s an angel in here.” She nodded in the affirmative. Two more times I said, “There’s an angel in here.” I was in a state of disbelief that an angel would manifest in such a setting, particularly since, as a Buddhist practitioner, I focus much of my work in the Buddha realms. However, I later drove home, logged onto my email account, and there it was--an email---an email with a time stamp within ten minutes following my experience with this particular angel. Another friend of mine nearly 2,000 miles away had channeled a message from her guardian angel who expressed that he had just attempted to give me some information but I didn’t hear it…I had only visually seen him. (This is yet one more example of how I tend to shut down my clairaudience. I jokingly tell my students, "Because of my clinical training, I simply do not want to hear voices!") I found this email of his message to be even more unbelievable so I drove back to see Beth and asked her, “Did I see an angel?” She replied, “Yes, you saw an angel.” I knew that the manifestation, information and guidance from this guardian angel was a profound act of love because I had not solicited this guidance from him. I also came to realize that angels exist. Soon I was no longer “blown away” by such manifestations. I had crossed a threshold that is there for all of us—a threshold where one is no longer a tourist in the metaphysical world but rather, in the city--a city in which these occurrences are part of one's daily life. No more "WOW." No more "OH MY GOSH." No more disbelief.

In the meantime, I learned of Jonathon Goldman’s experience with Shamael, the angel of sacred sound. Jonathon told of how he was meditating in his crystal grid on his birthday because birthdays are a day of personal power. Shamael appeared to him and asked him to be a conduit for sacred sound. Soon afterwards, I was singing “Om mani peme hung”, the mantra of Avalokiteshvara (the Buddha of Compassion), for a student of mine who had tragically died. I was singing this mantra for her for 49 days while she was in the bardos but at one point in time I stopped singing after I went into the bathroom and closed the door. Suddenly, I heard a choir of angelic voices singing above me, the harmonics beyond anything I could express in words. At first I thought that they were taking over the singing of the mantra because I had stopped but then I realized that they had been singing with me all along. This experience touched me so deeply that it was months before I could talk about it.

I cannot identify the event or moment when I was guided to offer a workshop about angels and archangels but the workshop continues to evolve and develop, based on the experiences of my students and based on direction that I receive. For example, at the first workshop, I spent two hours talking about the angelic realm. One of my students asked if I would provide that information in writing, and he would take the workshop again! However, before I developed my hand-outs, I was drawn to Barnes and Noble as if I were a magnet. There I was in the corner of the bookstore with a book about Archangel Raphael staring me in the face, and without hesitating, I purchased the book while thinking, “So, Raphael feels I have missed something.”

Raphael was making a bold entrance into my life. At my next workshop, one of my students canceled at the last minute, and since we end the workshop by working in pairs giving and receiving a healing session, I filled in for my missing student and became the partner for another student. As a preface, I must say that over the years I have often heard people tell me that my hands are not the only hands felt when I channel Reiki during a healing session. Therefore, I have known for many years that another entity often works with me. However, I had never personally experienced the phenomenon of physically feeling another set of unseen hands on my physical body. Not until now. Janet had been at my heart, her hands off my body, calling forth Archangel Raphael in relation to his role in the Kabbalah Tree of Life. When she moved down to my feet, there were hands that remained on my heart. I opened my eyes and whispered, “Janet, where are you?” She said, “I’m down here by your feet.” Two more times I opened my eyes and rose up to see where she was, and sure enough she was nowhere near my heart. Everyone participating in the workshop saw and heard me. Raphael’s presence was undeniable, and Raphael, whose focus is healing, let me know of his eagerness to assist in the healing work of my students and I. It was as if he was saying, “I want to be included in all of this so please do not forget me.”

Last Sunday a couple of young women were communicating with the many archangels whom we called forth during our workshop. One of them couldn’t talk about it, initially, but the other young woman said she was joking with one of the archangels who reminded her, “This is serious.” Yes, they do take their work seriously. I am amazed at the organized manner in which they operate within Universal Law. No mistakes….no coincidences…..

I could write volumes about the experiences that my students have had during this workshop. For example, Archangel Metatron stroked the forehead of one young woman who was experiencing great trials in her life. The stroking was the manner in which her now deceased mother used to comfort her when she was a child. We actually saw the hair of her bangs moving as tears trickled down her face. Or, Archangel Michael sent a healing bolt of energy so forcefully through an elderly woman’s arthritic knee that she shifted three feet on the table she was laying on (nearly falling off the table). However, what is even more compelling are the stories I hear after the workshop. For those who knew nothing about angels and archangels, suddenly they have a strong connection to these Divine beings, and their presence is felt and appreciated. Dee shared with me how, in a car accident, her car swerved from one side of the road to the other, missing every car on the road. As her car was on the edge of its tires, ready to roll, the car would suddenly right itself, and the scenario repeated itself…nearly rolling on the right and then nearly rolling on the left until the car came to a halt. Witnesses saw this as impossible but Dee knew during the entire experience that her angels were in charge, and she was fully protected.

Angels and Archangels understand the Law of Free Will; thus, they will not interfere with our free will and will not intervene without our permission. We must ask for their assistance, and they respond to our requests, whether our requests are spoken, in writing, or in thought. Interestingly, however, I have noticed that they know when I am going to ask for their assistance before I actually make the request. They are also compassionately loving, and because they are egoless, they can be trusted. Many of you know this, and many of you have your own stories to share, which I would love to hear. My next workshop is Saturday, December 5 (1-5:30pm).
Love-Light,Carol
http://www.carolwilson.org/

Newsletter XIX - The Power of Wishes

2009-07-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:
Happy 4th of July. After reading this newsletter, please note that the July distant healing requests were posted on July 1, and please add requests by clicking on the comment link.

For years I have talked about the power of intention and how essential it is that we set our intention in order to manifest a desired outcome. Wayne Dyer has written extensively about the Power of Intention. Intention is merely the process of creating, or bringing into existence, that which we desire; thus, when I discuss the many healing modalities that I integrate, I acknowledge that all of those healing modalities were created by someone with the high intention to heal, and there is power when we add intention upon intention upon intention upon our own intention. It sounds simple; yet, for some reason, it is difficult for many to comprehend, much less attain. Unfortunately, I believe that some of this difficulty lies in the fact that the words “intent” and “intention” have been imbued with a negative connotation. How many times have we heard a suspicious person say, “What is your intention?” We have also heard that one cannot be convicted of murder unless motive is established. In this respect, one’s intention is used to determine underlying motivation for cause of action.

We have also heard much discussion about the The Secret although it is no secret that the ancient Universal Law of Attraction is based on the teachings of Abraham. This law basically states, “That which is like unto itself, is drawn.” We attract everything that shows up in our life experience because the Law of Attraction is responding to the thoughts we are offering. Every thought, feeling, word, and action carries a vibration and because it attracts other like vibrations, it is crucial that we are aware of the vibrations that we emit. For example, a woman was trying to decide on a location for the purchase of a home and an important criterion was how long it would take to get to the nearest hospital via an ambulance. I responded, “You don’t want to be sending that wish out to the universe!” I don’t think she realized that she was planting a negative seed thought for a quick ambulance ride to the hospital. This is what many of us do if we are not aware of our thoughts. We sometimes make a wish that we actually do not want to manifest, not realizing the second universal law, The Science of Deliberate Creation. This law states, “That which I give thought to, and that which I believe or expect—is.” Essentially, we get what we are thinking about whether we want it or not. In this respect, we create of own reality, which is more easily understood as the Law of Cause and Effect or the Law of Karma. We plant seeds or impressions (effect), and when conditions arise, they come to fruition (cause). As true as these concepts are and as simple as they sound, most of us are confused or challenged by them.

We grow up making wishes. We place our wish in a wishing jar and toss a coin with a wish into a water fountain full of coins where others have made their wish and tossed their coins. We wish upon a star:

“When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true.”
(Washington & Harline, 1940).

We make a wish before we blow out candles on a birthday cake, and we make routine New Year’s Resolutions, which are wishes that we will accomplish certain goals. These wishes may seem childish but there is prudence in returning to some of the childish ways that we seem to lose in adulthood. For example, it was been reported by Albert Klein that children laugh 400 times a day whereas adults laugh 15 times a day. Yet, healthy people laugh 100 to 400 times a day.

Some may consider making wishes as not only childish but superstitious; however, from a Buddhist perspective, “Wishes based on wisdom and made without selfish motives are by no means superstitious acts. Such wishes may be made before a Buddha image or any other object which represents noble ideals and virtues, such as a Bodhi tree (a symbol of enlightenment), a shrine, or a pagoda. Such wishes are not mere wishful thinking or idle prayers, but positive resolutions for wholesome actions. They are necessary for the accomplishment of certain desired goals; thus, a person may make a wish before a Buddha image saying, "May I have the strength to help others in need. May I have the opportunity to do more good every day." Or an aspirant to enlightenment may make determined wishes before a Buddha to attain Buddhahood in some future life in order to benefit all sentient beings. Certainly, there is a great difference between such wishes and someone wishing for a beautiful new car or wishing to become a millionaire. My teacher, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, once stated that wishing for candy is not meaningful as compared to wishing that all sentient beings will accumulate merit and never be met by obstacles. He explained that wishes have no form and because they are an act of the mind, wishes can dissolve a bad mental state and shape the mind in a pure way. “The more we wish good things continually, the more free will be the state of our mind—more perfected, more free. When we wish deep from the bottom of our heart, it shapes the perspective of mind.”

I make strong wishes every day of my life. I wish for you, and for those I do not know. I wish that you will not be met with obstacles in these challenging and perilous times; however, when obstacles do present, I wish that they will be transformed into great wisdom. More importantly, I wish that our inherent happiness will not be obscured by the confusion and illusion of the conditioned world. Whether we recognize it or not—the sun is always, always shining.
Love-Light,
Carol
http://www.carolwilson.org/

Copyright © 2009, Carol A. Wilson

Newsletter XVIII - The Meaning of Mindfulness

2009-05-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:
We have heard the phrase a million times, “Be mindful. Be present. Be in the NOW.” However, what does it mean? More importantly, how is it possible to achieve mindfulness in a world in which clocks are ticking as we run, multi-task, and swing to past and future thinking as if we're an untamed monkey in the trees?

Frankly, I never understood the concept of mindfulness until I was forced to experience it about 20 years ago while on a snowy ski slope in Park City, Utah. I was in a group skiing class with three other men and two women. The wind was scattering powder-like snow, similar to my scattered thoughts that were being tossed around regarding the events of yesterday and what I needed to accomplish tomorrow; thus, I didn’t really comprehend the instructions that my ski instructor was directing at me. I couldn’t seem to concentrate on what he was saying when he corrected the way in which I was swinging my arms and body from side to side when I skied. Finally, in exasperation and with a raised voice, he blurted, “Just do this ONE THING. Imagine that your belly button is a flashlight shining the way straight down the hill. Think of NOTHING ELSE.” I was embarrassed but motivated to accomplish whatever it was he expected me to do---but focus on ONE THING? I wanted to ask, “Are you kidding?”

I seemed to instinctively inhale and exhale a few deep breaths that grounded me to the earth beneath my feet, and then I rehearsed the words aloud before I proceeded down the hill, “Belly button—flashlight—belly button—flashlight.“ My thoughts of yesterday’s events and tomorrow’s tasks and worries dissipated as if they were zapped away by a bolt of lightning. Determined, I pushed off down the hill, focused only on my belly button that was a flashlight while repeating “belly button—flashlight—belly button—flashlight.” I was able to visualize the flashlight shining its beam ahead of me—leading me straight down the hill and not from side to side. As a result, my arms and body were no longer turning and swinging. Soon, this exercise was not external to me but rather, one with me. There was no distinction between me as the subject, object and action. I was acutely aware, conscious and awake, and the experience was so fully lived, exhilarating and penetrating that I seemed to feel it vibrating in every cell of my body. I also realized, much to my chagrin, that I had compromised most of my life experiences by thoughts that distracted me from experiencing the moment.

We only have this wondrous moment that is here and NOW. The past is gone. The future may not come. To miss the moment of NOW is to miss out on the experience of living. For example, how often have we eaten a meal and not experienced it because we were distracted by our past and future thinking about other things? How often have we walked or traveled and not seen the beauty around us because we were past and future thinking? How many accidents or other tragic events occur because of this obsessive past and future thinking? How often are we simply not mindful about what is in front of our face?

Mindfulness takes practice; fortunately, we can immediately begin to practice mindfulness without formal training, which is of benefit to everyone, regardless of race, class, gender, age, and spiritual or religious affiliation. Our children, in particular, need to learn mindfulness before they develop a scattered and undisciplined mind. We should also honor their mindfulness, rather than constantly distract them. We all benefit by the practice of being conscious and awake in our daily lives, and thus, it is prudent to practice mindfulness. One of the first things we need to learn to do is to move calmly and slowly, never in a hurry to achieve an outcome. For many of us, this is an arduous task, and we need to re-learn our fast paced behavior as if having to get out our bike with the training wheels.

For example, I was considered to be, at one time, a speed walker. My son, Colby, who was an ODP (Olympic Development Player), grabbed me by the back of my shirt more times than I can count en route to a soccer game in an attempt to slow me down. He simply couldn’t keep up with me! Because I was outcome oriented, focused on “arrival” at the soccer field in as little time as possible, I missed the step by step process of the journey. I was nearly deaf, dumb and blind to each moment and to the world around me. What if my thought, instead, would have been, “I am on the path to the soccer field?” Think of all the beauty I would have experienced with my son along the way!

Mindfulness is present moment by moment awareness and noticing change in one’s inner self. It is nonconceptual, unbiased observation without judgment or criticism. It is mirror-thought and reflects exactly what is happening now. In order to be mindful, we need to forget about future outcome and focus on the moment. We choose to BE instead of DO. In other words, we do not hurry and wash a cup so we can drink a cup of tea. We wash the cup to wash the cup. We experience what it is like to wash a cup and become one with the experience. We see every detail of the cup and how we care for it by washing. If our mind starts to wander to past and future thinking, we simply bring ourselves back to washing the cup by saying, “I am washing the cup now.” We do not hurry and take a 5 minute shower so we can get dressed to dash out the door and go to work. We take a shower to take a shower. We experience what it is like to take a shower and become one with the experience. We experience the wonder of it, and if we have hot water, we savor it even more. If our mind wanders to past and future thinking, we bring ourselves back to taking a shower by saying, “I am taking a shower now.” (I once needed to take a shower and wash my hair in an outdoor shower in the Himalayas in 0 degree weather. Since that time, I have absolutely savored hot water.) We take a bath to take a bath. If our mind wanders to past and future thinking, we simply return to our bath by saying, “I am taking a bath now.” By practicing mindfulness in this way, the feeling that a task is a bother or a nuisance will disappear.

It is wonderful to believe that the moment is our friend, no matter what the circumstance. The here and NOW moment is all we will ever have, because it truly is all that we have. Every experience we had in the past was experienced in the NOW. Everything we experience in the future will be in the NOW; thus, it behooves us to make NOW the primary focus and joy of our life. After all, nothing could be more perfect than right now---this very moment.

Love-light,
Carol
http://www.carolwilson.org/

Copyright © 2009, Carol A. Wilson.

Reiki in the News/Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)

2009-03-07T19:35:00.001-08:00

Dearest Friends:
We are seeing much needed healthcare reform in progress not only when we turn on the television. I have a couple of updates as they relate to Reiki, and yes, you can be an active participate.

1. I was invited to become an ACEP (Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology) CE provider, listed on their website at http://www.energypsych.org/ I discovered this organization through Dr. George Pratt, Chair of the Psychology Dept. at Scripps Medical Center in La Jolla, CA. George was among several healthcare professionals who enrolled in my Reiki classes last year in San Diego, which resulted in Reiki Master Teacher (RMT) in January 2009. It is always thrilling for me to train healthcare professionals who have a deep appreciation for Reiki, and we will certainly see this appreciation continue to grow. For those of you who are mental health professionals, ACEP might be of great interest to you so please check it out.

2. Pamela Miles informed me last week:

"Last week was HUGE for integrative health care, with two groundbreaking events in Washington, DC. The Summit on Integrative Medicine and Public Health was cohosted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Bravewell Collaborative. While that was happening, physicians Andrew Weil, Mehmet Oz, Dean Ornish, and Mark Hyman testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The meeting was led by long time integrative health care advocates Senators Tom Harkin (IA) and Barbara Mikulski (MD). You can watch some of the summit by clicking here or access the presentation slides here. The Senate committee meeting can be viewed here.

There is much to celebrate in these meetings, a level of savvy and wisdom regarding health care that is unprecedented. Reiki was specifically mentioned twice. One of the summit's planners, Elizabeth Goldblatt, PhD, listed yoga teachers and Reiki teachers among the health care professionals who are involved in wellness and self-care. And Mehmet Oz, dubbed the "surgeon general of the airwaves" by Sen. Mikulski, mentioned Reiki in the O.R. when testifying to the Senate committee.

Let's take this powerful opportunity to co-create integrative health care. Contact your senators and representatives. Ask them to truly reform our system to promote health and wellness, rather than only managing disease. Sen. Harkin specifically requested that the American public do this. Our legislators need to know that we want to create a culture of wellness."

I have always loved the words of Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Aren't these changes absolutely wonderful?
Love-Light,
Carol
http://www.carolwilson.org/

Losar - 2/25/2009 - Year of the Earth Ox - Prayers

2009-02-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends:
The New Year for Tibetans has begun, and for the next month all postive and negative actions are multiplied 100,000 times; however, because the situation in Tibet has worsened, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has asked that the usual Losar celebrations be curtailed. Please see a letter that he sent out in regard to this at http://www.dalailama.com/news.348.htm

In response, Ven. Thubton Chodron has sent out a request for prayers until March 10 in 7 languages; thus, I will post the English version. Please join if you can, and send Reiki, also. The situation in Tibet is collective karma, and impacts all of us. The prayers:
1) NETWORK OF PRAYERS FOR TIBET. If you are a practicing Tibetan Buddhist of any tradition, or a supporter of the Tibetan cause, or in general anyone who appreciates the values of love and compassion in this world, please read this and pass it to your friends and contacts as soon as possible.We are a group of international students of Tibetan Buddhism from different countries all over the world concerned about the future and the preservation of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibet, and the Tibetan culture.We have been inspired to take action after reading His Holiness the Dalai Lama's New Year message to the Tibetan people on 24/2/09 (see http://www.dalailama.com/news.348.htm )As you are probably aware, the situation in Tibet has worsened dramatically during the last year. According to different sources, Tibet has been closed to tourists, there have been attempts to isolate the Tibetan population by means of cutting internet access and mobile phones, and thereby preventing communication and independent reports about the actual situation there. Tibetans inside and outside Tibet had wished not to observe Losar this year with the usual celebrations, because of the terrible difficulties and sufferings experienced in Tibet over the past year; however the Chinese government has been trying to force the people in Tibet to celebrate Losar against their will. This could lead to demonstrations, and a chance for an unprecedented, unimaginable clampdown. His Holiness has advised people not to react to such provocation, to abide in patience in every situation, and to use this period of time to engage in prayers and positive actions.From our side, we would like to emphasize the need to acknowledge that this culture based on love and compassion could disappear from the world. Due to the interconnectedness of everything that happens on this planet, we think that this situation is not just a matter of the Tibetan people and politics, but a matter of the collective karma of everyone, and thus a matter of universal responsibility. In this regard we want to establish a network of people around the world who will share in this responsibility through meditation and prayer. During the next 15 days, starting from LOSAR, February 25th until March 10th, PLEASE HELP US TO CREATE THIS NETWORK OF LOVE AND COMPASSION for Tibet, by joining us in the practice of TONG-LEN (see below), or any practice you think will generate an atmosphere of love and compassion in our world. Besides any normal practice you may do, or any other peaceful activities, we ask you to join us two times a day, morning and evening, for five minutes or longer, whenever it is convenient for you, and to dedicate that the suffering of the Tibetans will come to an end, and that the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and culture will be preserved. Please also dedicate with prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and of all the lineage holders of the different Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Please also recite the following prayer for the success of His Holiness’ wishes, which was composed by Himself at the request of the late H.H. Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche:Saviour of the snow land teachings and transmigratory beings,Who makes extremely clear the path that is the unification of emptiness and compassion,To the Lotus Holder Tenzin Gyatso, I beseech:May all your holy wishes be spontaneously fulfilled.PASS THIS TO OTHERS WHO YOU THINK WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THIS NETWORK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO WE CAN CREATE A POWERFUL COLLECTIVE ENERGY THAT COULD BRING ACTUAL CHANGES TO THE SITUATION. THANK YOU.
THE PRACTICE OF TONG-LEN (Taking and Giving)
This is a method for cultivating love and compassion by taking on the suffering of others and giving them the positive energy and happiness that they need. It is a mental exercise that trains the mind and heart in these qualities.There are various ways to do Tong-len; here is a simple version of the practice:First, imagine at your heart a dark ball, which represents your negative energy: attitudes such as anger, attachment, ignorance, and selfishness, as well as sickness and other problems. Then think of people and beings who are suffering; you can think specifically of the Tibetan people, as well as people and beings in other places who are oppressed, hungry, sick, frightened, and so forth. Generate a feeling of compassion: “how wonderful it would be if they could be free from their sufferings and the causes of suffering.” Then imagine drawing all the sufferings out of these beings in the form of a dark stream of light or smoke, coming out of their right nostrils and entering into your left nostril. It goes straight down into the dark ball at your heart, completely destroying it. Imagine that you have completely freed all those beings from their suffering, and the dark ball of your selfishness and negative energy, which was at your heart, has been completely destroyed. Next, imagine giving away your happiness, possessions, merit, and positive energy to those beings. Visualize these positive things in the form of a stream of white light, which goes out from your right nostril and enters through their left nostrils, filling them with happiness. Let your mind rest for a few moments in a state of peace and joy that you have been able to relieve others of their suffering, and give them happiness. Then dedicate the merit you have created that all beings may attain enlightenment as quickly as possible.
Love-Light,
Carol
http://www.carolwilson.org/

Newsletter XVII - How Faith Can Heal

2009-02-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends:
Last week I received an email from Nicole Friedman, PhD, giving me a heads up about a mind & body special issue of TIME magazine: “How Faith Can Heal” by Jeffrey Kluger; thus, I immediately dashed over to Barnes and Noble to purchase a copy. It was gloomy and raining outside but I found myself not avoiding the puddles on the upper Gateway mall plaza. Instead, I was hitting them with my UGGs and making big splashes---childlike, perhaps, but I do recall what Albert Siebert, Ph.D. defined as the “The Survivor Personality”:

1. Aimless playfulness for its own sake, like that of a happy child.
2. The ability to become so deeply absorbed in an activity that you lose track of time, external events, and all your worries, often whistling, humming, or talking to yourself absent mindedly.
3. A childlike, innocent curiosity.
4. An observant, non-judgmental style.
5. A willingness to look foolish, make mistakes, and laugh at yourself.
6. Open-minded acceptance of criticism about yourself.
7. An active imagination, daydreams, mental play, and conversations with yourself.

Perhaps we can benefit with more childlike behavior during these challenging times. I often say that never before have we not sung as we do not sing. Never before have we not chanted as we do not chant. Never before have we not laughed as we do not laugh.

I couldn't wait to dive into my newly purchased TIME magazine and agreed with Kluger’s premise (although understated), “Science and religion argue all the time, but they increasingly agree on one thing: a little spirituality may be very good for your health.” This is one of the reasons why I have focused on spirituality as it relates to health and healing rather than religion. Religion can too often focus on the differences in belief among people of various religions, and most of us are cognizant of conflict and wars fought as a result of those differences. I prefer to transcend those dualistic concepts and embrace our commonality, not our differences. Among other things, we are of the same essence, with the same unlimited potential, and our bond is that we wish to be happy. We all want to avoid suffering. Even an insect will run from suffering.

It is interesting, as Kluger notes, that our parietal lobe is active in matters of spirituality (located at the top of the head, aft of the frontal lobe, fore of the occipital lobe, north of the temporal lobe). The parietal lobe is a mass of tissue, centrally located, that processes sensory input. We put this center to work when we pray, chant, meditate, or travel on pilgrimage in search of a miracle. According to brain scan research conducted by David Newberg, MD, who has focused on the neurobiology of different religious and spiritual practices, when people engage in deep prayer or meditation, the frontal lobes take the lead because they govern focus and concentration; however, the parietal lobe powers down, which allows us to experience the sense of losing our earthly attachment. Previous research has demonstrated that changes in the brain become permanent with long-term meditators, appearing to have thicker frontal lobes than nonmeditators. According to Newberg, people who describe themselves as highly spiritual tend to exhibit an asymmetry in the thalamus—a feature that other people can develop after just eight weeks of training in meditation skills.

What positive outcome are we seeking more than any other outcome when we pray, chant or meditate? HEALTH. Kluger states, “So we convince ourselves that while our medicine is strong and our doctors are wise, our prayers may help us too.” In fact, prayer is considered a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In a survey analysis conducted a few years ago, the use of CAM’s in the United States showed a prevalence rate of 62%; however, in a more recent analysis, prayer was eliminated as a dependent variable, and the CAM prevalence rate was reduced to 36%. Hang in there, everyone, as we continue to do a two-step dance with scientists who are in a quandary as to what to do with integrating spirituality with conventional medicine! I elaborate upon this in my book Healing Beyond Medicine in Challenging Times. I have to believe that progress is being made; however, we need to continue to be pioneers in a movement that will improve the healthcare crisis that exists today. Kluger says, “Speak up! More than 85% of cancer patients would not be offended if their doctors asked them about their spiritual needs---but doctor’s don’t ask.” Furthermore, “94% of patients said it was perfectly all right for doctors to ask them about their religious beliefs. Plenty of doctors have no quarrel with this---though they are less sure how to raise the topic. Still, they agree that if health-care providers suggest complementary care like acupuncture to some patients, why not faith and prayer to others?”

I have read three pages of the TIME special issue article, “The Biology of Belief”, and now I see a three page advertisement for AMBIEN®! After two more pages of reading I see an advertisement for AMGEN Wyeth followed by a three page article on “Faith and Healing: A Forum”, followed by a two page advertisement on VIAGARA®! This special mind and body issue ends with a two page advertisement by Merck for SINGULAIR®. Therefore, this special 15 page issue on faith and healing is saturated with 8 full pages of advertishing from pharmaceutical companies. Hmmmmm---Are pharmaceutical companies funding TIME magazine? The more powerful I see these companies become, the scarier it gets. They are even educating our physicians. Or shall we, perhaps, call it mis-educating? More two-steps; fortunately, we recognize the dance and continue to be relentlessly optimistic in matters of integrating spirituality into health and healing and what we know to be effective. Speak up, yes, and at the same time continue to do what we can do something about—ourselves--which will automatically impact others in a positive way. Our spiritual essence is waiting to be discovered and reclaimed, and we have the tools to assist us--tools that are inherently spiritual in nature: prayer, meditation, sound healing, Reiki, Karuna Reiki, aromatherapy, yoga….the list goes on.

AND---don’t forget to laugh and make big splashes when you hit those puddles.

Love-Light,
Carol
http://www.carolwilson.org/
Copyright ©2009, Carol A. Wilson

Thank You

2009-02-14T07:19:00.001-08:00

Dearest Friends:

Happy Valentine's Day. My son just completed his first photo shoot of Cicily Diane, born on February 4 at 6 pounds 12 ounces. Cicily sends gratitude for your thoughts, prayers, wishes, and Reiki during her extended hospital stay in NICU. (I found the headband at Magical Child in Encinitas, CA.)

Love-Light,

Carol

Reiki in the News

2009-02-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends:

This is a story of a 7 year old boy with neuroblastoma. He underwent chemotherapy for seven months for 11 cancerous tumors and was sent home to die. His father and grandparents opted not to try an experimental drug, Tapotecan, that could damage his kidneys and heart, meaning he would have only a 50 per cent chance of surviving the treatment. Instead, they choose alternative treatments, including Reiki! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1136870/The-boy-11-tumours-sent-home-die--survives-grandparents-alternative-therapy-treatments.html?ITO=1490
As you read the reaction of modern medicine to his "healing", those reactions are against our healing rules. If we listen to that kind of pessimism, we allow modern medicine to force "their" predictable outcomes onto people.
Love-Light,
Carol

Newsletter XVI - Archived Newsletter - The Ferris Wheel of Life

2008-09-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

I just returned from viewing the Monet to Picasso Exhibit at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts from the Cleveland Museum of Art. I have heard that the University of Utah spent $5 million for this exhibit to be shown here, and it ends this Sunday; thus, I wanted to write this newsletter now because a few of you might be inspired attend this event. I doubt that we will see one like it again here in Utah. For more information visit www.umfa.utah.edu

I love to visit cemeteries. I used to teach my Death and Dying class at the cemetery near Ft. Douglas on the University of Utah campus. Some people thought it was rather strange, and at the time I didn’t realize why I was compelled to do such a thing. It was only years later when Evans-Wentz mentioned a yogi practice called “cemetery frequenting” that it made sense to me. Yes, “cemetery frequenting” is an exercise in the Law of Impermanence, reminding us that all extrinsic phenomenon is impermanent. If we realize and understand this on a very deep level, we will not grasp or cling or become attached to those things that have no lasting permanence. The big pay-off in avoiding this attachment is that we will avoid a lot of suffering from what we perceive as loss. Here in the west it is quite easy to get stuck in this phenomenon called loss without acceptance--all part of what we call life.

I realized how difficult it was for people to accept loss when I showed the movie “Fall of Freddy the Leaf”, designed for elementary school children as a tool for death education. During the movie, the audience grew fond of animated Freddy through his birth in the spring and his joy in the summer. However, as autumn came and the leaves on Freddy’s tree started to fall, which included his friends and family and neighbors, there was a hope that Freddy would not fall but rather, that he would hang on and and remain the happy, animated Freddy that we had grown to love. Yet, the leaves on Freddy’s tree continued to fall one by one, and sometimes in clusters. Finally, Freddy, all alone, clung to the limb that he had called home. It was difficult to accept that he, too, would fall to the ground even when suddenly, a huge gust of wind came and threw him upward, past the highest limb. Freddy fell…and fell….and fell….until he finally rested on the ground. As I observed the sadness of the audience in seeing this, I saw how pervasive it is in our society to deny the certainly of death rather than honor and celebrate the cycle of life where death only brings rise to re-birth.

Thus, with this discourse as a prelude, my son, Colby, and I, attended the exhibit of Monet to Picasso at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts on the campus of the University of Utah. Many years ago, as an English teacher, I knew that many of our greatest writers were true Bodhisattvas in that they gave us messages to awaken and enlighten and thus, help to alleviate what is known to us as suffering. I also feel the same way about so many of our great artists who never experienced fame and fortune during their lifetime as Hollywood celebrities or successful entrepeneurs. They were not motivated by, nor did they experience this fame and fortune but rather, they were driven by purpose through their own passionate expression. When this expression portrays the cyclic nature of the human condition as a ferris wheel going around and around and around and around, it can actually motivate us to step off---and in an "ah-ha" moment--hold a higher and thus, liberating view.

I might as well have been in a cemetery yesterday, with the Law of Impermanence staring me in the face. Not only did so many artists experience an untimely death but their deaths represented a spectrum of how one leaves this existence. My favorite artist, Paul Cezanne (French, 1839-1906), died of pneumonia. It can be comforting for those who have lost a loved one in this manner to know that illness and disease cuts across all culture and ethnic groups and does not discriminate the rich and poor, male and female, young and old----

I studied “LaVie”, a painting nearly 2 meters tall, which depicted the onset of Pablo Picasso’s (Spain, 1881-1973) melancholy “blue period”. Picasso, at the age of 21 painted this when a dear friend of his, Carlos Casagemas, committed suicide after being rejected by his girlfriend. This piece portrays a woman holding a baby, Casagemas and his girlfriend, a nude couple and a single, grieving woman---I saw it as representing a cycle of life. I remembered that despite Picasso’s life of much hardship, poverty and desperation, which included the devastating death of his 7 year old sister, Conchita, who died of diphtheria, Picasso died while entertaining friends with his wife, Jacqueline. He seemed to be celebrating his life in death, and this is what I admire the most about Picasso.

I could actually feel the emotion in the canvas of “The Red Kerchief Portrait of Mrs. Monet” by Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926). Isn’t that what makes art so great---when it arouses emotion? Mrs. Monet is outside, walking in the snow and glancing in through a window. Claude Monte never sold this portrait of his wife but kept it close to him throughout his life after she died 18 months after giving birth to his second son. What is the message as she is passing by this window? She is doing exactly that---passing by. But the intriguing question is--did he know on a clairvoyant or claircognitive level that their time together would be brief in their present incarnation?

I have been amazed at how many artists were botanists as was Odilon Redon (French, 1840-1960) prior to painting "Vase of Flowers". True, Gary Young has brought essential oils out of the dark ages, but so many artists love plants and flowers and trees and nature, and thus, they share their beauty and meaning with us. These artists recognize the power of the earth, water, fire, wind, and space elements and depict them in their art. They don't call themselves healers or Shamans but their art exudes some undeniably shared fundamental and universal truths. If you have an opportunity to see “The Poplars at Saint-Remy” by Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) you will feel the communication between the poplar trees in the foreground and catch a glimpse as to why Van Gogh was so moved by their spirit. It is he who stated, “The way to know life is to love many things.”

I was surprised to see so many sculptures by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), including “The Thinker.” Throughout his tenure as an artist, he was criticized and rejected for his work, but he never changed his style. He was true to himself, despite the unfavorable opinion of others.

I have only mentioned a few of the deeply moving pieces I was fortunate to see yesterday. And, although I certainly do not claim to be an artist, I do appreciate those who came before us and those who will come after us---those whose experience and expression offer insight into the many lessons we are here to learn.

Love-light,

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Archived Newsletter XV - July 7, 2008 - Believing In What You're Doing

2008-07-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

I will never forget my father saying, “If you can’t do it right the first time, don’t do it at all.” I used to think that his perfectionist attitude was the result of attending military schools his entire life —first at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville Georgia, which included all grade levels, and then at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where I was later born when he was teaching physics there. However, I have recently found myself telling students, clients and friends: “If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, don’t do it at all.” Hmmmmm---

The truth is that I’ve been in the healing trenches with people long enough that I have accumulated some anecdotal observations. One of those observations is that when people believe in what they’re doing, the outcome is positive. However, it is often difficult for people to believe in much of anything when it comes to healing, particularly if they have had negative experiences in regard to their health care, which is often impacted by their own painful life experiences. So, they “kind of” hope and “kind of” wish and “try”---but believing---well, believing can be such a stretch.

As for myself, I concluded a long time ago that I wasn’t going to waste a minute of my time doing anything that I didn’t believe in---as in “be true to yourself”. It also didn’t matter what people thought about that, either. I am making an analogy here because I honestly see people who are concerned and even fearful about what their family, friends, doctors and peers will “think” if they realize they are into “alternative” and “complementary” methods of healing such as Reiki. After all, they might think Reiki is rather whacky despite the fact that Reiki has gone mainstream medicine.

I actually believed in Bhutan’s Drukpa Kunley (1455-1570) fertility wang (blessing or empowerment) when, in 2005, I asked for a fertility blessing for a student of mine who had just experienced her 5th miscarriage. I believed that this blessing would result in a child, and 11 months later she delivered a healthy baby boy. Thus, when my own son and daughter-in-law were unable to have children after nearly four years of marriage and beginning to accumulate some serious medical expenses for infertility work-ups, I wanted to return to Bhutan earlier this year and ask for a fertility blessing for them, also. Believing in Reiki and some other healing modalities is rather conservative when compared to appreciating the life mission of the beloved Drukpa Kunley, also known in Bhutan as “The Divine Madman”, an enlightened Master, recognized as the reincarnation of the great Mahasiddha, Saraha, and from the Kagyu Buddhist lineage of Tilopa, Niropa, Marpa and Milarepa. Born in Tibet, Drukpa Kunley was precocious as a child and had a full memory of previous incarnations; however, after his father was killed in a family feud, he became disillusioned with the world and became a monk, dedicating himself to a spiritual life. Then, in his early 20’s he discarded his robes and became an ascetic wanderer or neljorpa (yogi) who discovered and gained control of his spiritual power. His behavior, exploits, songs and humor were outrageous, wild, and often obscene--an example of the Tibetan tradition of “crazy wisdom”--but never for personal gain or self-aggrandizement, but rather with a spontaneous desire to benefit and Enlighten others. Often viewed as irreverent when he mocked “the establishment” and man-made rules and prescriptions, he developed an unorthodox teaching style that shocked people out of hypocrisy, greed, stiff and rigid ideas, religious dogmatism, attachment, and egoistic self-possession—things which he felt kept people from learning the Buddha’s true teachings. His miracles were undeniable; i.e. turning a small quantity of tea into amounts for thousands to drink; exorcising evil spirits, transforming demons, and instantaneously transporting himself to far away locations. He never killed an animal for meat without restoring the animal back to life. He is even credited for the creation of a species of animal, the takin, by putting together the remains of two different animals (a goat’s head and a cow’s body)!

To honor Drukpa Kunley, Drukpa’s cousin built a yellow-roofed monastery in 1499, known as Chimi Lhkhang, near the town of Punakha, Bhutan in the valley below Metshina, which was dedicated to fertility. Each year hundreds of childless couples come from Bhutan (and now from around the world) to pray for children and receive a fertility blessing, which includes having a lama bless the couple on the head with a large wooden and bone phallus. Yes, I want you to know that I went through this ritual in proxy for my student and more recently for my son and daughter-in-law, making a donation and giving the lama their names written on a piece of paper.

I believed in what I was doing. I hiked once again for about 20 minutes across rice fields to the monastery that sat afar on a hill…past many modest, Bhutanese homes in Pana with a white flag on the roof swaying in the breeze—an indication that their home had been blessed by their lama, past a white chorten with prayer wheels, following a tiny stream downhill to Yoaka (“in the drain”), across an archery ground, past more wind tattered prayer flags jutting more than 40 feet into the air, and finally, finally—a short climb to Chimi Lhakhang monastery with monks playing in the yard without a care in the world. Once inside, we were able to view a central statue of Drukpa Kunley with his beloved black dog, Sachi.

Not once did I “hope” or “wish” that this blessing would be effective, nor did I want to “try again to see what happens.” I never even considered that it was quite absurd for an educated person as myself—trained to respect reason and rational order---to travel thousands of miles once again and go to such lengths without concern for any one’s opinion. I just believed in what I was doing….totally....100%….not even half a bubble off.

My dear friend, Elka, from Bulgaria, also received a fertility blessing for her youngest son. And yes, just so you know---both Elka and I are both going to be a grandma in February---11 months after our sons received a fertility blessing from Chimi Lhakhang, the monastery of Drukpa Kunley near Punakha, Bhutan.

Our lives are blessed with miracles; yes, I love the word miracles (considered Judeo-Christian) even when I hear people say that they cannot stand the word. I say that I love the word miracles because it is the world in which I live. But, we need to believe in order for them to manifest, even when our lives get so chaotic and complicated that the simplicity of that principle gets lost somewhere. Another wonderful miracle in my family this month is that my youngest daughter just returned from a trip to Italy with her boyfriend—ENGAGED. Yet, before she believed this could happen, she joked about writing a sequel to the book How To Lose a Guy In Ten Days.

Finally, to those of you (over 200) who attended Lama Ole’s teaching and received so many blessings here in SLC, thank you. There are many of you whom I wanted to visit with but I was multi-tasking beyond my capabilities, I’m afraid. I was fielding phone calls from Europe and doing dozens of other things that I hadn’t planned on, including the fact that I needed to be the tech person during the lecture even though I had hired a tech person for the evening.

Boundless Love-Light

Carol

Archived Newsletter XIV - March 23, 2008-Pilgrimage

2008-03-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

Happy Easter. I am safely home. A few of you were closely following the international news while I was gone, and a couple of you emailed me with great concern. I regret that I did not have access to my group email address book or I would have sent a group email to assure everyone that I was fine. It is true that a helicopter crashed in Kathmandu, and everyone was killed. I had mentioned to a few of you that I would be going to a Himalayan region from Kathmandu in a helicopter; however, it was a United Nations helicopter that crashed, and the loss of life was tragic. Also, the New Delhi airport strike was horrific but ended a couple of days before I was to depart although the strike affected some of our group members. The hotel I was to check into in New Delhi had to shut down because of a roof collapse or other problem but those of us who were scheduled to stay there managed to find other accommodations. However, the biggest concern was the situation that is ongoing in Tibet. Two days before I left New Delhi I came across a protest near the Tibetan market, and I am including a 182 picture slideshow of that protest. Picture 66 is Erin, my roommate from Norway, who is holding a sign “Stop Killing in Tibet.” As you watch these pictures, try to understand the frustration that the Tibetan people feel after near 50 years of Chinese rule in Tibet http://www.pbase.com/khandro68/delhi_tibetan_protest&view=slideshow

I would like to ask you to please join the growing world support to take action against the atrocities committed by the Chinese. I have been closely following this situation for years, and I do not believe there is one living Tibetan who feels there has been any advantage to Chinese rule in Tibet. A few months ago the Chinese military shot and killed a young Buddhist nun who was bringing children to Nepal so they could live in religious and cultural freedom, which was captured by mountain climbers on film. I believed at the time that this event that would be a catalyst for action; however, more recent events and just prior to the Olympics in Beijing, has created a momentum that might truly see some positive outcome results. Please take a few minutes of your time to complete the following petition, and I thank you in advance from the deepest place in my heart: http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/

With a pilgrimage comes endless blessings, and it was such a joy to see Maggie again and my friends who went on pilgrimage with me in 2005—Elka and Nikolay from Bulgaria. As far as the challenges and obstacles I faced and the suffering I experienced, it was a wonderful opportunity to purify karma. I want to share this with you because so many of you suffer, and it is a difficult concept to understand the fact that we live our karma. There are no stray bullets that strike us, and we are not victims. There really is fairness in the universal law of karma or as John stated, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

While our pilgrimage group of 51 people was in Bhutan, a man from Argentina discovered that he had a very large tick on him that was embedded underneath his skin. I didn’t realize what a serious situation this can be and that people can die when a tick is not completely removed; thus, Maggie and a few of us took him to a hospital in Bhutan. I have several pictures of this tick, and I thought it was a rather gross situation. We were at the hospital for quite some time, and a 74 year old medical doctor from Germany proceeded to remove the tick. Of course, by that time I was thinking that any tick that got near me was asking for death….so of course, there was one near me in my room that night, and in human response, I did kill it. I was already sick from an all day trek that we had taken in the snow and rain to the Tangui Gompa of Tulku Tenzin Rabaye Rinpoche, whom I met two and a half years ago in Bhutan when he was with Je Khenpo, the spiritual head of Bhutan. When Tenzin Rabaye Rinpoche was just two years old he began talking about historical events of 15th century Bhutan and was recognized immediately as a reincarnation (parents—just imagine what this would be like). Now he is about 14 years old and not only received us in his private quarters but also gave each of us an individual blessing. Any way, the trek was not ordinary climbing. We were climbing up rocks, and I had no rain repellent gear on (only a shower cap, and yes, it did look ridiculous).

That night I could hardly move from physical pain and discomfort but the itinerary moved forward, and that night I was at the home of the Princess of Bhutan, Asi Sonan, in a dress and tortuous high heels. It was an evening of tea, food, and conversation but what was most special was that we were invited to sit in the beautiful gompa in their home where monks and their lama chanted special prayers for us. Their lama also did individual MO divinations for us until midnight. Please understand that Maggie is very close to the Royal Family of Bhutan, which is why we have seen Bhutan from the inside and visiting places owned by the Royal Family that are not on the tour circuit. A couple of you have asked what tourist agency I have worked with, and there hasn’t been a tourist agency. For both of my pilgrimages to Bhutan, I was invited by Maggie who was the personal translator of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche for 15 years, who was the Uncle to the Queen of Bhutan.

Back to the tick. The lesson I have learned from this is to travel with a jar to “catch the insect in.” There was also a spider in the toilet in Bhutan. My roommate, Erin, had gone to the bathroom and noticed a spider in the toilet so she ran into the room to tell me. We stood over the toilet as she tried to build a bridge with toilet paper so the spider would come out but it was not an effective strategy (he went in the opposite direction) so we both starting saying mantras for this spider. I have to tell you that it was probably the most humorous thing that happened because everyone was waiting for us at the dinner tables, and we were standing over the toilet saying mantras for a spider. Finally, I looked at Erin and said, “Let’s not think about this now”, and I closed the lid. I truly experienced some karmic suffering for both the tick and the spider. I not only got “near pneumonia”, suffered from altitude sickness (we were at 10,000 feet but I have never had altitude sickness before), but also got carbon monoxide poisoning from riding in an open 3 wheeler for a few hours in New Delhi, a very large city with much traffic). One night I decided that I either had to call Maggie, go to the hospital or come home to America. I ended up doing none of those things but I will say that I have never been so ill. My attitude, of course, was that karmic seeds I had planted had now come to fruition, so I did what I could, with all of my tools, to alleviate as much pain as I could and embraced the process with gratitude because I was paying a debt now that I wouldn’t have to pay later.

When some of my friends and students have karmic diseases, they often tell me that they have done nothing wrong to deserve such suffering so I am here to tell you how imperfect I am in that I, too, suffer from unvirtuous actions such as killing a tick and giving up on a spider; however, I will never do such a thing again because I will be prepared with my insect jar.

The highlight of my pilgrimage was to spend eight days with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Trinlay Thaye Dorje, at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI). After meeting with our group and giving us each an individual blessing, he gave a four day teaching on the “37 Practices of a Bodhisattva”. He first taught it in Tibetan and then translated the teaching himself in perfect English. He said that he first received this teaching when he was 12 years old and talked about how precious this teaching was to him and how much it has helped him. We also received teachings from Khenpo Tsering Samdrup, the main instructor at KIBI and also, Professor Sempa Dorje, a renowned Buddhist scholar, who has been teaching the Karmapa in Kalimpong since he was 10 years old. The Karmapa told us that it has been a “luxury and a joy” to learn from him; thus, for Professor Dorje to teach to another audience was such a blessing for us. Also, Tsultrim Namgyal gave several days of teachings about his experiences with His Holiness the 16th Karmapa. Tsultrim Namgyal is often seen in pictures holding the Karmapa’s Black Crown. The Karmapa then gave three days of initiations (empowerments), and when I learned that one of those initiations was Medicine Buddha, I realized why I was there since Medicine Buddha greatly enhances the healing work that I do, and I had only received the lunge from Lama Ole a few years ago.

What was most meaningful to me, however, was when the Karmapa talked about all of the blessings we had received and then said, “These blessings will remain with you until you reach Enlightenment.” Because all extrinsic phenomenon is impermanent, and the happiness that we cling to in this world is a temporary happiness, to know that those blessings would remain with me was deeply meaningful. For more information and 48 wonderful pictures, please see http://www.karmapa-news.org/?id=443

In many of the sacred and powerful holy places on our pilgrimage, Maggie told us to make strong wishes; thus, I made strong wishes for all of you---that you will be free from suffering and that you will have devotion to your spiritual path, whatever that spiritual path might be---Buddhist or non-Buddhist.

Finally, those of you who asked that I purchase singing bowls or malas for you, yes, my luggage was lost but it was delivered to me at 2 am this morning. Please email me and let me know if you can come by this week. Those items traveled with me on my entire pilgrimage, and the malas were blessed by His Holiness the 17th Karmapa (I have a dozen extra for those of you who want one, and in fairness to everyone, it is best that I include that information in this newsletter rather than pick and choose whom I might wish to have one). The weight of the singing bowls (85 pounds) was not easy to work with as far as transporting, including the ride back to my hotel on a motorbike. My purse was swinging on this kind man’s motorbike, and I was holding 85 pounds of singing bowls between myself and his back. As you know, the traffic is quite crazy in Kathmandu, and at one point in time, we were trapped between a car and a bus, and just as I thought the bus was about to take off my right leg, he HIT the side of the bus very hard. I learned that hitting the side of a vehicle is an emergency signal for “STOP.” I am very grateful for that.

A few of you have asked me to give a talk about my pilgrimage; thus, I will not share further stories here but will hopefully plan for a presentation sometime in the near future.

Boundless love-light,

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Archived Newsletter XIII - November 19, 2007

2007-12-13T10:00:00.001-08:00

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

Archived Newsletter XII - October 7, 2007

2007-12-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

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

Archived Newsletter XI - September 2, 2007

2007-12-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

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

Archived Newsletter X - July 22, 2007

2007-07-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

Among the many amazing metaphysical phenomenon I have experienced during the past month, I was able to enjoy the unicursal, single Eulerian path labyrinth at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado during Jonathan Goldman’s 9 day Sound Healing Intensive. The first time I entered the labyrinth last week,

I lost track of direction and of the outside world. Immediately, a strong wind arose that stirred the leaves of the trees around me with the sound of rain sticks, and Spirit spoke to me of the many things I knew but had forgotten. I continued to step slowly through the labyrinth, bare feet pressing on rough grass, until I paused at the center, facing the direction of West, which among other things, honors the Bear—the same Bear spirit that I came to know recently in the Catskill mountains. A golden spiral then appeared in front of me and around me, and like a cork screw, the spiral penetrated the soil, reaching downward until it touched and connected me with the heart of Mother Earth. I then realized, with greater awareness, the significance of my spiral and heart logo that I told my daughter to design many years ago----the significance of that journey to the heart, which connects us in love. We have been blessed with so many powerful tools to assist us in this journey, and sacred sound is one of them, because it can activate and accelerate our vibrational ascension.

I have known and worked with many sound healers over the years, and it has surprised me that they are not teaching. I honestly believe it is because the body of knowledge of sound and sound healing is overwhelming and yes, even intimidating. I remember when I was asked to teach the HIV/AIDS course for the College of Nursing at UNLV, and the tremendous pressure I was under to quickly develop an expertise in a field that was changing as fast as the HIV virus itself. But, “diving in” and developing curriculum was what I was trained to do, and I became accustomed to such arduous assignments. On the contrary, I have spent the last seven years integrating sound healing into my work but have shared little of that knowledge with my students in Reiki classes and individual sessions. I have emphasized that sound healing, like Reiki, is being integrated into mainstream medicine. We have Mitchell Gaynor, MD, Director of Oncology at the Strand-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center, to partially thank for this awakening in our society of the oldest healing modality known to mankind.

The Universe has never called me to do anything at a time that I would consider “opportune.” When Reiki found me, I was immersed in an 80 hour a week job, and did not have one minute for a new endeavor; however, I was enrolled in a Reiki class the next week and have been committed to healing ever since. A few of you who have come to me for individual Reiki sessions lately have noticed that I have been accessing other healing tools in addition to Reiki and broadening my use of sound; however, because I have been a member of Jonathan’s Sound Healer’s Association for the past five years, I decided three years ago that I would participate in Jonathan’s intensive training and become "official” before I would formally teach Sound Healing. I finally stopped procrastinating. Not only was my time with Jonathan beyond my expectations, I also studied with other brilliant sound healers, individually and in group, including Laraaji, Lama Tashi who was nominated for a Grammy Award for his CD Tibetan Master Chants, and Kimba Arem, whom you may recognize because of her recent sound healing work with Dr. Andrew Weil. Therefore, after years in the making, my Sound Healing courses are now developed and scheduled in Salt Lake City with San Diego scheduling to soon follow.

I. Sound Healing Class Content and Schedule

A. Sound Healing I and II will be held on a Saturday and Sunday,

Sept. 28 and 29 (NOON-10pm). Sound Healing I will consist of:

Principles of Sound Healing

Psycho Acoustics & Sonic Entrainment

Shamael-Angel of Sound Initiation

The Healing Power of Sound

Intentionality and Silence

Breath and Sound

Vowels as Mantras

Toning

Toning the Chakras

Name as mantra

Mantra and Sound

Sawawati-Godddess of Music and Healing

B. Sounding Healing II will include:

Introduction to Harmonics

Tuning Forks

Tibetan Singing Bowls, Tingshas, and Bells

Sound and Crystals

Crystal & Alchemy Bowls

Vocal Harmonics

Overtoning for Healing

Mantras: Tools for Healing

C. Sounding Healing III on Saturday, Dec. 1 (NOON-10pm) will consist of:

Sacred Ceremony

Tantra of Sound

The Divine Name

The Way of the Shaman

Tools for Sound: Drums, Rattles & Didjeridu

Sacred Drum Healing Ceremony (as taught to me by Brooke Medicine Eagle in the Catskill Mountains at the Society for Shamanic Practitioners Conference)

Note: The reason why the break between Sound healing II and III is that I am spending a day with Layne Redmond, author of When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm, in November, and I want to acknowledge her in my Sound Healing III class along with MANY other profound and revered healers, sound healers, and Shamans who have touched my life in ways too numerous to express at this time; i.e. being in ceremony with Bhola Nath Banstola, a 27th generation Shaman from Nepal, was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Bonnie Horrigan had told me “He’s the real deal”, and he is. (Thank you, Bonnie, for getting me to the Society’s annual conference this year.) These healers have inspired me, challenged me and left me in boundless gratitude. I learned via experience that traditions are often passed on via encoded sound, and if we tap into those frequencies at a subconscious level, they teach us.

Sound Healing I, II and III contains more information than you can possibly imagine, and I believe that a week could be spent on every class. If I offer Sound Healing IV, it will probably be a day of silence in retreat with sound. We actually did this at the intensive for 12 hours, and I’m still not quite back on the planet. Also, until I am convinced otherwise, I will continue to cap my classes; thus, my sounding healing classes will be capped at 10 students so please register early. Registration forms are on my website under Classes, Sound Healing I, Sound Healing II and Sound Healing III.

II. My individual healing sessions have evolved into not utilizing one single modality; rather, they arise from intention and intuition, and I offer frequencies that I feel will be of benefit to the uniqueness of the client, whether they be essential oils (yes, I have about 200 different bottles on hand), sacred sound or channeling Reiki or Karuna Reiki®. I have many new tools, sound instruments, lessons and uplifting stories to share with you during classes and at healing circles. The final highlight at the healing sounds intensive was our graduation, and farewell when Jonathan taught us a song that we sang individually to every person in the group, “Listen, listen, listen to the song of my heart…I’ll never forget you...I’ll never forsake you….” We were in tears.

We are all unique, vibratory beings, and the more we understand and utilize vibration as a healing tool, the better we can bring love and harmony to all sentient beings, to Mother Earth, and to the ALL of the Universe where we are ONE. When the task seems overwhelming, I am always reminded of the Essene Gospel of Peace: “And one day the eyes of your spirit shall open, and you shall know all things.”

Love and Light,

Carol

Archived Newsletter IX - Being Reiki - June 23, 2007

2007-06-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

As our healing community is at the forefront of my thinking as we plan our community Reiki clinic in August, I would like to share a few thoughts that might be insightful in some way.

When I was an Assistant Professor of Community Health Education at UNLV, my students permeated the Las Vegas community. I required that they serve internships in grassroots organizations. They served at the American Cancer Society, Aid for Aids of Nevada (AFAN), United Way, REACH OUT (Relieve Every AIDS Child’s Hurt Our Ultimate Task)---and the list goes on. (Yes, I have seen HIV, cocaine addicted newborn babies.) These organizations were very active and offered a desperately needed service to the community; thus, for my students to offer their personal service and some additional knowledge about health education was an additional gift. Later I attended the first International Women’s Day Conference in Moscow with a delegation of six women from the United States, including Karla Scherer of the Karla Scherer Foundation, (whose father invented the gel capsule). As a delegation, we spent a great deal of time meeting with the many women of Russia who were heading grassroots organizations. In my opinion, these women and their grassroots efforts continue to be the power and strength of Russia.

My present community orientation with individuals (who are “team players”) comes from my background and an innate sense of altruism. This is what I admire the most about the Native American culture. Native Americans truly think of the “tribe” before they think of self, much like the Buddhist adage, “I am one but others are many.” I have always known that the practitioners in our Reiki community will be of great benefit to others, and they do not need to be physically present in Utah because our community is very active in sending distant Reiki as a group. I also know that we will be called upon one day to serve others as a united and thus, powerful healing community. As I watched news reports of the devastation of New Orleans and saw the despair of its residents, all I could think about was how they needed a community of Reiki practitioners there to make a difference. Reiki can be compared to the ripples that reach out to others after a pebble is thrown into a pond.

As soon as I meet a new student, I see a vision of their community. I see them as an individual with karmic connections. I see the individual’s family and the community around them. I take note of their workplace setting. It is a natural thing for me to do to see the subcommunities within a community. So often my students think they have little to do because they have no clients. Yet, all they have to do is draw an imaginary circle around their body and observe the people who come into their space. This is their community being delivered right to their door! And, the circle continues to grow.

However, trying to be of benefit to others can be overwhelming. I remember when I was at the home of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in Kalimgpong, India, a man told the Karmapa that he had little time to help others. The Karmapa responded by telling him to just think of one person…even if you are helping one person you are helping that person to be better, live better, and die better. However, some may not be ready for that just one person; thus, it is important, as Byron Katie says, “Do your work!” It is important to heal self. All the wounds and hurts and anger are waiting to be healed. Yes, anger is a by product of being hurt for most people but it does not resonate with or support Reiki. I always remember the story of a woman who was being hurtful to Mrs. Takata and causing her many problems. Mrs. Takata went to Dr. Hayashi and asked him for his permission to give this woman “my elbow”. Mr. Hayashi said “no.” He would not give her permission to be angry with this woman, regardless of the harm she had caused to Mrs. Takata. I believe that Mrs. Takata took this to heart because after she became a Master, she was very protective of her healing space and would not allow angry people in her home. With uncompromising courage, she would ask them to leave, stating that her home and clinic was about healing—not about anger. From a Buddhist perspective, one outburst of anger can destroy eons of accumulated merit. That is why His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders such as Thich Nhat Hahn have written about and given many teachings about anger. It is absolutely destructive at the deepest levels with severe karmic consequences. It is not surprising, then, that the first Reiki principle is, “Just for today, do not anger.”

Therefore, I like to remind everyone to begin with healing self so they will have the capacity to benefit others. It is then that one can be of real assistance to family, co-workers, friends and acquaintances. You will then automatically receive the hundreds of hours of experience that you need as a practitioner before you begin teaching if you choose a teaching path. Although one of my dreams is to develop a uniform standard for Reiki training, we have heard from some of our leaders on this topic. Pamela Miles recommends 3-5 years; Fran Brown, one of Takata’s Masters, says that 4 years as a practitioner is minimum; Mari Hall, founder of IARP and the author of 4 Reiki books, now requires from her students a 3 year practitioner minimum prior to Mastership and even more time after Mastership, prior to teaching. It is not only common sense but ethical that one needs to take the time to learn from Reiki; i.e. just as a nurse wouldn’t graduate from nursing school and begin teaching or a massage therapist wouldn’t graduate from massage therapy school and begin teaching, so, too, must a Reiki practitioner engage in practical experience before formally teaching. There is a HUGE learning curve; however, what I want to emphasize is that those experiential opportunities to practice Reiki are around you in your very own community. It is not as difficult as you might perceive. In fact, I know Reiki practitioners who are busier channeling Reiki to family members than Mrs. Takata was kept busy in Dr. Hayashi’s clinic in Japan. I will also continue to offer support. Last year I referred more clients to my students than I had clients on my own Reiki table. And, my circle continues to grow.

You are the ripples in the pond. BE Reiki. LIVE Reiki---in your homes, with your friends and acquaintances, and among your co-workers. TEACH Reiki best--by living the Reiki principles. Your community is right there at your doorstep--waiting for you. You only have to see the door---in order to open it.

Boundless love and light,

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

In Celebration - The Life of Hannah Nydahl

2007-05-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

It is my aspiration in writing this entry that Hannah's life--and her memory--will be a teaching that continues to benefit all sentient beings impartially, without exception.

Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl first traveled to Nepal in the 60’s on their honeymoon. It is there where their Buddhist roots were awakened when they met Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche; however, these roots were earlier recognized as children playing in the woods north of Copenhangen, Denmark where 5-year-old Hannah asked 10-year-old Ole to build a meditation hut for her out of tree branches.

In the 60’s, Buddhism had not arrived in the west; thus, translated texts were close to non-existent. Hannah proceeded to learn Tibetan in a slow, unfolding process and translated her meditation texts and Ngondro practices word for word, beginning with the prostration text. To practice speaking Tibetan, she and Ole stayed in Tibetan camps where no one knew how to speak English. They then became the first western students of His Holiness the 16th Karmarpa, Ranjung Rigpe Dorje, and after a few years, the Karmapa was very specific in his instructions to them that they return to Europe and work for the Dharma. Connecting the east to the west was vitally important to the Karmapa, and in order to do this, translators were also vitally important. Few Buddhist texts had been translated, and few teachers spoke English; thus, Hannah began translating for Tibetan lamas and Rinpoches. She and Ole also arranged large pilgrimage tours to the east, inviting as many as 100 people every year, which continued their contact with the east. Later in life, Hannah translated for the Tibetan teachers at the Karmarpa International Institute (KIBI) in New Delhi. His Holiness the 16th Karmapa had referred to her as the "Mother of Buddhism in the West"---and appropriately so.

Hannah experienced the vast depth and breadth of the Buddha’s teachings. “There is no end to them”, she once said, but the teachings always confirmed her belief in their truths, which progressively took her into deeper understanding, while at the same time seeing how those teachings benefitted herself and others. One of the greatest messages I heard from Hannah was that if you do not know the Dharma, “you tend to live in some unrealistic illusion and think that things are what they are; you give things a permanent existence, which they do not have. You may think something is wonderful, then suddenly it is not wonderful any more……the teachings say that we can understand impermanence by seeing how friends turn into enemies and enemies turn into friends…”

Hannah gave tirelessly of herself for the benefit of all sentient beings while traveling around the world, and the love people felt for her reminded me of the love that people felt for Mother Teresa. She was an amazing teacher--teaching best by the example that she set. She was egoless. So many times I saw her when she had had little sleep, and a “yawn” simply propelled her into the compassionate action of Green Tara. The last time I saw her was in November 2006 in San Diego. As I sat next to her at dinner, I knew she was seriously ill although many were telling me that she would be okay. I told her how I had received a copy of her recommended reading list (56 books, translated in English), and I vowed to read them all. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to obtain a copy of some of those books; thus, this has been quite the project. To date, I have read nearly 30 of them, which also requires study, contemplation and meditation and includes a few book reports that I have written, particularly in regard to Padmasambhava's teachings; however, completing this endeavor takes on additional meaning for me now because it seems to be a way in which I can honor Hannah and the Buddhadharma that was her life, which has also become the foundation of my own life. The teachings have penetrated very "deep", and I cannot express the windows that continue to open while obscurations fall by the wayside. Princess Mandarava and Yeshe Tosgyal are among my heroines now, and they were certainly feminists before the west knew the meaning of the word. It's impossible to believe that Lama Ole Nydahl wrote his book, The Great Seal, in the hospital following his parachutte fall where yes, he hit the ground. And Kalu Rinoche—to think he was a Khenpo at age 11 and spent 12 years in solitary retreat. I bow to these teachers and many more teachers whose blessings we receive from reading their words and integrating them--and their aspects--into our practice.

In the meantime, I had asked a select number of my students to support me and join with me in reciting prayers and mantras for Hannah. After three days my lungs started to fill with fluid, and whereas lung cancer was what was killing her, I saw this as a good sign but I couldn’t transform it so I had to stop. We sometimes simply cannot interfere with one’s karma or destined journey. My Tibetan Medical Astrologist Astronomer, Jhampa, reminded me that it is very common for women in Tibet to not live through their obstacle year of age 61. According to the Tibetan calendar conversion, Hannah was 61.

On March 31, 2006 (April 1 in Copenhagen), the day that Hannah left her body for Dewachen, the Pure Realm of Great Bliss, I seemed to know that I should cancel all of my plans for the day, and I sat in bed reading Gently Whispered by Kalu Rinpoche. I wanted to read the words of one of our Kagyu lineage teachers. When I got to Chapter 5, "Teachings on the Bardos of Death and Dying", I took a break and went over to my computer, which is when an email came through from Ole, asking us to say the mantra of Amitabha for Hannah--the Red Buddha of Limitless Light--because she would not live for more than a few hours. The visualization of Hannah with Amitabha at her head was so clear, and I was grateful that Ole allowed us to participate in her passing. Then I went back to Kalu Rinpoche. When Hannah left her body, I was reading Chapter 8, "Commentary on the Bodhisattva Vows", which was the ESSENCE of Hannah’s life—--living and honoring her Bodhisattva Vows. Ole then wrote a letter that included the words, “She returned to space, timeless and beautiful." Finally, "the finest gift to Hannah now is to continue your practice.”

What I will miss about Hannah the most are her occasional emails. They were better than Christmas. One email from her negated all of the junk emails that I receive. She was articulate to detail and would ask me specifics about dharma activity here in Utah. She would sign her emails MUCH love, and I could feel the transmission. She always answered my emails even when I told her not to because she was much too busy. The last words she spoke to me in San Diego were also her greatest teaching for me. I asked her if she missed anything. Afterall, she didn’t really have a home because she was always traveling around the world. I asked, “Don’t you miss Denmark?” She replied, “I don’t miss anything.” I quickly responded, “So, you are giving me a teaching on attachment, which is so difficult for women to dissolve.” She laughed and smiled that big, gracious smile of hers that always came from her heart. Thus, when I miss her flesh and bones that have no ultimate reality, I connect with her mind---I remember her words---and it is then that I am free from the grief of her physical absence.

Archived Newsletter VII - May 3, 2007

2007-05-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

Below is a letter that I received from William Lee Rand for clarification on the FDA controversy that many of you have emailed and asked me about. I hope that it proves to be helpful; however, I'm sure that we haven't heard the end of this.

Since this is a newsletter, I should include some other "tidbits" of information since there are never enough minutes and hours in the day to share with you. So, hang on....

I'm sorry that I couldn't be here last weekend but I was in San Diego teaching a Reiki I class. The Universe, in its all-knowingness, chose that date; thus, I continue to surrender in joy and gratitude. Sometimes it reminds me of when I was a soccer mom, but believe me, my son would have never been an ODP (Olympic Development Player) if I wouldn't have learned to surrender and go with the flow of its schedule, which included all major holidays.

We all learn "core" and foundational information from our teachers but then we grow and develop our own authentic path. Five years ago I was not where I am now, and five years from now I will be in yet another place. It's amazing how our journey unfolds; believe me, there is always something new around the next corner. My First Degree Reiki teacher was DiDi Otterson, who was a student of Denise Crundall. Denise was one of Beth Gray's two Reiki Masters. DiDi is why I have an inside perspective about this lineage, why I appreciate Denise Crundall, and why I include her poem "Togetherness" in my First Degree manual. I have spent many hours channeling with Reiki practitioners and Masters from this lineage because Mrs. Takata taught Beth Gray how to channel with Reiki symbols (I include an article about Beth in my Second Degree manual that was published in Reiki News). DiDi is the one who directed me to clairvoyant Walter MaKichen who had been her spiritual teacher for over 20 years. In all honesty, his clairvoyant abilities are like nothing I've ever seen, and he recently published the one-of -its-kind book Spirit Babies. The one-on-one mentoring I received from Walter has been invaluable to me because I had to learn how to manage being an open channel--bombarded with information. My Second Degree teacher was Grace Sesma, who was in the Reiki lineage of Barbara Ray Weber. Grace has also been a lifelong student of Grandfather Kachora, who is a Yaqui Medicine Man and Toltec Lineage Holder---now 92 years of age--one of the most beloved and revered healer in Mexico and known throughout the world. I learned so much from Grace about healing among the Indigenous First Nations, Peoples and Communities, and I have a growing appreciation every single day of that knowledge. Now that I am "in love" with Young Living Essential Oils, I appreciate Grandfather Kachora's love for plants, and in his words, "The way to the spirit is through an appreciation and knowledge of plants. The way to the infinite is through the experience of the infinite whole." In a future newsletter I will include a picture of me with Jesus Gonzales Mercado, Huichol, a now 85 year old shaman from the Huichol community of Tuxpan de Bolanos, Jalisco. I guarantee that you will laugh....his bonnet with feathers, tied under his chin is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Someone has asked--so yes, I have done hemi-sync training but as I told my Reiki Master teacher, I will never teach it, which is why you don't hear me talk about it or the metaphysical training that he acquired at the Monroe Institute. If you are interested in the Monroe Institute you'd be interested in Cosmic Awareness. However, it simply is not my path. I know that my purpose in this life is to be in my body helping other people in their body, which can be challenging for people who are working with high vibrational frequencies and struggling to stay grounded. Grounding is a very big challenge for many, if not most, of my students, and the solution is NOT astral projection. Trust me. I believe in the dharma truth that to acquire a precious body is indeed a rare gift, and we should utilize that body as a vehicle to help all sentient beings. I have taken Bodhisattva Vows many times to do just that. When we reach enlightenment, we will have endless time to zoom around timeless space without a body but in the meantime, the body is a tool to get us there. Let's not put the cart before the horse. I also made a huge shift from metaphysical training to spiritual development (there is a difference) after spending time with Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, and my other teachers, primarily Lama Ole Nydahl and His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje. They are my living examples of human potential, and being in their enlightened energy fields brings tears to my eyes. I learned last week that in November I will be returning to India in pilgrimage while His Holiness the 17th Karmapa is in Bodhgaya, where the Buddha reached Enlightenment. If I decide to remain under the Bodhi tree until I attain Enlightenment, I will send an email or instant message. :-)

There again, remember that there are many different airlines to select from in order to arrive at a destination. If there are diving boards all around a swimming pool, you can jump off different diving boards to get into the pool. The important thing is to get into the pool--not how you get there. As I did, you will discover the tools that work best for you. And don't worry about developing your siddhis and psychic abilities! It unfolds and develops, especially the more that you meditate and practice Reiki. You'll find that you can even be "too" psychic. As a friend said to me last week when he couldn't hide something from me: "It's so unnerving." :-) So---enjoy the process---in joy and gratitude.

Boundless Love and Light,

Carol

April 27, 2007

Information on FDA ruling not factual

Dear Students of Reiki,

Recently there have been many emails circulating on the internet warning about a new ruling the FDA is about to create that would threaten the practice of Reiki and other complementary practices making it illegal to practice unless you’re a medically licensed health care provider. The emails have also said that our right to use vitamins and herbs will also be threatened by this new ruling so that they will only be available by a doctor’s prescription and even then at very low dosages. People have been asked to protest this ruling by sending emails to the FDA by April 30.

This information is not based on fact. The practice of Reiki isn’t being threatened by any proposed FDA ruling, nor is our right to access vitamins and herbs. The information passed around on the Internet has for some reason been distorted and misrepresented.

In December 2006, the FDA issued a guidance document that commented on an existing ruling. They are not proposing anything new. To summarize part of the existing ruling, it indicates that if a vitamin, herb or food manufacturer states that their product will cure an illness, that manufacturer must first get permission from the FDA before making such a statement. The same is true for any practice such as Reiki. If a Reiki practitioner claims that Reiki will cure an illness, then the practitioner must get permission from the FDA before making that claim.

The National Health Freedom Coalition has reviewed this issue and written a clarification document that I suggest you read for further information. Look specifically at points 5 and 6. http://www.nationalhealthfreedom.org/AlertFDAguidanceDoc.html

Here’s the link to the FDA document http://www.fda.gov/cber/gdlns/altmed.pdf

Sincerely,

William Lee Rand,

President, The International Center for Reiki Training

Archived Newsletter V & VI - January 30 & April 18, 2007

2007-05-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Many of us are feeling pain in our heart chakra as a result of the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech, which I have been additionally aware of because my daughter, Chelsey, has been in Fairfax, Virginia for the past two weeks doing investigative work for the federal government, and my parents live in Weems, Virginia. Prayers and chanting "om mani peme hung" will help everyone. Sometimes I put a couple of drops of JOY on my heart chakra and hold my hands over my heart chakra or I hold a rose quartz crystal in my hands over my heart chakra (yes, the crystal gets very hot). I remember after 9/11 when a group of us Reiki practitioners and Masters got together to send Reiki and assist in the healing of the Universe. The screams of 9/11 alone had a shattering effect on many souls throughout the Universe, and SO much healing needed to be done. Let's remember that any time catastrophic events occur, they are not isolated, but rather, have a rippling effect throughout the Universe. One of our callings as healers is to take action and do what we can, utilizing the amazing gifts in our healing toolbox.

I am pasting in a portion of Frank Petter's latest newsletter because he has some great Reiki information. He also honors his teachers in the Reiki way in which teachers are honored. Frank is one who truly understands the Eastern philosophy in which Reiki was rediscovered not only because of his Zen background and training but because he was married to a Japanese woman for many years. This philosophy is often challenging for many Westerners. I am very "old school" in that respect in that I deeply revere all of my spiritual teachers where rightness or wrongness is not germane. Those teachers go beyond Reiki teachers. When I travel to hear Lama Ole, I like to be the one who gets everyone on their feet here in the West when he walks into the room, and although Ole doesn't want us to bow and prostrate to him, I automatically do that with teachers who more strictly adhere to traditional protocol. I will attach a picture to prove it! One of my pilgrimmage friends from Germany took the picture of me with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in Kalimpong, India, and that picture is my most cherished possession! Many, many years ago I told a friend of mine, "I will never, ever, ever do all of that bowing stuff that Buddhists do!" In retrospect, I didn't have the humility.

I remember reading all the books about my Buddhist lineage teachers and what their own teachers expected of them as a test of their faith and devotion. It was almost more than I could bear to see Milarepa build a brick house at the instruction of Marpa--first in a triangular shape, then a half moon shape and then a round shape-- each time Marpa telling him to tear it down and start over. Of course, Milarepa became severely depressed but he persevered and finally built a brick square house of nine floors, purifying all negative karma and accumulating enough merit to attain Awakening in a single lifetime. Milarepa wanted lineage transmissions much the same way as Mrs. Takata wanted to receive the Reiki transmission from Dr. Hayashi. She wanted the Reiki Mastership transmission so desperately that she was even willing to give Dr. Hayashi her home in Hawaii. In another book that I was reading about another Kagyupa lineage teacher, Tilopa, Tilopa would deliberately create the most catastrophic situations for Naropa, one of his students; however, all of these events were teachings in humility, faith and devotion to teacher. It takes a lot to cut through ego and pride.

I realize that the West has changed yoga from its original intention in the east but I hope that one day Reiki hasn't changed in the West to the extent that the context in which Reiki was founded is forgotten. Although times change, and as Frank says, every culture has its own "cocktail", I hope that we remain a little old school here in the West, which is what Mrs. Takata and our other lineage teachers would want. The reality is that the Reiki principles and ideals are being threatened here in the West, and I hope, not to extinction.

So, enjoy Frank's message, my friends:

"Spring has come, and the hearts blossom after a long period of gathering strength. Have you ever seen a lotus flower opening, petal after petal? Before we get into the Reiki work, I would like to share a text with you that I wrote in India some time ago:

A Ripple in the Lotus Pond

Every one has gone to sleep, except for the frogs and the silence in between their calls. They always talk to me, as I speak with them. Together, we watch the lotus that grows amongst them, opening. Petal by petal stretch forth in the moonlight. They know and I know. We have seen it happen many times before.

Clouds obscure the scene with their winter coats, hiding, then revealing mercilessly. Known and unknown sounds are carried by the cool fragrance of January. In the distance, an owl flies by, unseen.

Soft, dark and muddy, the bottom of the pond thinks of itself as the whole world.

Pushing through is no easy task. The sap of life flows into one petal at a time, excruciatingly slow. The plant quivers: this way, and that way, ready to sink back to the bottom one more time. The gentle wind whispers in my ear “My love, the dawn is near.”

The pond takes another breath as one more petal blooms where there was darkness a moment ago. Soon they will stand before it in awe and their hearts will be filled with bliss. They will pray to the Heavens and bow deeply to the Earth. It is good that they have never seen what I see.

I get up and go home, knowing that it will continue without me. A tear of gratitude slides out of my left eye: a ripple in the lotus pond.

And now to today’s Reiki theme:

The Reiki Symbols

I have been asked by a friend from South Africa to write an article on the Reiki- Symbols. After writing it I thought that it may be helpful to all of you. Below I will share with you what I have been able to research in Japan. My sources are the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai- Dr. Usui’s original Reiki Society, and my beloved teacher, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, a direct student of Dr. Hayashi, and her son Tadao. When referring to Dr. Usui, Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Yamaguchi, I will use the suffix Sensei. This is a Japanese word meaning “ respected teacher”. This is the proper way to address the one who imparts his love, grace and knowledge to you…

The Reiki Symbols are a wonderful source of inspiration, creativity and confusion.

Inspiration

Let’s begin with the first, inspiration. Reiki was born in an eternal moment of intense inspiration and self- discovery. This intensity is present in any Reiki moment, during a treatment or an attunement. In a treatment, this is partly due to the symbols that intensify the energy, heal the soul and transcendent time and space. In an attunement it is due to the fact that the symbols help to awaken the sleeping Reiki in the student.

Creativity

Usui Sensei incorporated three symbols in his work, for his students to be able to work more effectively. Those three symbols were given specific jobs to do.

The Power Symbol was used exclusively on the body.

The Mental Healing Symbol was used exclusively for mental healing.

The Distant Healing Symbol was used exclusively for distant healing.

Three Concepts

When talking about the symbols, we must keep one thing in mind. The symbols have a geometric shape as well as a name- and, a meaning. This means, that a symbol can be many things. It can be a Reiki Symbol- meaning a tool that is exclusively used in Reiki. It can also be a Kanji (Chinese/ Japanese pictograph) or a symbol from another culture. And it can possibly be a Mantra. To all those three concepts apply different sets of rules.

1- A Reiki Symbol

A Reiki Symbol is a symbol incorporated into the Healing art by Usui Sensei. For me a symbol channeled by one of us, is not necessarily useless, but it does not belong to the original system. Therefore I would not call it a Reiki Symbol. A Reiki Symbol is Reiki specific. Usui And Hayashi Sensei stressed that they should not be shared with anyone who has not been attuned to Reiki. The one who uses it must have certain background knowledge, and healing skills, as well as instruction in how and when to use the symbol. You would not give a chain saw to a five year old either.

In the Japanese tradition the first two symbols are considered just symbols. They have a name but this name is just a description and the description does not need to be said when the symbol is written. Chiyoko Sensei said” no need to say “ spoon, spoon, spoon” when picking up a spoon

It is often thought that one is initiated into a certain symbol. The fact is that you are initiated into Reiki. The Symbols are just tools that help us concentrate on a certain quality. The cross, the symbols for male or female, or a stop sign on the highway are more or less the same. They tell us what we, and others ought to do in a given situation.

2- A Kanji or a letter/ syllable from another language

A Kanji or a letter/syllable from another language must have a certain meaning. The meaning of the power symbol, for example is

“ By Imperial Command” or “ Direct Spirit”.

The meaning of the Mental Healing Symbol is “ Bad habit” (often used in connection with sexually perverted habits). This explains why in Japan the first two symbols are not chanted when they are used. Who could say while working on a client, “ By the order of the Emperor, by the order of the Emperor”, or even “bad habit bad habit bad habit…”?

Usui sensei gave the symbols Japanese names, because that was his language. The names were to explain what the symbols were used for. So “bad habit” is not really the name of the symbol, but a description of what we do with it.

The origin of the Second symbol is to be found in Sanskrit. It is a Sanskrit seed syllable from the Siddham writing, called Hrih. The Japanese call it “ Kiriku” because they have a hard time pronouncing a word filled with konsonant, like “hrih”.

In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo), this symbol represents the Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Love and Compassion as well as the Senju Kannon, the one thousand armed Bodhisattva. The Hrih, it is said, was formed out of a tear of compassion…

So, knowingly or unknowingly you call on this divine emanation when you perform mental Healing. This means that you do not do the healing, but the deity does…

A Mantra

A mantra is made of sound or a number of sounds. A mantra needs to be pronounced in order to release its power. The distant healing symbol is a mixture of symbol and mantra. That means that it must be written and spoken. If it cannot be spoken aloud, it has to be at least pronounced by your lips silently.

Our Distant Healing Symbol is made up of five kanji that are jammed into one another. This is not done deliberately, but with precision and deep knowledge of the subtleties of the language. If you were to write all the kanji separately, you would see that the top part of the second kanji fits into the bottom part of the first. The top part of the third kanji fits into the bottom part of the second. The top part of the fourth kanji fits into the bottom part of the third. And the fifth kanji remains as it is…

This is a method often used in Shingon and Tendai Buddhism to create a mantra. This way the conscious mind is bypassed and the goods are delivered… The first who used this mantra is, to my knowledge, Saint Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist reformer who lived from 1222- 1282. A student of mine in Japan told me that it is also used in ancient Shintoism, and the meaning is “Man and God are One”.

Confusion

Everyone seems to have their own theory of what the Reiki symbols mean, and how they are supposed to be used. I have explained where they come from and what their cultural/ religious background is above.

However, Reiki is liquid and adjusts to the culture and the people that it is practiced by. Therefore many new ways of using the symbols have evolved. My understanding of that is, to incorporate what is useful- which you must find out for your self- and to let go of what is not for you. Everyone mixes his own cocktail and that is the nature of things. All I can say is: cheers…"

In conclusion, there will not be healing circle in SLC until Sunday, June 10 at 3:30. As a surprise, I am going to have healing circle "Japanese style" so wear jogging pants or pajama pants because jeans might be uncomfortable!!! Please remember that I have to answer my phone to let people in at the front door so please do not call me to talk to me during that time. At last healing circle I had people in the living room that I was happy to see and eager to talk with, and four different people called to talk to me while people were locked out at the front door and unable to get through to me because I was on the phone trying to get people off the phone, and then my cell phone started ringing! I'm just not the multi-tasker that I used to be. :-) I SO enjoy having just one task in front of my face, so I can be with the experience.....otherwise, I'll miss out on living....

Boundless love-light,

Carol

January 30, 2007

Dearest Friends:

The Secret

If you haven't heard about "The Secret", Oprah Winfrey will be highlight it on her show tomorrow, Wed., January 31 at 4:00. The DVD and book are amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone, as I did "The Bleep" when it was released.

Sylvia Brown

People have been asking me for my reaction to psychic medium Sylvia Brown "getting busted" over her totally inaccurate reading about Shawn Hornbeck after he disappeared. She told his parents that he had been abducted by a dark skinned man with long dread locks, and Shawn was no longer alive. Shawn's parents were devastated. We now know that none of those details are accurate. Montell apparently also "busted" her on his show where she got to meet a man whom she said had died and was "in water.". Sylvia's claim is that she has never said that she is 100% right, and now psychics are in this growing heated discussion, who joined Larry King on his show the other night. However, no one has clearly stated that one has to be "clear" in order to channel and one needs to do what it takes to be "clear." There are times when Reiki Masters have asked me to do their channeling when they have known they are not clear. I believe that this is the appropriate action. If you are not clear, have an awareness as to why you are not clear, do what it takes to get clear, and in the meantime, have someone who IS clear do your channeling for important matters. If I were to make an error like Sylvia has, I would not be channeling until I knew I was clear. Thus, if I were to make a recommendation to Sylvia right now, it would be to take a break and get clear or be open to the Universe possibly redirecting her into other opportunities. Isn't it unfortunate that she doesn't channel with Reiki symbols? Shawn Hornbeck's parents would have never been devastated, that's for sure. I am so grateful that Mrs. Takata gave this transmission for channeling to three of her Master students whose lineages appreciate and utilize this gift for the highest good of so many beings. And, like all transmissions, you cannot give the transmission as a Master until you have received an authentic transmission from a Master whose lineage can be verified back to Dr. Usui.

Please join us on Valentine's Day: This is GREAT, and our planet so needs this:

The 5th Annual

WORLD SOUND HEALING DAY

FEB. 14, 2007

"The Sound Heard Around the World"

Sounding an "AH" for planetary peace!

WHAT: World Sound Healing Day—The Sound Heard Around the World. For five minutes, sound healers, meditators, peace activists and lovers of all humanity and sentient consciousness will send a Sonic Valentine to the Earth with the heart sound "AH" filled with the intention of Peace and Love! (visit: www.healingsounds.com to for more information on this event and to download an "AH" sound you can tone along with)

WHEN: February 14, 2007, join Jonathan Goldman, the Sound Healers Association and thousands of people throughout the planet as they tone an "AH" together for five minutes during that day, projecting the energy of Light & Love throughout the Planet. You will actually experience generating a field of transformational energy as this occurs. We have found that creating a Global Sacred Sound any time within a 24 hour period on the planet will create a coherent waveform that will affect the entire Earth. Therefore, any time you feel guided to sound for Planetary Peace on February 14th is a good time! In addition, local toning groups will be occurring throughout the Earth at various times during that day with the intention of assisting planetary consciousness through sound. There will also be several global toning events occurring via the Internet during that day, including at noon Eastern Time on www.healthylife.net and at 9 PM ET on www.allonenow.org.

WHY: To project peace throughout the planet. What better way to celebrate this joyous day of Valentine’s Day then to project Peace to Mother Earth and generate peaceful energy throughout the planet with sound! Sound coupled with intention has the ability to heal and transform. We will sound an "AH" sending a heart wave of Sound that will resonate throughout the planet. Now is the time for you to be part of the Celestial Choir and resonate together for World Sound Healing Day. We can create major positive shifts on our beloved planet. Through sounding together we will make a difference.

HOW: Sound the heart sound "AH" for 5 minutes We will simply sound an "AH" filled with the intention of Peace and Love for 5 minutes at your local noon time. The "AH" is a universal, non-denominational heart sound that when projected with focused energy is extremely powerful and effective. For more information which you may find useful, please visit this link: www.healingsounds.com. There you will find a "Planetary Healing Sounds" section with articles on suggested sounds, visualizations and toning techniques as well as as well an "AH" sound you can download and tone along with.

BOWLS

Love-light,

Carol

"When you meet with enmity and hatred, think, "This is a good friend helping me to cultivate patience! Think, "This helper for patience is a messenger sent by the victorious ones!" Guru Rinoche

Dearest Friends:

Prayers and chanting "om mani peme hung" will help everyone. Sometimes I put a couple of drops of JOY on my heart chakra and hold my hands over my heart chakra or I hold a rose quartz crystal in my hands over my heart chakra (yes, the crystal gets very hot). I remember after 9/11 when a group of us Reiki practitioners and Masters got together to send Reiki and assist in the healing of the Universe. The screams of 9/11 alone had a shattering effect on many souls throughout the Universe, and SO much healing needed to be done. Let's remember that any time catastrophic events occur, they are not isolated, but rather, have a rippling effect throughout the Universe. One of our callings as healers is to take action and do what we can, utilizing the amazing gifts in our healing toolbox.

I am pasting in a portion of Frank Petter's latest newsletter because he has some great Reiki information. He also honors his teachers in the Reiki way in which teachers are honored. Frank is one who truly understands the Eastern philosophy in which Reiki was rediscovered not only because of his Zen background and training but because he was married to a Japanese woman for many years. This philosophy is often challenging for many Westerners. I remember Jhampa talking once about when he taught in India for the Dalai Lama, students would sit in reverence and respect but was he in for an awakening when he taught in the West and students would challenge and even argue with him. I also remember him telling me that if one wants to go to "well, just criticize your teacher." "Well", I asked? Yes, "WELL." Do you mean "hell"? I got a laugh out of that one but it is TRULY Eastern philosophy that the karmic consequences for such behavior are severe. I am very "old school" in that respect in that I deeply revere all of my spiritual teachers where rightness or wrongness is not germane. Those teachers go beyond Reiki teachers. When I travel to hear Lama Ole, I am the one who gets everyone on their feet here in the West when he walks into the room, and although Ole doesn't want us to bow and prostrate to him, I automatically do that with teachers who more strictly adhere to traditional protocol. I will attach a picture to prove it! One of my pilgrimmage friends from Germany took the picture of me with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in Kalimpong, India, and that picture is my most cherished possession! Many, many years ago I told a friend of mine, "I will never, ever, ever do all of that bowing stuff that Buddhists do!" In retrospect, I didn't have the humility.

I remember reading all of the books about my Buddhist lineage teachers and what their own teachers put them through as a test of their devotion. It was more than I could bare to see Milarepa build a brick wall at the instruction of Marpa just to have Marpa tell him to tear it down and start over so many times that Milarepa became severely depressed! Milarepa wanted lineage transmissions much the same way as Mrs. Takata wanted to receive the Reiki transmission from Dr. Hayashi. She wanted the Reiki Mastership transmission so desperately that she was even willing to give Dr. Hayashi her home in Hawaii. In another book that I was reading about another lineage teacher, Tilopa, Tilopa would deliberately set up, Naropa, one of his students, for the most horrible experiences. I didn't think I could bear to see Naropa beat up or suffer one more catastrophic event one more time! But all of these events were teachings in humility and devotion to teacher. It takes a lot to cut through ego and pride.

So, enjoy Frank's message, my friends:

A Ripple in the Lotus Pond

Clouds obscure the scene with their winter coats, hiding, then revealing mercilessly. Known and unknown sounds are carried by the cool fragrance of January. In the distance, an owl flies by, unseen.

Soft, dark and muddy, the bottom of the pond thinks of itself as the whole world.

I get up and go home, knowing that it will continue without me. A tear of gratitude slides out of my left eye: a ripple in the lotus pond.

And now to today’s Reiki theme:

The Reiki Symbols

The Reiki Symbols are a wonderful source of inspiration, creativity and confusion.

Inspiration

Creativity

Usui Sensei incorporated three symbols in his work, for his students to be able to work more effectively. Those three symbols were given specific jobs to do.

The Power Symbol was used exclusively on the body.

The Mental Healing Symbol was used exclusively for mental healing.

The Distant Healing Symbol was used exclusively for distant healing.

Three Concepts

1- A Reiki Symbol

2- A Kanji or a letter/ syllable from another language

A Kanji or a letter/syllable from another language must have a certain meaning. The meaning of the power symbol, for example is

“ By Imperial Command” or “ Direct Spirit”.

So, knowingly or unknowingly you call on this divine emanation when you perform mental Healing. This means that you do not do the healing, but the deity does…

A Mantra

Confusion

Boundless love-light,

Carol

Archived Newsletter IV - January 17, 2007

2007-05-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

Happy New Year. I have decided to not produce separate newsletters for Reiki and Young Living Essential Oils this time because most of you are involved with both; thus, one newsletter will simplify for both of us.

I want to make some comments, mention an event at my last Healing Oils of the Bible class last Wednesday night and also, send you some info from Pamela Miles about Alzheimer's and dementia. Pamela is also making a call for more research on Reiki, and I want to remind you that I am always collecting data. Someday I will report on the findings that I have received from teaching Reiki and from the healing experiences of our community. Thus, please share any experiences with me that you find relevant. I'm taking notes!

The Healing Oils of the Bible class last week was amazing. A woman from Provo came to the class and shared a testimonial that was riveting. She was taking 15 different prescription medications and addicted to several of those. Her physicians literally locked their doors and refused to prescribe any further meds. She was ill and depressed that she thought she was dying and even planned her own funeral with her family. She had remembered calling me and talking to me about YL essential oils and decided to take refuge in them. A month later, she is healed and well. From everyone who listened to her story--thank you.

My dream is to someday do a three year meditation retreat--but all in due time, and when the Universe releases me to do that. I am constantly revising and expanding my meditation class. I am actually teaching a meditation class this Saturday (NOON-8pm), January 20, in Salt Lake City, so please consider coming if you haven't taken the class. It's so wonderful to discover methods that tap into the unlimited potential, power, joy, love, compassion and wisdom that is inherent in each and every one of us. There may be dark clouds obscuring the sun, but it is always there, waiting for us to recognize its light and radiance.

Congratulations to 6 new Reiki Masters. In California: Dee Jerge; Linda Whiteside and Mike Simms. In Utah: Ric Reiser, Michelle Clifford, and Jonathan Webb.

Many of you are on the same Mastership path. It is so important to be present in it, and enjoy and savor the journey, which is a once in a lifetime event. I have made a national plea that healers heal themselves. Actually, the newsletter that I wrote to you in the past was widely circulated (so I heard from other Reiki Master Teachers), and it is that newsletter that prompted administrators at Young Living to ask me to expand the topic and speak on it in break-out sessions at their annual convention in September. That talk is available on the Conference DVD's that can be purchased through Young Living. I might add that one's healing is governed by natural laws and according to one's karma, and God nor any being of light will ever demand that you rush through the process of your training or your healing. Many of you understand how healing occurs, layer after layer and usually over a period of time. It is not selfish to focus on one's healing because ultimately it will allow you to have greater clarity and capacity for others. Unresolved issues can easily get in the way--and to one's detriment and the detriment of others. One of the greatest therapists I ever knew had unresolved issues, and without warning, the pathology that had developed as a result of those unresolved issues would surface and project unto others, and everyone who realized it would run and hide. Those who didn't understand what was going on were simply hurt by his behavior. Let's always be mindful that our intention is to facilitate healing in others and certainly not to hurt them or compromise their healing because we haven't done our homework.

And now, some enlightening info from Pamela Miles:

"Can Reiki help people with Alzheimer's and dementia?

I'm often asked about the appropriateness of Reiki for people with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. Family members wonder if Reiki can calm their loved ones, improve cognitive function, or slow disease progression. Theoretically, since Reiki is balancing, yes to all these possibilities. Anecdotally, I've witnessed improvement in my clients and heard positive reports from other Reiki practitioners and doctors. If someone in your life is suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia, there is no reason not to add Reiki to their treatment plan. But it's important to note that scientific research in this area is just beginning.

The good news is that there is increasing interest in such research. The November 2006 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine included a short report of a study looking Reiki's ability to improve memory and reduce behavior problems for people with mild Alzheimer's or cognitive impairment. For her master's thesis in gerontology at San Francisco State University, Deborah Salach looked at Reiki's effect on depression and anxiety in this population. The number of participants in each study(24 in the first and 8 in the second) is too small to warrant serious attention to the results, and both papers acknowledge weaknesses in design, but the benefits documented are promising. Additionally, the studies are important as feasibility studies, showing that Reiki treatment can be offered to dementia patients in conventional care facilities. This is a vital step toward creating the rigorous research that physicians need to recommend Reiki as standard treatment."

Thank you for your many kindnesses, your love and your support. May the merit of our collective efforts serve to benefit all beings without exception.

Boundless Love and Light,

Carol

Archived Newsletter III - October 9, 2006

2007-05-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

My children came to hear me speak at the Young Living Convention. Whereas my daughters have seen me lecture many times in the university classroom, and Chelsey enrolled in a Stress Management class I taught at Utah State University, my son, Colby, has never seen me in front of a crowd. It was hard for him to believe that mom did such things; thus, the first thing he wanted to know was, “Weren’t you nervous? What were you thinking before you stepped out on that stage?” Because he asked, I needed to be honest. Thus, I said, “Before I stepped out on the stage, I was in prayer. I said an aspiration prayer that the information I gave would be of benefit to all sentient beings so that hopefully, their suffering would be less.” The smile left Colby’s face. Then I said, “I wasn’t nervous because I wasn’t thinking about me. It wasn’t about me.”

I find more and more every day that not much is about me any more. The week before, I was helping a realtor by keeping a key to some of the condos that are for sale in my building. One day I not only had the key to Gwyn's unit but I met a realtor and prospective buyer at the front door and accompanied them to her unit. I took over. The realtor hardly said a word. I showed the buyer the unit, gave her a tour of the entire building, and took her back to the unit, even though the realtor said that they had another appointment. To my amazement, the buyer decided that she wanted to purchase Gwyn’s unit. I couldn’t believe it. I called my son, who is a realtor, and told him that I had just sold a condo--that I had no idea I could do such a thing. “Gosh, maybe I should have a real estate license”, I said. But, later that night, I discovered that during that time, Gwyn was on an airplane in prayer that her condo would sell within two weeks because her husband had accepted a job offer in Atlanta, Georgia. Thus, what had really transpired was that I was merely an instrument in the execution of a Divine Plan, and it wasn’t about me at all.

Our Reiki community will certainly miss Gwyn, who became one of my Reiki Masters last January. You can feel her spiritual strength in her best selling novels, which can be found at www.ebonisnoe.com, and the next time you’re at my condo, check out her magnificent tree that is now in my bedroom. I waited until Gwyn had left Utah to leave her binder about condo policies and procedures in what I knew would be an empty unit. I placed it on the fireplace mantel. I walked around and made a mental note of all the things I had appreciated: her spiritual statues, her picture of Sai Baba in the hallway, her altar in the bedroom. With every mental note, I also noted that they were gone. They had disappeared like a flash just as she was now gone in a flash on her way to Atlanta. It was another exercise in impermanence but a practice that I have incorporated into my daily life. When we recognize the impermanence of extrinsic phenomenon we also recognize that loss and suffering are impermanent. Just last week a couple sat in my living room for four hours, and the one message I got across to them was that their suffering, which they felt was permanent—was, in fact, impermanent, and they would one day look back on their current situation as a blink in time. It was that thought, I believe, that triggered an A-HA moment that gave them a reframed perspective and thus, some renewed strength.

I’m beginning to believe that there is a rite of passage before one becomes a healer, and that rite of passage is suffering. It really is analogous to seeing a beautiful lotus flower emerge and transform into the light from a dark and murky place.

Next month I travel to San Diego for a week to attune new Masters and spend time with my Lama Ole and his wife, Hannah. Reiki Master Bonnie Horrigan is so gracious in inviting me to stay in her wonderful home---among the shamans of old.

Thank you for the work you do in raising the vibration of this planet and in helping others to heal. Although I only mentioned a few people in our Reiki community, all of you are equally special, and all of you are an inspiration. I will continue to hold healing circle in Salt Lake City on the second Sunday of every month at 3:30 but I will not send email reminders. I trust that if you need to be here--for whatever reason—to share, inspire, rejuvenate, or heal--the Universe will direct. Remember to check my website at www.carolwilson.org for current class schedules.

Boundless Love and Light,

Carol

Archived Reiki Newsletter II - April 30, 2006 - "First Do No Harm"

2007-05-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

When I taught Group Psychotherapy and Professional Ethics courses to Marriage, Family and Child Therapy students in California, it became apparent to me that many of those students wanted to become therapists because they had tremendous healing to do themselves. However, I would always remind them, “You can only take people in the healing process as far as you, yourself, have gone.” There is no way that one can guide someone through a healing process if one has not gone through that same process, but more importantly, if a healer goes unhealed, that healer can cause harm to his/her clients and patients and to oneself. Because of this risk of harming others, students who are in clinical training to become therapists MUST undergo individual therapy in order to deal with their own healing issues and heal before they even begin to think that they can help others to heal. I believe that this same crucial need to address personal healing issues applies to all healers.

I will share with you a couple of examples to demonstrate what can occur if a healer has not healed. Let’s say that Reiki practitioner, Jane, was raped as a young child but had not healed from that experience. One day, a man schedules a Reiki session with Jane but when he arrives at his appointment, he reminds Jane of the man who raped her. A transference occurs. By the time the man is on the table, Jane has developed an aversion towards him with feelings of fear and distrust. Let’s also say that Jane is unhappy, believing it is unfair that she has been professionally unsuccessful. The next day a very successful, beautiful young woman arrives for a scheduled Reiki healing session. The woman reminds Jane of her own lack of success, and she is instantly jealous of the woman. In both of these cases, Jane has projected negative feelings---her unhealed “stuff”---onto a man and woman who came to her for a healing session—a healing session that turned out, instead, to be a harming session. Thus, innocent person were harmed by the healer’s own healing issues as a result of the negative energy that was projected--contrary to what the healer was supposed to be doing. This raises a serious ethical issue---ethical issues that should apply to all healers who work in the healing professions.

Although most of you did not choose to pursue clinical training, it is helpful for you to be aware of “red flags” that indicate when a healer is in need of healing. Does he/she find fault, criticize or dislike someone for an unfounded reason? It could be that there is a transference that is forcing that person to face an issue within himself/herself---as if a button is being pushed. It has nothing to do with defects or shortcomings of the other person. However, the healer’s negativity not only harms the other person---it is also harming the healer because the healer is not separating his/her own healing issues from the other person’s healing issues but rather, is allowing the issues to get “muddled up together.” Tragically, if this continues, the healer can actually become psychotic.

I realize now that one reason why I wanted my students to experience and learn Raindrop Technique is because it helps them heal—especially at the DNA level. I realize that if my students heal themselves first, they will then have the capacity to help others heal rather than harm others. We are always healing to some extent but when the bulk of the work is done, we can separate our own healing from other’s healing and thus, do no harm. Interestingly, I have observed that when most students begin their own healing journey with Reiki, it is understandably about “me, me, me”, which is because they are working through their own issues and healing. When the shift changes to thinking about “others, others, others” and the “me” focus seems to disappear, it is because they have significantly healed and thus, have the “capacity” to help others heal. We cannot truly be of benefit to others if we are confused or suffering ourselves simply because we will not have the capacity to do so.

It is our Western indoctrination that has trained us to focus on outcome—the degree—the certificate—obtaining titles—being called a Master. But focus on outcome can often rob us of the most important part—the process. It reminds me of the 1964 Olympics theme: “The most important part of the Olympic games is not the triumph but the struggle.” It is also the “self is the master of self” process and struggle in our own healing journey that is most beneficial, rather than the triumph of what we perceive as a final outcome. No wonder so many people suffer with depression after they receive that long sought degree or obtain the title of Master. They missed out on the importance of the process, and now all they have is a piece of paper in their hand.

If people have not healed through their “stuff” and you, as a healer, do not recognize it but engage with them to the point that you are reinforcing their “little story”, you are not helping that person. You are only helping them to develop more pathology. The beauty of Functional Family Therapy (FFT), a National Blueprint Model, and the model in which I was trained, is that no negativity is allowed whatsoever in therapy. The therapist is trained to interrupt any negative comment and reframe it into something positive and/or benign. That reframe supports the meta-analysis that I conducted during my postdoctoral fellowship in regard to negativity in family functioning, which I can summarize in three words: Negativity is lethal. It is why group psychotherapy can make people sicker. People are sitting and listening to everyone’s negative “stuff.” That is why I no longer teach group psychotherapy. I believe in the admonition, “First, do no harm.” Reiki does no harm, and thus, Reiki is a better tool for helping others heal. Offering Reiki to others or encouraging them to have Reiki in their own hands is far more prudent than excessive listening or advice. There are other beneficial tools, as well, such as sound healing, essential oils, Raindrop Technique and meditation.

I always think about the bond that connects all sentient beings. We all want happiness, and we do not wish to suffer. If we have compassion, we will not want others to suffer, and we will not do or say anything that will cause others to suffer. If we cause suffering in others, we will perpetuate more karmic suffering because it will return to us.

In conclusion, an unhealed healer eventually becomes detrimental to healing, and may actually block and confuse the way for others. When a healer doesn’t do his/her work, the flow is stopped, and he/she will not benefit from healing energy and others won't benefit, either. If you really want to help someone else, help yourself first. As Jesus said, “Heal thyself.” Enjoy and embrace the process. It is then that the healer can truly be a spark, a flame, and then a beacon of light for the darkness in the world. What better motivation for healing can their possibly be?

Much love and light,

Carol

Mackenzie Brown Hammond: Eulogy In Celebration Of Her Life

2006-06-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

On Sunday, June 11, 2006, between 5 and 6 am, Mackenzie Brown Hammond, at her young age of 21 years, left her physical body on this earth plane to enter the world of spirit. It just so happens that it is exactly when my very favorite Aunt Bessie left her body in Warrenton, Georgia, and I know that it wasn’t coincidental. My Aunt Bessie knew that there was someone very special I wanted her to meet---our Mackenzie.

There were signs that Mackenzie’s karma--her mission and purpose in this life--was complete. She came to visit me a few days ago before she went to work. She wanted to sit and visit and have a cup of tea. In retrospect, I now know that it was a farewell visit---just the two of us---not in class or not in a group setting. Usually she brought a friend with her but not this time. On this particular day, she felt, on a deep level, that she was leaving Utah and going somewhere but she didn’t know where. We talked about Reno and California and Colorado. Then, when she stood up to leave, she said, “Carol, look at my red shoes. Do you like them?” I quickly replied, “Yes, I love them!” but the thought went through my mind, “Those red shoes remind me of Dorothy’s red shoes in the Wizard of Oz, and those red shoes took her home.” Then we gave each other a hug, and she was out the door. MacKenzie had heard me teach that communication at the deepest recesses of our mind is in symbols, and her final, departing words communicated just that. Dorothy went home. MacKenzie went home, and like Dorothy, their journey on the yellow brick road kept us on the edge of our seat.

But more than the adventuresome nature of Mackenzie’s life, which her friends could expound on even more than I, I feel I should talk about the unlimited potential I saw in Mackenzie the very first time I met her. Over two years ago, she telephoned me and told me that someday she wanted to take Reiki classes from me. There was something about her voice that I couldn’t forget, and the night before my next Reiki class I telephoned her and said, “You’re supposed to be in my class tomorrow night.” She came to class, and her enthusiasm was absolutely magnetic. Because I have taught thousands of university students, I immediately noticed an extremely bright and articulate Mackenzie, and from that point on, she was a joy as a student. She had great humility, and because of that, she was teachable. She was like a sponge soaking up everything and anything I could offer her. She was respectful. She was kind and compassionate. She was appreciative and grateful; I heard her say "thank you" countless numbers of times. She always wanted to help others and took every opportunity to share healing information. I’ll never forget one day when she was on the floor demonstrating the “pelvic rock” to several women, telling them if did this exercise every day, they would never experience back pain. Mackenzie would get so enthused that her speech would grow faster and faster---she could barely contain her own enthusiasm but it was also so wonderfully contagious. She always brought laughter to my life.

MacKenzie’s life was a teaching for all who knew her. Her teaching for me now is a reminder that all extrinsic and composite phenomenon is impermanent and transitory in nature. As the Buddha expressed, “This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds passing.” Not all of us will grow to be old. The past is past, the future has not yet risen, and even the present thought, as we experience it, becomes the past. The only thing we really have is now--this very moment.

Many years ago, I taught the Death and Dying class at the University of Utah, and I found that my students had one of three attitudes about death and dying: 1) denial 2) naivete or 3) terror or they had actually experienced the loss of a pet, friend or family member and in their grief, couldn’t let go. They wanted to hold on to the passing cloud; thus, I would take my students to the cemetery and we would sit there to remind us that we should always have an awareness of the Law of Impermanence in front of our face. Some thought that this was a weird or morbid thing for me to do in this death denying society of ours--but it wasn’t morbid at all—it is simply the way things are. As we read in Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2:
To every thing there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Sogyal Rinpoche tells a story that he remembers as a child about a young woman, Krishna Gotami, who lived at the time of the Buddha. When her firstborn child was about a year old, he fell ill and died. Grief stricken and clutching his little body, she roamed the streets, begging anyone she met for a medicine that could restore her child to life. Finally she met a wise man who told her that the only person in the world who could perform the miracle she was looking for was the Buddha. So she went to the Buddha, laid the body of her child at his feet, and told him her story. The Buddha listened with infinite compassion. Then he said gently, “There is only one way to heal your affliction. Go down to the city and bring me back a mustard seed from any house in which there has never been a death.” Krisha Gotami felt elated and set off at once for the city. She stopped at the first house she saw and said, “I have been told by the Buddha to fetch a mustard seed from a house that has never known death.” “Many people have died in this house,” she was told. She went on to the next house. “There have been countless deaths in our family,” they said. She continued until she had been all round the city and realized the Buddha’s condition could not be fulfilled. She took the body of her child to the charnel ground and said good-by to him for the last time, then returned to the Buddha.” “Did you bring the mustard seed?” he asked. “No”, she said. “I am beginning to understand the lesson you are trying to teach me. Grief made me blind, and I thought that only I had suffered at the hands of death.” “Why have you come back?” asked the Buddha. “To ask you to teach me the truth of what death is, what might lie behind and beyond death, and what in me, if anything will not die. The Buddha began, “If you want to know the truth of life and death, you must reflect continually upon this: There is only one law in the universe that never changes—that all things change, and that all things are impermanent. The death of your child has helped you to see now that the realm we are in—samsara—is an ocean of unbearable suffering, and there is only one way out, which is the path of liberation. Because pain has now made you ready to learn and your heart is opening to the truth, I will show it to you. Krishna Gotami followed the Buddha for the rest of her life, and near the end of that life, it is said that she attained enlightenment.

If we are always aware of the impermanence of mortal life, we will question, “Have I done what I agreed to do before I arrived on this earth?” It is our humanness that says, “This life journey is too hard. I want to renege on all those difficult things I agreed to do for my Highest Good.” But, our time here grows shorter. Our mortal body is simply the temporary car we are riding around in, and like all cars, they wear out and break down. It is so consoling to know: I am NOT my body. I am so much more than my physical body. I am beginningless-endless consciousness, spirit, awareness, soul, mind (meaning consciousness, not head or brain); however, whatever it is you want to call it, that consciousness, when we recognize it, is clear light and indestructible joy. Even Elizabeth Kubler-Ross who was renowned for her expertise on death and dying and defined the bereavement process that follows death, said, at the conclusion of her life, “I’ve been mistaken. Death is an illusion. There is no death.” As we view Mackenzie’s car that she rode around in—that we became so familiar with---it brings us comfort to know that we are not left with her empty car or her cocoon. We know that Mackenzie left that cocoon just as a butterfly takes wings on flight, and she is just in a different manifestation now. This spiritual understanding is what gives us comfort.

Mackenzie’s purpose here on this earth was dynamic. She touched and changed the lives of those who knew her. She was spiritually and metaphysically gifted, which can be so challenging for a child. For example, I have a friend who was clairvoyant as a child, and she knew whenever a natural disaster was going to occur on this planet but in her knowing this and because she couldn’t talk about it, she started to believe that she must have caused these disasters and thus, she had a very troubled, isolated and painful childhood. We need to recognize these children who are so gifted and thus, have special needs—the indigo children, the crystal children and others with special powers because they can easily feel as though they’re a square peg trying to fit into the round hole of this conditioned world that they find difficult to understand. MacKenzie had recently taken a greater leap in her ability to see with her spiritual eyes—all in preparation for where she is now. MacKenzie was a gifted healer, and she so desperately wanted to help others heal. Only two months ago she wrote a testimonial for my website at http://www.carolwilson.org/testimonials.htm, which included the statement, "I shall continue the pursuit of self-help and helping others heal for the rest of my life."

It was impossible for me to see any “stuff’ when it came to MacKenzie. I always saw her trying to connect with her unlimited potential and her divine essence. All of the spiritual teachers of humanity have told us that the purpose of life on earth is to achieve union with our fundamental, enlightened nature, and Mackenzie was a seeker of this universal truth. It brought such joy to my life. Whenever I pointed my finger at the moon, she didn't see my finger. She knew that I was directing her to her own potential that was within her and not outside of herself. Yet, she also opened her door and her heart to the world and was always looking beyond the next corner, knowing there was always more to learn in order to grow.

Mackenzie’s mother, Susan, told me on the phone the other day, “MacKenzie loved you because you understood her.” I understood her—because I loved her. Love is the greatest teaching that Jesus brought to this earth, who taught in 1 Corinthians 13:7: "Love bearest all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." Love breaks down walls and barriers between people and transcends our differences and dualistic concepts—the you and me—the he and she—the this religion or that religion—and once transcended, we realize that we’re in the universal consciousness in oneness, interdependent and not independent of each other just as a wave may appear to have a distinct form but is actually in oneness with the ocean. The Buddha compared the universe to a vast net woven of a countless variety of brilliant jewels, each with a countless number of facets. Each jewel reflects in itself every other jewel in the net and is, in fact, one with every other jewel. Mackenzie has been, and will always be, a jewel among us in our universal net, and thus, we can feel her reflection and her presence whenever we wish--when we watch a golden sun set on the horizon--when we gaze at a glimmering northern star in the black of night--when we notice the beauty of a flower--when we sit in silent meditation, piercing through the obscurations that rob us of awareness, and thus, rob us of living.

Mackenzie does not want us to grieve or mourn but rather, she wants us to celebrate her life. This celebration is the best thing we can do for Mackenzie---to pay tribute, with gratitude, for the wonderful gift she was for all of us. And, because she is acutely aware of our thoughts now, the greatest gift we can give her is to send loving, positive thoughts and prayers to her, or when we think of her to immediately say the mantra of the Buddha of Compassion, OM MANI PEME HUNG.

MacKenzie’s passing is her ultimate teaching, and as we understand and gain meaning from that teaching, it will bring greater love and light and compassion and wisdom to our lives and to all sentient beings. Karmapa Chenno.

Copyright © Carol A. Wilson 2006

NOTE: This talk does not reflect the outpour of love from Mackenzie's friends who were also on the program and the more than 200 people who were in the audience. After the service, a couple of those people shared with me their experience of being healed after Mackenzie channelled Reiki for them (Mackenzie was also a Licensed Massage Therapist with a specialty in Cranial Sacral). Mackenzie Brown Hammond not only had the heart of a Master, but her healing work included Master level experiences. She eagerly awaits her Advanced Reiki Training class that is scheduled for July 9, 2006, and, at that time, I will also attune her to Reiki Mastership--a big dream of hers that she often talked about. According to the Seven Universal Laws or Principles (also known as the Seven Hermetic Principles from The Kybalion by the Three Initiates based on the teachings of Hermes Trimegistus), the Second Law, the Law of Correspondence states, "As above, so below; as below so above." Another example of this law is found in the Lord's Prayer, "On earth as it is in Heaven." It shall be so recorded.

Pilgrimage-Thailand, Nepal, India, and Sikkim (Days 1 - 8)

2005-12-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of my pilgrimage to Thailand, Nepal, India, Sikkim and Bhutan begins with a departure from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles with a 13 ½ hour flight to Incheon (Seoul), Korea. This pilgrimage was planned and organized by Maggy Kossowski, the personal assistant, secretary and translator for the late Lopon Chechoo (Tsechu) Rinpoche; thus, it is truly an honor that Maggy will be our guide on this journey. We will be attending his funeral ceremonies in Kathmandu, Nepal on November 23-24. Rinpoche was one of the few great meditation masters to receive a profound and extensive education in old Tibet. He had many teachers from the Kagyu, Nyingma, Sayka and Gelug Buddhist lineages, including The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje.

What is a pilgrimage? A pilgrimage is visiting places that are sacred to a particular Buddha or places that have been blessed with the presence of great yogis and sages. When a site is sacred for both of those reasons, it is a powerful source of inspiration for spiritual practice and thus, has attracted great yogis and sages for meditation and deep inner spiritual realization that leads to liberation and enlightenment. It is said that as much spiritual progress can be made in one month in a sacred site that would take a year elsewhere; i.e. quite an impact is felt being in a cave where a great yogi, such as Milarepa, meditated for 20 years. Many pilgrims are also known to do prostrations the entire journey, which has a humbling and purifying effect.

We will journey for the next two weeks to many of the places held dear and powerful to Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche, including Bhutan where he was born in 1918. Unfortunately, I never met Rinpoche but I have seen pictures of him, often with Lama Ole Nydahl. I perceive there was (and still is, of course) an incredible bond of love between the two of them. Lopon Tsechu was Ole’s teacher before Ole and Hannah (Ole’s wife) went into retreat with The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa where they became the Karmapa’s first Western students. Lama Ole Nydahl is my living example of human potential. I had never heard of him until a few years ago when I was in a Wild Oats grocery store in Laguna Beach, California. I was interested in eastern philosophy so I noticed a “Buddhism Today” magazine. I picked it up and opened it exactly to the page where there was a picture of Lama Ole and an ad about his teaching the following week in Los Angeles. Is that a coincidence? I always say that whenever you think something is a coincidence, it’s not. I attended the teachings—on the edge of my seat all night—and Ole has been my teacher ever since. Yes, I do have other teachers. We all have many teachers, but there are some who change our lives forever---and there’s no turning back.

I was aware that Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche was considered one of the key figures for the cohesion of the different Buddhist schools in Nepal and the entire Himalayan region. He took care of many monasteries and nunneries that serve the indigenous Buddhist population of Sherpas, Tamangs, Gurung, Newar, Tsumbas, Tibetans and Bhutanese. He worked for the development of eighteen mostly isolated regions of Nepal, located in remote areas in the Himalayas. He gave relentless support for the restoration of old stupas, meditation places, monasteries, and built many “Om Mani Peme Hung” (“oh, thy jewel in the heart of the lotus”) prayer wheels. He traveled around the world giving teachings and initiations and built a Kalachakra Stupa in Spain and two other stupas in Germany. He “walked the talk” of loving kindness and compassion, selflessly working to benefit others. He taught by the example that he set, which is the most effective way to teach.

Thus, I will never forget the day I read a letter from Lama Ole Nydahl, dated June 11, 2003. I will highlight some of his comments in order that you will gain some insight into the greatness of Lopon Chechoo Rinpoche. It read: “As you will know already, a majestic oak has fallen in our forest. One of the last true spiritual giants just died. At 07:14 Central European time on 10th June ’03 Lopon Chechoo Rinpoche could take nothing more from his 85 years old body. An intimate helper and guide to our work, Hannah’s and my teacher for a full 36 years and a great inspiration to countless beings went to the Buddha-fields from the International hospital in Bangkok. People’s lives are their most complete teachings, and Lopon Chechoo Rinpoche shows us mind’s power, also through some most amazing figures. Here are the conditions under which he accomplished his latest successes for the benefit of all: Already 4 years ago, when he first came to the hospital, his doctors found his heart to function at 20 percent. One needs 60 percent to live and they had no words. While he traveled the world to our centres and his activity only rose, brought skillfully into our world by his confidante Maggy, the percentage decreased to 12 and even blessing and will-power cannot explain what kept him here. Lucidly aware even when too weak to speak or move, during short gusts of energy he still directed every detail of his projects and joined the great 16th Karmapa as a landmark of modern yogihood: Allowing nothing to stop his vision and accepting no hindrance to his purpose, he made us all victors and his partners in awakening beings’ finest potential. May we bring him joy! As he gave everything in his way, let us do the same in ours.”

We could certainly use more people like Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche in our lives.

Day 2 - Bangkok, Thailand

It is 4:00 am in Bangkok, Thailand. Although I made a reservation for a "junior rack" room, I am in a two bedroom suite that is bigger than my condominium in Salt Lake City. I brought winter clothes, and it is tropical here--very, very warm, which reminds me of Florida. This is as funny as when a hundred weary travelers were standing at the luggage claim after our flight--you know how we stand and stand and watch and watch for the luggage to start arriving. Finally, a skateboard came down the schute. Nothing else--just a skateboard, all by his lonesome. Why did that strike me so funny?

There are beautiful temples and palaces here. A woman sitting next to me on the plane from Cambodia gave me some of the history of those temples, telling me that they are really Cambodian but Thailand took over that part of Cambodia after civil war. Cambodia keeps getting smaller and smaller, she says. She asked me if I was a handicap worker. She thought I was going to Cambodia to help children who have been handicapped because of the land mines. It touched me because I was very aware of Princess Diana's work with land mines. This Cambodian woman told me that before they started removing the land mines, there were 100 casualties a day in Cambodia, and many of them were children.

I was so impressed that Korean Air served green tea throughout the flight. But then, when we landed at the airport, I saw green tea everything: green tea muffins, green tea facial packs, green tea in bottles next to bottled water; so, green tea must be to Asia what hamburgers are to Westerners. The Incheon (Seoul) airport is incredible, and one could spend a day shopping there. On the flight from LA to Seoul, I sat next to an older couple from Hollywood who have traveled the world. What interesting stories. Pat warned me about selecting Korean food on the flight. Lunch was a dish with some vegetables, which required that you add a bowl of rice and a TUBE of red pepper paste before stirring. I only added half of the tube of red pepper paste, and it was so hot that I could barely eat it. To think that I had told her that I could handle it because I like Mexican food.

Day 3 - Bangkok, Thailand

I was awake before my 7:30 am wake-up call and had breakfast downstairs in the wonderful Pink Lotus restaurant. There was a buffet of endless food, which included a large bowl of cayenne red pepper (it really is a food staple here). I noticed a restaurant employee bowing to a statue in the waiting area only to discover that it wasn’t Buddha but rather, King Rama V. There were offerings left for him: fresh pink roses, water, hot cocoa, a plate of cigars and a few other items that I couldn't identify. Since a 6 hour tour had been booked for me with a man who is native to Thailand (Paul) but English-speaking, I immediately asked him about King Rama. I listened about the Rama legacy throughout the day, and the more I listened, the more intrigued I became. I also had exchanged currency so that I would have the entire collection of bhat but discovered that the present King Rama IX is on every single coin and bill. With every new King, new currency is produced with the new King’s picture.

The movie, “The King and I”, is about King Rama V, and I am eager to see it again because it has been years. There are statues of King Rama V throughout Bangkok. He is revered for many reasons, including the fact that he abolished slavery here in Thailand. The current King Rama IX has been the King for nearly 60 years, following the assassination of his brother, King Rama VIII, who was only about 20 years of age, at the Grand Palace. They were both born in Boston because their father (who was never King) became a Medical Doctor there, and their mother became a nurse. As a result, they returned to Thailand to bring that education here, which included starting a hospital. The current King Rama IX is very much loved in Thailand, and the people pray every morning for him. He does not live at the Grand Palace now because his brother was assassinated there; however, an assassin did make an attempt about 20 years ago but was shot by the Queen.

The Grand Palace complex is breathtakingly beautiful. It houses the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and covers an area of 218,000 square metres and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 meters in length. After King Rama I’s ascension to the throne in 1782 the palace was built. Prior to this, the royal palace and center of administration had been located in Thronburi, on the west side of the Chao Phraya River. This capital was replaced on the other side of the river that is now Bangkok. By his royal command, a new palace was built to duplicate the one in Thronburi (apparently, the Burmaese burned it to the ground). The Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha is one of the most venerated sites in Thailand where people convene to pay respect to the Lord Buddha and his teachings. It is enshrined on a golden traditional Thai-style throne made of gilded-carved wood, known as a Busakok, in the ordination hall of the royal monastery. The sacred image is clad with one of the three seasonal costumes of Thailand (summer, rainy season, and winter). The costumes are changed three times a year in a ceremony presided over by His Majesty the King. There is a long and fascinating history about the Emerald Buddha, which had actually been carved from a block of green jade and later covered with plaster. When it was discovered by an abbot in 1434 in a stupa in Chiang Rai, he noticed that the plaster on the nose had flaked off, revealing the green stone underneath that he thought was emerald.

Bangkok has to be the largest and most congested city I have ever seen; thus, I am glad that I chose to stay at a hotel away from the city and near the airport. I would never rent a car here because they drive on the wrong side of the road, and the driver’s side is on the right side of the car instead of the left. I repeatedly got in the driver’s seat, and had to switch. However, the people are so wonderful. Paul told me, “The Thai people smile all the time. That is my culture.” They also work very hard. I saw many women pushing carts today, and they cook on the street. Although I was warned to stay away from street food, I couldn’t refuse Paul buying lunch for us-- “bot-me"--- from an older woman. Paul was a wonderful guide, and occasionally put up and held his umbrella over my head to provide some shade from the very warm sun on this very humid day. He also had a great deal of patience with me as I learned how to use my new digital camera. We saw numerous temples (there are hundreds of them in Bangkok), and the large gold standing Buddha. Since 90% of the people are Buddhist here, it is common to see people meditating, burning incense and making offerings.

I am ending the day following a 3 ½ hour Thai massage, which is quite an art. Apparently, most Americans find Thai massage to be quite painful. Yes, the women work hard here. I was only charged $32.00 so she appreciated the tip that I gave her. She didn’t expect it either, because she had left and gone to the back room. The people keep smiling and bowing in gassho. Earlier, I ran into one of the maids in the hallway. She had a mask over her face but removed it when she saw me so she could smile and bow in gassho, hands folded in front of the heart. The message--“the divine in me greets the divine in you”--sparks a bond that penetrates the heart—a feeling that will be my memory of Thailand.

Day 4 - Kathmandu, Nepal

Flying into Kathmandu was amazing because as I looked out both sides of the windows on the plane, I could see no end to the mountains, and they seemed within my grasp. A representative of the hotel was waiting to transfer me. I’ve been to Mexico and to Russia but yet I cannot compare the poverty to Kathmandu, probably because the population is so much greater here, and thus, the needs of the people are greater. But, my Western definition of poverty is fleeting by the minute because there is another kind of wealth here. The city is so much larger than I expected, and it is more heavily populated than I expected. The ride to my hotel on bumpy, swerving dirt roads through Thamel where there are endless open shops and people, included many short stops and horn honking at cars, animals and people who were within inches of the car. I asked my driver if he has ever hit someone, and he replied, “Sometimes.” Words cannot express the scenes; thus, I will rely on my photographs. Good photography arouses emotion so I expect that my best photography ever will be the pictures that I shoot tomorrow. I look forward to being with and among the people of Kathmandu.

Nepal is bordered by Tibet to the north and by India to the south, east and west and is the most accessible region of the central Himalayas with a population of 23.1 million. It spans only a mere hundred kilometers from north to south and is home to 101 ethnic groups and 92 spoken languages. Wow—no “group think phenomenon” that is a problem in the West. Because of its geographical position, the Kathmandu valley remains an important trading center, facilitating the circulation of goods and ideas—not only in the fertile basin but in the other valleys and the ‘thirteen passes’ leading to Tibetan Central Asia. The Chinese invasion of Tibet from 1950 caused an influx of Tibetans into Nepal, and temples and monasteries have sprung up in sacred places such as Swayambhu and Bodnath. However, the Indo-Nepalas are Hindu and remain the dominant group, forming about 45 per cent of the population of Nepal, located in the central part of Nepal from west to east. The jewels of Nepal are the hill of Swayambhu, the great shrines of Bodhnath and Chabahi and the huge sacred complex of Pashupati. There are hundreds of temples, sanctuaries and monasteries. However, Nepal is well known for its trekking “paradise”, mountaineering, river rafting, kayaking and canyoning, national parks and wildlife reserves.

The Vajra Hotel, where we are staying, is a rare find, located across the Bishnumati River from Kathmandu. It is enchantingly mystical and special beyond words. It is set among lush gardens and situated to provide phenomenal views of the Himalayas and hilltop Swayambunath Stupa from its rooftop terrace. The hotel reflects Nepali culture; its brick buildings exhibit the traditional architecture of Kathmandu and include fine traditional woodcarving and paintings by local artists. The Vajra is also a cultural center, home to an art gallery, a theatre, and a library filled with amazing books, managed by a white-bearded, swami. Upon arriving today, I immediately took pictures from the rooftop and then sat out on the lower patio and had a cup of the famous Darjeeling tea that I have heard about—it was my greatest Zen moment ever. I heard so many different birds that it surpassed my collection of nature CD’s.

Over the years I have purchased Tibetan Art in California from Jim Aplington who, with his business partner, owns Lotus Gallery in Kathmandu. Jim has traveled to California 6 months of every year; thus, I was pleasantly surprised a few weeks ago to discover that Jim lives here at the Vajra. I didn’t have to look for him, either, because I ran into him at the front desk. (Jim got started in the art business after he visited an orphanage near the border of Tibet and decided to sell some Tibetan art as a fund raiser for the orphanage.) We had a visit over a cup of lemon ginger tea, and he filled his bag with toothbrushes that I brought, donated by my dentist in Salt Lake City, Dr. Richard Parkin. Jim leaves tomorrow for some remote areas near Mt. Everest, and he will be taking the toothbrushes to people who literally do not have them. For more information about Lotus Gallery, visit Jim’s website at www.lotusgallerynepal.com

I received a note as I was falling asleep that reads, “Hello Carol and Friends, Welcome to Kathmandu. Tomorrow morning at 5:30 we meet at the Swayambu Stupa.” I’ve never been a morning person---but I certainly am now since it is quite a hike to the Stupa, so I suspect that we'll be departing here in the morning by 4:30 am.

Day 5 - Kathmandu, Nepal

At 4:15 am I heard people's voices in the hall and opened my door. A group was gathering to leave for Swayambunath Stupa so I simply threw on my clothes but missed that group along with Britta, from Germany, who attempted to find them but got lost. The divine structure of a stupa transcends architecture and archaeology and is the living embodiment of Buddhist teaching--a harmonizing of the physical with the spiritual. Alaine, a Venezuelan from Mexico City, who has been in charge of the stupa project in Mexico City for the past couple of years (dedication is in March 2006), showed up in the lobby and said he knew the way so I walked up with him--feeling safe because it was dark outside--or should I say "trekked" up what seemed like a mile of steep steps (I couldn't keep up with him). The steps here are very steep, comparable to the steps in Russia. You quickly get used to the fact that there are no elevators or escalators in this part of the world, and preparing for a marathon would have best prepared me for all of the climbing we did through the day visiting sacred sites. Two women who have worked with Alaine on the stupa project in Mexico City, Ana and Bibi, will join us later in Bhutan, obviously having a deep appreciation for stupas.

The Swayambunath Stupa is sacred to Buddhists because it was a self-arising phenomenon that occurred prior to this kalpa (eon of time) with the Buddha of this kalpa, Buddha Shakyamuni. There were three Buddhas in three kalpas prior to the Buddha Shakyamuni, who paradoxically was born in Nepal although Nepal is now primarily Hindu. The Buddha's teachings spread throughout Asia but only arrived in the Himalayas after over one thousand years. The reason why those teachings were so preserved in the Himalayas is that they were protected from invasion; thus, the original teachings (sutras) were never corrupted or revised as we sadly see in so many religious traditions. The Stupa arose as a crystal from a lotus in a lake, and the blessing from just looking at it is so powerful that it will purify negative karma and plant a seed for dharma that will blossom one day. The grounds are authentically beautiful and sacred with much to see and rows and rows of prayer wheels that contain inside of them thousands of prayers written on paper. People spin them as they walk by, sending those prayers to the world. It has been quite thrilling for me to turn prayer wheels that I have only seen in pictures. There are monkeys everywhere--and a long story behind those monkeys--going back to the historical Buddha, the Buddha Shakyamuni.

At 5:30 am in the gompa, we went to a morning puja (ceremony) that was being done at the request of Maggy. (For 49 days the monks will say mantras and prayers for a friend of Maggy's.) I had been exposed to traditional rituals primarily through Lama Thupton at Urgyen Samten Ling in Salt Lake City; however, I had never seen young monks with a bucket of water cleaning off the practice benches after they ate, which wasn't a variety of food offerings that I have seen at pujas but rather, a small bowl of some type of porridge. We were invited to sit along the sides of the room, and it was wonderful. It was where I first met Maggy, and if no one would have told me if was her, I simply would have known by her radiance. She arrived after we were sitting and immediately started talking to one of the monks. I was happy to see Ole's students prostrating and seeming to know exactly what to do. I took some wonderful pictures, including one of a young monk who seemed to know that my camera was at the back of his head, so he turned around and looked at me so that I could get his face in the picture. It seemed magical. Afterwards, we went to another building on site, the Dongak Chhyoling Old Monastery, and had tea and biscuits. Maggy talked to us about the Stupa and other historical facts. She is clearly a scholar, speaks at a rapid pace and speaks seven different languages. She is a wonderful teacher. She told us that the information she gives to us on this pilgrimage is not from a book but from Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche and thus, a transmission from him. She then told us that this very location is where Western Buddhism began because it was where Lama Ole Nydahl and his wife, Hannah first met the 16th Karmapa. Ole refers to the event in his book, The Way Things Are. She pointed to the rooftop of a building and told us that it was the location of the well known picture of Ole and Hannah meditating. Thus, karmic conditions came together at this Stupa--a magical moment, the event that precipitated the Karmapa selecting Ole and Hannah to be his first Western students, thus, bringing Buddhism to the west and creating a bridge between the east and the west that was even desired by Jesus.

An important fact is that the Stupa would not be standing here as it is if it were not for Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche's uncle, Rinpoche Lama Sherab Dorje, who spent 12 years restoring it. We will never know the depth, breadth and many layers of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche's work. Maggy claims that every moment with him was magical, and she never regretted a day of the 15 years she spent with him, even though she has a family and two children. She told some personal and miraculous stories, such as when he performed a puja to remove obstacles because it was her obstacle year (Tibetan medical-astronomy-astrology). I am so glad that I understood what she was referring to because I have acquired an extensive knowledge about Tibetan medical-astronomy-astrology as a result of my friendship with Jhampa Kalsang (Ph.D. or rTsisrampa), who was trained at the Tibetan Medical Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharmasala and where he worked for ten years. Jhampa then wrote the book Tibetan Astro Science. Tibetan astrololgy has the edge on other astrological systems because it recognizes two esoteric planets that are not recognized in other systems--Kedu and Rahus--which is also why it is called "in-depth" astrology--very precise, very helpful and provides valuable information.

Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche never learned English; thus, Maggy was a bridge for him to the western world, which was so important in the global work that he was doing. He had two phones in his room that we visited, which has been left undisturbed. (It is in this room that Maggy still feels closest to him where she sat on a carpet on the floor next to his bed where he not only slept but received people day after day, beginning at 5:30 am in the morning.) One phone was a "hot line" for Kings, Queens and other dignitaries around the world, but he was often seen with a phone at each ear. It is a tribute to Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche that he would choose a woman to help him in his work because a Western female perspective is important for one who was raised as a monk in the East. I could always tell when I was reviewing a new textbook for a publishing company if it was written only by a man, and I would always recommend that a female author be added to eliminate male bias. But, that is another story that developed from my experiences in helping to develop the Women's Studies program at UNLV.

We then hiked up to Lopon Tsechu's Monastery. The lamas at this monastery are very well trained because Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche sent several of them to Bhutan for 6 years of retreat and 7 years of study. We climbed stairs to see Rinpoche's Stupa that was built for him. It is breathtaking--gold with exquisite ornamentation and many precious stones. Up until he died, he had been so active and alive that the monks at his monastery simply did not know what to do when they saw that he had died so his body remained untouched. He was so much more than their teacher--he was like their father. Although it was in July during the monsoon period and the hottest time of the year, his body did not decompose or decay. It simply dried and remained appearing as he was when he was alive; thus, it was decided not to cremate Rinpoche's body but rather, place it standing, inside the stupa. Maggy reminded us that he was so unlike the ornamentation of the Stupa. For example, he would mention that his car was 35 years old, and he bought it second hand. Then, we had breakfast in the courtyard of the monastery, which included omelets and rice. Maggy was funny when she announced, "This isn't dharma. This is about rice. This rice can only be found here and in Bhutan. It is the best rice in the world, and is very nutritious." I asked the head abbot, Lama No No (sp) if I could take pictures of the children (monks) who were practicing in the gompa. He invited me to do so. The children smiled and seemed to enjoy the fact that I was taking their pictures. I noticed that the back wall was a full mural of the life of Milarepa--the same mural that Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche saw in Bhutan as a child and remembered; thus, shortly before his death, he had the mural replicated at this monastery in Kathmandu. Rinpoche actually spent 76 years of his life in Nepal, and only ten years of his life in Bhutan.

The afternoon was spent taking a bus to Pharping Ganesh about an hour from Kathmandu. We saw Saraswati Temple and the cave where Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava, realized Mahamudra; it was very auspicious that we would visit it on the 10th day of the lunar month, which was also his birthday. We saw another site where an image of Green Tara appeared on a stone as a self-arising phenomenon. Even Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche verified that this image was not painted. I also took pictures of the deeply imbedded handprints that Guru Rinpoche left on and in the cave where he meditated. Monks were chanting inside the cave where candles were lit in offering; thus, for candles to be burning in such a small space, it was extremely hot. One of the monks at the monastery mentioned that Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche had spent a month at the cave once in retreat, and he went along in order to cook for Rinpoche. Think about what an adventure and priviledge that would be. I took unbelievable pictures of lit butter lamps and of people in the village. Prayer flags flanked the steps up to the cave, and the trees and hilltop were also covered with prayer flags.

It is so amusing to me when I tell Europeans that I am from Utah. One Norwegian man, Svein, (FYI, he is not from Sweden) said, "Oh, that's where the Quakers are." (Svein was so kind; I lost track of how many times he helped me carry a heavy package or my computer suitcase.) Another person said, "Yes, Utah is next to Canada." If I mention the Olympics, I usually hear, "I don't follow the Olympics." Our group now consists of 35 people from 4 continents and 14 different countries. Here we are, as best as I can document:

Alaine de Mattois-Mexico City, Mexico

Alexandra Kondratieve-

Ana-Mexico

Andre Steinauer-Bern, Switzerland

Andreas Andersons-

Andriy Toloshnyy-

Anita Hodula-Debrecen, Hungary

Bernd Schuler-Munich, Germany

Bibi-Mexico

Birte Christiansen-Lyngby, Denmark

Britta Kaufman-Hanover, Germany

Carol A. Wilson-Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.

Christine Brenner-Munich, Germany

David Spitzer-San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Dina-El Salvador, San Salvador

Elka Ilieva-Sofia, Bulgaria

Gabor Tuma-Hungary (lives in Moscow)

Hans Bertil Voll-Oslo, Norway

Jenia Grigorieva-

Kirsten Mari Jensen-Copenhagen, Denmark

Lis Ernlund Nielsen-Denmark Fyn, Bogense, Aebeloegade 9

Luisa Lara Montenegro-Spain

Marion Lorenzen-Nivaa, Denmark

Martina Schneider-Munich, Germany

Michael B. Krogh-Copenhagen, Denmark

Mikkel Uth Ovesen - Copenhagen, Denmark

Mirjam Hadjeri-Munich, Germany

Nathalie Matter-Bern, Switzerland

Niels Kragelund and Fiona Andersen-Ry, Denmark

Nicolaj-Sofia, Bulgaria

Nils Wenner-Sweden

Preben Holdt-Holbeak, Denmark

Sasha Stekolenko-

Sercey Tartyshnikov-

Sveinove-Oslo, Norway

Tanya Vanto-Turku, Finland

Tibor Suslecz-Veszprem, Hungary

Tomorrow morning we depart via airplane to Bhadapur, India where we will then travel for about 6 hours via buses to Kalimpong, India.

Day 6 - To Kalimpong, India

This morning began with an early morning transfer to the Kathmandu airport for a quick, 45 minute flight to Bhadapur. The Kathmandu airport is a rather small, red brick facility, and at first it reminded me of a prison because of the chain link fencing. There are no signs or written information about scheduled flights so one has to rely on verbal announcements that really are not discernible; fortunately, Maggy asked a German woman, Britta, to be in charge of our group because we had to split up and fly on two planes (21 passenger plane). A few of the Europeans told me that if you want someone to be in charge and get things organized, find a German. There was one young man who was having slight anxiety attacks, and while we were riding the bus to board our plane, he counted 17 people, and really did think that we had left an 18th person behind. He and Britta had quite an exchange back and forth before it was determined that there were 18 pieces of baggage and 17 people and not the other way around. There is always the unexpected here; i.e. boarding the plane, a big monkey ran across the runway.

Once on board, it was thrilling to be flying into the Himalayas. We flew right past the summit of Mt. Everest, and the pilot allowed me to get into the cock pit. While the pilot leaned forward, I took pictures of Mt. Everest from his side window. The mountains are so majestic that they almost look painted. (I wasn't the group photographer on this trip, however; that job was quickly delegated to Bernd, a man who appeared to be a serious photographer, and yes, he is also from Germany.) When we finally landed at the Chandragadi Airport in Bhadapur, there were a couple of people who applauded--perhaps a little nervous about being on such a small plane. The Chandragadi Airport is just one little building, painted pale yellow. Young men wearing "PORTER" t-shirts carried our baggage to two buses where our baggage was loaded on top, then covered with a tarp and secured with rope. I am amazed at Maggy's attention to small but important detail. She made sure that there was an equal number of people on both buses--17--so that the buses could travel at the same speed. I sat in the front seat so the front window was similar to a screen where a movie played out as we traveled to Kakarwita to exit Nepal, and then a couple of more miles up the road we entered India at Ranigunj. While passing through immigration at these points, one needs to simply relax and wait during a laborious procedure where passport information is written into a book and we sign necessary paperwork. We spent at least a couple of hours undergoing this process, and then we began our travel through India. We passed several tea plantations, scattered with workers who were picking tea leaves. I must say that it was a thrill ride beyond any amusement park or Disneyland ride I have ever experienced; however, seat belts are rare. I cannot believe how much FUN it was--the kind of high-risk- taking adventure that my son, Colby, loves. The bus was constantly swerving while the driver honked the horn in order to warn animals, vehicles, people walking, and people riding bikes. I've gotten used to seeing animals everywhere. Cows are in the road, on the side of the road and even in people's front yards. (A significant number of the buildings are constructed of plywood.) Our driver had superior driving skills in order to maneuver this, and it is extremely hard work that requires complete alertmess and attentiveness not only because of the congestion on the roads but because the roads have many holes. Although I have had advanced driving training (Nascar), I do not believe that I could drive in India on these roads for five minutes. In our climb to Kalimpong, there were times when our driver had the bus in first gear, and it honestly sounded as though the engine was going to blow. I would never have the courage to push an engine like that.

When we arrived in Kalimpong at the Silver Oaks Hotel, we were greeted by porters who were dressed in white British uniform attire, and they placed a yellow kata around our necks. It was a marvelous welcome, which included wine in the large hotel lobby area. The hotel is decorated in a very quaint Victorian style with raised panel oak throughout, and the gardens surrounding the hotel have wonderful gardens with spectacular views of the mountains. We had a late dinner of Chinese food because Maggy would not allow us to eat on the road in India in fear that we might get sick. The most important thing, however, is that one must drink bottled water.

Day 7 - Kalimpong, India

Kalimpong is a small hill station between Siliguri and Gangtok, India in the northern country of India and the State of West Bengal, 1250 m above sea level. West Bengal is in the eastern part of India, surrounded by Sikkim and the Himalayas and the countries of Nepal and Bhutan on the north. Bihar is west, Bangladesh east, and the Bay of Bengal is south. Mother Teresa’s city of Calcutta lies in the southern region of West Bengal. Inititally, the headquarters of a Bhutanese Governor, the word ‘Kalim’ means King’s Minister and ‘pong’ means stronghold; thus, the stronghold of the King’s Minister. Until the 18th century, Kalimpong was part of the Kingdom of Sikkim and ruled by a Sikkimese rulers but then taken over by the Bhutanese. In the 1900’s the British acquired Kamlipong and merged into the present Indian state of West Bengal. Kalimpong is known for its quiet and peaceful atmosphere and the panoramic views of the Himalayas, particularly Mt. Kanchenjunga. The road to Kalimpong is one of the most scenic routes in the nation, with the swift flowing Teesta river running by the side of the road. I felt as though I was submerged in a lush, subtropical forest, and it was so mystical that I expected to see winged fairies among the trees. Kalimpong produces 80% of India’s gladioli and is famous for its orchids and nurseries; thus, flowers are exported to many cities in northern India. It is also known for its traditional handicrafts. Kalimpong recognizes five languages: Gorkha, Nepali, Hindi, Bengali and English. How impressive--and a reminder that the United States needs to keep moving towards multi-lingualism, which is so beneficial to a child’s academic and social development.

There are monasteries and churches spread across the town. Gompas include the Tharpa Choeling Gompa, which belongs to the Yellow Hat (Gelugpa) sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is a 40 minute walk from town. Lower down the hill is the Tongsa Gompa, or Bhutanese Monastery, which is the oldest monastery in the area, dating back to 1692. Zong Dog Palri Fo-Brang Gompa was built in the mid-70’s at Durpin Dara Hill and was consecrated by the Dalai Lama. The wall paintings in the prayer room and a rare three-dimensional mandala are breathtaking. The mountain views are spectacular from Durpin Dara Hill. Shri Mangal Dham is one of the most splendid temples in India--a memorial that was built in 1993 and sprawls over an area of two acres.

More importantly, we traveled to Kalimpong by road to the home of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinlay Thaye Dorje, an enlightened being and the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhism lineage. He was born in Tibet in 1983, the first son of the 3rd Mipam Rinpoche, a great Nyingma Lama, and Dechen Wangmo, the daughter of a noble family descending from King Gesar of Ling. Kalimpong is an ideal location for him because it is "tucked away", and he can study without a lot of distraction. He holds the teachings of the transmission of the Kagyu lineage, which originated with the Buddha and have been preserved in a pure and authentic form through transmission from teacher to student. He was found and recognized as a child by His Holiness Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, second to the Karmapa in the Karma Kagyu lineage. The Karmapa was the first incarnate lama (tulku) in Tibet even before the Dalai Lamas, which most people do not realize. I first met His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa in Buena Park, California on his first visit to the United States nearly three years ago. I received teachings, initiations/transmissions from him over a period of three days and was spellbound, particularly when the translator was struggling for an extended period of time with an English translation from Tibetan. Finally, the Karmapa intervened and gave an eloquent translation in perfect English. Because I have taught hundreds of 21 year old boys as a university professor, and also raised a son and thus, shared much time with his many teammates during soccer practices, games, and tournaments, I realized that this 21 year old, Trinlay Thaye Dorje, was not like any 21 year old I had ever met. He was beyond extraordinary and beyond any words that I could express; thus, I looked so forward to meeting him again.

Thus, we were all very excited this morning as we gathered outside of the hotel waiting for taxis to take us to the Karmapa’s home. It was Dina’s 73rd birthday today so we sang “Happy Birthday” to her, and she said it was the best birthday she has ever had in her life. Although Dina had physical limitations, had to use a cane to walk, and often had to remain behind because she could not keep up with the rest of us, her devotion was very touching and a lesson for all of us because she never complained but rather, glowed with a joy that could be felt by everyone. She was an excellent example of how we can handle any situation with joy, regardless of inconvenience, pain and discomfort. (She actually reminded me of my dear maternal grandmother, Idy.) Dina met Lama Ole about 35 years ago in Kathmandu “when he was a hippy”, and she started a Diamondway Buddhist Center in El Salvador shortly thereafter. I wish that I was Spanish speaking so I could have communicated more with her and three other wonderful Spanish ladies (a mother and two daughters), who, unfortunately, had their luggage lost--never to be found. Don't we sometimes get lessons in impermanence at the most inopportune times?

As we approached the Karmapa’s home, walking up a path, I was struck by the spectacular view and flowers, particularly roses, in the yard. We were greeted by two German shepherd dogs that came dashing out the front door but I must say that they were the happiest dogs I've ever seen. Then we sat in a reception hall. One of the Karmapa’s assistants asked us to place personal items that we wanted blessed by the Karmapa on trays. Because we had stopped at a couple of wonderful gift shops, we had bags of items; in fact, Maggy made the comment that we had "bought out Kalimpong." He then gave each one of us a kata to wrap our gifts in to present to the Karmapa. I brought the Karmapa a book from Utah, UTAH ON MY MIND. We climbed the stairs to the room where the Karmapa receives visitors, removed our shoes before entering, prostrated and then approached him individually, giving him our gifts and receiving a blessing from him as he gave the kata back to us by placing it around our neck. Another monk gave us a gold yellow ribbon blessing string to wear around our neck. The room was beautiful with a tall, glass case of exquisite statues in the corner. On the wall directly behind the Karmapa hung a thangka of Milarepa. We took pictures and then sat quietly. The Karmapa asked softly, “Do you have any questions about dharma?” We were so quiet that we could have heard a pin drop. After a minute of no response from us, he then asked, “Do you have any questions about traveling?” We all laughed. He has such a sense of humor. Since it was Sunday, he did not give a teaching but insightfully answered our many questions, including a couple of questions from me. He then arranged to meet with us again the next day. I was particularly drawn to an older man, Tsultrim Namgyal, because he radiated such a glow. When I asked, "Are you the 17th Karmapa's servant or teacher?", he replied with a huge smile, "I was for the 16th Karmapa!" I was thrilled when someone took a picture of the two of us together as we were departing. Rather than expound further on His Holiness the 17th Karmapa here, his website is located at www.karmapa.or www.karmapa.org.

Day 8 - Kalimpong, India

Today we again did some brief shopping before meeting with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa in order that he could bless those items. We arrived at his home a few minutes early and enjoyed the opportunity to sit in the front yard to meditate. Then we again entered the reception hall, placed our items on trays and proceeded up the stairway to meet with the Karmapa. We meditated together and then we asked questions and enjoyed discussing Buddadharma. There was an indescribable powerfield being in the Karmapa's presence, and that kind of feeling is never forgotten. Learning beyond the intellectual can be foreign for Westerners. We learn to memorize, categorize, classify and then move onto the next chapter but that is not how we learn spiritually. For example, Maggy has told us that the knowledge of stupas is so deep, vast and profound that learning about it intellectually is impossible. She has tried to prepare us for the many, many stupas we will see in Bhutan. It so happens that Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche built more stupas than any lama--18---and he died only four months before the stupa in Spain was dedicated.

The previous day, after our meeting with the Karmapa, some members of the group waited for taxis to visit a nearby stupa while others of us walked back to the hotel through Kalimpong. I was with Dave from San Francisco, the only other American in the group, and Preben, from Denmark when we decided to walk back to the hotel, which I enjoyed, because I was able to talk with people and take pictures of some children. Preben is a former pilot, and about 6'5" so try walking with him. I figured that one of his strides is equivalent to three of mine. He had quite the sense of humor; when I was wondering if we were getting lost, he said, “We have a new saying now—instead of "Follow that car", we say, "Follow that monk." And Dave--I believe he holds the New Guiness World Record for number of miles walked. Today, however, we dashed to Rumtek Monastery in order to see the monastery of the 16th Karmapa. That night I dreamed about specifically where the Karmapa's Black Crown is and was afterwards told that it has been missing.

Paradoxically, the Buddha Shakyamuni was born in Nepal, and Buddhism spread throughout Asia before it took refuge in the Land of Snows (the Himalayas), being passed along the secular paths of the nomad caravans where it then remained preserved. At times it is difficult for me to believe that here I am---in the Himalayas—a fortress in the heart of Asia. Geographers depict the slopes of the Himalayas, from their majestic peaks to the plains, as a giant patchwork. The rivers that rise below the high peaks have created a huge chequerboard, slicing through the mountain ranges that lie perpendicular to them to create discrete areas, inhabited by populations with disparate origins. I am reminded of a passage that a Tibetan bard was inspired to write when he visited the sacred sites of the Himalayas:

“When you live here, banish all concern for this life. Simply live here, and happiness, joy and contentment will come about.”

Nearly every where there is a sacred site; thus, there is a silent, unspoken inspiration—an unspeakable energy—beyond words—it is everywhere—coming up from the earth—the mountains--even in the impermanence of the wind.

The spirit of the people of the Buddhist Himalayas has an unparalleled cultural heritage---one of strength, tragedy, courage, nobility, faith, joy and spirit. Prayer flags can be seen everywhere, wherever the wind blows. Travelers have placed them in mountain passes, and villagers place them on the roofs of their houses and at the entrances to monasteries and villages. The prayers of compassion printed on the colored cloths are carried on the wind, spreading constructive and beneficent energy. There are also many prayer wheels, and as people turn them, they send prayers and wishes to the world. There are also stupas sitting in the open air, whose benefits are immeasureable for all the beings and non-beings who come in contact with them. I so often say that everything is reduced to energy, and there is power in the intention of our actions.

Sikkim and Some Miracles Along The Way

Because the Internet connection in this part of the world is difficult, I have not been able to post my journal entries every day as I had predicted, in addition to the fact that we are awakening at 4:30 am for our day's itinerary. However, I thought that I would quickly share with you some of the miracles that we have experienced along the way.

Our group is now 40 people because three men and a woman from Ukraine have joined us; they are filming. We were able to spend two days with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa in Kalimpong, India. After our last meeting with him on Sunday, we decided to travel by jeep to Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, where the stupa is located of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. Maggy told us that we would be taking a big chance, as it was a three hour drive, and the monastery absolutely closes its doors at 5:00 pm. Then, we had to be careful to get out of Sikkim before the border closed at 8:00 pm (Sikkim is a restricted area and special permits are required). We decided to make the attempt, and although we arrived at Rumtek Monastery past 5:00, we were not only allowed in but as we finished visiting the stupa, one of the monks began placing meditation carpets on the wood floor in front of the stupa, inviting us to stay and meditate. It was truly one of the most special moments of my life.

Foreigners must obtain Inner Line Permit (ILP) to visit Sikkim, which can be obtained if you request permission when you apply for your Indian visa. The permit is for 15 days; however, two 15 day extensions are available upon request. Sikkim is small, 7,096 sq. kms. but there are many wonderful monasteries and sites to visit. Sikkim is also where His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, chose to live after he had to flee Tibet with the Chinese invasion in 1959. Although I have heard about the Chinese invasion for many years, and I watched the movie Kundun, I am just now beginning to understand the magnitude of that unbelievable, historical event as I visit the places where Tibetans sought refuge. How kind and generous was Bhutan, Nepal, India and other countries to allow thousands of Tibetan people across its borders.

Rangjung Rigpe Dorjee was born in 1923 in Eastern Tibet in a noble family. At the age of six, he was recognized through a letter left by the preceding Gyalwa Karmapa, who predicted the name and family of the incarnation's parents; this prediction started with the first Tulku (reincarnation) Karma Pakshi. The Karma Kagyu was founded in the 12th century A.D. by Dusum Kyenpa, the first Gyalwa Karmapa. His Holiness, Dusum Kyenpa, was born in Tibet in 1110 A.D. His birth was prophesied by the Buddha Sakyamuni in the Samdhirajsutra. Dusum Kyenpa was known for his great accomplishments and was popularly called the Knower of Three Times. He founded the Tsruphu monastery in Tibet, which is the seat of all the Gyalwa Karmapas. Of course, the Chinese invasion not only threatened the spread of Buddhist dharma but also, the Kagyu lineage, which lay in the spiritual treasures and relics that belonged to the Kagyu sect. Thus, to preserve the spiritual wealth, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa began his journey out of Tibet, traveling through Bhutan towards India. It was then that His Majesty, the Chogyal, Tashi Namgyal, invited the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa and his followers to Sikkim. His Majesty also requested that the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa build monasteries in Sikkim, which was more than welcome because Sikkim was always considered a holy place by the Buddhists of Tibet. Because Lama Ole Nydahl was the first western student of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, I have always enjoyed hearing Ole talk about him. Ole says that the 16th Karmapa was truly all knowing--an enlightened being: "I've never seen anything like it." I especially enjoyed the story about when the Karmapa went into a bird shop (he loved birds and taught them to meditate) and started telling the owner what every single bird was thinking. The owner was so shaken that he gave the Karmapa every bird in the shop.

Thus, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa founded the Rumtek monastery on 74 acres of land as his sacred seat outside Tibet, constructed like the Tsruphu monastery, which was built in Tibet by the first Gyalwa Karmapa. As the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa, the Rumtek monastery represents the accumulated spiritual energy of the Kagyu order. The 16th Karmapa resided at the Rumtek monastery and later shifted to the Dharma Chakra Center until, in 1981, he attained parinirvana. On Nov. 7, 1992, his ceremonial enshrinement occurred with the magnificent stupa installed in a new temple on the old building of the Karmae Shri Nalanda Institute at Rumtek. The Golden Stupa or the Lhabab Chorten is 13 ft. high and stands at the center of the temple. It contains the precious and holy remains of His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The Chorten or the urn is gold plated and embedded with jewels, mostly ancient turquoise and corals. At the front hangs his dorje, which viewers can hold. The main image, which is the Vajradhara or Dorje Chang, is 5 feet tall, located at the center of the rear with all the other precious images of the eminent Gurus: the Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa (the founder of the sect) and Milarapa. The stupa also consists of the statues of the sixteen successive Gyalwa Karmapas together with the sacred images of His eminence, the 11th Tai Situ Rinpoche and Pema Wangchuk, the main Guru of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. I studied these statues with the intention that I would not forget their images, since photography is not allowed.

Of course, we were late getting to the Sikkim border, and a couple of people wondered how it would be sleeping in jeeps all night. But, we were allowed to cross as if time was not a variable. The next day there was a large group of white monkeys that crossed in front of our bus--a very rare event but an auspicious sign, which brings good luck and fortune.

Pilgrimage - Druk Yul, Land of the Thunder Dragon (Bhutan) (Days 9 - 15)

2005-12-03T09:45:00.000-08:00

Bhutan, 18,182 square miles, is a hidden and protected paradise in the Himalayas and is also the last remaining Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas -- a stronghold, in more ways than religion alone. Bhutan only opened its doors to tourism in 1974; however, in order to minimize the negative effects of tourism on its fragile environment and culture, only a small number of people every year are welcome (last year fewer than 8,000 people visited Bhutan). Thus, travel to Bhutan is regulated by the Government-- pre-paid at approximately $200.00 per day and regulated through an authorized Bhutanese agent, which includes hotel, accommodations, a guide and administrative services to obtain visas. The size of Switzerland, Bhutan has 750,000 people. The languages spoken are Dzogkha, English, Nepali and Sharchopha. In contrast, nearby Nepal is the size of two Switzerlands and has a population of 23 million. The difference between Nepal and Bhutan can certainly be seen from the air. The mountainsides of Bhutan are so thick with trees that they look black. But the hills of Nepal have been scalped for farm fields and terraces, and every rise of land except the snow peaks has a house -- or two or three -- on top.

Part of the great fortune of Bhutan can be creditied to its monarch, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the youngest ruling monarch in the world at 50 years of age, who cares deeply about his people and has the authority to put policy where his heart is. He is a one-man amalgam of the progressive and the traditional. Educated in England, he has four wives who are sisters, and the national newspaper, the Kuensel, always refers to them as Their Majesties the Queens. On the throne since he was 17, the king is known for living simply, riding around in a four-wheel-drive instead of a limo and doing the right thing. Among his more memorable quotations: "I care less about the gross national product and more about the gross national happiness." Admirably, the people of Bhutan love, respect and revere their monarchy who believe that the royal family members are reincarnated Bodhisattvas whose purpose is to serve their people. Unlike the United States and many other countries, where we elect a President or other official and then run popularity polls that vary from day to day, the Bhutanese people do not waver in their devotion to the King and the royal family; however, although the king is revered, Buddhism teaches that each person is living out his or her karma in this world, so you are who you are supposed to be; consequently, Western celebrity doesn’t exist, and celebrities who visit Bhutan will not hear, “Can I have your autograph?” Yes, you can be admired in Bhutan for doing something exemplary, but for simply doing the job your karma gave you, no. For example, Michael Jordan’s job is being Michael Jordan.

Because King Wangchuk is a visionary, he became concerned that Bhutan would lose its culture the way other small countries have; thus, several years ago the king issued a series of protective decrees, which includes a decree that the Bhutanese people still wear their traditional dress. Bhutan is famous for its textiles, and regions have their own particular specialty: raw silk in the east, brocades from Kurtoe and woolen cloth from Bumthang. The dyes are usually made from plants or minerals by the weavers themselves, and everything is done manually, from dyeing the skeins to weaving the cloth itself. Men wear a woven gho and women, a woven kira. I wouldn’t have believed it unless I saw it. The men’s gho, brought by the Shabdrung from Tibet, is part kilt and part kimono and difficult to put on properly. The robe is wrapped around the body with an inverted pleat in the back and cinched up at the waist with a special belt, resulting in a chest pouch where belongings can be carried. The length of the gho used indicate one's status, with only the King wearing his gho below the knee while others have exposed knee socks and nice shoes. The women’s kira is beautiful--a full-length piece of cloth composed of 3 woven panels stitched together that is wrapped around the body and attached at the shoulders with a pair of silver brooches. A blouse is worn underneath, and a short silk jacket is usually worn over it with solid-color cuffs turned back. Most women will have 3-5 kiras, with at least one of those being reserved for special occasions. The various color combinations of woven cloth have names, such as the red and gold pattern or the gold and white on a plain field. The women wear horizontal-striped patterns and men wear the vertical-striped patterns; however, because of the variety of weaves and silk they don't appear to be "in uniform."

Preserving the Bhutanese tradition is also why students must be fluent in Dzongkha, Bhutan's official language, even though all other instruction is in English. Throughout this pilgrimage, several people have asked me to assist them with their English, which they seem to take quite seriously. Maggy has often called on me for clarification of an English word, also, such as when we were in a monastery viewing masks that were made for lama dancing. One very special deer mask, after the face was carved, spontaneously grew its "horns." Maggy asked me if the word "horns" was correct so I told her that the word was "antlers" but she thought that no one would know what she meant if she said "antlers" so she proceeded to say, "horns--antlers.":-) (Note: the word symbolical is actually symbolic.)

The new construction in Bhutan must be traditional-style, which is why modern concrete factories are being Bhutan-ized with white-wash and ornate wooden eaves. New development is spread out across the country so rural people won't be so tempted to leave the land. Environmental protection is taken so seriously that "all trees belong to the state, even the ones in your garden." Women have equal rights; old people are admired; schooling and health care are free, and family planning is a priority. Monasteries also do not need sponsors for funding because the government provides for them. The average size family in Bhutan is 2-3 children, and I have never seen such happy, radiant people. The most enjoyable part of traveling on the roads in Bhutan is waving to children from the front seat of the bus I am sitting in as they walk to and from school (sometimes miles) or as younger children stand with their mothers by the side of the road. The children gleefully wave with the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen, and those smiles come from the heart. After hours of waving, one would think that I would grow tired of it—but I don't because it is just too much fun. I took many pictures of smiling, waving children on the road. Because the winding roads are so dangerously narrow (1 1/2 lanes wide) through the mountains, there are slogans written along the way that we enoyed reading; i.e.:

Drinking whiskey makes driving risky

This is a highway not a runway

Watch your nerves in the curves

If you're married divorce speed

This is not a rally. Enjoy the valley.

Speed thrills but kills

I asked one of our guides if there are frequent accidents on the roads (which the Indian government developed), and he said, "Yes--about 50 to 60 a year." Believe me, the drop off is so great that I cannot imagine people surviving if they go off the road. The superb driving skills of our drivers continue to amaze me, and I inquired about their training. They obtain a learner's permit for 6 months and then have to take a test that very few of them can pass.

On our drive to Bhutan through India, I was in a jeep with my new dear friends from Bulgaria: Elka LLieva and Nikolay. As we were ready to depart via jeep, a young man from Hungary, Gabor, who now lives in Moscow, asked if he could ride with us. He sat between Nikolay and myself in the back seat and was very sick with a high fever. I had been so determined not to get sick on this trip, faithfully channeling Reiki and utilizing my therapeutic grade essential oils. Suddenly this very sick man had his head on my shoulder and was asleep so I reached for my Thieves essential oil spray and started spraying. He jumped up and exclaimed, "You must be an American!!!! Only Americans do shings (things) like this!!!!" We just about died laughing.

Day 10 - Phuentsholing, Bhutan to Thimphu, Bhutan

Maggy led us walking across the border from India to Phuentsholing, Bhutan, which was a lot of fun. There is a very distinctive line between India and Bhutan. No longer is there the highly populated India and the many signs of poverty, particularly garbage on the streets where littering is the norm. It is unbelievable that two countries next to each other could appear so radically different. Bhutan is beautiful beyond words.

After we ate a wonderful lunch in Phuentsholing, it wasn't surprising to notice the fanfare of an archery competition. Since time immemorial the Bhutanese have been passionate about their national sport of Dha (archery), and it is as important in Bhutan as the Super Bowl winner at home. They also have their own astrologer. They won a silver medal at the last Olympic Games and are hoping for a gold at the next Olympic games. Their competitions in Bhutan are a riot of color and excitement, with two teams in traditional dress shooting at small wooden targets placed 140m apart (Olympic standard is 50m). The distance is so great that team members gather dangerously close to the target to yell back how good the archer's aim was, often accompanied by chanting, howls, encouragement and jokes. When the archers hit their target they perform a little jig that is like the dance of the black-ncecked cranes. For major tournaments each team brings its own cheerleading section of girls decked out in the finest clothes. They perform dances in between play, and during the shooting they try to interfere with the opposing team's performance by shouting disparaging commnets; however, the women are not allowed to touch an archer's bow, nor can the men see a woman the night before a competition. I must say that I have never seen people who are so physically fit and lean---no body fat whatsoever. However, their diet includes the best vegetables and fruit I have ever eaten, and of course, they are all organically grown. Dessert is not served after meals, but rather, hot tea. Thus, it is not surprising that they are not challeneged with some of the diseases that we see in the West. While on the topic of food, I must mention that I brought several bags of sunflower seeds for the trip, and whenever I would pass a bag of them around the bus, it struck the Europeans quite funny that I would be eating them. I remember Preben asking, "Do you want us to turn into canaries?"

Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan and is famous for its one traffic light in the city that was removed within days because it was found to be unsightly; thus, currently, a policeman does quite an eloquent job of directing traffic all day. The dzong I remember the most is the Tashi Chhoe Dzong in Trimphu. I took many pictures of its beautifully preserved structures. The Thimphu Dzong I will never forget. The ornate windows, colors and paintings even in the courtyards are breathtaking. Bhutanese art is quite exquisite and distinctive. The first monastery was built by the King of Bhutan, and the third, by the Queen Mother.

The first Guru Rinpoche monastery we visited was Dechen Podrang Monastery in Thimphu where Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche’s body laid for a week after he died in a Bangkok hospital. (Interestingly, Rinpoche was born on the same day as Guru Rinpoche and also died on the same day, and his specialty transmission was Guru Rinpoche.) Maggy said that as the plane entered Bhutan that carried his body, a rainbow formed around the sun and remained there for the entire week. Upon the plane’s departure back to Kathmandu, it started to thunder and rain. The monastery was absolutely breathtaking, particularly since a puja was in progress, and Je Khenpo, Bhutan’s spiritual head of Buddhism, was there. Maggy found this to be absolutely unbelievable. As Maggy introduced us to him one by one by name and what country we were from, he gave every single one of us an individual blessing and a blessing string. There were three tulku children with him. One of the children was Tulku Tenzin Rabaye Rinpoche who was identified as a reincarnation at the age of 2. He had built the monastery at Paro in his previous life, and at age 2 in a remote village, he began to speak of Bhutanese history that his parents were unaware of, but rather, history that occurred during the time of his grandparents. The story is nothing short of phenomenal.

I will say that we Westerners have been observed before blessings have been offered to us, and I have lost track of how many blessings I have received not only from these highly realized and enlightened spiritual beings but also with sacred and powerful objects that some of them held, such as original texts of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgygal at Dechung Phodrung, "the place of highest bliss" and a terma (hidden treasure discovered by a a terton, an enlightened treasure discoverer) at Kyichu Lhakhang, that were touched to my head as blessings were given. The next day, at one of Guru Rinpoche's monasteries, Kurjey Lhakhang, and at the entrance of the cave where he had meditated prior to subduing the demons in that area (where he also left the imprint of his body on a rock), a high ranking Nyingma Rinpoche from Tibet, Wessel Dorje Rinpoche, was on the throne practicing (in retreat for 30 days). He talked with Maggy at length in Tibetan; he marveled at how perfect her Tibetan was and commented that for us to be there was an indication that we had accumulated much positive merit. He gave each one of us an individual blessing, and again blessed our personal items.

We spent some time at the National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu, often called the "King's Stupa", built in 1974 to honor the memory of the third King, Jime Dorji Wangchuck. The memorial chorten is highly visible, and we saw many people visiting there for their daily worship, circumambulating the chorten and praying at a small shrine inside the gate. The painting and artwork inside and on the building, especially surrounding a long row of prayer wheels, is beautiful and so characteristic of Bhutanese art. The paths are lined with trees whose appearance are unlike anything I've ever seen--similar to a groomed topiary tree but the top is shaped like a pyramid. I took several pictures of people and children, dressed in their traditional Bhutanese attire.

My main purchase in Bhutan, however, has been Bhutanese Incense, which is rare and hard to find. Bhutanese incense is a very special offering incense, made to propitiate the protective deities, the formulation prescribed by Pema Karpo, the great Yogi of the Druukpa School of Buddhism and Minling Terchen, the Treasurer Discoverer of the Mindroling Monastery. It is a blend of about one hundred precious aromatic substances like giwang (bezoar), clove, nutmeg, safron, red and white sandalwood and other medicinal materials, which has been hand manufactured with utmost care and in strict compliance with an old age traditional method at Thimphu by Nado.

We had to be prepared to go from the bus to a hotel to meet with the Princess of Bhutan, Ashi Sonoma; thus, Maggy instructed us to have dress clothes with us because we would not be able to access our luggage. I literally changed clothes on the bus while others found spots in the hotel. We met in a large reception room and waited a few minutes for the Princess of Bhutan to arrive with her 12 year old son and 4 year old daughter. She was radiant, gracious, and genuinely thrilled at the sight of all of us, and would not accept just a general introduction. She insisted that she walk around and meet each and every one of us individually, holding our hand as Maggy told her our name and the country we were from. We were then served tea and cookies. This meeting with the Princess of Bhutan was another miracle. Members of the Royal Family are very busy, and especially now because Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche was a member of the Royal Family of Bhutan (he was the Uncle to the Queen). Because her young daughter was with her, she told us that when she expecting her, Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche meditated for ten minutes and then said, "Your daughter's name is--and then proceeded to give her her daughter's name, which means Goddess of Music, which promotes wisdom. Her daughter now does play a musical instrument but the point is that this is just another indication of Rinpoche's clairvoyance. The Royal Family is also preparing for his funeral ceremonies in Kathmandu. We then arrived, late, to remain at the Swiss Guest House in Bumthang, Bhutan, which meant being able to wash some of our clothes.

Day 11 - To Punakha, Bhutan

We reached Douchu La Pass, a spectacular monument of stupas surrounded by hundreds of prayer flags that was only completed a couple of years ago in memory of a triumph in removing a rebellious Indian group that was based in Bhutan. It is situated at an elevation of 10,500 feet and has incredible views--a real Kodak stop. We then journeyed to Punakha, Bhutan on a narrow winding road and saw many Indian and Nepalese workers sweeping the road and breaking rocks (paid by piecework) and learned that they and their families live temporarily in the mountains so they can repair rockslides and washouts quickly. At one point we had to wait patiently while a cat scooped and removed rocks that were blocking the road. Once in Punakha, at 5,500 feet, we stayed at the wonderful hotel Zangto Pelri. There is a huge portrait of King Wangchuk in the lobby. It is common to see his picture throughout Bhutan. There is also a separate gift shop that has a wonderful selection of Bhutanese woven fabrics, an art that is truly exquisite.

We saw so many monasteries and dzongs in Bhutan that it’s going to take some effort for me to recall their names, especially since I decided to put my pen away and get out of my “academic” mode in order to better feel the experience of these powerful and holy places. We saw the oldest statues and shrines in Bhutan that date back to the 7th century, including the oldest Buddhist statue in the Himalayas, which is of Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. We stopped at Chimi Lhankhang, below Metshina, built in 1499 by Lama Drupka Kunley, one of Brutan's favorite saints. From the road, it's a 20 minute walk across rice fields to the tiny settlement of Pana and then follows a tiny stream downhill to Yoaka and across more fields before making a short climb to the temple (and on the return, we were in the dark, relying on a few flashlights). Known as "the divine madman", Lama Drupka Kunley traveled as a yogi using songs, humor and outrageous behavior to dramatize his teachings. His outrageous and sexual antics were a deliberate method of porvoking people to discard their preconceptions and is credited with having created Bhutan's strange animal, the takin, by combining the body of a cow with the head of a goat. He subdued the demoness of the Dochu La with his 'magic thuderbolt of wisdom'. A wooden effigy of the lama's thunderbolt is preserved in the lhakahng, and childless women from around the world go to the temple to receive a blessing from the saint. Because Maggy said that childless women really do conceive after visiting this monastery, I wrote the name of one of my students on a piece of paper and left it because she has had several miscarriages.

The Punakha Dzong, which contains 21 temples, was founded by Shabdrung Namgyal in 1637 and contains the country's central monk body. It was spectacular beyond words, beginning with our walk across one of those hand made hanging bridges (cantiliver bridge) that you have seen in the movies, located at the confluence of the Po and Mo Rivers; Po is male and mo is female; hence the name Pochu Mochu. Guru Rinpoche predicted the location of this dzong, mentioning the rivers and stating that "a man named Namgyal will arrive at a hill that looks like an elephant", the actual form of a nearby hill. As I walked across the bridge and as it swayed back and forth, I felt as though I had entered another time zone--a very enchanting and mystical one. Then I walked up very steep wooden steps, designed to be pulled up to protect against invasion. The heavy wooden front door is still closed at night. We passed prayer wheels and a bodhi tree in the courtyard, symbolic of the tree under which the Buddha reached enlightenment. We entered the dzong, which contains 21 temples and saw carvings and artwork that are not found elsewhere. What I enjoyed the most, however, was taking pictures of young monks, whose display of affection for each other was truly touching.

Maggy had reminded us of manners and protocol that are not appropriate in the east, i.e. “Do not put your hands in your pockets!!! If you put your hands in your pockets, the monks will notice!” It is also inappropriate to point at things.

Day 12 - Bumthang, Bhutan

Bumthang is considered the spiritual heartland of Bhutan because Buddhism was first introduced here in the 7th century by Guru Rinpoche; thus, we saw the oldest statutes and shrines in Bhutan that date back to the 7th century. Apparently, there are 108 monasteries in Bhutan, and we first went to three monasteries known to be Guru Rinpoche’s. However, I need to clarify that most of the structures I have been referring to are actually not called monasteries but rather, Dzongs. A Dzong is an administrative fortress or castle, often situated on a strategic hilltop location. In Bhutan, this model was adopted during the 17th century by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, founder of the Bhutanese state, who combined both administrative and monastic institutions within his fortresses, somewhat along the lines of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, which was constructed during the same period by Dalai Lama V. (We saw many paintings and statues of Namgyel, and he is easily identified because of his pointed beard.) Although there were earlier fortresses in Bhutan, the Zhabdrug built most of the great dzongs that can be seen at the present day on strategic sites from which the countryside of his new kingdom could be controlled from hostile invasions. Over the centuries that followed, the dzongs of Bhutan consolidated themselves as centers of spiritual and secular power. They have also functioned as focal points for the country's artistic and intellectual heritage, and their construction, ornamentation and maintenance have absorbed much of the nation's wealth. Many of them have been damaged by armed assailants or by fires and earthquakes, and subsequently rebuilt. (However, this reminds me of one dzong we saw that had been subjected to water damage and had to be rebuilt; yet, the Buddha statue there had such a power field around it that the water did not touch the structure at all. It is estimated that the age of the statue is about 4,000 years old, having been constructed during a previous kalpa.) The high external walls of dzongs, which taper inwards, are made of compressed earth and stone, and then whitewashed, the wooden windows and balconies, all built without nails, are richly ornamented, and the roofs are either shingled or made of corrugated iron.

We journeyed to Jampa Lhakhang in Bumthang, believed to have been built in the year 659, where the oldest Buddhist statue in the Himalayas is located in the lhakhang--a statue of Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. The statue is protected by an iron chain mail that was made by Pema Lingpa. Guru Rinpoche visited there, leaving behind a footprint in an alcove where he meditated. It is also believed that under the lhakhang is a lake where Guru Rinpoche hid several terma. Inside the primary chapel are three stone steps representing ages; the first step represents the age of the Historical Buddha Sakyamuni, and it has descended into the ground and is covered with a wooden plank. The next step is the present, and the step is level with the floor. The top step represents a new age. We were told that when the step representing the present age sinks to ground level, the conditioned world as it is now will end. In the center of the courtyard was a building that houses a thousand butter lamps, away from the temple because of the risk of fire. Lighted butter lamps are typical to see, and the offering represents light and symbolizes bringing us out of ignorance. This monastery is also where Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche received his first initiations from the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, when the 16th Karmapa was only 17 years of age, and Rinpoche was 26 years of age. At that time, the general public only received long life initiations but Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche was able to receive other initiations because the second King’s sister was a student of the 16th Karmapa, and she sponsored Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. In later years, Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche and the 16th Karmapa became very close friends.

Tamshing Gompa, also known as Tashing Lhendup Chholing, "Temple of the Good Message" (the most important Nyingma gompa in the region), was built by Pema Lingpa himself with the help of female celestial beings, khandroms, who made many of the statutes. Pema Lingpa (1450-1524) was was one of the five great tertons of Nyingma Buddhism, and the most important terton of Bhutan. The stories about the texts and artifacts he found are amazing, and the dances he composed and the art he produced are an important part of Bhutanese heritage. In the inner sanctuary of Tashing Gompa, there is an exquisite statute of Guru Rinpoche, without shoes, and his eyes are cast upward, following the khandroms in their flight of departure after creating the statue. To the left is the statue of Maitreya, and to the left, the Buddha Shakyamuni. Downstairs there is a suit of chain-mail armour made by Pema Lingpa, weighing about 50 pounds, and it is an auspicious (purifying all negative karma) to wear it while circumambulating around the sanctuary three times. It wasn’t an easy task, and very few of us had the opportunity, but I managed to bend over, get it on my hips, and and work it up to my shoulders. Preben, who wasn't aware of this exercise, saw me coming from around a dark corner, out of breath, and thus, exclaimed in disbelief, “Carol, what are you doing?” All I could whisper was, “can’t talk” but we later laughed at his reaction.

Kurjey Lhakhang temple is named after the jey (imprint) of his kur (body) that Guru Rinpoche left there in a cave, preserved inside the oldest of the three buildings on site in an upper floor sanctuary. (In other words, the building was constructed around the cave.) The room is spectacular. There are one thousand Guru Rinpoches: His Life and Times small statutes of Guru Rinpoche lined up against a wall, and three other statutes. The main statute is of Guru Rinpoche, flanked by his eight manifestations, 25 disciples and other figures. Kurjey Lhakhang is where Guru Rinpoche subdued the demons--a long but fascinating story. Just so you know--the imprints left by Guru Rinoche are for real. There is no way that they could have been imprinted in rock in any other way that was short of a miracle. In the courtyard we saw a very tall cypress tree that was said to originate from the walking stick of Guru Rinpoche. As Ngawayg Zangpo emphasizes in his book, Guru Rinpoche: His Life and Times, Guru Rinpoche was not an individual who followed a spiritual path until illumination. He was an enlightened being who appeared in different guises entirely as a manifestation to help others, including the guise of an individual who followed the spiritual path.

Steps—steps--steps and more steps. If you are going to see a monastery or Dzong, be prepared for a steep climb. They were strategically built in remote places. And then there are the stupas (chortens) and more stupas--receptacles for offerings--and my increased, unfolding understanding of the arduous work that goes into their creation, and thus, the profound energy that they create. There are several different types of stupas contrary to most people’s impression that they all look the same; however, one might notice three steps at the base of a stupa, representing the past, the present and the future. The square or rectangular base represents the earth. The hemisherical dome symbolises water. The conical or pyramidal spire symbolizes fire, and the 13 step-like segments on the spire symbolizes the 13 steps leading to Buddhahood. On top is a crescent moon and a sun, symbolizing air, and a vertical spike symbolizes ether or the sacred light of the Buddha.

I must say that it is quite the miracle that I did not get sick on this trip. That night at the Swiss Guest House, I was freezing to death. I slept with so many blankets piled on me that the weight of them was uncomfortable, and I was even wrapped in my full length fleece coat. I was shaking and trembling like you wouldn't believe (it was 0 degrees, I was told), and I finally pulled the covers over my head for the night. Then, in the morning I reached to pull back the drapes, and I discovered that the window above my bed had been wide open all night (who would have ever dreamed?) At 4:00 am I needed to take a shower and wash my hair in a shower room that was outside with no heat (fortunately, most of the hotels had wonderful accomodations). Marion offered to let me wear her blue silk kimono with a Dragon on it that she purchased in Viet Nam but my black full length fleece coat seemed much more functional. I smiled thinking that my oldest daughter has always told me that it looks like a bathrobe! Ironically, the next night Marion started a fire in the iron stove that was in our room but it soon became so steaming hot that we had to open the window--another example of the extreme temperatures we were experiencing. If this sounds like slap stick comedy I must say that parts of this trip have been a true test of endurance but it has all been with lots of laughter.

Traveling through Bhutan is so wonderful. The country is beautiful and has a true, authentic identity. It is typical to see red chili drying on the rooftops of houses, and a white flag posted on the roof means that the house has been blessed and obstacles have been removed for the year. I’m still having so much fun waving at happy, waving children on the road who seem to be sincerely welcoming us westerners. The people are beautiful, kind, warm and attentive. We once passed a man standing on the road who had a slight motorcycle accident; our bus driver stopped to make sure that he was okay, and I noticed that no one would pass without stopping to see if they could help in some way. On the contrary, in the United States, if you want assurance that you will be helped when your car breaks down and you are stranded, you purchase a membership from the American Automobile Association (AAA); however, when I blew my car's transmission in Amarillo, Texas it took AAA hours to arrive after I had watched hundreds of vehicles zoom by--westerners in a hurry, of course.

Day 13 - Paro, Bhutan

Paro has some of the most exquisite monasteries, including the monastery where the movie “The Little Buddha” was filmed (I have watched the video dozens of times). After seeing Para Taktsang, which literally appears to be hanging onto a cliff, some of us decided not to make the “Tiger’s Nest” climb because it is a two hour trek, and one needs to be in top physical condition in order to accomplish the climb. My previous skiing accidents, which included my option not to replace an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) imposes some limitations for me but overall, I am thrilled. I have also always been plagued with motion sickness and jet lag--so to be traveling on winding roads for extended periods of time and not be throwing up sick with no jet lag is truly miraculous. Therefore, I am counting my blessings.

Because I collect currency from other countries, getting the currency straight on this trip has been a little challenging because the Indian rupee and the Nepalese rupee are both called "rupee" but the currency is different. In Bhutan the currency is ngultrum, and the one ngultrum silver coin is absolutely exquisite; after examining it with a magnifying glass I have decided to put it in a magnifying glass paperweight. One side of the coin has a grid with the 8 auspicious signs and a mantra in the center, and the other side has written in a circumference Royal Governemnt of Bhutan (and date) with the banner and then the spoke of a wheel in the center, which represents turning the wheel of the dharma.

I must mention the birds of Bhutan because there are over 400 species of birds that are only found in Bhutan. Bhutan’s reverence for birds is even exhibited on the Royal Raven Crown of the Druk Gyalpo, where a raven's head symbolises the protective deity Mahakala. On the head of the raven are a sun and moon, together a symbol of longevity, steadfastness and enlightenment, and the Norbu, a sacred gem symbolising the fulfilment of right endeavor. The national bird is the Raven (interestingly, the Raven is one of my animal totems), and it was once a capital crime in Bhutan to kill one. They are known to nest in the walls of the monasteries and dzongs. Bhutan is an ecological paradise and some species exist that exist nowhere else, such as the snow leopard and the golden langur. The symbolism of animals intrigues me, and my favorites have to be the deer and the elephant. The elephant symbolizes peace and love because although they are the most powerful of animals, they will not kill another animal. In addition, Buddhists revere the elephant because when the Buddha Shakyamuni was born, his mother had a vision of a white elephant. A famous Bhutanese story that originated with the Bhudda Shakyamuni has to do with “the four friends” or companions--an elephant, rabbit, monkey (or ape) and peacock (or partridge). They are depicted in a painting seen throughout Bhutan, stacked on top of one another (I got an excellent picture at one of the monasteries). The story tells how the four friends worked, cooperatively, in the growing of a tree and thus, later enjoyed the fruit that it bore. The peacock planted the seed, the rabbit watered it, the monkey fertilized it and the elephant guarded it. When the fruit was ripe and the tree so high that they could not reach the top, the four animals made a tower by climbing on one another's backs.

The deer represents long life but also, there is great significance in the fact that the Buddha’s first teachings were at a deer park, and after a female and male deer appeared to him to receive teachings, deer became symbolic of his students. The deer mask is also worn for lama dancing. I must not forget to mention how eager I was to see a real, live yak. Yaks are endangered, have long black or black and white hair and live at an altitude of at least 10,000 feet. The first time I thought I saw one by the road while sitting on the bus, I just about jumped out of my seat, excitedly asking our driver, “Is that a yak?” He replied, “No—a cow.” Later, I asked, “Cow?” He replied, “Yak.” We had a few exchanges like that before I was confident in recognizing the difference between a cow and a yak—not to mention that my friends on the bus were amused by the dialogue.

Reiki? It is wonderful and refreshing to see Reiki books among books of Bhutan. Everyone in this part of the country, even in Kathmandu, seems to know about and appreciates Reiki! Some Westerners don't seem to understand that the transmission is given from teacher to student; isn't it so "western" to claim that transmissions are not necessary because we can do it ourselves? The next thing we'll hear about in the West is that lineage transmissions from great spiritual leaders are not necessary because we can do it without them. For more information about Reiki, see my website at www.carolwilson.org. I have to say that when people have asked me what I feel the biggest difference is between the east and the west, I have to say--respect. Between people having a true appreciation for Reiki here in the east and people asking me for English lessons (my first career in this life was teaching English to seventh, eighth and ninth grade students), I would be very, very busy if I lived in this part of the world!

Day 14 - From Paro, Bhutan to Phuentsholing, Bhutan

To the west of Paro, we visited Kyichu Lhakhang, a 2-temple complex surrounded by prayer wheels. One of the temples was one of the 108 temples built in 659 by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet to hold down the ogress whose body is so large that it covers Bhutan and most of eastern Tibet (here it is pinning down her left foot). The original building was rebuilt after a fire with a large statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni as the central figure. Additional buildings were constructed in 1839 by the penlop of Paro and the 25th Je Khenpo. A golden roof and a large statue of Chenrezig with 11 heads and 1000 hands was added at that time. In 1968 the queen mother, Ashi Kesang, sponsored the construction of a new temple that contains a 5 m-high statute of Guru Rinpoche and another of Tara, who represents one of the wives of King Songsten Gampo. There is also a statue of the iron bridge builder Thangtong Gyalpo, an important terton of the Nyingma lineage, depicted as a stocky shirtless figure with a beard, curly hair and a topknot. There is another of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, a revered Nuingma Buddhist master and the root lama for the Dalai Lama, who died in 1992. I have memories of deeply felt experiences here: after watching me meditate for nearly half an hour, a very old lama, who was also meditating in front of the exquisite statute of Guru Rinpoche, patted his hand on the carpet he was sitting on, inviting me to sit next to him in meditation. Another lama did a ceremonial MO divination for me. I cleared my hands with burning incense, meditated on a question, and rolled 3 dice on a tray he was holding for an 11, which was Guru Rinpoche’s number; he told me that the answer was as if Guru Rinpoche gave it to me himself. I also had a wonderful discussion about incense with two young monks.

We once again traveled through Thimphu to our final night stay in Bhutan at the exquisite Lhaiki Hotel in Phuentsholing, which even had elevator access to our hotel rooms. (The previous four nights, there were many steps that needed to be climbed to our rooms.) Upon arrival, we sat in a very large lobby area and enjoyed tea and cookies prior to a dinner downstairs with a wonderful birthday cake for Birte, one of the women from Copenhagen; it was her 55th birthday, and so special for her. After dinner we gathered in Maggy’s suite to listen to Maggy tell the life story of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche, which did not end until nearly 2:00 am. Fortunately, I taperecorded the story, which was so touching, and so revealing of Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche’s greatness. After his father’s death in Bhutan, when he was about 10 years of age, his mother, himself and his younger brother and sister, walked to Kathmandu (many, many days) in search of his uncle, Drupka Rinpoche Lama Sherab Dorje, who later became his teacher. Rinpoche carried his crying little sister the entire journey, and although he was cold and hungry, he never complained. In fact, Maggy never heard him complain or say anything negative about any one the entire time that she knew him, and gave examples of when it would have been justified. I have not been able to share all of Rinpoche's life story on this web log forum but hopefully, I have mentioned a few of the things that have portrayed what Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche represented. The way he lived was truly his teaching, and my heart goes out to Maggy who misses him so terribly that it is difficult at times for her to talk about him.

We realized that we needed to awaken by 5 am because we were scheduled to depart early for a long drive to Bhudapar. Although Maggy had purchased our plane tickets for an air departure from Paro, Bhutan to Kathmandu, believe it or not, our plane was sold. These kinds of unexpected things we do not see in the West; thus, nearly every day we received a lesson on “go with the flow without expectation and forget about adhering to a schedule.”

Day 15 - On The Roads of Bhutan

We made the all day drive back to the Bhadapur airport via jeeps to take the two small (21 passenger) Buddha Air airplanes, owned by Druk airlines, back to Kathmandu, Nepal. At the immigration departure point in Ranigunj, India, about 30 minutes from the airport, we knew we were pressed for time but we also had to enter immigration at Kakarwita, Nepal a couple of minutes down the road. Most of us had processed our information with the immigration officials; however, suddenly, Maggy came running outside yelling to us in the jeeps, “GO—GO—GO NOW. YOU HAVE TO GO NOW!!!” Our driver was being a little resistant, telling me about one piece of paper that had the names of all 7 jeeps on it; thus, as a result of that, we had to drive together; however, Maggy was insistent and again told him, “You have to go NOW.” The jeep was trapped in a line of other cars, and in trying to back out, he pinned a young kid between the jeep and another car (who managed to climb up and out, uninjured), and then once on the road, was driving about 90 miles an hour, honking the horn the entire time and swerving to miss cows, animals, people, bicycles and cars. He also abruptly stopped twice to ask for directions to the airport. I remember laughing and asking everyone, “Are we having fun yet?” The response I heard was, “disturbing emotions.”

Once we arrived at the airport, airport personnel were waiting for us, and several people were yelling, “Go here-go here” but pointing in sometimes opposite directions. It was mass chaos. Some boys started to weigh our bags but then realized there was no time so our luggage was being thrown into carts, untagged. Because we were receiving conflicting information, I became immobilized, not knowing what to do so Andre—one of the young men in our group—paid my airport tax, and I was handed a boarding pass and followed him to the plane that had its engine running. We took off and the other plane took off 10 minutes later. Maggy was still at immigration in Kakarwita with our passports and plane tickets so she had to return to Kathmandu the following day; however, the next day she saw that our experience was in the local newspaper: for the first time in Bhadpur airport history, a plane full of passengers departed with no plane tickets and no passports. Is that another miracle? I think so. I cannot tell you how much we laughed about all of that after it was all over. I’ve never seen anything like it---even in a movie. The plan is that when we arrive in Kathmandru, we will be meeting with and having dinner with Shangpa Rinpoche in his monastery in Kirtipur (just 20 minutes drive from Kathmandu), and we will receive from him some teachings and a Karma Pakshi initiation, which I received from His Holiness the 17th Karmapa several years ago.

Pilgrimage - Kathmandu, Nepal (Days 16 - 18)

2005-12-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

There is something about the charm of the Vajra Hotel that I simply love. Maggy finally arrived from being stranded in India while the rest of us did last minute shopping in Kathmandu. Jim Aplington was very helpful and introduced me to many of his friends who are merchants in Thamal. His art gallery, Lotus Art, became a home base for me as I learned to navigate around the streets of Thamel. Everywhere I went, I saw people from all over the world, and it was so much fun talking with them. Jim's good friend, Neel B. Thakura, owner of Rainbow Thangka Gallery, was delightful, and my friends from Bulgaria spent four hours looking at thangkas, purchasing over a dozen master quality thangkas. There is a Lama Dama who paints only two thangkas a year, and he does all of the work himself.

My task was to find a Medicine Buddha statue. Medicine Buddha has been one of my practices for several years now because of the healing work that I do. It is always amazing to hear stories of how physicians and other health care providers see miracles in their work after Medicine Buddha becomes their practice. Although I was thinking about one particular statute, I ended up purchasing one from the son of a Rinpoche from Tibet who made it---Tashi Tapi Lama. It is truly exquisite with unusual carvings on the back of a peacock, representing freedom; dragons, representing protection and elephants, representing love and peace. I should explain something about the use of statutes of Buddhas and tangka paintings of Buddhas for meditation purposes. It is not about looking at the form of the Buddha or worshiping it, but rather, capturing the aspect quality that it represents. To make an analogy, if you wanted to teach a child about honesty, rather than simply telling him to be honest, it would be helpful to put a picture of George Washington in his room because George Washington is a representation of honesty in the fact that he did not lie about chopping down the cherry tree. If you can see and feel that aspect quality in someone else, you can feel that quality within yourself—as if it becomes a mirror. Unlimited potential and joy already exist within us, referred to as our Buddha nature or nature of mind. I believe the Wizard of Oz had some insight into that fact when he said, “Oz never did give nothing to the tinman that the tinman didn’t already have.” Yes, it's already within you--waiting to be discovered. Again, it is not too effective to simply wish to develop compassion, but if you meditate on the face and image of one who emulates that quality, you feel it in the heart. For example, one manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig), depicts one thousand eyes and one thousand arms, seeing and reaching out to all the suffering of the world. Again, it is a method of practice—simple as that.

And what is so special about the historical Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni? I have a unique perspective that comes from being a psychologist. Although Carl Jung is a hero of mine, the Buddha accomplished more than any great psychologist who has ever lived. He not only discovered 84,000 different disturbing emotions but also discovered how to transform them; fortunately, he didn’t keep that discovery to himself but rather, shared it in 45 years of teaching others, beginning with the Four Noble Truths and thus, turning the wheel of the dharma (the truth about the way things are). Interesting, the latest edition of National Geographic (December 2005) has an insightful perspective on Buddhism's growth in the west, found at:

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0512/feature4/multimedia.html

It was at breakfast that morning that Birte informed me that Preben’s mother had just died in Denmark; thus, we shared some tears together. Preben was now trying to make arrangements to leave Kathmandu, which was very frustrating because there was no space available on the departing planes. Because I had purchased Tibetan singing bowls and a very old dorje and bell that were blessed by His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, I enjoyed getting people excited about singing bowls and sound healing at dinner that night. I was glad that Preben, whose laughter we had so often heard, could truly feel the healing vibration of the singing bowl I was playing because he actually wasn’t able to depart on a plane until the next day. I have heard Lama Ole talk about his mother’s death, and he reminded us not to grieve over the loss of our loved ones, but rather, “The best thing you can do for them is celebrate their life.” Preben’s mother insisted that he join this pilgrimage, which was the final, selfless gift that she gave to him and thus, to all of us.

I found myself wandering into stores in Thamal that sold music (sound) and books. I was thrilled to find Robert Dompnier’s book BHUTAN: KINGDOM OF THE DRAGON. I love the music in the east. After hanging out in the New Orleans Café for four hours in the morning in order to access their wireless Internet connectivity, I spend time in a CD shop listening to eastern music that was wonderfully meditative and healing. (By the way, I certainly learned the ins and outs of how to access the Internet during my travels, which was a necessity because I was teaching an online Educational Psychology class. Don’t plan on hotels having a working Internet, although most of the towns and airports have Internet cafes, and I now have a Boeing Internet account so I can have wireless connectivity during a flight.) People just do not realize what they are missing in the west when they listen to loud music, especially in restaurants when you have to literally shout in order to carry on a conversation with someone. We can be pro-active about noise pollution. When I lived in Virginia where smoking cigarettes was quite the norm, I often talked to restaurant owners and managers who had the smoking section in front of the restaurant, which also comprised ¾ of the restaurant; thus, in walking to the back of the restaurant to the non-smoking section, one would gag from smoke inhalation. Sometimes there wasn't even a table in the non-smoking section so non-smokers were forced to sit in the smoking section. I was the catalyst for some changes in Virginia, and my children will attest to this, although it did embarrass them at times. Every single one of us can make a difference in creating a healthy and healing environment for the benefit of everyone.

There was speculation about whether the funeral ceremonies for Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche were for westerners, and I heard that when some of us were at the monastery, it was asked who we were. The reply was, “Maggy brought them.” I can understand why it is important to them that we have an appreciation and a reverence for deeply held spiritual beliefs and traditions. I missed the lama dancing, however, because I needed to proceed to the airport for a very long flight from Kathmandu to Bangkok, Thailand to Incheon, Korea to Tokyo, Japan to Los Angeles and then to Salt Lake City.

Of course, I only mentioned some of the highlights of my pilgrimage but I wanted to share some of them with you. There is something about me having to share so it was amusing to me when an art gallery owner in Thamal, who happens to also be a palm reader, saw that very strikingly in my palm. In conclusion, I feel that I have been running on adrenalin with little sleep and arduous physical activity but this pilgrimage was the greatest experience of my life. I am certain that I will be processing it for quite some time and feeling the transformational effects from the many blessings that I received. Finally, I will be forever indebted to Maggy for organizing this journey and sharing Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche’s life with us. I left her a note at the hotel when I departed and told her that “the memories will always bring a smile to my face and laughter to my heart.”

Namaste, my dearest friends----

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends:

Once more the Universe has given us a lesson on impermanence--all extrinsic phenomenon is temporary and not lasting. At any moment, we can lose all of the "things" that we value, which places another lesson in front of our face: attachment. If we cling to that which is impermanent, not recognizing it for what it is, we will suffer, which is motivation for remembering the part of us that is permanent and indestructible--the part of us that is joy despite the sorrow that surrounds us.

We have all been impacted by the suffering in New Orleans because we cannot escape the collective consciousness. That suffering includes those who did not survive the hurricane. Today I received an email from my friend and renowned medium clairvoyant Walter MaKichen. He stated, "Because there has been no opportunity to have memorial or funeral services many spirits are simply wandering the disaster areas waiting for the acknowledgment of friends and family to help them to the next phase of their journey. I have been spending many hours working with the angelic realm to take these "lost" souls to a comfortable place where they can wait for their relatives and friends to formally mourn for them. If you would like to help comfort these souls simply touch your hand to your heart and ask for a blessing for all those who have passed away during this tragedy and then sound the OM. This will resonate your prayer to all who need it." Thank you, Walter, for the clarity of your work. I have touched my heart while sounding OM throughout the day and invite others to do so. Congratulations, also, on the publication of your book Spirit Babies (www.spiritbabies.com)--a gift to the world.

There has been a personal lesson-learned for me about "trust" in regard to the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. A few years ago, Tulane University in New Orleans invited me to interview for a faculty position in Maternal-Child Health. As I arrived at the airport, it started to rain, and from that rain there was almost instant flooding. The taxi-cab ride to the Radisson Hotel on Canal Street was actually frightening, and the gutter in front of the hotel was so flooded that I got completely soaked getting out of the cab. A gentleman's attempt to hold an umbrella over my head was a failed attempt because of the raging water in the street. As a result, I needed to change my clothes before my scheduled interviews, which was to no avail because the air conditioning had failed prior at my first scheduled interview (it was only 110 degrees). I always wondered why the Dean talked so candidly to me about the chronic health problems of New Orleans. To make a long story short, I did not become a faculty member at Tulane University in New Orleans, and at the time, I did not understand why. I saw a piece of the puzzle without understanding, rather than seeing the whole picture, which is what happens to all of us as events of our life unfold--much like a river that takes its course. Doors close. We do not understand why--sometimes even when the Universe is giving us a blatant message--although we are told that a door has to close in order for another door to open, or we are told that often a door closes for our Highest Good. Thus, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I finally saw the "full picture". Although I didn't understand it before, I understand now why I didn't move to New Orleans, and I am so grateful--because I would now be without a home, employment, or perhaps without my physical body.

However, along with my relief and gratitude is also tremendous compassion for those who are suffering as a result of Hurricane Katrina. One outcome of that suffering is range of negative emotions that are sweeping the nation, which includes anger, bitterness and a lot of finger-pointing. It is so important that we remember the law of the universe, which is karma. We reap what we plant. Thus, we need to constantly plant wishes, prayers, mantras, love, compassion, and positive energy. And, if you are a Reiki practitioner, send Reiki to New Orleans, the entire Gulf Coast, the Astrodome in Houston, and to this planet. (Wouldn't it be so wonderful if everyone had Reiki in their hands at a time when they have access to nothing else?) Let's focus on healing; each and every one of us can make a difference. What else can we do to help?

1. First, send cash. Don't send clothing or food; there is little

infrastructure in place to transport or distribute it.

2. Don't go to the area as a free-lance volunteer. If you are interested

in volunteering directly, offer your services to one of the

organizations listed below.

3. The Salvation Army is universally respected for its work during

hurricanes. They are accepting cash and volunteer services.

www.salvationarmy.org

1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)

4. The Red Cross, which made some mistakes during 9/11, seems to be doing

a good job now. Cash contributions to the Red Cross are immediately

turned into debit cards and given to hurricane victims to buy the