I have just completed the "Meeting Aesclepius" practice (Dacher, 2006). I have to admit, this one was a bit more difficult for me, and I think for only one reason. It might sound silly, but it is the same reason I had trouble with the Rainbow Meditation that I spoke of earlier. I have a hard time visualizing the "bright white light" emanating from myself or anyone else. I knew when the reader starting asking for this visualization, I could very easily just tune out from this practice, like I tended to do during the Rainbow Meditation. Instead, I acknowledged that I had a hard time with the "white light" and continued to focus on the meditation without that image. My mind did tend to wander a bit during this exercise, but I kept returning to the subtle-mind practice of witnessing the thoughts, but not clinging to them.
I fully agree with the statement "One cannot lead another where one has not gone him or herself" (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005). It is true that if you have a map and description of a place, you could give directions to someone on where to go on a journey, but you could not experience the actual place without being there. Having the experience of having been somewhere, then giving directions as to how to get to a place will have much more impact, as the person you are giving directions to can fully rely on your directions. You have experienced the subtleties of the journey and can give a more accurate picture of the destination or even the journey to the destination.
In the same way, the health and wellness practitioner can guide and lead a patient to a higher level of consciousness, having experienced the journey themselves. Everyone has a different experience, but by having gained the experience of working toward integral health, the practitioner lends credibility to helping others work toward achieving the same thing.
Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health, the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
Schlitz, M, Amorok, T. and Micozzi, M.S. (2005). Consciousness and healing. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.
Cheri,
ReplyDeleteI think that even though you had trouble with the practice and visualization aspect, it said a lot about your commitment when you knew it was going to be tough but stuck with it. As a practitioner I agree that you cannot tell someone how to do something as involved as this is without having a past experience with it.
I agree with your statement when discussing the credibility of those who have experienced something and lent advice, rather than those who haven't had any experience and still find themselves attempting to teach and lead down a certain path. If you yourself do not know from personal experience the way a road will lead, then how can you provide details to help others avoid unneccesary pitfalls and obstacles.
ReplyDeleteI also have an issue with the bright white light a little. It is hard for me to meditate while listening to these particular CDs. I find that my mind is wandering off to another place and I have to force myself to focus. So I went back to my old hypnobirthing CDs. they are not all about giving birth and some are just about staying calm and relaxed. These I tend to just lay on the couch and fall immediately into a deep meditation and relaxation. Maybe meditation could be easy if you found the right meditation CD for you. Not everyone likes the same things and maybe other CDs you would find would be perfect for you.
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