Showing posts with label spiritual. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual. Show all posts

Friday, 15 May 2015

Wounded healer, dark night of the soul

The title of this post is a interesting spiritual concept. Wounded healer sounds like a name for an Indian in actual fact its the creation of the eminent psychologist Carl Jung the idea states that an analyst is compelled to treat patients because the analyst himself is 'wounded'. I understand this to mean in order to help those affected by an illness or a disease the healer needs to experience the affliction. I came across this ideology after having a numerology report. Its not something I have done every year but the link kept crossing my path and I decided this one time to act upon it. I am and always have been a seriously spiritual person and have developed my own understanding of the after life and what happens its my own personal belief system. I feel we all need to develop an understanding by ourselves of what it means to be human and where we go after we die. The numerology report was an eye opener and so accurate it described me my life and personality including all my bad traits (which I recognised) but more importantly it made me aware of this 'Wounded Healer' concept indeed possibility.  Here's the part of the report that talks about Wounded Healer.

"Your attitude towards life in general is very selfless and you usually have a good connection with God or a higher power. However often the number 9 faces a unique challenge at some point in his or her life that seems to be a test of faith. Usually this incident takes the form of a devastating personal loss, disease or some sort of tragedy. This triggers a period of time that lasts a few years that is often called the "dark night of the soul." It is usually during this period of your life that you find the extreme courage and strength to become what is called a wounded healer."

Leading up to the point of getting this numerology report I had been questioning myself as I do periodically why I got breast cancer? I walked through the woods and up on the coastline pondering this question and as usual I didn't get any answers until I got back and sat at my computer, I am so so glad I decided that I'd get this report done (it was free). For me I finally understand spiritually why I got cancer and why I write this blog. Its important to look into everything even the seemingly bizarre especially when it comes to something as random as cancer. Somebody had to talk about the spiritual side of cancer as well as looking into alternative treatments and unconventional approaches to drugs and treatment and that someone is me. I thought the idea of this blog was to write all of this down so that I could make sense of the mountains of conflicting information out there on this subject. I realise now that this may of been the reason for starting the blog but in actual fact its not the only reason I am writing down this stuff its for other reasons and 'wounded healer' is one of them. To say I am blown away by all of this is an understatement, to me its enlightenment.

Further information on Wounded Healer

In Greek myths, Chiron was the wisest of the Centaurs and the archetype of the Wounded Healer

He was accidentally wounded by an arrow that had been dipped in the blood of the Hydra

In his search for his own cure, he discovered how to heal others

In teaching others the healing arts, he found a measure of solace from his own pain

The Wounded Healer understands what the patient feels because he has gone through the same pain

The suffering patient can be cared for by the Healer and be instrumental in the Healers own healing

Each encounter between Healer and patient can be transforming for both

The lesson of Chiron teaches us is that we can overcome pain and transcend into knowledge

That each of us can become a Wounded Healer

Here's a link to a short film on youtube that explores this concept and explains the symbology and ancient belief system behind it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orxEawi9qro

As for the dark night of the soul then you need to look no further than this wonderful explanation by the visionary teacher Eckhart Tolle.

Eckhart on the Dark Night of the Soul

Q: Have you ever experienced the dark night of the soul? Your teachings have been so helpful through this difficult period. Can you address this subject?

A: The “dark night of the soul” is a term that goes back a long time. Yes, I have also experienced it. It is a term used to describe what one could call a collapse of a perceived meaning in life…an eruption into your life of a deep sense of meaninglessness. The inner state in some cases is very close to what is conventionally called depression. Nothing makes sense anymore, there’s no purpose to anything. Sometimes it’s triggered by some external event, some disaster perhaps, on an external level. The death of someone close to you could trigger it, especially premature death, for example if your child dies. Or you had built up your life, and given it meaning – and the meaning that you had given your life, your activities, your achievements, where you are going, what is considered important, and the meaning that you had given your life for some reason collapses.

It can happen if something happens that you can’t explain away anymore, some disaster which seems to invalidate the meaning that your life had before. Really what has collapsed then is the whole conceptual framework for your life, the meaning that your mind had given it. So that results in a dark place. But people have gone into that, and then there is the possibility that you emerge out of that into a transformed state of consciousness. Life has meaning again, but it’s no longer a conceptual meaning that you can necessarily explain. Quite often it’s from there that people awaken out of their conceptual sense of reality, which has collapsed.

They awaken into something deeper, which is no longer based on concepts in your mind. A deeper sense of purpose or connectedness with a greater life that is not dependent on explanations or anything conceptual any longer. It’s a kind of re-birth. The dark night of the soul is a kind of death that you die. What dies is the egoic sense of self. Of course, death is always painful, but nothing real has actually died there – only an illusory identity. Now it is probably the case that some people who’ve gone through this transformation realized that they had to go through that, in order to bring about a spiritual awakening. Often it is part of the awakening process, the death of the old self and the birth of the true self.

The first lesson in A Course in Miracles says “Nothing I see in this room means anything”, and you’re supposed to look around the room at whatever you happen to be looking at, and you say “this doesn’t mean anything”, “that doesn’t mean anything”. What is the purpose of a lesson like that? It’s a little bit like re-creating what can happen during the dark night of the soul. It’s the collapse of a mind-made meaning, conceptual meaning, of life… believing that you understand “what it’s all about”. With A Course in Miracles, it’s a voluntary relinquishment of the human mind-made meaning that is projected, and you go voluntary into saying “I don’t know what this means”, “this doesn’t mean anything”. You wipe the board clean. In the dark night of the soul it collapses.

You are meant to arrive at a place of conceptual meaninglessness. Or one could say a state of ignorance – where things lose the meaning that you had given them, which was all conditioned and cultural and so on. Then you can look upon the world without imposing a mind-made framework of meaning. It looks of course as if you no longer understand anything. That’s why it’s so scary when it happens to you, instead of you actually consciously embracing it. It can bring about the dark night of the soul – to go around the Universe without any longer interpreting it compulsively, as an innocent presence. You look upon events, people, and so on with a deep sense of aliveness. Your sense the aliveness through your own sense of aliveness, but you are not trying to fit your experience into a conceptual framework anymore.

Sunday, 11 August 2013

Got Van the Man's song on my mind....

I've posted before about certain songs that I either wake up with in my head or quite simply can't get out of my head Dweller on the Threshold by Van Morrison is he later of those songs I always feel there is a divine message in this and have looked into the lyrics here they are:

I'm a dweller on the threshold
And I'm waiting at the door
And I'm standing in the darkness
I don't want to wait no more

I have seen without perceiving
I have been another man
Let me pierce the realm of glamour
So I know just what I am

I'm a dweller on the threshold
And I'm waiting at the door
And I'm standing in the darkness
I don't want to wait no more

Feel the Angel of the Presence
In the mighty crystal fire
Lift me up consume my darkness
Let me travel even higher

I'm a dweller on the threshold
As I cross the burning ground
Let me go down to the water
Watch the great illusion drown

I'm a dweller on the threshold
And I'm waiting at the door
And I'm standing in the darkness
I don't want to wait no more

I'm gonna turn and face the music
The music of the spheres
Lift me up consume my darkness
When the midnight disappears

I will walk out of the darkness
And I'll walk into the light
And I'll sing the song of ages
And the dawn will end the night

I'm a dweller on the threshold
And I'm waiting at the door
And I'm standing in the darkness
I don't want to wait no more

I'm a dweller on the threshold
And I cross some burning ground
And I'll go down to the water
Let the great illusion drown

I'm a dweller on the threshold
And I'm waiting at the door
And I'm standing in the darkness
I don't want to wait no more

I'm a dweller on the threshold
Dweller on the threshold
I'm a dweller on the threshold

So what does it all mean??? I think anyone dx with a serious illness is a dweller on the threshold the threshold meaning between two worlds life and the afterlife. Those affected live in a weird twilight world not separate but also not a total part of this wonderful world I love this song.

Here's a you tube link for anyone who doesn't know the track http://youtu.be/KhdUha-ecBc enjoy! xx

Friday, 5 July 2013

Where's your head at?

Ok so I think its about time I filled you in on where I'm at at this particular moment in time. Obviously I'm still receiving Herceptin and taking daily Tamoxifen, I haven't had a whole body CT scan for about 8 month's now and feel I've gradually slipped into my new life post Cancer. However, I'm not the same person I was before and have changed almost everything about myself and my life. I continue to eat healthy and avoid red meat (I only eat free range chicken once a month) other than that I eat fish, eggs and pro-biotic organic yoghurt. I try to juice at least 3 times a week (I was doing this daily for just over 2 years) I've cut it down as I've started to feel better and believe juicing 3 times a week is sufficient in keeping my body both alkaline and healthy.  I continue to go for healing at least once a week this is very necessary and life re-affirming, I can't live without it. I try to meditate daily or at the very least weekly and I attend a weekly meditation group where we concentrate on healing. Yoga has become a weekly practice which also helps with the meditation. Another massive plus is I've started painting again and I feel ok about it. I'm in the middle of painting a couple of new collections and finished off old paintings this has proved to be quite cathartic and has brought me a new lease of life.

Occasionally I slip into my old mind set but I do recognise that this is not healthy and more importantly I am aware of it and try to nip it in the bud before it takes hold of me. Negative thought patterns are not tolerated anymore. This is easier said than done of course as the mind is a powerful manipulator, it also doesn't help when other people pass away or deteriorate with this disease, I can't help getting upset when someone passes even though I know they are going 'home' back to their natural spiritual state. I try to remind myself that this reaction to someones passing is natural and needs to be embraced worked through and ultimately let go of.

In answer to the title of this post my head is in a good place at the moment, I am positive and I've started to plan for the future something I never thought I'd be able to do especially on the work front. I've decided that I want to become a further education teacher possibly teaching foundation in art at a college as well as finishing my current paintings is my goal at the moment, myself and my partner have other plans but I'm going to try and stay focused on my current projects.

Thursday, 4 July 2013

Causes of Cancer environmental or emotional..........

The blog Spiritual-light-on-Cancer asks the question Causes of Cancer: Environmental or Emotional? Fiona asks questions through a spiritual medium and receives answers from her Guides, this particular post looks at the causes of cancer asking is it environmental or emotional? this is an excellent question and totally unique response.

FIONA: I am thinking about the causes of cancer. Some say it is caused by toxic emotions; others that it is caused by environment toxins. Can you shed any light on this? GUIDES: Yes. We take you back to what we initially said on this subject. Cancer is one of the ways the body will choose as a means to exit life. When you are looking to exit life the body will begin to accumulate matter in the body as the system becomes sluggish towards life in general. Think about it. You move less when you are unhappy and your thoughts become far more polluted in their nature. The mechanisms for exit can be physical in nature. But by the time they become physical in nature, such as the body has manifested a mass or masses, which can be diagnosed as cancer, there has been a great build up to this point. Although it seems to those of you diagnosed it has been overnight, there has been a build up towards this. Now all of you are right in thinking that it is a genetic issue, and that it is a mental issue, and that it is a toxic issue. The mechanism that causes the manifestation of disease in the individual is individual. But what must be noticed is the commonality with all of you that end up with a diagnosis of cancer, is that there has been an activation of the desire to exit life. For most of you this will have been on an unconscious, subconscious level. You will probably not have realised you are doing this so you must look to reclaim your joire de vivre. This is the most important message we can ever give you . You understand this, Fiona. This becomes difficult for you when you see it manifesting in other ways in other people. You have been to the point where you are considering your own mortality and you know how it feels. You know how it feels to try and get a sense of self and a sense of living back. It is hard. It is much easier to become more full of life without a diagnosis of cancer than it is with one. However, should you wish to remain healthy and you have the strength to do so, engage with life. How do you do this? This is individual to each of you. It will be important that all of you think about what you need to do for your healing. If your body has a level of toxicity or pollutants in it, then cleanse it. But do this lovingly- not aggressively- for cleansing the body aggressively simply adds more of the wrong input into the system. What do we mean? It is simply another thing about how bad my life is. We would rather you ate a chocolate bar at this point, if that is what would make you happier. All of you who are willing to do so, please take a look at the contents of your thoughts. You are not taught to think about your thoughts. You are not taught that you are a creator of your thoughts. Instead you are left with a mind that talks and many of you for want of a better word or phrase aren’t aware of the direction you are driving yourself. So when you come to a stop such as a diagnosis of cancer, and you do not wish for your life to end, it is time to turn around.

Taken from the excellent blog http://spiritual-light-on-cancer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/causes-of-cancer-enviromental-or.html

Sunday, 12 May 2013

Osho wisdom with words.....

This paragraph from the Osho Zen Tarot pack resonates with me on so many levels the card I pulled was the New Vision Card  " Now you are presented with an opportunity to see life in all its dimensions, from the depths to the heights. They exist together, and when we come to know from experience that the dark and the difficult are needed as much as the light and easy, then we begin to have a very different perspective on the world. By allowing all of life's colors to penetrate us, we become more integrated." 
This has so much meaning and purpose for me and puts into words so eloquently what it is to fight cancer (the darkness) and survive (the light).
Here's a link to the online version of this wonderful Tarot card pack.
http://www.osho.com/Main.cfm?Area=Magazine&Sub1Menu=Tarot&Sub2Menu=OshoZenTarot&Language=English

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Two years today...

Its a cancer anniversary, exactly 2 years ago today I found out I had breast cancer 2 weeks later I found out it had spread on to both of my lungs, I'm still receiving treatments including tamoxifen by tablet daily, herceptin by IV every 3 weeks so far its all working and keeping me in a stable condition, I continue to be eternally grateful for any extra time I have on this planet, for my family and friends who love and care for me and to the beautiful cats that I share my life with. Life is good, getting steadily busier and gradually healthier by use of juicing and diet although I hate hate hate the new weightier me this is one thing I could do without. Can't quite believe it was 2 years ago that I went in to my local breast care clinic at the hospital, sat in the waiting room with my partner and brother we sat and joked about the crappy stories in the magazines, and then my name was called and I walked into all hell on earth, "its not looking very good sarah" the surgeon said in fact its very nasty and quite aggressive, dazed and confused I left the room to meet up with my jovial brother and partner who were still making each other laugh, I couldn't wait to get out of that waiting room, we'd been in their all day started off with an examination, then a mammogram, then an ultrasound and biopsy they had well and truly messed with my body and I wanted out of that hell whole. During the biopsy I said to the Dr " that doesn't look like a cyst" to which she replied " no I'm afraid its no cyst". When we did leave everyone was oh its probably just a cyst little did they know that I already knew it was more serious than a cyst.

The past 2 years have been the most painful, tearful, shocking, speedy, emotional, courageous, spiritual and happy of my life, I have lived, breathed, and virtually written a book on the subject of breast cancer those two words never entered my head until this time 2 years ago. Anyone reading this for the first time who may be worried or just been dx with the same shit can I hope glean some hope, support and understanding from this blog. I've been writing it to try too make sense of the mountains of conflicting information out there on the subject and hope if you are stuck in the same shitty position that you can at least get some quick answers to your questions.

Remember, I'm still here breathing and living, you can be too if you follow your heart, change your life, by whatever means possible and always for the better and look both inwardly and outwardly delving into the bigger picture.

"Just keep on swimming" from the film Nemo

Thursday, 17 January 2013

Healing, healers and energy workers...

Last year I chanced upon a brilliant blog called 'Spiritual Light on Cancer' the lady Fiona that runs the blog is based in england but receives absent healing from a healer called Zoe based in Australia, Zoe can also channel spirits and asks her guides questions to which Fiona posts the responses. I asked a question about healing, physic surgeons etc and Fiona has kindly posted the response here's the link its a fascinating read. http://spiritual-light-on-cancer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/21-can-energy-healing-help-to-cure.html#comment-form. Here's what I've posted as a response in the comments section.

Hi Fiona, Wanted to say thank you for asking the question and for posting this article it is truly fascinating, I have been going to a healer ever since I was dx with SBC (secondary breast cancer) and feel this has played an important part in my continued stable status, I believe in healing BUT I also believe that we have to do everything we can within our power to survive especially if you have cancer so doing all the conventional treatments like chemo/surgery/rads was always going to be part of my plan in addition to these treatments I also have tried a variety of complementary treatments like acupuncture, reflexology, organic juicing, supplements more recently yoga and I've booked an appointment with a lady that specialises in kinesiology to assess whether or not I need to take any additional supplements or add anything to my diet all of this including my weekly visits to a healer are I believe hugely important to my continued well being and stable status, I am living with breast cancer and doing everything within my power to fight it and survive. Whilst I am receiving the healing I meditate on healing myself and every time I drink one of my fresh green veg juices I feel the cells in my body power up. Thanks again for such a fascinating article and Happy New Year to you. Sending you and your healers/guides lots of love and light sarah xxxx


Monday, 24 December 2012

God Bless us all.... Merry Christmas everyone......

Tis Christmas Eve and I have been reflecting on the past year, its up and downs and it many many phases of enlightenment. It all started off with a visit last Jan (after a radiotherapy session) to Buckfast Abbey and WoW what a beautiful serene place, I was moved to tears and found out that I am very sensitive to 'Thin Places' (see this link for any explanation http://survivingthebeastwithin.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/early-bird-and-spiritual-enlightenment.html).

Aside from the spiritual visits to the 'Thin Places of Worship' I have been receiving spiritual healing once a week I feel sure this has made all the difference to my recovery and continued stable status, after the healing we (myself and a couple of other ladies) have formed a spiritualist group where we exchange a piece of jewellery and conduct mediumship readings for each other we have been doing this for the best part of a year so far and apparently I have been hitting the spiritual nail on the head in so far as readings are concerned, I sort of meditate and then write down whatever comes to mind, most of the time to me it appears to be a load of mumbo jumbo but when I tell the sitter the outcome they always seem relate to what I have said, so much so that recently I was asked to do a reading for someone outside of the group to which again I seem to be coming up with relevant and current topics for the sitter, it is with this in mind that I am now reflecting on whether or not to actually offer this as a service, its something worth thinking about and I must admit it does make me feel really good especially as I seem to have an affinity for this sort of thing. On the subject still I highly recommend that  anyone remotely interested in spiritualism to read this book 'The Boy Who Saw True' I have just finished reading it and its changed my outlook (the second book this year that has changed my outlook)  and made me think 'outside the box' its about a young boy who during his youth used to write a diary and in it mentioned the fact that he see's spirits or ghosts (he thinks everyone can see what he sees) its a truly fascinating book here's the link http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/707225.The_Boy_Who_Saw_True.

Sending you all peace love and light and wishing you all a very merry christmas
Love Sarah xxx

Sunday, 18 November 2012

Communications from the other side......

If you are a follower of this blog you will know that I am a spiritual person with a deep held belief system. In light of this and the previous posts which if I am being honest were fairly negative and I think you could describe my mind set presently as acutely depressed. So by chance I came across a blog that I haven't looked at in over a year, to explain, I found this blog site 'Spiritual light on Cancer' (link at the bottom) way back when I was dx but due to being in a heightened state of panic and fear didn't read it at the time but saved it for a later date, well that later date has finally arrived and I have spent the afternoon reading the blog in fact I printed it out and laid out on the couch and read it in my warm lounge (computer room is freezing) whilst I might add listening to some wonderfully deep meditation music by Osho. Anyway back to the blog, it is written by a fellow breast cancer patient Fiona and one with secondary's or mets basically the same as me, she is a spiritual person and due to her dx has lots of questions about her disease (as we all do) she has a friend called Zoe who lives in England who is a medium and channels spirit, Fiona and Zoe have been working together asking questions and obtaining replies from spirit guides, if you are interested in this then I highly recommend that you read the blog as I feel there is something fundamentally truthful in this, although I have to say that its taken a bit of re-reading to fully understand some of what has been said. I am presently forming a list of 1-10 points pertaining to this blog and the questions it posses and want to try and get the gist of it written down in a more coherent format, so that it is easier to digest. This is not too say that any of you wont understand what has been written, but it is for myself to completely understand and make some sense of what has been said. This could take some time but I think it will be well worth it in the long run. If your interested here's the link http://spiritual-light-on-cancer.blogspot.co.uk/
I will post next when I have put the list together. Love and light to all xxx


Saturday, 6 October 2012

Reiki the KLF and a blinding sunset!

To bring you all up to date I have been away for a few days visiting my parents and friends so have been neglecting my blog but I'm back and have a fair bit to write about.

Firstly, the dreaded appointment with the fabulous Dr D. (my breast surgeon), waited for what seemed like an eternity and in a very packed waiting room, when I did get to go in I had a very quick examination to which he seemed pleased, then off to have a mamo (this I was not expecting) but all went ok and it didn't hurt as much as the first one I had done, also the mamo nurse was very nice and chatted away to me showing me my previous mamo (the one that showed the cancerous lump) this was the first time I had seen the image and was a little anxious on seeing it but then after chatting realised that I have nothing to be anxious about the lump and breast has gone, and there is no cancer anywhere else, my good breast mamo showed nothing sinister but I have too wait for the official results in a couple of weeks time, but I'm not particularly worried and feel it will be ok. Whilst chatting to the nurse she mentioned that Dr D. was exceptionally busy at the moment and had too see 36 women that day!!!! 36 women!!! thats quite shocking, what the hell is going on? I am at a loss for words, I believe that something is terribly wrong that just seems like such a lot of women affected by this awful disease. Due to his work load Dr D. mentioned that he wants me to book an appointment when he's not so busy so that we can discuss the possibility of reconstruction surgery I will keep you posted on that one.

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I am a spiritual being and have tried a number of complementary treatments including spiritual healing, so my main purpose for visiting my parents was to also go and receive Reiki treatment from a wonderful lady by the name of Jan here's a link to her website http://www.jmreiki.co.uk/ where it explains in detail what Reiki is all about. My session was very similar to the other spiritual healers I have visited except Jan was also able to give me information on the spirits that are either guides or are around me with messages of hope and advice. I have a spirit Dr around me who wears a monocle eye piece, she was not sure whether he was a deceased relative or whether he had attached himself to me, personally I feel he is attached to me via our flat which is a very old listed building and used to be part of a huge estate (similar to that of Downton Abbey). He has been administering 'old medicine' to me and has taken me on as a patient, I am very very glad he is around me and feel honoured and lucky to be receiving his help. Whilst giving me healing Jan told me that I had 'spiritual surgery' during our session in which the surgeon removed some more of my lymph nodes, again this does not frighten or upset me in fact to the contrary I am ever so grateful that they have performed this operation on me especially as they believed it would help. She also indicated that in a past life I was a herbalist/healer which explains why I am so drawn to the old country medicines and  remedies, she also told me that it was not my time to go yet and that I had a lot more work to do on the planet. This news has given me such a boost.

I spent the day with my mum and dad and the following day visiting a very close friend all of which has helped pull me out of the misery and depression I was feeling in my last post, I am glad to report I am back to my old self and feel a burst of creative energy fizzling up inside me and I'm looking forward to getting things going on the project front. My brilliant friend gave me a load of music CD's one of which was by the KLF its taken me back to my youth and given me a warm fuzzy feeling of comfort inside, thanks and love to P.

Here's a list of all the things I want to try and achieve over the coming winter months:
1. Start writing a book based on this blog and Breast Cancer
2. Get on with some needle felting/sculpting
3. Paint and enter an open art competition (thats coming up this month)
4. Finish my collection of Gypsy designs
5. Re-decorate the lounge

Driving home tonight we stopped in at Glastonbury and filled up our water bottles with the mineral rich healing waters of the Chalice Well, the sunset by the Tor was absolutely breath taking.
Love and light xxxx


Wednesday, 12 September 2012