Earthen Spirit

Sometimes the hardest thing to see is often right under our eyes.

I have always been a healer, ever since I was a young kid I was drawn to mending things; be they physical or spiritual.

When I lost my brother in the Vietnam War, a very large part of me left as well. As a result, over the years I would encounter many struggles, both within myself and my family. Looking back now, I can see all of this was rooted in the stuck energy of the trauma surrounding us from the war.

I truly believe there are no mistakes, only lessons, and lessons – boy, did they come!

I kind of lost touch with myself for a while; I retreated within, ignoring my own gifts and passionate interests to some degree, stuck – yet I didn’t know that’s what it was.

I got married, raised a family of my own and struggled through more issues, both physical and emotional. Since none of us come with a handbook, we often have to go thru these struggles to get to the other side. They are a rock in a babbling brook so to speak – only obstacles if we choose to see them as such. If and when the time comes that we can honestly and openly look with new eyes and see that rock as a stepping stone, ah! Then the real progress begins.

One strand of thought always stayed with me throughout the years, the question of my heritage. It was rumored within the family walls that my great grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. Though no one ever said, nor did they ever speak about it, I had to put the pieces together and realize now, that she was a medicine woman and quite familiar with the old ways. I never stopped asking about her until all of my elders passed on and there was no one left to ask. I have always felt a resonance with her and thru my reiki experiences, understand now, why.

As my kids got older, I began to open up to another strand that was lying dormant in my psyche – yet just as imperative as the other.

As the new millennium rolled over into the year two thousand, we found ourselves new owners of a desktop computer. With internet access, it didn’t take any thought for this second strand to kick into high gear. I began a search for Vietnam Veterans, not really knowing exactly what I was looking for; I knew I had to look. I found the Virtual Wall website which is an online representation of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington DC. I found my brother’s name easy enough and was so overcome with emotion that it actually took me by surprise. Just the visual of it was enough of a trigger to open up and release something that was long buried inside.

I posted a message there, online, feeling so grateful that such a place existed in cyber space and left it at that. I had no idea that others might read it and get in touch with me and later on, meet with me in person. This action of ‘self-healing’ opened a huge door for me. I found my brother’s comrades in arms, both groups of guys who he’d gone through boot camp with and the men who shared his last moments on earth in Vietnam with.

It has been almost ten years now since all this transpired. Looking back it is with such gratitude and love that I can truly say, despite the emotional turmoil of my youth, I listened to my inner voice no matter how dim, my soul words came through.

I met these guys at reunions, grew closer to certain individuals and met their families, stayed at their homes for visits – and they mine. Timing was everything as I was also beginning to push through some of my blocks that were holding me back from being the truest essence of myself. I signed up for a 3 month class on Energy Healing and when I went to interview with the teachers they asked my reason why I wished to take this class. This made total sense to me why they were asking, it’s almost as if they knew. I knew I was having a positive impact on these veterans, comrades of my brother, because they were having a huge impact on me. I decided it was time to fine tune my own healing abilities. My nature is one of compassion, always has been. I have always leaned towards the quiet, contemplative side of life and so I set my intention that day, to fine tune my healing practice as one of gentle compassion by first learning to heal myself.

Reiki was one of the modalities discussed in this class and I would go on to pursue Reiki Certification classes over the next 6 years. It has been nothing short of miraculous the results that I witnessed along the way, both firsthand and secondary. I had previously struggled with minor physical ailments and through the reiki process; I not only quit taking anti-inflammatory pills every day but transcended the physical ailment all together. I have seen its effect on helping others who came to me asking for help; I have witnessed the spiritual healing in those preparing to cross over where reiki has assisted in bringing their mind/body/spirit into harmony to allow for this natural process to unfold in the blessed way it truly was meant to be.

My shamanic studies further bring into play, the indigenous healing methods of many native medicine people all over the world.

Once, long ago, there was balance on the Earth. WE are the only way back to this balance, for each of us hold an individual key that opens this door to collective healing; but the spirit has to want out of the physical door. When you are willing to go through whatever it takes to get to the other side, there are no walls or boundaries big enough or real enough to stop you.

Like I said, sometimes the hardest thing to see is often right before our very eyes….