HEALING
“The world we are living in needs healing — the healing qualities of positivity, silence, relaxation, care, compassion and cooperation. We hear daily reports in the news of people in pain, hunger and poverty, of killings, sickness and death. When negativity and greed tip the balance, the world becomes an unhealthy place to live, lacking the physical and spiritual resources to care for people. We often feel helpless and separate from the rest of humanity. But remember that we are not separate beings. We can cultivate our emotions, use our intuition and forgive. We need to consciously access the will to bring healing forces into the world in which we live and into ourselves”. (Swami Radhananda: forward to the yoga of healing Timless Books, 2016)
As with probably every literate person in the western world, I have been deeply disturbed and saddened by the news coming out of the Middle East. Much as I prefer a “head in the sand” approach, (what with all this Hawaiian sand to be had), I know that that is not a viable response to what is happening globally, and — most especially — locally. So I look to the yoga of healing authored by my teacher, Swami Sivananda Radha, for more constructive ideas:
“The power in healing is that even though we are in a painful situation, we don’t flinch. We incorporate, we embrace. As we live through these experiences we note the pain, our reactions and our resolve to be clear, to learn and do our best in the situation. Whatever we can do to heal keeps the learning positive and supportive. In doing so, we will gain a sense of victory and an understanding of what life is really about”.
An understanding of what life is really about is my motivation for blogging and, in general, for leading an examined life. The practices offered in the yoga of healing provide a structure upon which to build such a life, one that combines action and reflection with a view, as Gandhi would say, to being the change I wish to see in the world today.
Self-observation is perhaps the cornerstone to building what Swami Radha calls one’s cathedral of consciousness. As with any sacred refuge, one does not want the surrounding gardens to be choked with weeds and debris. But that is often what figuratively blocks our access to inner, healing energies. If I am to recruit my own healing energies, I am challenged to confront the inner filters and distortions that overshadow my powers of observation, my ability to see what is actually happening, and then address whatever seeds of negativity I may have sown in the world. Swami Radha would call that clearing karma.
In order to clear karma I keep a daily journal to track my footprints and review where I have succeeded, where I have erred, and candidly assess what to keep, what to change, and with what to do away.
Swami Radha advises:
“Record the events of the day — what has happened, what has not happened, but also what you had wanted to happen. What are the actions [including watching/reading too much news] that have led to becoming upset or emotional? Can you recognize the roots and cut them off, thereby changing your attitude and allowing for new insights and a new approach? Such a discipline will develop in you an ability to concentrate and to renounce the intruding forces of self-importance and all the other ego manifestations that divide giving and receiving, birth and death, light and dark.”
The above is very à propós my efforts to improve our kitchen/dining/living hale — aka the heart and soul of our cottage —while having to contend with those invasive palm roots. They were exposed at a time when I had other more subtle (but equally invasive) issues to deal with in my personal life. I had to dig deep enough to see how unconscious thoughts and mechanical habits, plus the ever-baneful power of self-suggestion were conspiring to threaten my relationships and weaken mind and body. In so doing, I unearthed a powerful source of energy and inspiration to, among other things, share the tools and teachings that have helped me navigate my earthly journey.
I cannot concur more strongly with Swami Radha, or encourage you more sincerely, to make your inner garden the place you begin to respond to the world’s problems. It is a landscape rich with possibilities for expanding your awareness and increasing the effectiveness of whatever your endeavors. As Radhananda writes:
“We need to consciously access the will to bring healing forces into the world in which we live and into ourselves.”
Consistent self observation, in the context of a spiritual study and practice, is a highly effective route to doing just that: becoming the leaders and healers we all have the potential to be.
Now back to unpacking. Chop wood, carry boxes.