In energy work, there’s a theory that every individual is a unique ‘face’ of the Whole. It’s a lot like being a piece of the hologram, or living the Blanket Truth (for those of you who love movies as much as I do). It’s not an uncommon theory; you can find parallels in fields ranging from physics to Buddhism. From this perspective, you’re considered already fundamentally healed, as you are considered fundamentally whole. But healing, in the moment, might look like the uncovering of this truth, the knowing of this truth. For a lot of people, this begs the question, “If we’re whole and already perfect, why wouldn’t we know we are whole and already perfect? Isn’t that an oxymoron?”
Yes, and no. How do we know anything in this life? If you took away your senses – if you couldn’t touch, see, hear, taste, or smell – what would you know about the world and its ways, its inhabitants? Not much at all! I might dare say all our thoughts are built from what we have experienced; they are the composite reaction/response to our conditioning. We think about what we like, dislike, want to do, want to avoid, choose to define and to communicate. But if we had no sense of an other, or of our receiving or of an other’s receiving, all these thoughts would be void. Pretty intense and awesome stuff!
We need a certain degree of objectivity – both for ourselves and as a gift for others to allow each to know the world and one’s self through our reactions and responses to this world experience. (I really like how Walsch describes this process.) The only way we can arrive at this very crucial step in the process is to (partially) split from the whole. Hence, we become as individuals a piece of the hologram, a finger under the blanket, a born seeming-separate self. So, yes – it does seem an oxymoron to be perfect and to not readily know it; but it makes sense if you had to step out of being to step into reflexive seeing, that it would take some mind-wrapping-around-the-weirdness to realize, “Oh, yes! I am unique, and I am the same as everything else I see, I know, I hear, I taste, I feel, I smell.” This is the healing – it’s the perhaps slow at times but methodical learning that we can be and are both.
I call this, “unpacking.” We have the opportunity in this life to unpack all the false beliefs we adopted over time about who we ‘really’ are, based on what we’ve experienced. And it’s not just (a) assumptions and interpretations that comprise ‘who we are’ based on how we’ve performed and been with ourselves and others (i.e. “No one praised my…; so, clearly, I am not good enough to deserve…), but (b) a slow fixing of who we are in what we believe we’re capable of, based on where we’ve been and what we’ve done (i.e. “Over and over again I am not praised for my…; I’ll never deserve…”). It’s a subtle difference – but I’m talking about (a) knowing you deserve the very best in life, and (b) being willing to accept something ever greater than you had ever imagined for yourself.
How to unpack, then? With help, with greater objectivity. With patience. With kindness. With diligent mindfulness. It’s for this reason, I often think about the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and I think, “Yea, it also takes a village to unpack that grown child’s baggage.” (Ha!!!) Seriously, though, it does! That’s what I love about holistic health – there are so many different angles from which we can approach the body-mind-spirit. Even within bodywork alone, there are seriously countless varied modalities. The more we can learn about what help is available, and how best to support ourselves, the more we’re able to bring that greater objectivity to our life, and to invite even greater possibility into our vision of how we see our life able to unfold. This is the juice! This is the good stuff!
Not sure where to begin learning about holistic health care practices? Come join us tomorrow, 04/20/13, at Ballard’s Umqua Bank for a Holistic Health Fair from 11a-2p, featuring educational pieces, discounts and demos from local Ballard practitioners:
I look forward to exchanging ideas with you and to answering any of your questions you might have about how Reiki energy work might support you in your process of unpacking, and in knowing your true Self!
Welcome to the Reiki blog of Melissa Dana, Reiki Master/Teacher and East Asian Medicine Practitioner (aka acupuncturist), founder and owner of Black Pine Holistic Healing here in Seattle, WA. Since 2007, I’ve made it my mission to help those seeking self-awareness, acceptance and ease. Over the years I have fielded many questions as about the nature of energy work, the Reiki ‘difference,’ and role of self in healing. May my services as Reiki practitioner and teacher serve as a guide for those of you still seeking answers and guidance along your path. To learn more about me, my background and services, visit BlackPineHealing.com.
Black Pine Holistic Healing 