Intuition Brings Light to a Limiting Either/Or Situation
Many of the great spiritual truths are couched in a paradoxical conundrum. They are like Zen
koans which can drive us crazy if we resort to rational thinking alone to understand them. For example there is the great question, “Are we saved by faith or by good works?” Is it God alone who saves us or do we have to do our share? This debate has gone on for centuries and most people view this as an either/or choice of rational thinking rather than the both/and perspective of intuitive insight.
To Take Either Side is to Miss the Mark
If we take the view that God alone saves and our part doesn’t mean much, we miss the point of the Deuteronomy 18:13 which enjoins, “You shall be perfect with the LORD your God,” and Matthew 5:48 which commands “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We open ourselves up to childish, narcissist thinking which entails the rules don’t apply to me so I don’t have to follow them. God becomes the big all-powerful parent who we can blame when things go wrong instead of owning the blame and power that rightly belongs to each of us as children of God made in the image of God. We humans have a tendency to blame God or the devil when we refuse to acknowledge our own power or responsibility to fix things. We need to grow up.
If we take the view that it is by our good works we are saved, as many good church-going people of all creeds do, then we open ourselves up to “do-goodism” that only has selfish benefits, we become prey to scrupulous thinking that doesn’t allow for spontaneous and genuine decision-making, and we begin to think we are better than other people because we do good. We need to be reborn as innocent children who don’t know the rules of right and wrong, who can’t read the sign that says “Don’t Walk on the Grass” and who really don’t care, knowing only they are loved by devoted and protecting parents.
The Center Point Holds the Power and the Tension
Real power lies at the center point of this continuum. I must act as if it all depends on me with the goal of not being perfect—because that is impossible and who is to say what perfection is—but with the goal of trying most perfectly to meet the needs of that person or situation as a responsible adult would do. It is a 100% effort full of humility and sincerity, with no game playing that seeks to “win,” unless it is a “win/win” for all. On the other hand, I must 100% let go of my attachments to my efforts. I must leave it all to God, trusting that it all depends on divine power. This is no easy task. It is a test to live so faithfully in paradoxical mystery; however, to act any less demeans our human dignity.
Lao Tzu: The Old Child
Intuition tells us these two truths must be held together. We have to be old and young at the same time like the ancient sage of China, Lao Tzu whose name means Old Child. It takes a lifetime of growing up and growing down to reach this level of understanding.
An Energy Symbol
As I discovered in my
kundalini experience, and as Asian medicine teaches, the human body is a great receptor and communicator of energy. According to Asian medicine, the total body’s energy field connects and communicates with all its parts to keep itself healthy. It seems to hold within it the overseeing intelligence that tells the pancreas to produce insulin, or lets us know to drink fluids when we are thirsty. What is implied is that each of the organs has an intelligence of its own that can communicate with other organs and parts of the body, and that there is a manager handling all this information.
Dream Images Give Us Pictures of our Energy
Intuitive healing basically uses the body’s capacity to receive and transfer energy through its energy field. The body’s five senses, memory, imagination and the so-called sixth sense, intuition, both hold and convey the energy in messages concerning the body, mind or spirit. Content presented in any of these ways through dream, prayer and intuitive meditation can be viewed as representing or symbolizing a piece of energy or information present in the body’s energy field. Thus, we can get a handle on what the body‘s energy field is telling us about our current health status, a possible diagnosis for an issue, or a potential healing treatment. For example, dream images may be symbols of healing energy in the body, or may symbolize the ailment itself. The same can be said about information coming directly or through symbols in intuitive meditation. This means that the body and its organs and all its parts can communicate with us on an energy level if we have the means to listen and be receptive! Being so interconnected means we can proactively request information and get a response on healing issues through dreams and intuitive insight. This truth has been known since ancient times and was used for hundreds of years in aesclepions, the dream healing centers of Greece.
Our Task is to Learn from the Body and Its Energy Field
However, to connect with our intuitive healing capabilities, it helps to know a something about: 1) how this information gets expressed in dreams and intuitive meditation and 2) how energy works in the body. Our task becomes, then, essentially learning from the body and its energy field to teach us how to heal and stay healthy. In a sense, all of us are already doing this when we listen to the needs of our body such as getting some sleep when we feel tired. This self-care can be done on a much more effective and systematic level by doing ongoing dreamwork. Dreamwork focusing on health is about intentionally learning to tune into the needs of our body, emotions and spirit through energy that gets expressed and symbolized in a variety of ways in dreams, intuitive insight and prayer.
St. Michael, a Healing Angel in the Christian Tradition (13th Century Icon in St. Catherine’s Monastery)
Whether one chooses to use prayers, dreams or intuitive methods as a practice to invoke the power of intuitive healing, there are eight steps the person seeking healing may do to shape his or her attitude and ability in a way that encourages receptivity to healing. The first five steps prepare and bring the practitioner to the necessary trusting, child-like intuitive heart space which is the healing center, no matter if the healing is done for oneself or for another person. The last three steps help accomplish and follow through with the mission. This means relaxing, getting out of the head and seeing with the “eyes” of the heart. Only then is one open to receive the intuitive healing information that may come in many forms such images, sounds, voices, sensations, smells, or memories.
- Acknowledging the need for healing. Before all else, this awareness is pre-requisite. It often implies a humble acceptance that one cannot alter the condition without help, usually after many attempts have been made to heal on one’s own or through commonly accepted medical practices. This is a challenge for those of us who are used to being “in control,” and may require a relinquishing or putting aside that mindset.
- Believing I can be healed. This step is perhaps the most difficult for those of us who haven’t developed a strong faith in things that cannot be measured or predicted. It is, however, the most important step. If I cannot believe in my healing, then I should pray or intend that I may grow in my capacity to believe it.
- Tuning into my Ideal. This step may be done in a variety of ways. After quieting the mind and relaxing, I can imagine or “summon’ my ideal to make its presence fully felt in my mind and heart. I may see the face of a divine healer or imagine the power of healing energy. I can take this imagery work further by imagining this divine being holding me in a comforting or healing embrace or see a warm wave of energy enveloping me. The quality of my ideal will play a big part in determining the type of healing I draw to myself.
- Initiating and intending a healing. This may be a prayer or simple intention, imagining the results as already happened. Be as specific as possible in the prayer or intention.
- Confidently expecting a response. Know that healing in some way, shape or form, has already begun.
- Tuning myself into the communication coming to me. Healing may take many forms, along with a message to you what is happening. I can expect anything like imagery, sounds, sensations, thoughts, smells or a memory to convey something. The trick is to be very “tuned in” as these immediate responses which are often very illusory. Sometimes it might be just a subtle feeling of peace.
- Reflecting on and learning from the communication. I may need to ask myself what is the meaning of the information I have received. For example, if the image of an Oriental doctor doing acupuncture came, I might ask myself if I need to try acupuncture. Usually, the first association holds the clue. You can then amplify on this by asking more questions to clarify and get more information.
- Acting on it. If you get a specific insight to take action, such as cutting down on your salt, do so.
