Rites of Spring

Posted on by riverflowhealing

I’m late with this post because it took me a bit longer than anticipated to get back into the swing of things after returning from the Rites of Spring retreat in western Massachusetts. I was originally planning to post this on Wednesday, but time really got away from me.

The event was awesome, though. Last year when I attended, I felt left out and disconnected right up until the closing ceremony, when all of a sudden–and too late–everything started to click into place. I had a hard time with that, because I wanted to enjoy it and make new friends, and I felt like I hadn’t.

I had, of course. Maybe not the way I’d wanted, but I did make friends from it, and those friends were there to welcome me when I arrived this year. The moment I walked through the gate, I felt like I was home. When I arrived at the dining hall for my shift checking meal bracelets, a job I had last year as well (everyone is given a color-coded bracelet indicating what meals, if any, they’re supposed to have in the dining hall), I felt as if I’d never left.

It was rainy and cold a lot of the time I was there. That made it considerably less pleasant, and it had a negative effect on my mood some of the time. Especially since the retreat is held at a summer camp, so most of the cabins don’t have heat, and neither do some of the shower houses and bathroom outbuildings. But for two days the sun was out and the temperature was up, and that was nice.

I did a Chios Level 1 workshop which had more attendees than I’d anticipated, and most of them seemed to get a lot out of the workshop. I’m looking forward to hearing more from them, and to doing another Level 1 workshop next year.

I came home tired, but happy and rested. I felt refreshed and recharged, and I’m definitely glad I went.

A Bit of History

Posted on by riverflowhealing

Thousands of years ago, people began to recognize the power of the human touch in healing others. In ancient civilizations in places such as China and India, scholars identified the human energy system and discovered that through touch, energy in the auras and chakras, or meridians, could be manipulated, thereby causing improved physical and emotional health. In other places, faith healing or laying on of hands has been practiced for decades or even centuries.

Whether you believe the healer is manipulating the energy alone, or a higher power of some sort is assisting, the fact that energy healing or touch healing has been practiced in one form or another for millennia indicates that people believe it works.

Energy healing, put simply, is the practice of using certain types of touch or other methods to balance the human energy system. While some methods, such as faith healing, probably wouldn’t put it quite that way, the principal is the same. Touch in and of itself can be healing for many people, partly because through touch, we share energy with one another. When the touch is done with intention, using certain techniques or methods, it can be incredibly powerful.

I was trained in Chios® Energy Healing and another modality developed by my teacher (which I’m not naming here because I don’t practice it any longer, and because as best I can tell he isn’t yet training others in it). Both are based on the chakra system: Seven major energy centers on the human body corresponding to seven aura layers that surround the body. The chakras rotate at a certain speed, while the energy field vibrates at a certain level, which is not the same for everyone.

The healing methods I learned employ certain hand placements and other techniques to repair poor functioning or damage to the chakras and aura layers. While there are other methods of healing, such as crystals or flower essences, for the next few weeks I’m going to be explaining energy healing from the perspective I learned. That isn’t to say that the way I do it is “right” or that other methods aren’t as valid. There are many ways to heal and maintain health, and all of them work and are equally valid.

Distance Healing

Posted on by riverflowhealing

I was talking with someone recently about distance energy healing, and they asked how I can do healing over the Internet.

The answer is, I don’t do it over the Internet.

Most of the energy healing modalities with which I’m familiar have methods for doing healing by distance; that is, healing when the healer is in one location and the client is in a different one. The methods may differ between modalities, but the idea is similar.

As I was first taught by my instructor, energy (including light and color) is not bound by space or time. Distance healing works because the healer, acting as both conduit and director, can send the energy to the client regardless of where they are.

Energy healing modalities generally teach that the client has to be in a receptive state at the time of the session, but my instructor taught me that, because time doesn’t limit energy, it is possible for the healer to do a session at one time, but set the intention of the energy reaching the client at a different time.

When I do distance healing, I prefer that the client be in a receptive state at the time I’m doing it. Usually, that means they’re lying down, though as long as they’re sitting and relaxed, and in a place where they won’t be interrupted, it works. My personal method of doing distance sessions, although I do follow the Chios® guidelines, includes visualization.

Visualization is one of my strengths. When I visualize something, I not only see it, but I am completely immersed in it. All of my senses are engaged, even though what’s happening is literally all in my head. Using this skill in energy healing means that when I do a distance session, it’s as if I’m physically present with the client, though distance sessions still don’t take as long as in-person ones. I go through the normal sequence of an in-person session, and I often feel the client under my hands, even though it’s only a mental image.

A distance healing session isn’t as effective as one done in person. Part of the benefit of the in-person sessions is the hands-on aspect. Human touch is comforting and healing to many people, and the physical contact strengthens the flow of energy through the healer into the client’s energy system. But distance sessions are still effective and can benefit those who are unable to see a healer in person, or who have difficulty tolerating touch. If you aren’t able to get to a practitioner, consider contacting one for a distance session instead.