“Cyndi Dale starts where other chakra books leave off . . . ” —Catalyst Magazine
Originally published in 1996 as New Chakra Healing, Cyndi Dale’s groundbreaking book offered crucial new information about the human energy system for individuals and healers alike. It introduced readers to the thirty-two energy centers of the human body and was the first to explain how to work with the energy of the back side of the chakras. The success of New Chakra Healing established Cyndi Dale’s career as an energy healer and intuitive. It went on to become a bestseller translated into fifteen languages around the world. Thoroughly revised and updated, this classic book is now The Complete Book of Chakra Healing. Now an even more vital resource for every library, it offers substantial new health information that wasn’t available upon first publication. It promises to be the most comprehensive and helpful resource for working with the human energy system.
• Up-to-date scientific research validating the subtle energy system and how it creates the physical world
• Fresh understanding of the connections between physical, emotional, and spiritual health as proven through quantum physics, esoteric texts, and Dale’s experience as a healer
• Numerous illustrations depicting previously unseen energetic disease patterns
• Further detailed evidence on the powerful healing potential of the chakras
• Depiction of the negative influences causing problems and disease, such as cords, binding, and curses, as well as ways to deal with them
• Explanations of the meridians and two dozen energy bodies
The Complete
Book of
Chakra Healing
Sasha Zukanoff
About the Author Cyndi Dale is recognized internationally as an authority on subtle energy anatomy. She is the author of several books on energy healing, including the original and revised New Chakra Healing, which has been published in more than ten languages, and six other best-selling books on the topic, including Advanced Chakra Healing, Illuminating the Afterlife, and The Subtle Body. Through her company, Essential Energy, she provides intuitive assessments and life-issues healing for thousands of clients a year, seeking always to uplift and inspire others to their true purpose and personalities. Her enthusiasm and care ignite all who attend her workshops, training sessions, and college classes, which are offered around the world. Cyndi has created several CD trainings, including Advanced Chakra Wisdom, Illuminating the Afterlife, Energetic Clearing: Healing Energetic Wounds, Releasing Negative Influences, and Creating Healthy Boundaries and Healing Across Space and Time: Guided Journeys to Your Past, Present, and Parallel Lives, produced by Sounds True; and Healing Across Time, coproduced by Sounds True and One Spirit. She has also produced her own training DVDs, including the Song Bird series. Cyndi has studied cross-cultural healing and energy systems and has led instructional classes in many countries, including Peru, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Japan, Belize, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, and across Europe, as well as among the Lakota and the Hawaiian kahunas. She currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her two sons and five pets (at last count). More information about Cyndi’s classes and products is available at www.cyndidale.com.
The Classic Guide Revised & Expanded
The Complete
Book of
Chakra Healing Activate the Transformative Power of Your Energy Centers
CYN D I DA L E Llewellyn Publications Woodbury, Minnesota
The Complete Book of Chakra Healing: Activate the Transformative Power of Your Energy Centers © 1996, 2009 by Cyndi Dale. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Second Edition First Printing, 2009 The first edition was published in 1996 and reprinted fourteen times. Cover design by Ellen Dahl Figurative base art by Wendy Froshay; additional modifications by Llewellyn Art Department Llewellyn is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dale, Cyndi. The complete book of chakra healing : activate the transformative power of your energy centers / Cyndi Dale. — 2nd ed. p. cm. Rev. ed. of: New chakra healing. 1996. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-7387-1502-5 1. Mental healing. 2. Chakras. I. Dale, Cyndi. New chakra healing. II. Title. RZ401.D28 2009 615.8'51—dc22
2009014043
Llewellyn Worldwide does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public. All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number. Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources. Llewellyn Publications A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive, Dept. 978-0-7387-1502-5 Woodbury, Minnesota 55125-2989, USA www.llewellyn.com Printed in the United States of America
Other Books by cyndi dale New Chakra Healing, Llewellyn Worldwide Advanced Chakra Healing, Crossings Press Advanced Chakra Healing: Cancer, Crossings Press Advanced Chakra Healing: Heart Disease, Crossings Press Attracting Prosperity Through the Chakras, Crossings Press Attracting Your Perfect Body Through the Chakras, Crossings Press Illuminating the Afterlife, Your Soul’s Journey Through the Worlds Beyond, Sounds True The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy, Sounds True The Littlest Christmas Star, Essential Energy CD Programs Advanced Chakra Wisdom, Sounds True Illuminating the Afterlife, Sounds True Healing Across Space and Time: Guided Journeys to Your Past, Future, and Parallel Lives, Sounds True Healing Across Time, Sounds True and One Spirit Energetic Clearing: Healing Energetic Wounds, Releasing Negative Influences, and Creating Healthy Boundaries, Sounds True The Littlest Christmas Star, Essential Energy DVD Programs The Song Bird Sessions Attracting Prosperity Healing Cancer: It’s Possible
Forthcoming Everyday Clairvoyant: Extraordinary Answers to Love, Destiny and Balance in Your Life (coming in March 2010 from Llewellyn)
To my father, whose death taught me about life, and to my son Michael, whose life taught me about love. A special thank you to the now grown-up Michael, who loaned his skills to help me with revisions. My father would be pleased at the adult he has become. And there are two more important thank you’s. One, to Anthony J. W. Benson, business manager and friend extraordinaire, whom I first met through Llewellyn. The second is to Gabriel, my second son, whose sunny nature lights my heart.
Contents
List of Illustrations . . . xiii
Introduction Energy Advancements: New Dreams for Humanity . . . xvii
Chapter One The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System . . . 1
Chapter Two You As Infinity: Your Twelve Chakras . . . 35
Chapter Three Your Twenty Spiritual Energy Centers . . . 91
Chapter Four The Developing Self . . . 113
Chapter Five From Front to Back: Working with Your In-Body Centers . . . 153
Contents
Chapter Six The You Around You: Your Energy Field . . . 175
Chapter Seven In Your Field: More of What’s Around You . . . 221
Chapter Eight Getting into the Flow: Rays of Energy . . . 231
Chapter Nine The Guardian Principles . . . 243
Chapter Ten The Spirit’s Design . . . 253
Chapter Eleven Of Spirits and Healing: Cords and Other Energetic Bindings . . . 279
Chapter Twelve Working with the Body: The Key Points . . . 287
Chapter Thirteen Energy Channels . . . 309
Chapter Fourteen Understanding Emotions . . . 313
Contents
Chapter Fifteen Freeing Your Emotions . . . 339
Chapter Sixteen Being Your Divine Source Self: Living As an Everyday Shaman . . . 357
Chapter Seventeen The Complete Chakra Healer’s View of Disease Patterns . . . 367 Bibliography . . . 409 Index . . . 415
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Illustrations
Figure 1.1: William Tiller’s Layers of Reality . . . 7 Figure 2.1: The Twelve-Chakra System . . . 36 Figure 2.2: The Seven In-Body Chakras . . . 39 Figure 2.3: Structure of a Chakra . . . 45 Figure 2.4: Communication in the Chakras . . . 47 Figure 2.5: The First Chakra . . . 51 Figure 2.6: The Second Chakra . . . 53 Figure 2.7: The Third Chakra . . . 56 Figure 2.8: The Fourth Chakra . . . 59 Figure 2.9: The Fifth Chakra . . . 61 Figure 2.10: The Sixth Chakra . . . 64 Figure 2.11: The Seventh Chakra . . . 67 Figure 2.12: The Eighth Chakra . . . 73 Figure 2.13: The Ninth Chakra . . . 75 Figure 2.14: The Tenth Chakra . . . 79 Figure 2.15: The Eleventh Chakra . . . 82 Figure 2.16: The Twelfth Chakra, Points 1–14 and 25–32 . . . 85 Figure 2.17: The Twelfth Chakra, Points 15–24 . . . 86
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Figure 3.1: Your Twenty Spiritual Energy Points . . . 94 Figure 3.2: Three Forms of Kundalini . . . 102 Figure 4.1: Stronghold Programming . . . 123 Figure 5.1: Detecting the Chakras with a Pendulum . . . 173 Figure 6.1: The Layers of the Aura . . . 177 Figure 6.2: Aura of a Person Suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome . . . 179 Figure 6.3: The First, Second, and Integrative Auric Layers . . . 183 Figure 6.4: The Third Auric Layer . . . 189 Figure 6.5: The Fourth Auric Layer . . . 193 Figure 6.6: The Fifth Auric Layer . . . 195 Figure 6.7: The Sixth Auric Layer . . . 198 Figure 6.8: The Seventh Auric Layer . . . 202 Figure 7.1: The Electromagnetic Field (EMF) and the Chakras . . . 223 Figure 7.2: One Light Body . . . 228 Figure 7.3: The Energy Egg . . . 230 Figure 10.1: Most Soul/Mind/Body Connections . . . 257 Figure 10.2: Intermediate Healing Stage Involving Expression of Essence . . . 257 Figure 10.3: Advanced Healing Stage . . . 257 Figure 12.1: The Thirty-Two Chakras and the Spine . . . 288 Figure 12.2: The Coccygeal and Sacral Vertebrae and Their Chakric Connections . . . 291 Figure 12.3: The Lumbar Vertebrae and Their Chakric Connections . . . 297 Figure 12.4: The Thoracic (Dorsal) Vertebrae and Their Chakric Connections . . . 299 Figure 12.5: The Cervical Vertebrae and Their Chakric Connections . . . 302
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Figure 16.1, 16.2, and 16.3: Descriptions of the Self . . . 363 Figure 17.1: Energetic Indications of AIDS . . . 368 Figure 17.2: Energetic Indications of Allergies . . . 370 Figure 17.3: Energetic Indications of Addictions . . . 374 Figure 17.4: Energetic Indications of Sugar Addiction . . . 375 Figure 17.5: Energetic Indications of Anxiety . . . 377 Figure 17.6: Energetic Indications of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis . . . 379 Figure 17.7: Energetic Indications of Asthma . . . 381 Figure 17.8: Energetic Indications of Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Attachment Disorders . . . 383 Figure 17.9: Energetic Indications of Breast Cancer . . . 385 Figure 17.10: Energetic Indications of Prostate Cancer . . . 386 Figure 17.11: Energetic Indications of Depression . . . 388 Figure 17.12: Energetic Indications of a Headache . . . 391 Figure 17.13: Energetic Indications of Heart Disease . . . 392 Figure 17.14: Energetic Indications of Irritable Bowel Syndrome . . . 395 Figure 17.15: Energetic Indications of Microbes—Bacteria . . . 397 Figure 17.16: Energetic Indications of Microbes—Fungus . . . 399 Figure 17.17: Energetic Indications of Microbes—Parasites . . . 401 Figure 17.18: Energetic Indications of Microbes—Virus . . . 403 Figure 17.19: Energetic Indications of Pain . . . 405 Figure 17.20: Energetic Indications of a Phobia . . . 407
Introduction
Energy Advancements: New Dreams for Humanity More than a decade ago, New Chakra Healing was first published. I remember how proud I was. The cover gleamed, the pages were fresh and crisp, and the illustrations were bright and colorful. More importantly, the content promised to help readers fulfill life’s dearest needs, including good health, great relationships, purposeful work, and spiritual connectivity. Since that time, New Chakra Healing has been published in nearly a dozen languages and has been reprinted fourteen times. It has been considered an authority on the chakras, subtle energy bodies that underlie the human body. It has broken new ground, integrating cross-cultural healing disciplines, scientific analysis, and energetic principles. And it has helped thousands of people around the world fulfill the dreams most important to them. I couldn’t possibly list the comments I’ve received, nor express my gratitude for being able to help people realize the beauty and power of the energetic world underneath this one. A few individuals, though, stand out in my memories. There’s the mother who lived in poverty in Estonia, who used the principles of this book to start a business and provide food and education for her five children. There’s a medical doctor in Russia who started doing hands-on healing, applying the energetic knowledge in this book. People line up outside his door for his unique contributions. There’s the father of three whose back is now aligned, and he can return to work after being unemployed for four years. And there are the thousands of other important people who can now embrace their own ability to heal. xvii
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For all that’s been accomplished by this book and others that open people to their hearts and true selves, there is more to be done, for the world needs more. As the author of New Chakra Healing, I want to respond. This book, a revised, updated version of New Chakra Healing, is my response. If you’ve worked with the first New Chakra Healing, you’ll open these pages and still find a familiar friend. The difference between this version and the first is that this one is designed to meet the golden challenges of a new era. Like its parent, this Complete Chakra is still a revolutionary path to healing and manifesting. It continues to present the leading-edge twelve-chakra system and outlines the corresponding twelve auric bands. It covers the twenty spiritual points—energies that help us access higher and powerful wisdom. It continues to impart a plethora of cross-cultural and scientific information and wisdom, concepts that reveal the energetic nature of you—you as your own universe and you as a wise, spiritual being. This Complete Chakra Healing, however, is more than a dressed-up version of the original, differing from its progenitor in four main ways. Journey through these pages and first you will notice rich and rigorous references to cutting-edge contemporary science, physics, and research. Fifteen years ago, when I was first researching New Chakra Healing, the scientific evidence was sparse. Pioneers were beginning to shatter the Newtonian concepts that kept the world locked into “safe thinking,” but most mainstream people were more comfortable biting into Newton’s apple than reaching for the stars. A considerable and ever-increasing mound of scientific material is now suggesting that chakras, auric fields, and other energetic structures are real. Second, you’ll discover a diverse array of client stories and examples, carefully chosen to relate to contemporary concerns. Generation to generation, certain life issues remain the same, but time marches on. Since writing New Chakra Healing, I have provided oneon-one consulting to approximately 20,000 more individual clients, in addition to serving the thousands who have attended my seminars worldwide. Along the way, I have observed variations in people’s interests. Collectively, we’re asking different questions than we did a couple of decades ago; the world is, quite simply, more complex, and so are our “quests.” Third, you’ll be gifted with a lot of new information, ranging from descriptions of important energy bodies and fields to new healing techniques. Structurally, I’ve included a dozen new sections, several new chapters, an index, expanded explanations of concepts
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such as kundalini, and illustrations describing the energetic signature of several diseases. I’ve also outlined various energetic levels of reality, such as Dr. William Tiller’s domains, which describe our connections with other realms, and the four zones, which are areas to check when diagnosing healing issues. The world has been exponentially expanding in knowledge. I’ve culled the most effective healing information and techniques from my new healing tool kit to share with the “new” Complete Book of Chakra Healing. Finally, this version of New Chakra Healing is based on a distinct philosophical perspective. The original New Chakra Healing was aimed at meeting the needs of the individual. The theme was that you couldn’t give love—or achieve higher purpose—unless you first heal yourself. You cannot surrender yourself to your purpose unless there is a self to surrender. In comparison, the overall objective of this revision of New Chakra Healing, The Complete Book of Chakra Healing, is to call forth a higher world order. It’s time to work for a global, if not a universal, dream, rather than for individual goals alone. We’ve only to acknowledge the increased discord in the world, to notice the heartbreaking, hopeless eyes of starving children, and to measure the increased rates of heart disease and cancer to understand that we are a people in need. If we’re to survive—and better yet, thrive— humanity must begin to function as a people, as a tribe that is unified and whole rather than divided and distinct. While we’ve made gains personally, we must now expand our thinking and hearts to make strides collectively. We must establish and pursue a new dream for humanity. Everything—and everyone—is made of energy. The subtle energy structures, including the chakras and the auric fields, underlie all of physical reality, actually forming the structure of this so-called “reality.” Books like Complete Book of Chakra Healing teach this concept, but also empower individuals and groups to employ energy toward higher goals. Why not take the ideas in this book and learn how to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” the greatest commandment we can pursue? Why not access the energy of the chakras and spiritual points to create more heaven on earth? Why not apply the knowledge of subtle energies to invite Spirit into the world? Toward this end, this version of New Chakra Healing offers specific ideas on serving the world in a peaceful way. Some of the information in the original New Chakra Healing invited metaphysical thinking toward new horizons. It was the first book to present a twelve-chakra system, in contrast to the accepted Western seven-chakra model. It linked the chakras and spiritual points with in-body vertebrae and introduced other novel ideas. The truth is that there
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were many ancient systems, including some Hindu, Yogic, and indigenous, that colored outside of the rigid Western lines. Around the world and across time, chakra systems have four, nine, twelve, or any other number of chakras. We will further explore some of these systems in chapter 1. Many spiritual or healing modalities emphasize spinal work and other ways to access higher spiritual energies in the body. This version of New Chakra Healing will continue to expand these themes as well as others, not to defy the most common approaches, but because they work, accessing near-miraculous capacities for healing and manifesting. You’ll also find a plethora of new information, carefully cultivated to provide quality insights and resources for healers of self and others. Over the last few years, my own learning has accelerated. Since writing New Chakra Healing, I’ve been enriched by new shamanic, religious, and medical teachers from countries including Russia, Pakistan, Morocco, Wales, and various South American countries. I’ve studied with some of the brightest minds in America and Europe. I have pursued research available over the Internet and also research stored in concrete institutions, such as the World Research Foundation in Sedona, Arizona. The access to these sources is mainly due to an international, volcanic interest in subtle energy. In response, I have created a breakthrough system called the four pathways approach to healing in my Advanced Chakra Healing series. These books are a perfect companion to the “new” Complete Book of Chakra Healing, as they outline the four levels of awareness and energy accessible through the chakras. In addition to several other practical books about the chakras, including one on finances and another on achieving optimum fitness, I have authored The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy. Creating these books has brought me into new universes of thought and knowledge, and I have included as much of my findings in Complete Chakra Healing as I could. In this revised edition of New Chakra Healing, you’ll find outlines of energy bodies, fields, and healing techniques that weren’t included in the first rendition. Esoteric philosophers have long worked with the Akashic Records, the storehouse of everything ever said, done, or thought—but how about the Book of Life, its “kissing cousin”? We examined the outer bounds of the auric field, but what about the structure of the energy egg or the etheric template, which actually contain parts of the field? These and other subtle anatomies are imperative tools for the healer’s medical bag. I encourage you to embrace and experiment with the ideas in this book with one core concept in mind: faith. Have faith in your own perceptions, abilities, and wisdom.
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Discernment will help you sort pertinent from nonpertinent information, especially if you base your filtering on your personal vision—the vision you hold of your truest and greatest self. Above all, I encourage you to hold faith in your importance in the world. You matter. There is no competition for your spiritual mission. Without faith in our mission and ourselves, we won’t be able to create the world inside and outside of us that we desire. In many ways, I owe my faith in self—and God—to New Chakra Healing. When it was first published, hardly anyone in the “normal world” knew about chakras. But it was my family that forced me to develop faith. It was a large family get-together in Minnesota, where we gathered on the deck of my aunt and uncle’s house. As was everyone else, I was happily consuming potato salad and picnic food when the elderly parents of my cousin-in-law asked what I’d been doing lately. I explained that I had just come out with my first book, and they asked me about the topic. “Chakras,” I replied, feeling my face flush. “They are energy centers that run the body.” While the dear couple asked questions, I noticed the rest of the crowd wasn’t exactly gathering around to hear my answers. In fact, the entire group—a good twenty people—actually gravitated to the south side of the deck, as far away from earshot as possible. Feeling the porch beams bend, I was sure we would all end up in the lake. My family’s reaction was actually beneficial. It forced me to ask myself if I really believed that the chakras existed or not; if I was willing to apply this knowledge to help myself and others; if I was actually ready to continue expanding chakric wisdom to new levels. Was I willing to stake my professional reputation on something subtle and invisible—or not? By responding yes to these queries, I found that I was actually saying yes to a new life—to a life that has been meaningful, challenging, grace-filled, and exciting. As you explore the revolutionary world of the chakras, and of the subtle or seemingly invisible energies that compose your own life, I hope you discover the same joy as I have: the joy of living for and in the dream of establishing a world in which everyone is loved and cherished.
Chapter One
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System We like to imagine what our life would be like “if only.” If only we had a lot of money. If only we were thin, more successful, or had a better car. Have you noticed how you felt when you actually obtained one of your “if only” goals? You were still dissatisfied, weren’t you? After the initial rush, you probably felt emptier than before. That’s because true happiness isn’t derived through external accomplishments or belongings. Our deepest drive is for meaning, which is an invisible, not tangible, quality. We all want to feel fulfilled. We want to know that our lives matter and that we’re making a difference in others’ lives. I believe that this drive for purpose is the distinguishing mark of the twenty-first century. We yearn for more than materiality. We’re following an inspiration to touch heart-to-heart, calling forth our spirit through connection. We strive for peace, internally and communally. We have only to look around to understand why we long—and need—to make a personal contribution toward peace. War tears families apart while individual families war within. Mothers worry about feeding their children tomorrow while fathers wonder if there will be a tomorrow. Well-meaning individuals and organizations draft peace treaties that leaders and terrorists tear apart. It is little wonder that most of us want only to be a light, not another source of darkness, in the world. Unfortunately, the sheer number and intensity of problems facing us leave us feeling incapable and overwhelmed. We all want to make a difference, but this is only possible if we first realize that no one can do enough to “save the world.” None of us can do enough. Real change and true
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
transformation are only possible if we concentrate our efforts where they really matter. These actions start inside of us, in the inner realms, where we work invisibly, spiritually, and subtly. We must start—and end—our strivings for truth in the world of energy, for it is this unseen world—and the structures within it—that creates and sustains the physical universe. To fulfill your destiny, to embrace and live out your amazing, creative, life-enhancing potential, you must first understand how to recognize and direct these systems under reality. How much easier would it be to move a mountain if you could first perceive it as a mound of sand? And what if you could shift a single grain—and move the rest of the mountain automatically? It’s possible, for this is the nature of energy. This is what it means to work energetically, to operate on the subtle and spiritual planes, rather than only on the physical and material side of reality.
The Invisible Under and Within the Visible Everything in reality is constructed from energies that seem “not real.” Oh, they are real, but we can’t see, touch, hear, or measure them with known tools. These are the subtle energies, which are immeasurable, invisible energies that move at incredible speed. They aren’t any less real than physical, visible energies. It’s just that we’re not used to perceiving them, nor are most of us trained to work with them. Subtle energies compose physical reality. By the time an illness or problem is obvious, it has been brewing under the surface for a long time. When a disease or issue vanishes, it’s because we’ve already done the work necessary to erase it, inside-to-out. All lasting change, good or bad, starts with movement at the subtle level underneath the material world. If we really want to help the world, we must first become the best self that we can be. How can we help others if we are strong not only physically but also emotionally, mentally, and spiritually? How can we “give up” a self to a higher cause unless we have a self to “give up”? If you really want to achieve optimum health and well-being, you must be willing to learn about the self underneath the self, the subtle self formed of energetic structures such as those described in this book. By gaining a sense of inner self, you can then better help the world elegantly and powerfully. You can then fulfill your spiritual destiny.
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
Why We Can’t See Who We Really Are Look in the mirror. You see an image. Most people think this snapshot defines the real self, but it doesn’t. Does it reflect your soul? Your spirit? By staring only at our features, we can’t even determine which mood we are in. How, then, could we even begin to distinguish our divine self or find our true purpose? The mirror isn’t wrong. However, like anything in physical reality, it can’t show us what’s really happening underneath. To accomplish that goal, we need a different tool kit. We need intuition, inner knowing, metaphysical knowledge, and an education about subtle energies. And we need to practice seeking and directing the invisible energies that can create change. Why aren’t we taught about the invisible world in school? How come those of us interested in the paranormal or supernatural are all too often considered weird or odd? Why can’t most people determine that the fate of the world depends on commanding the powers available within and under the material world, not the other way around? There are a lot of reasons. Society is plagued by abuse, low standards, and fear. Ideologies and institutions function on—and produce—confusion rather than genuine concern. Even religion often emphasizes the concrete part of reality, convincing us through dogma that we aren’t supposed to look under the surface. As well, we are afraid of our own powers, thinking that to show our true and magical selves will attract ridicule and endanger our loved ones or ourselves. These factors generate a schism between our inner and outer selves. This disconnection leaves us impotent and unable to summon the spiritual energies necessary to help the world. Above all others, there is one major reason for the chasm between our inner and outer selves: our family patterns. Estimates state that anywhere between 70 and 99 percent of our families are dysfunctional. Many of us have grown up in families affected by abuse of some sort, and most of us have directly or indirectly experienced neglect or physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse. Patterns of abuse appear in many forms, including alcoholism, substance abuse, and drug or food addictions. Abuse is also present in any situation involving physical endangerment, ranging from being beaten to being threatened. It can include emotional and mental traumas arising from constant criticism and put-downs or a lack of acceptance or support. Any disregard for one’s rights, individuality, or privacy is abuse.
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
Any extreme system, when it involves rigidity or lack of boundaries, is abusive. Spiritual abuse, while less frequently discussed, can be as damaging as physical abuse, whether it stems from forced denial of a divinity and essential belief system, or from a forced adherence to a dogmatic and judgmental system. The gauge of abuse is that anything that makes us feel we are a bad person is abuse. Which of us has not experienced at least some conditions that have left us feeling inherently bad, guilty, or flawed? Most of us coped with our childhood difficulties by stunting, stuffing, ignoring, or hiding our invisible self—the self that: • is sensitive; • is vulnerable; • wants to be loved and nourished; • instinctively loves other people and wants to nourish them; • understands animals, plants, and nature; • is connected to the Divine Source (a highest power or divinity as you understand it), spirits, and the universe; • knows the invisible language of the inner soul, of nature, and of the Divine Source; and • is intuitive, can see pictures, hear voices, feel feelings, and know things at the deepest level of truth. However, underneath this grim picture is a universal truth. None of us has fully succeeded in secreting away the invisible self. If you ever find yourself feeling hurt, happy, loved, wanting to be loved, walking alone outside, or wondering at the beauty of the stars, for example, you are still connected to your invisible self. At times, we might want to repress this internal self in order to protect, destroy, or conceal it, but none of us can completely do so. Being alive is about having our visible and invisible parts joined together and mutually supporting each other. If we are alive, it is because at least some aspects of our visible and invisible selves are working together. If we are alive, it is because at least part of us really wants to be, no matter how bad life may have been or may now seem. Disease, disorders, depression, denials, problems, predicaments, plagues, stress, traumas, confusion, doubts—all these stem from incomplete connections between our visible and invisible selves.
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
I call the visible self the material self, and I call the invisible self the spiritual self. The material self could also be called the physical or sensory-based self. Other words for the spiritual self are the subtle or psychic-based self. Disease (dis-ease, or lack of ease) such as low self-esteem, post-childhood trauma, sexual dysfunction, addictions, money problems, relationship ills, and lifestyle confusion originates with misunderstandings and disconnections between these material and spiritual selves.
Healing and Soul Work Healing is the process of joining the material and spiritual selves, the visible and invisible, the physical and the subtle. The healing process may also involve rejoining parts of ourselves that, although previously bonded, experienced a trauma so great they disconnected or forged bonds where none existed. In the former case, we may need to work with memories, energies, and belief systems; experience long-held and hurt feelings; soothe injured body parts; or sort out old and current relationships. In the latter case, we may need to look at aspects of our soul, mind, or body that have never been examined. In either case, true healing—the process of becoming fully alive and happy—relies on merging our material and spiritual selves. How are we to do this? The key lies in the paradox of the mirror. At first glance, we can only see our physical self in a mirror. This is equivalent to noticing the physical symptoms and relief for our problems. We can learn how to use these presenting physical issues as doorways, or revolving doors, to link the visible and invisible parts of ourselves. By analyzing the energetic problems causing a life issue, we can discover the real cause of our challenges. Alice from Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland falls through a looking glass and finds that she has stumbled into an entirely different reality—but one that just might underlie the “real world.” Effective healing involves a similar traversing between worlds—or perhaps “stumbling” is the more accurate term—through the revolving doors that connect the various parts of us. Working with our revolving doors can be hard, calling for painful self-examination, tough corrective actions, and critical maneuvering. However, by reforging the bonds between the material and spiritual aspects of our being, we free ourselves from the fetters that keep us from complete expression. We free ourselves to become truly real, open, and happy. We free ourselves to heal.
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
The Layers of Reality Healing often involves conducting inner and outer journeys that might take us through one or several levels of reality. These levels could be compared to the layers of a dessert parfait: maybe there are cookie crumbs on the bottom, delectable flavors of ice cream next, then a mound of whipped cream, and finally, chocolate syrup and a cherry. Reality is fairly similar, except that the bottom layer (or physical reality) is slowest in vibration, and the top layer (the most spiritual reality) is the highest in vibration. Stanford physicist Dr. William Tiller presents a more scientific model of the layers of reality (minus the cherry on top) in several of his writings. He portrays several layers of reality. From highest to lowest vibration, he describes the levels as the domains of the Divine, of spirit, three layers of mind, astral, etheric, and finally the physical stratum. Energy flows from higher to lower orders, with the higher domain providing instruction for a lower domain. Each domain occupied a different time/space continuum and operates under its own set of rules; however, each vibratory level is linked to all others. Except for the physical domain, we experience these domains as subtle, or immeasurable. The etheric level, however, is considered most vital to our immediate lives, as it penetrates all aspects of physicality, creates matter, and interacts with our mind to generate patterns that connect us to the higher domains (see figure 1.1). Essentially, healing involves maneuvering the revolving doors between these visible and invisible domains. To achieve a real change, we must decipher the site of the original issue, pinpoint its originating domain, and then release the problem. This journey through the looking glass might take us into physical matter, or force us to examine an issue within our emotional self, mind, soul, or even spirit, but it will eventually involve a lesson for the soul, the part of us that holds everything we’ve ever done, thought, or said. As stated by author Zachary F. Lansdowne in his book The Rays and Esoteric Psychology, “Following birth, a human being learns to integrate the etheric body with the dense physical body, and then the mental body with the emotional body. After learning how to coordinate all aspects of the personality, we begin the process of integrating personality with soul.”
. w ww.biomindsuperpowers.com; www.tillerfoundation.com/energyfields.html; Tiller, “Subtle Energies,” Science & Medicine; Tiller, Science and Human Transformation. . Lansdowne, The Rays and Esoteric Psychology, 33.
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
Divine domain Spirit domain
Three layers of the mind Astral domain Etheric domain
Physical domain
Figure 1.1: William Tiller’s Layers of Reality Dr. William Tiller proposes several layers of reality, consisting of domains that shift energy from high to low vibration; the domain of the divine is the highest and the domain of the physical is the lowest
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
Opening the Doors To enter our revolving doors is to cross the threshold into the realm of purpose. I believe each of us has been born to achieve a certain purpose, or spiritual mission, and that purpose is our ultimate calling. It originates in our spirit, or essence, the self that was and is one with the Divine Source and the energy behind creation. We each have a different purpose because we are each unique creations. Living our purpose is the dynamic process whereby we heal our blocks and misperceptions while expressing our true selves. Seen practically, living our purpose is fully expressing our spiritual self in the material world. Living our purpose is the process whereby we achieve completion, or recognition of our wholeness. Even if our soul fails to recognize its divinity, it is no less divine; it is simply a slowed-down version of our spirit. Our spiritual self provides the direction; our material self creates concrete reality. When these parts of ourselves are fully linked, we are being all that we can possibly be. That is the key to happiness. Because we each have a different purpose, each of our healing processes requires selfreliance. As we go about reclaiming our visible and invisible selves, we learn to accept responsibility for understanding our invisible self and healing any misunderstandings we hold about it. How? According to venerable Cherokee medicine woman and leader Dhyani Ywahoo, we must first put aside our negative emotions in order to seek a sense of wholeness. Then we are to “sing out the light,� which is our sacred responsibility. We must accept responsibility for bringing this internal spiritual self into our external material reality. Becoming self-responsible may mean knowing when and how to protect or reveal our inner truths. It may mean acquiring practical skills that will help guarantee success. It will certainly mean healing the barriers between our material and spiritual selves. Fully understanding not only the nature of our purpose but also the nature of our energy systems becomes imperative, because through our body, mind, and soul we acquire knowledge of self and our abilities. Learning about these energy systems will require understanding, more than a science textbook can provide. Understanding terms such as chakra, energy center, kundalini, mana, and intuition becomes important, because they are means we can use to blend
. Ywahoo, Voices of Our Ancestors, 257.
The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
our material and spiritual selves. Understanding and accepting our own individual fears, challenges, and opportunities also becomes important, because it requires a willingness to destroy the limitations that narrow our sights. On my own path, I have faced many hurdles and challenges in order to break free of the rules governing my limited perceptions. Growing up in an upper-middle-class family, I knew myself as my family and culture knew me. My body was composed of organs, tissues, and blood, and it needed food and clothing. My mind required textbooks and instruction. My soul needed salvation, which was guaranteed by my weekly Sunday school attendance. It wasn’t until my twenties that I began to question the validity of these “concrete” rules. I went through two near-death experiences for which doctors could not diagnose causes. Though I did the “right things,” I wasn’t happy in my marriage. Although I was full of intelligence and ideas, books and universities couldn’t answer my questions. The past years have involved a search that has taken me from the jungles of Peru to the Tor of Glastonbury, England, and from anatomy texts to Hindu mysticism. I’ve studied Christianity at the seminary and tracked down the Bribri Indians in Costa Rica. On the path, I have met many fellow journeyers. One truth has emerged, a truth other travelers have repeated: understanding the self depends on accepting that there is much, much more to us than the physical shell we have been told is reality. Ywahoo has a beautiful way of describing this truth: “We are the days and the nights, and we are the stars that illumine the starry chambers.” She suggests that the sun and the moon dance within us, unfolding mystery. In addition to self-reliance, I believe the journey into the self requires that we learn to work within the human family and the forces of nature and change. Just as our purpose is a doorway for our own self-expression, it is also an opportunity to help others; because of this opportunity, fulfilling our purpose, living our dreams, and becoming happy are contingent upon transforming the barriers that prevent complete connection between others and us. Disjointed relationships can be based on a lack of understanding about our own or another’s true inner nature, or on actual real-life traumas. Being a revolving door means dealing with the people who are gumming up the works and opening to the people who keep us in the flow. Because of our interdependence, understanding our relationships with
. Ibid., 100.
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The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
the visible beings and invisible beings (such as angels, spirit guides, and the Divine Source) takes on new meaning. In Mutant Message Down Under, Marlo Morgan passes on the wisdom of her Aboriginal teachers, who are called the Real People: “All human beings are spirits only visiting this world. All spirits are forever beings. All encounters with other people are experiences, and all experiences are forever connections. Real People close the circle of each experience. We do not leave ends frayed … If you walk away with bad feelings in your heart for another person, and that circle is not closed, it will be repeated later in your life. You will not suffer once, but over and over until you learn. It is good to observe, to learn and become wiser from what has happened.” Concepts such as karma, dharma, cords, rays, and principles explain our relationships in this broader context. The idea of interconnectedness and interdependence is not a new one. In my practice, I have seen these truths played out time and time again. One obvious example concerns a client who at age thirty-six expressed considerable dissatisfaction with her life. She wanted a loving husband, a purposeful career, and a healthy body, but felt she lacked the means to achieve any of them. I began by asking her who she believed herself to be. She couldn’t answer. During the course of many months, we used a broad array of means to help her peel away the layers of beliefs and experiences that had defined her. That stage was painful. She recalled childhood abuse; she remembered being told she was a bad person. She said that her parents often shamed her for what she “just knew,” such as that there were angels or that the plants could speak. Gradually, she began to dream about the self she was underneath her life-created self. Instead of voicing complaints to me and her therapist, she began to wonder what she was supposed to do with her life. What were her real gifts? Who was she supposed to help? Her search within gradually melted away her excess weight. She started her own business by doing what she had wanted to do when she was a child. Through her business, she began to create art forms that helped people know themselves and see their inner natures through external means. She began to talk to angels again and understand that she deserved to be happy. The last time I saw her, she was preparing to move—with her new husband.
. Morgan, Mutant Message Down Under, 87–88.
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Sometimes our maladies do not originate with us. Early in my career as an intuitive healer, I worked with a male client who was father to a three-year-old child named Leslie. Leslie had terminal liver cancer, which had metastasized to her brain. Her prognosis? Two weeks. Divorced and the sole custodian of his child, Brad came to see me, asking for a miracle.
Are There Miracles? I never guarantee or promise the miraculous. Even when they occur, I can’t take credit; no healer can or should. Yet, I’ve seen my clients receive miracles, and have been grateful for the grace given. I believe the nature of the miraculous is best explained by Harry Edwards, a phenomenal healer from the 1950s, who outlined several theories about the source of miracles. One idea is that there are general laws that regulate healing and that these are accessible to anyone, regardless of religion or background. Another concept is that healing is granted directly from a Divine Source and overrides the laws of the universe. Yet another conjecture is that all things emanate from God and that wise beings (usually discarnate) can initiate healing through divine acts. Edwards presents his own belief, which is that there are law-governed forces that control the universe and that these apply to healing. There are therefore no true “miracles,” only the application of these God-provided laws. Edward’s theory suggests that anyone can invoke the higher principles of the universe, established and maintained by the Divine Source, to enable healing. As I watched Brad cry, I reviewed Edward’s suggestions, all the while struggling with my own fear and powerlessness. Did I have the necessary training to help this little girl? Did I have the faith required to believe that she could be healed? As a Christian, I believe in a loving God—but am well aware of my own lack of faith and trust. As tears welled in my eyes, a voice, which I believed to be the Divine Source, spoke in my mind. “The cancer is not hers.” Not always the sharpest pencil in the bin, I dully repeated the statement. “So the cancer is not Leslie’s?” “The cancer is not hers.”
. Edwards, A Guide to Spiritual Healing, 12–13.
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The Revolving Door: The Human Energy System
Edward’s philosophy suddenly made sense to me. There are natural laws, which I believe to be divinely inspired. I can help someone heal his or her problems, but if he or she doesn’t want to, I can’t force a change. But neither can someone afflicted with another person’s energy “heal” that energy. Together, the father and I meditated and asked that the Divine remove the unnatural energies from Leslie. A few weeks later, Leslie’s father called. The cancer had disappeared. Leslie was now able to continue her life journey. Freed from the effects of energies not her own, she could now become her real self. This spiral between our spiritual self and our material self, this unveiling of our being, is a journey we must all undertake if we are to be our true and happy selves. It begins by understanding that there is more to us than meets the eye. We are holistic beings—beings who are whole and who live in wholeness. Happiness involves manifesting this reality inside of ourselves, but also in the physical world.
The Creation Process How might we envision the creation process, starting from our spirit and ending with our bodies? Picture the Divine Source as a great sun. Our spirits once dwelled within it like tiny, brilliant sparks of light. This Source sought to create more light—or love— throughout the known and unknown universe and sent each of us forth to accomplish this goal. Each of us carried forward one or more spiritual truths or principles, upon which to found the next stages of creation. We are to share our truths with each other. To do so, however, we have to understand and, finally, actually become them. Understanding our divine nature and the truths that reflect it occurs through experience. Spirit doesn’t easily gain experience. First of all, a spirit is like air. On the plus side, it knows that it is eternally connected to the Divine Source, always receiving unconditional love and therefore, perfect support. Criticism, sword slashes, or negative thoughts— these pass through our spirit like a knife through air. On the minus side, this immateriality means that it’s challenging, if not impossible, for a spirit to gain experience. Can one pick up a cup without a hand? It’s hard to offer others something to drink unless we can do so.
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To solve the dilemma—to provide experience—the Divine Source formed a soul out of our spirit. Our soul is like a “slowed down” aspect of our parenting spirit, with one main difference. Lower in vibration, and therefore relatively concrete, it is affected by experience. It can learn—but also be hurt. It can express truths—but also believe in lies. As the part of us that imprints experience, the soul is also able to formulate conclusions based on these experiences. And many of these conclusions have been wrong. In essence, our soul re-creates its original wound. This is the first misperception, formed after the first time the soul decided that it was separate from the Divine. At some point after distinguishing from our spirit, our soul, flying free, fell. Maybe it was betrayed by another soul. Perhaps it became scared, called to the Divine for help, failed to perceive the Divine’s response. Maybe we called upon our own powers, and they failed us. The original scenario—the one that made our soul think, “I’m separate from the Divine”—is usually the same situation that causes us grief in this lifetime, over and over again, as well as other lifetimes. Reincarnation is the process of incarnating in a body, lifetime after lifetime. Our spirit encourages soul reincarnation as a way of clearing our original soul wound and learning how to express our divine truths. Before birth, our soul agrees to this process, forming a soul plan or life contract with the Divine and others. And then, it experiences an event similar to the one that caused the original injury. Instead of summoning help or operating from a spiritual perspective, it closes down. Common sense tells us that if we do the same thing, over and over, we’ll get the same outcome. Perception creates beliefs, and beliefs create physical reality. Because it always perceives situations the same way and forms the same beliefs about events, our soul creates the same dark, negative reality it has always experienced. Our soul downloads both negative and positive beliefs into yet another aspect of self, the mind. In turn, the mind programs the body with these beliefs. The body responds with actions and feelings, which in turn either support or deny the accuracy of the mind’s beliefs. We become blocked or unable to perceive love if we cling too strongly to our beliefs and perceptions.