Mining the Power of the Mind

I've been experimenting lately with the power of my mind to affect my body and the world of perceived matter around me. It starts with the breath of course-and a quiet space. You can be sitting or lying down. I don't believe it matters. However, sitting up induces lucid dreaming as opposed to lying down which induces...sleep. Sleep is great. But then you go full blown into unconscious dream state and...that's another issue.

Your mind is what perceives space, and a sense of time, and of course yourself IN IT. Because we perceive ourselves in space and time, we BELIEVE ourselves to be in space and time. But I've been working with Mayan symbols of late. The Mayan symbols purport to induce time travel-which happens in your mind. You can use any system of symbols you are personally drawn to; religious, pagan, Mayan, mathmatical, natural, etc. There are thousands of symbols to study and use. Open up the possibilities. The wonder of symbols is that they are silent and mysterious. Human beings LOVE symbols. So use them.

If you stare at it long enough-worlds open up. What happened to me is that poetry started writing itself in my mind. Then of course-I had to stop and write it down in my journal. I have a penchant from writing anyway, as does my mother. So it came naturally to me. The poem wrote itself. It was amazing. This is not something I had ever done. What I did different this time, as opposed to other meditations is I "dropped back" as I closed my eyes. Close your eyes and imagine/feel your brain or the back of your eyes dropping back and relaxing in your head. It is a physical sensation, but somehow, it opens up a perception that "allows" information in, if you are willing to listen. Now, the key here is, you must not judge what comes into your view when you open your eyes again and look at the symbol. You must have faith that you are held solidly, as the person that you are and in that grounding, you can stretch and grow. You are held safely by the Earth and by your Higher Power so that when you drop back in your mind, you will not fall or fail to return.

It is the mind that heals the body. Specifically, your mind, in your body. We are all resonators and teachers for one another in the vast pool of life. However, it is vital that to heal illness, you become very intimate with your own mind, your own perceptions about your body and why your life has progressed as it has over time. You may just be given the source of your healing in the meditation; a person, a place, a food or herb, a feeling, a color, a vocation, etc.

Anyway-it's loads of fun. There are fine adventures in the world around us. But there are just as many in our minds. It's an adventure you don't have to leave your house for-and it's free.

Sustainable Healing

My former teacher at Aquinas College, Deb Steketee, PhD wrote a good article in the latest AQ magazine. You can find it at the link on the right of this blog. Then turn to page 8 of the document. The title is "More Than a Color" and talks about the "greening" of the AQ campus. In the article, she notes that she has the support of President Balog in this effort. Deb says, "It's a movement galvanizing around the idea that we should remake our world-living a faith that works to assure ecological integrity, healthy communities and long-term financial prosperity for all." Deb speaks and teaches at the macrocosmic level, but she also realizes that this movement takes one individual at a time (the microcosmic level) to really change our world. In our text, sustainability is defined as a process that can be continued indefinitely; the practical goal toward which our interactions with the natural world should be working.

As soon as I heard the word "sustainability" at Aquinas, I was immediately struck by the analogous bridge it evoked linking our individual mind and body. Our current health care debate is causing all of us to come to terms with the question, "How might I sustain my health?Your body is a unique little world unto itself. One of the main problems with allopathic healthcare is that they treat each person like "one size fits all". That is not sustainable healthcare. Your body is a unique ecosystem, just as the Earth has unique ecosystems with different needs. "The question to ask yourself is, "Does the so-called healthcare of the current system really provide me with the treatment and the information that I need to be healthier and happier or...the opposite?" How do you take responsibility for yourself based on certain information?

The values we hold with regard to sustaining the health of our mind and body is one with the values we hold regarding how we interact with life on Earth. If a new healthcare system doesn't allow for individual choice based on your values and unique body needs, I would not support it. Many employers provide the option for a health flex plan as an alternative to the unsustainable cost of a standard healthcare policy. Every single disease is treatable with natural medicine; food, herbs, manual therapy, massage, cupping, acupuncture, and Reiki. These are sustainable treatment methods. In fact, they are as old as the human race. In addition, studies have shown that a sustainable mental attitude in life is one of relaxation, honest flow of feelings in balance with action, and meditation or prayer whereby you ask and receive guidance to make choices with your life.

The Name of the Earth's body is Gaia. Gaia, just like (your name here), is in need of sustainable balance. We are all in need of balance. In the article, Deb sites "faith" which connotes "values". Our bodies are one with Gaia because we wouldn't exist without her gifts. So the values we hold with regard to our health and health care is one and the same with our actions in our environment. The way we set up our houses, our use of energy, our actions in the community, our willingness to educate ourselves about the dynamics of our species with the environment, etc. all need to be sustainable and virtuous. We hold the belief that through our thoughts, choices, actions, and prayers, we can heal ourselves. At the same time, we are healing Gaia. As we sustain ourselves, we sustain the Earth.