Early in
2007 while at Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, CA for a weekend, I was drawn
to yet another of the amenities that Harbin offers in addition to its
waters: An intimate movie screening room
with large pillows for seating. The
title of one of the films being shown that evening caught my eye: A 30-minute film entitled “Healing the Light
Body.” I was intrigued.
The simple
film featured a very engaging and eloquent description by Alberto Villoldo, Ph.
D., of what is referred to as the “light body” or energy body that surrounds
the human body and the seminal role it plays with regard to trauma, illness,
and disease. Moreover, the discussion of
the light body and the chakra system also encompassed an introduction to
shamanism, the world which mediates between the spirit realm and the
physical. I was not only completely
fascinated by what I saw and heard, but the message of the movie hit my gut
with such cognitive resonance, that I knew in that moment my life would turn in
a different direction.
I know that
there are millions of people before me in this world who have long known of the
energy body and the shamanic world. But
this was my “a-ha” moment. Apparently
this student was ready when this teaching appeared.
The ending
credits of the movie featured information about books by Alberto Villoldo, as
well as information about The Four Winds Society. Days later I purchased Villoldo’s book
“Shaman, Healer, Sage,” a fascinating and engaging account of Villoldo’s
travels and training with the Inka shamans in the ways of energy medicine and
techniques for healing with spirit and light.
There are
many gateways and paths into the world of energy medicine. Villoldo’s film and book just happened to be
mine.
Finishing my
read of “Shaman, Healer, Sage” only stoked my curiosity and resolve to learn
more and to be the beneficiary of such healing.
I found a Four Winds practitioner of “Healing the Light Body” work in
Sebastopol, CA and attended several sessions with him. It was just the beginning of my healing
journey along the path of energy medicine.
In November
2007, I attended my first of what would be six weeklong workshops with the Four
Winds Society over the next two years.
“Healing the Light Body” work engaged me in rituals, initiations, and
healing techniques with a community of interesting and amazing people, all with
their own life stories and aspirations for healing and being of service to
others.
I found the
Four Winds processes transformative.
They catalyzed my release from oppressive paradigms and limiting belief
systems that I held in my mind and my body, but that were not of my own
choosing. My Four Winds experience was a
convergence of energy, quantum reality, and spirit, held in the sacred vessel
of Inka shamanism. It was also a
springboard to further exploration of and inquiry into a vast array of
energetic healing modalities, as well as the beauty and power of indigenous
cultures which are more directly connected to spirit and nature without the
mediation of “religion” and its attendant human obstruction and
distortion. I now move through this
world with a vastly greater consciousness of my free will and a deeper
awareness of the power and consequence of my choices. Moreover, I embrace my connection to the
natural world – the world of animals, plants, and the cosmos – in unprecedented
fashion.
This
journey, while empowering and expansive, has also been challenging. Relationships have changed, and sometimes
ended. Yet new relationships have also
begun and been made possible through this work.
When I feel negative emotions, they are now a call to look inward, as
opposed to laying blame with someone or something else.
One of the
most significant realizations I have come to is that in the West, when it comes
to energetic health, there exists an untold reality of what I term “deferred
maintenance.” While some would argue in
support of the redemptive value of religion, I have come to my own perception
that the paradigm of duality (the basis of most religion, if not all) is
fundamentally disempowering; suppressing and aborting the widespread practice of effective
energetic healing modalities for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years in Western/Judeo-Christian
culture. The level of energetic
toxicity, blockage, and imbalance has reached untenable heights, as reflected
in our bodies and in our world.
Thankfully,
this tide is now turning. Particularly
over the past 30 years and crescendoeing now, the West is embracing the
treasures of indigenous and mystic wisdom that had previously been kept hidden
and almost destroyed.
These are
big statements, I know. But hey, this is
my blog. And welcome to it.
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