Musings of a Bodyworker

Truth

2011-11-20T08:36:00.000-05:00

Reach into the deep waters of your soul
Find the truth, let it hold

Go into the deep waters of your soul
Feel the truth, make it whole

Return from the deep waters of your soul
The truth to the light, heal the worlds soul.

The Wisdom of the Dagara

2011-10-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

Some may know that from May to September of this year I took a 5-Month Shamanic Apprenticeship with Ann Sousa of Healing the Global Village (http://www.healingtheglobalvillage.com/) and Shamanic Pathways Healing Center (http://www.shamanicpathwayshealingcenter.com/). Ann is a Shamanic Practitioner, Initiated Elder, and Diviner in the Dagara Tradition, a branch of wisdom coming from West Africa due to the work of Malidoma Some' (http://www.malidoma.com)

Of course some will ask why I would want to study West African Shamanism when I don't have any (recent) heritage from Africa and others will ask why take a Men's Shamanic Apprenticeship led by a woman.

On the subject of studying something from Africa. First - currently available scientific evidence suggests that humans came from Africa. Whether you and everyone you have ever known have always lived in Africa or no-one in your family line has been to Africa in 20,000 years, ultimately we all come from Africa. Second - I am a seeker of truths. Wherever I find them I will look for them. Turns out that modernity has yet to completely take over the area of Africa where Malidoma was born and so they still have people that remember the ancient wisdom. My learning this wisdom will allow me to use it and carry it forward to pass onto the next generation. This wisdom is no more of less valuable than any other wisdom, but the ancient wisdom is getting harder to find.

As for working with Ann - she is a fantastic teacher and facilitator. To be honest, it just felt right and a good friend Wren recommended that I study with her. It didn't take long to understand why. Perhaps the most impressive part of Ann’s work is how well she tracks everyone coming and going from rituals, no matter how large or small. I don’t believe anyone was able to be outside the ritual area for more than 30 seconds without Ann asking where they were or who was missing.

So what did I get out of it? For starters, the Dagara have two major attributes that I've seen. They work heavily with the ancestors, people who have crossed and are on the other side of life. They have wisdom and vision and can help us to achieve our goals if we are willing to work with them. They also have a 5-element system (doesn't everyone) that is different from most. The Dagara Elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Nature, and Mineral. The image below is the Dagara Cosmological Wheel downloaded from http://www.schoolofwisdom.com/african_philosophy/the-african-wheel/

The Rituals were completely participatory and involved each of the elements. A perfect example - anyone who is interested in a Fire Walk Ritual can find a fire walk that you show up to a pile of wood, watch someone light the wood, then go to drum and dance and vision while the fire burns down to coals and then come out and walk across the coals. As a fire walk facilitator, Ann leads fire walks for many different groups of people. When we did our fire walk however, we stacked the wood. We then all took torches and lit the fire. We drummed and danced and chanted (and visioned) around the fire until it burned down to a bed of coals. We each had turns with the shovels and rakes to rake out the coals. Finally we walked across those coals and supported each other in our walk across the coals. Every month for 5 months. Every weekend full of all kinds of rituals. I still have ash from that fire walk and use it regularly.

Importantly - we did all of this safely while supporting each other. We always had the freedom to choose how we wanted to do whatever we were doing.

Learning at a Deeper Level

2011-07-12T12:09:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about the wide range of spiritual classes and experiences out there. I started with learning Reiki in the spring of 1997 after being part of a healing and meditation group for a number of years. The teacher became available to offer a class and I was able to take the class to start that journey.

I often see a wide range of quick classes. Everything from Reiki I and Reiki II in one weekend to even just a few hours.

I'm sure everyone in any spiritual or healing tradition has seen the ad: "Transform your practice in one hour." "Become a healer in just 3 hours." "This weekend will change your life."

I'm a huge fan of education. This is why I'm taking Whitney Lowe's Orthopedic Assessment classes (http://www.omeri.com/), Hugh Milne's Visionary Craniosacral classes (http://milneinstitute.com/), studying Runes, and doing the Men's Shamanic Apprenticeship with Ann Sousa (http://www.shamanicpathwayshealingcenter.com/) an initiated elder in the Dagara Tradition of West Africa.

All of these classes are either online or offered in short bursts, or some combination of.

Whitney's classes are both online and in person a weekend at a time with 2 books and 3 DVDs as a resource totaling a little over 100 hours of continuing education in how the body works. You have to be a Licensed Massage Therapist to get into the class.

Hugh's program consists of seven 4-day classes, plus mandatory review classes, documented practice sessions, and receiving the work from people he has certified. There are additional classes that are also available outside the 7-class series, at least 16 DVDs and 2 CDs, a 2-volume series of books that he has written, and a list of at least 15 books on the required reading list. Again, he really requires that the students be a Licensed Massage Therapist or a similar level of training before getting into the class.

Ann offers 2 introductory classes. A Men's Shamanic Apprenticeship and a Women's Shamanic Apprenticeship because as she says "there is just some work that men and women need to do separately." She also now offers a Diviner's Group that I really don't know anything about. The Men's group is 5 weekends, mostly Saturday and Sunday from 10AM Saturday to 5 PM Sunday but an occasional Friday starting at noon. It's a lot of personal development work - ritual and ceremony to help the participants change their lives for the better. I come out of each class with new ideas and outlooks and new practices to take home. Adding more the following month. This doesn't offer any title or right to practice (the Diviner's may), but does help one change their life (a worthy goal in it's own right).

So the point - these classes are well-organized and each experience takes the prior experiences and both broadens and deepens the understanding.

My issue with the 1-hour or 1-weekend class is that most people can't make many changes to their lives or perspectives in that amount of time. Nor can people really learn much and really retain it. It takes time for the experience to sink in deeply, and cramming more stuff in just floods the mind and emotions so that nothing sinks in. It stays shallow.

Taking some time to work with something, stepping away to work with it, and then coming back to it later helps people to really process and integrate it.

There are some things that are best experienced in moderation if at all - drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and chocolate come to mind. There are some things that are best experienced from a safe distance - angry bears and rattlesnakes, poisonous spiders, sharks, and really big waterfalls. But if you want something to really change your life and how you do things you have to really get in there, see it from all angles, and keep coming back to it.

Teachers are only human...

2011-05-07T20:07:00.000-04:00

I was recently (maybe last week) reading a news article about someone who was seeking spiritual fulfillment and found someone who was well known from books, movies, and television and was offering a week-long retreat in the Arizona desert. Short version - multiple people got sick and at least one person was killed in a sweat lodge that this individual was running.

Add that a well-known Enlightened Master, known to us as Sai Baba, crossed to the next world last weekend.

All this got me thinking about the various teachers I have had. I've had several, in public school, college, martial arts, scouting, massage school, seeking my own spiritual path, and so on. I count myself lucky that I've had some good teachers that have taught me many things on many levels and haven't gotten many severe injuries that I couldn't recover from.

I've come to realize however, that sometimes we forget a simple truth.

All our teachers are human.

That's right - all of them.

I count everyone, Priests/Priestesses, Doctors, Gurus, Sensei, Complementary Health Practitioners, Psychics...everyone. They are all human.

They have all had childhoods. They have gotten cuts and bruises. They've had their hearts broken. They've had good dates and bad ones. Most (with few exceptions) have had at least one marriage.

Simply - we are all fallible.

One of the problems that I recall from the incident in the Arizona Sweat-lodge is that there was a very large group of people who were afraid to leave the sweat-lodge and fail the others. It became a contest of endurance and, to my understanding, people were afraid of being shamed for leaving. I'm not going to get into any of the other issues, but this is one.

My words to seekers and students everywhere is to honor your truth. I don't care if you're studying algebra for the first time or trying to understand why you hear voices and you don't know anyone else who does. Many things we do in life are hard and sometimes we need to take a step back, slow down, ask questions, and find someone with a different perspective.

Sometimes we end up in rituals and ceremonies, and other social situations, that we have to say "THIS ISN'T FOR ME!" Sometimes we need to walk away until another day.

Sometimes the whole lesson is being willing to say "slow down and lighten up." Sometimes it's just learning to recognize that no-one can do everything.

Sometimes it's really coming to realize that no-one knows you better than you. A really good teacher can show you something that you can learn if you want to, and encourage you onward, but only you can hear that little voice inside that says "another time, or maybe never, but definitely not now."

Listen to that voice, and keep learning. After all, that is why we're here. We're here to learn lessons - big and small.

Earth Day and Spirituality

2011-04-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

I finally have time to write this down, as something that has been really rattling around in my head since this time yesterday.

Friday was Earth Day, it was also Arbor Day and Good Friday - the confluence of these is probably a contributing factor to my thinking about the earth and a missing piece of living in harmony with the earth.

I imagine we all know someone who really tries to live in harmony with the earth and shows it. The probably fit the stereotype - vegan, driving either a new Toyota Prius because it's the most fuel-efficient car available or an old beat-up diesel car converted for bio-diesel. They wear mostly hemp, some organic cotton, no leather, and otherwise they wear synthetics.

As much as I consider myself an environmentalist, I really don't fit the mold for that - I recycle as much as possible and wear organic cotton as much as possible. On the other hand I also eat meat, wear wool, synthetics, and leather, and drive a 9-year old Pontiac that gets between 27 and 32 mpg.

Every environmentalist knows another type that doesn't believe in the environmental philosophy at all. They are all too quick to point out the things that people do that have an environmental impact. Synthetic clothes rely on oil for raw materials for example. Many environmentalists drive a lot to different conventions and activism events around the country. Plants are living things too. The list goes on.

Joseph Campbell brings up the food issue in Mythos II - simply that all living things need to eat and the human ability to think brings us to realize that all living things need to eat living things in order to sustain their own life. The socially/environmentally/spiritually conscious individual who doesn't want to kill anything must come to terms with and reconcile the fact that living requires us to eat things that were living in order to keep living.

So my thinking the last few days have led me to realize a piece that I observe is largely missing from our modern world - honor. We can also say respect.

Many of our ancient traditions had this piece. Many Native American Tribes had the tradition of asking for permission to take an animal before killing the animal in a hunt. This was one of the responsibilities of the medicine person in preparation for a large hunt for a number of different tribes. The shamanic apprenticeship that I am preparing to participate in (based on African tribal traditions, http://www.shamanicpathwayshealingcenter.com/) has a heavy base in honoring one's ancestors. I have recently been deeply interested in Northern Tradition/Norse Shamanism, which also has a deep honoring component.

Does honoring change the fact that we consume living things and oil - which all have a large impact on the earth and life on it? Not at all. It does change our intention. It means we are trying. We all have to live and breathe. We really do best in being social - we can learn and share with others by being out in the world. The person who lived alone in the wilds may have some fantastic spiritual/religious insights and a minimal overall environmental impact, but unless they somehow tell someone who can share their experiences they also have a minimal impact on the way society works - except for changes in global consciousness their consciousness will not do much to improve the world's consciousness.

I believe that is why many of us are here - to make a positive impact on the world.

No matter what you eat, what you wear, where you live, and what you drive. Honor it.

Honor the air that you breathe, the water that you drink, the food that you eat. Honor the farmer in the field and the oil field worker. Honor the soldier keeping us safe even if we don't like the war. Honor the chemist that develops the process to turn raw materials into synthetic fiber, medication, and metal. Honor the trees and the rocks. Honor the sun, the moon, and the stars. Honor your ancestors.

Honor all of your neighbors.

Recognize that this is life. Live it and change the world for the better.

Avoiding the High Price of Oil

2011-03-16T14:03:00.000-04:00

I was recently looking at posts by friends and family on Facebook and saw the familiar post. You know the one - it goes around in posts and emails every year. The belief that if everyone avoids buying gas on a specific random date then the oil companies will reduce the price of gas? Yes - that one. Always a little different but always the same idea.

Of course then a lot of people (including myself) start posting that the idea just won't work. The simplest explanation is one that everyone who runs a business knows well - there are busy days and slow days so even if no money is made one day but that business shifts to the day before or the day after then business is still doing well.

So what can people do? Easy - Cut the overall use of oil!

Wait - I know a lot of people are thinking "but I need to get to work, the game, school, and do my shopping." That's right - we all have places we need to go, and unless you're riding a horse or a bicycle or some other vehicle that's come through a time machine from a time when we're not using petroleum to power everything, most of us are still relying on oil to get through our daily lives.

Note - I'm saying "oil" because so much comes from oil and it all really kinda goes into one pot of raw materials and the money from those raw materials goes into an oligopoly (simply - a monopoly of a few businesses with limited options for new businesses to compete) of just a few well-known companies including Exxon-Mobil, BP, Irving, Shell Oil, Sun Oil Co (Sunoco), Citgo, and a few other smaller companies.

So what would happen if we cut, or just reduced our use of oil? I could say that supply and demand would reduce the cost of oil, but supply and demand is actually not as significant an economic factor when one approaches a monopoly, including oligopolies. These economic systems are much more capable of charging whatever the market will pay. They are also capable of withholding supplies to create artificial shortages - as is done with lobster. They simply lock up supply and store it until they are ready to release just enough to meet demand so that people are willing to pay whatever they have to in order to get what they want. Unfortunately drilling for oil is unlikely to reduce the price/gallon for the same reasons.

Then what would happen? Simple - you would spend less for the oil you use. Would the price of gas still be $3.459/gallon? Given how the rate is steadily increasing - it would probably be higher. These are not changes that happen overnight. But the impact of that price/gallon on your budget would be smaller.

So what can people do? Here's a short list, but there's definitely more that people can do. There are a lot of resources that you can look up from there:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - this old term is still valid. Find new uses for old stuff. Old clothes become rags or patches for quilts. Recycle anything you can so the raw materials can be made into something new. Reuse plastic bags until there's nothing left and then reuse them for trash bags. The list goes on...
Maintain your car to improve fuel efficiency.
Carpool and use public transportation whenever possible. Plan your trips to get maximum use of the fewest car miles.
Walk and bicycle as much as possible (or whatever other human-powered transportation) - besides, it's good exercise.
Buy local - it can reduce the miles products travel and supports local businesses
Time to buy new whatever - buy the most energy-efficient products you can. Everything has an environmental impact including production, delivery, repair/maintenance, and decomposition. Of course some things require energy to operate as well. It's wise to pay attention to the entire cycle and the energy and environmental impacts involved to cut waste.
Use energy-efficient methods to heat and cool your home and business. This also includes proper insulation

There is a lot we can do, but unfortunately we probably just have to adapt to the price of gas by using less of it.

Getting a Massage

2011-01-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

Everyone I know likes to get massage. Many people seem to think it is a luxury and many others seem to believe that massage is outrageously expensive - I happen to disagree on both points. Massage is no more a luxury than a regular teeth cleaning or a visit to the doctor when you are sick and is actually no more expensive than a good dinner out, a few drinks, or one of the above.

To clarify - massage is about your health and is effective in reducing stress and blood pressure as well as helping to speed healing, increase mobility, and decrease pain - particularly from muscle injury. An hour massage in many areas is about $65, or $90/hour and a half (my rates as of this posting in early 2011).

But there are things you can do to help yourself get the most of that time.

1 - Ask questions. You can start asking questions even before the massage is booked and continue after the massage is done.

2 - It's best to show up to the massage a few minutes early if possible (5 minutes or so) but to not have just eaten a big meal but not be starving either. I usually find that a normal light lunch and then waiting an hour is fine, or having a snack if I'm looking at getting a massage and then a late meal. Avoid alcohol (I will NOT do a massage for someone who's been drinking) but having a little water before is not bad. Use the bathroom before the massage.

3 - Tell them about what's going on in your life, particularly medically. Your prescription and over the counter meds matter, as do your injuries, surgeries, diagnosed medical conditions, headaches, sore spots, and everything else. Any good massage therapist will respect your privacy (I don't even acknowledge that someone is a client, never mind that they have anything medical going on) and knowing this will help them to not cause any injuries from the massage and whatever else you are dealing with. A really good massage therapist may even really help (particularly with scar tissue, headaches, and sore spots). If you have a complicated medical history it's a good idea to mention it when scheduling a massage.

Additional tip to #3 - if you are on time for your massage and you are not asked to fill out an intake form, or you are quickly led to the massage room and not given an opportunity to talk about your medical issues before the massage (at least 5 minutes if needed) then I recommend finding another therapist. This information is critical for your health and for you to get the most from a massage.

4 - The therapist will step out of the room and give you privacy to get changed and on the massage table. Any therapist who expects you to get undressed at all will offer a sheet, towel, or blanket so that you are covered while getting the massage. Keep on anything that you are more comfortable keeping on than taking off.

You should never feel or be exposed - I only undrape that area that I am working on such as arms, legs, back, etc. The standard underwear/bathing suit coverage areas are never exposed. Some massage styles, particularly chair massage and energy work, only expect you to remove jewelry and maybe shoes so this part may not apply.

5 - RELAX and BREATHE. This is your time. Your phone should be off or silent. If there are any issues - don't like the music, too warm/cold, too much or not enough pressure, need to use the bathroom, don't feel 100% comfortable with what the therapist is doing or where they are working, would like them to go back to a good spot, or anything else - let them know. I will respond quickly, appropriately, and professionally to anything a client says to me. This may include the issue of talking during a massage - some clients are completely silent, some chat away. Therapists can be the same way - if they are talking too much or not enough feel free to say so.

6 - That tight spot... Yes, you know the one and the therapist does too. It could be in your neck, your shoulders, your calf, or your forearm. Everyone has that "knot" that just won't go away. A therapist may ask you to move against resistance, or just keep moving slowly in this pattern. Otherwise, mention it's there if we seem to miss it and just breathe into it. Imagine the tension melting away, the knot just dissolving into nothing. Usually, that's exactly what it does.

7 - No matter what, every massage comes to an end. After they leave, get up SLOWLY. A lot can change during a massage, including blood pressure and particularly if you haven't had enough to eat or drink (water) all day. Take a minute or two to find your balance.

8 - Drink plenty of water the rest of the day. There really is no evidence for the whole "toxins and metabolic waste" thing, but blood is flowing, muscles need water, supple tissues are asking for water, and you're going to be much more sore if you don't drink water.

9 - Paying. Yes - massage therapists love their jobs, but they have bills to pay just like you do. Tipping depends on the place. Personally - I prefer to be paid before you leave and have you schedule your next massage (even 9 months out) than even a $60 tip. If you're not rescheduling, passing my name and info to a friend or neighbor as a tip for them to get that "bad back" or "carpal tunnel thing" worked out is just as good.

Otherwise, knowing you feel better is a great tip in my book. The pleasure that someone else feels much better and will remember me the next time they need a massage is a good thing.

10 - Finally, if you're dealing with back pain that you've had "as long as I can remember" (or for that matter, any pain or difficult movement) I might be able to help you feel better in an hour, but it's going to take several sessions and some self-care exercises at home to really make it better permanently. Ask what you can do at home and do it. If the instructions aren't clear, ask again. If they don't make sense the next day then call and ask.

And I really do mean it about telling your friends and letting me know that you really feel better. Telling others that I'm a good, honest, professional massage therapist who helped whatever means I get more clients. Telling me lets me know that what I helped you do worked so I can help the next person and that I may be tired tonight, but I did good.

That's why the good massage therapists love their jobs....

It is time to follow your calling

2011-01-09T10:26:00.000-05:00

What are you waiting for?

You hear your calling to go to where you need to go. Every soul has a purpose, and that purpose is calling, screaming for your attention. We are being patient, recognizing your free will, but your fear is not serving you, it is holding you back.

Everything in the universe is coming together, calling for us to serve our purpose and perform our role. It is now time to raise from your seat and do your part.

Healers and teachers. Spiritual Leaders. Why do you resist so much? Yes there is much to do, you have a body to feed and shelter and clothe, but we will take care of you. You will be cared for.

It will be an adventure, but all life is. Stop your waiting - there is much to do to complete our task and everything is going to happen - with or without you and your participation....

My next topic will have to wait until later, but this one was feeling important right now...

Looking for a Massage Therapist

2011-01-06T16:07:00.000-05:00

Here are some things to be aware of when looking for a Massage Therapist.

First - most states require a Massage Therapist to be Licensed. A few require certification instead of licensing, and a few others provide licensing from the individual towns. While it is true to a piece of paper saying that someone is Licensed or Certified or even Trained as to do massage doesn't guarantee that they are good at doing massage, it does help in giving a course of enforcement if there are problems. It does help to ensure professionalism and does suggest that they meet a minimum standard.

Second - Professional Associations. There are two major professional associations - The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA, http://www.amtamassage.org) and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP, http://www.abmp.com). There are a few other more specialized organizations, mostly devoted to specific approaches to massage or bodywork such as Polarity, Craniosacral Therapy, Trager, or one of many, many others. Most professional associations help in a few ways - you can search for a therapist through the organization, they have minimum standards for membership such as level of training and continuing education to keep skills fresh and growing, and they provide insurance.

Ask around - by all means many massage therapists advertise in the phone book and have websites such as mine at http://www.apath2healing.com that you can check out. If we are a member of a professional association or have specific training we will be listed in different websites. Many of us are members of the Chamber of Commerce, BNI, and other organizations. We also live and work in the same towns as you do and donate time to charities. We also work at different events. Every massage therapist is different and every person receiving massage is different - but ask around what is someone's work really like.

On that note, be cautious about the "Best of" Awards. Remember - massage is very broad in its scope and everyone and every situation is different. For many massage therapists, every massage is different (I try to never do the same massage twice). Since everyone is different - the massage your neighbor says is the best massage they've ever had may be a massage that wouldn't do anything for you at all. Likewise, just because it wasn't a great massage for them it could be great for you. But, if the person is professional, timely, listens to you, and is knowledgeable - it could be worth calling and asking questions.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most Massage Therapists, especially good ones, really like what they do and love to talk about it. Remember that if you are calling an independent Massage Therapist that many of us use our cellular phones for business phone numbers. If you are expecting a long conversation or a lot of questions it may be good to ask if we have time to talk for a little (I have been known to answer the phone just before a client arrives in case they are running late or are not sure where I am and are calling for information).

Ask for what you are looking for in terms you are comfortable with. I fully understand that people do not want to come across as ill-informed but it really is ok to say "I've never had a massage before but I'm feeling really stressed out or I have this injury that someone says massage can help." Actually - this is preferred to having to tease out the reason you've come to my office so that I can plan the best possible massage for you right now, since I don't follow a routine for everyone who comes to my office.

Likewise, we are interested in your medical issues - we will influence the flow of blood and lymph in the body, as well as blood pressure (usually towards lower) and this can have profound affects on the body. Some medical conditions can be helped by massage, and others are conditions that certain types of massage should be avoided.

It is also good to ask about the massage time. Many spas as well as some fitness centers and independent therapists schedule massages with what is known as the "Spa Hour" - where the same therapist has a new client each hour so a massage is actually about 45-50 minutes of massage time after time to change and get dressed, as well as questions, paying for the massage, and scheduling the next massage. This would mean that if your massage is for 1PM, you will likely find yourself back at your car by 2:05PM. Other massage therapists (like myself) prefer to schedule an additional amount of time beyond the massage for all the other incidentals (I like 30 minutes) so that if you are scheduled for 1PM for a one-hour massage, after intake and questions your massage will likely start around 1:15 and end around 2:15PM. You would likely be back at your car around 2:25 and my next client will start at 2:30PM. Other therapists are much more flexible, and I have heard of a one-hour massage lasting for an hour and twenty minutes or longer.

So look and ask around, and definitely ask questions. Remember that most good massage therapists chose to become a massage therapist because they love their work and so we actually enjoy talking with people who are interested in what we do and what we can offer them.

So now it's time for me to go do a massage - I'm planning an upcoming blog post on what to expect and how to get the most out of a massage.

We All Deserve Prosperity

2010-12-30T11:56:00.000-05:00

This morning I was checking up on friends and two comments really caught my attention. One massage colleague Megan, who is the author of the book "The Magic Touch" had written a comment to another massage therapist's response of disbelief to the idea that a massage therapist can make $100,000/year. Another friend had written a comment in defense of a complementary medicine practitioner that "The doc drives a car older than mine and his co-partner hasn't taken a paycheck in the 2+ years they have owned the place".

These two statements really got me to thinking about a problem I am struggling with. Are we really that bad off? I have felt for years, possibly my entire life, that spiritual leaders, healers, and teachers deserve to be well-paid and well-rewarded. Now I work as a healer, specifically as a Massage Therapist. For me it is spiritual in calling, and sometimes I teach.

Why do we wear our poverty as a badge of honor? Why do we think we have to be poor to provide a service that we believe the entire world needs and that we love to provide?

Have we all gone mad to believe that we don't deserve to have enough money?

This thought brings to me the vision of the typical person with lots of money. A nice suit, a fancy car or three, a big house - or maybe four of them. We all know the type; they have an MBA in business or maybe a degree in business law. They are CEOs, or they work in the financial or insurance sector of our economy. If they don't work there, they work selling drugs (legal, illegal, and recreational) or oil. They make a million poisoning society, and they aren't known for giving back.

But why do they get all the money while the other 98% of society struggles to get by?

I think the problem isn't what we do vs what they do, but rather what we believe about money. Many of us have come to the belief that money is evil and if we do good things then we can't have much evil. As a result, we get ourselves into a position of believing that we don't deserve to have enough money to fill our basic needs.

After we are done that, we then scrimp and save and redefine our basic needs until we have nothing. Do we have a good reliable car that gets decent mileage, clothes that fit right and are warm enough and enough clothes to last a week or two, healthy food on the table, a comfortable home for all year, proper medical care including complementary medicine, clean teeth, and proper-fitting glasses?

Yes - we deserve to have all of that.

We are talking to you, who buy the cheapest food you can because you can't afford healthy organic food. We are talking to you, who haven't had your eyes checked in two years and your glasses or contacts are no longer wearable. We are talking to you, who want to have an energy-efficient car but are driving old unreliable pieces of junk that cost too much to keep on the road. We are talking to you, with homes and apartments that aren't warm enough in winter or cool enough in summer and don't always keep you dry when you would like to be heating with solar.

We are talking to you, who feel that you are trying to offer the world a great service that no-one wants to pay for. Teachers, Healers, Spiritual leaders. We are also talking to the people that build safe roads and safe cars to get people to where they need to go. People that want to work to offer the world cleaner energy sources so we don't have to rely on oil. People who want to clean up our environmental mess. Doctors and health-care practitioners in all forms of health and medicine who feel their calling is to help people recover from illness or to deal with that illness the best they can whether that illness is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

Yes - we are talking to all of those who feel there isn't enough to provide for yourselves and your families, to expand your knowledge and your business and to make the world a better place.

Recognize now that there is enough. The universe has enough. We don't have to wait for someone to give us a job or a handout that we can just get by. The universe is trying to offer it to us. We only have to honor where it comes from and accept it.

Now is the time to step forward into what you should be doing with your life. You have accepted your calling, the universe is prepared to send people that need what you are offering and pay you. We only have to accept the gifts that are coming to us.

Thank you to all the friends, both physical and spiritual, who have brought these gifts to me to offer. I now offer this to the world and know that the world will appreciate it and provide for all of my needs, for the work I offer has earned me a good, fair, honest living.

My needs for healthy food, good friends, a reliable and energy-efficient car, a comfortable home, a business that is sustainable on all levels, time for good exercise and to connect with nature, good health and healthcare, and the education to provide my clients with the best possible care that I can provide.

Thank you to all of you

Is there only one path?

2010-12-24T13:35:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me this morning that in the next few days many will be focused on one singular view of the divine. Tomorrow many of us, certainly all of a Christian faith (with the possible exception of the Greek Orthodox Catholic, they may have a different date for Christmas), businesses, and American Government will all be celebrating Christmas. The birth of a child in Bethlehem that we know today as Jesus the Christ.

For purposes of today, I am going to not get into beliefs that he was actually born in March or April, conspiracy theories as to why December 25th was chosen, or anything else - I will leave that for another discussion which will likely be led by someone else.

However I notice that we, as humans, tend to like to polarize discussions. Everything from gender, diet, fashion, raising children, and religious beliefs.

To my topic, which has been dominating my thoughts for a few hours now in some form or another...

Jesus was brought to us about 2000 years ago (I believe about 2040 years ago is more accurate, give or take a decade or so) as a healer and a teacher. Many good things, miracles, are attributed to his name. Personally, I believe the history is relatively accurate as written, though I am aware and respect other beliefs.

My issue, however, lies in the belief that it has only happened ONCE.

The people in the middle east were given Jesus about 2000 years ago. In the far east a few decades earlier (perhaps a century or so) they received Buddha. Confucius was given to China about 551 BC. We should also remember Mohammed and others. The Norse had a range of Gods and Goddesses and great leaders, as did the Greeks and the Romans. The Native Americans had their own (both Northern and Southern) in every tribe, ranging from Kokopelli to Quetzalcoatl as well as visions of the Sundance - which actually has phenomenal correlations to the Crucification of Jesus, including its age.

Every one of the world's ancient civilizations received their messengers, healers, teachers, and visionaries. As well as revered leaders. I would say that the divine source has sent these people to every single one of these civilizations to lead and to teach the people. To help them learn good things. To bring the world, over time, to the place we need to be.

I encourage everyone to respect every tradition and every belief, regardless of its age and civilization or origin. Recognize that ancient people were asking difficult questions and not everyone would have received the divine in the same way. Celebrate whichever one fits you best.

December 8 - Bodhi Day (Buddhist)
December 20, 21, or 22 - Winter Solstice and/or Yule (many Tribal Cultures, Celtic, Germanic/Norse/Egyptian/Pagan) - based on the astronomical event
December 25 - Christmas/Noel
December 21-25 - Pancha Ganapati (Hindu)
Varies - Eid ul-Adha (Muslim, based on an entirely different calendar but in winter this year)
December 21 - Yalda (Persian)
December 21 - Saturnalia (Roman)
December 25 - Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (late Roman)
December 21 - Modranect (Saxon)

And there are many more.

So Happy Holy Days - whatever your tradition. Consider the cross-influences between traditions and the possibility that there is more than one path...

Getting back what you put in...

2010-12-23T15:15:00.000-05:00

I was just thinking this afternoon about the good things coming to me and coming to my business. Part of me was thinking that I really want to contribute my fair share to this life and get back accordingly.

Honestly - I do put a lot into my work. Anyone who's ever gotten a massage from me can probably say that I really do work hard to keep my attention and intention in the massage. I honestly believe that this intention and attention is the reason I can get so deep in the tissue without causing pain. I notice that when my intention drifts clients comment that it's getting painful.

Anyone who has ever done massage also knows that massage is work. There is the knowledge aspect, knowing the muscles and the tissues and what causes things to happen. There is the physical part of the massage and the hand strength. Finally, there is the intention and the energy. It's much more mental than people realize.

So my thought was "I only want to get back in fair trade what I put into life...."

To which I quickly heard; "there is no need to worry about that, we have already taken care of that."

"It is easy to believe the illusion that some people put nothing into life and get all the best things from life, but that's only if you see just one side of the equation. Once one looks into the other side, those people realize how much they have missed."

So my thought for you after my message from them - live your life fully and don't worry about what you get back. The lessons you learn may allow you to progress to living life on the next level.

Giving Thanks

2010-12-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

There is so much going on that sometimes we forget to say Thank you.

Two simple words that don't get said often enough.

I guess sometimes we forget, or just get busy. Sometimes I wonder if people even notice all the good things that come through their lives.

I try to say thank you several times a day. I thank all my clients for coming in, as well as the customers that come into the retail shop. Without their business I would not be in business and wouldn't be able to keep the fantastic space that I have. I say good morning to the space every morning when I come in, and thank you and good night before I leave.

Actually, I take a specific crystal out most days when opening the store and again when closing the store to thank the store and everyone that comes through.

I am also very grateful for all the friends that support the store and try to say thank you to them as well. I know that I am not necessarily close to everyone's home here in Raymond NH, so some friends come to speak, present, buy things, or just to visit and have to drive a little just to get here.

I know that sometimes when people say thank you to me I reply thank you in return. I hope that it doesn't offend people, but I guess I am trying to recognize that in any good relationship (and I consider all of us to be in relationship with each other whether it is client/therapist, teacher/student, business/customer, friends, relatives, or the intimate relationships that people usually refer to as a relationship) that in any good relationship there is an equal exchange. Both people give something, and both people receive something of equal value in return.

This is part of the reason why, in many Native American traditions, people say "Good Trade" at the conclusion of a trade - everyone should be getting something of equal value in return for the trade or the exchange.

As a result, I feel that "and thank you" is just as legitimate a response as "you're welcome" to thank you. Actually, I think that in some cultures it is the culturally acceptable response, in which case I wouldn't be alone in my belief.

I suspect that if we all started saying thank you more often we might find more things to be thankful for. It could make the whole world a better place.

Drugs, Jesus, and Life out There...

2010-11-27T16:23:00.000-05:00

I expect many of us remember Obi Wan Kenobi in "The Empire Strikes Back" when he tells Luke Skywalker "Many of the truths that people cling to depend on their point of view."

Many of us cling to certain perspectives or points of view - religion, politics, and economic structure being examples of things that, everyone has a perspective and everyone thinks their point of view is the correct one, but what is it really?

I have already gotten into religion and spirituality here, and so I'll continue on the comparison. Every one of the world's religions came from some part of the world at some point in time. Somebody, somewhere, at some point in time, was able to express their beliefs and demonstrate that it worked in some way. For many of those religions amazing wisdom, insight, or healing was demonstrated. For many certain miracles were demonstrated. These included raising the dead, a dramatic cure to an illness for which there was no known cure in that day, walking on water, making water flow uphill, commanding weather, control of fire, and many other "impossible" things.

What, really is the difference between these? I believe that many of these practices are culturally-influenced methods of expressing and contacting the divine.

A country song comes to mind - Tim McGraw sang a song titled "Drugs or Jesus" and one line from the song was "Every body just wants to get high. Watch a perfect world go by. There isn't that much space in between us. Drugs or Jesus."

Indeed, every culture in history had and has it's issues or challenges - and their own solutions. Some groups always sought peace, but lived in harsh climates. Some liked war. Everyone had to deal with teaching children, caring for elders and the sick, obtaining food and water, and other challenges. Many had harsh weather and a need for fire that can be controlled.

I imagine every culture asked the question that we still ask today - "Are we alone?" For many that question led to the question of the existence of some part of the divine and where we came from. We still ask the question in relation to the stars - is there another civilization out there, just out of sight. Someone looking at us asking the same question - could there be life somewhere in that spiral galaxy out there?

Hmm, not the direction I thought I'd be going when I sat to write this post. Then again, I highly doubt that a man we today know as Jesus thought that people would be fighting wars and killing people in his name when he lived his life 2000 years ago. I wonder what he would have said or done differently. Or maybe he knew, but knew from his point of view that there was no better way. Maybe we need to keep killing each other to finally learn.

Or maybe, our killing each other keeps the ones from that star outside from coming anywhere near us. After all..with our tendency to want to blow things up its best to keep a distance away.

And to think I was going to write about points of view.

On Being a Student, On Being a Teacher...

2010-10-16T23:40:00.000-04:00

After spending a day today with one of my favorite teachers of Massage Therapy, Whitney Lowe of OMERI who teaches Orthopedic Assessment, and listening to a CD and reading the book of another teacher, Hugh Milne of the Milne Institute who teaches Visionary Craniosacral Work, some thoughts are going through my head.

To me we are all students and teachers for each other. Sometimes listening to someone new in the field or who is trying to gain the basic skills to enter a field of work can remind us of what it is like to be young, new, enthusiastic, idealistic, and still fresh in all the basic skills required to enter a profession. These people can teach me how lucky I am to be doing what I am doing, and also remind me of the basics and bring me back to those basics so that I can refresh myself.

This also gives an opportunity to question assumptions. Sometimes the assumptions are proven correct and so we can remember why, and sometimes we discover the assumptions are false but convenient. This can allow us to grow.

Of course, sometimes experience is the best teacher, and having dinner and a few glasses of very good wine over the span of several hours of discussion with some veterans of the massage therapy profession is always a great way to hear what people really think and believe, or at least catch a brief glimpse.

In the words of Basho, "Do not follow in the footsteps of the men of old, seek what they sought." To me, I would say your own teachers, their teachers, and then the teachers of your teachers teachers. I believe the goal of every student who is serious about their field of study should be to one day stand as equals with their teachers, and then to find other teachers so that they can advance the knowledge base of their profession and the quality of care or knowledge that is available to the future students of the profession. In this way, we gain more knowledge and make that knowledge and/or wisdom available to future generations.

Of course, I must admit I am biased - I believe in gaining both knowledge and wisdom for their own sake. I believe that the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom (or at least one or the other) is perhaps the single greatest goal of a civilization, or perhaps second only to doing so with compassion for our fellow beings.

What about teachers then?

I believe that all healing is, in fact, teaching - at least at some level. I believe that all teachers should have the goal of providing their students with the tools to one day surpass their teachers. I say this for two major reasons:
1 - as I state above, I believe in the accumulation of knowledge and wisdom for it's own sake in a civilization. It has intrinsic value
2 - I believe that we all strive to be great, and great students can only become great if they have the drive to become great and the teachers and lessons to grow and learn. So if a student becomes exceptional, then in fact their teachers must have been phenomenal and deserve appropriate respect.

What about students who just don't have the drive to become great, or even care enough to bother learning what is put right in front of them?

This is not necessarily the fault of the teachers. A good teacher will inspire curiosity and interest however many a student are put into a situation where they are told "you must learn this" when in fact they have no interest in this at all today but may have a great interest in another topic. Hopefully the teacher has the ability to recognize this and allow the student to follow their curiosity and their interests, however in the public school system (a different category of teacher from my primary discussion) or even in many career schools - the teacher is expected to teach too much to too many people in too short a period of time to entertain everyone. Society needs to provide a space for those students to follow their interests, and many students need to either decide that they are really interested in following something else, or recognize that their goal of a degree, diploma, or certificate, require that they understand certain things whether they like it or not.

I hope that I may someday stand beside my teachers as equals and colleagues.

Sharing a Vision - Choose Your Reality

2010-10-07T12:12:00.002-04:00

The following is a vision or dream that I was given some years ago (about 2003). The memory has come back to the surface and this time I have finally come to understand that I am supposed to share it. I can think of no better way than to post it as a Blog, which will also bring it to my Facebook and LinkedIn Pages. Please feel free to link to this post to share it, and if you have questions my contact information should be available here and is available on my website - http://www.apath2healing.com/.

When I laid down to sleep I saw a woman dressed in a beautiful beaded leather dress with long fringe. A great bear walked in front of her, a white buffalo followed behind and to her right. A wolf or coyote was just barely visible between the trees behind her and to her left, just that I knew someone was there. An eagle flew overhead.

In her left hand she held a Wampum belt, which she gave to me. I said "I do not know how to read wampum." She replied "take it into your heart and you will understand." I accepted the Wampum and held the belt to my heart. Tears came to my eyes and I quickly came to dream.

I saw many dreams that night. Past, present, and future. Things that are and things that never were.

I still see the great armies of the world gathering around one large battlefield. The field is so large that one cannot see across it with the unaided eyes. Soon I hear the armies announcing to each other "Give us your oil or we will destroy you". Each continues in turn, threatening the other armies with their great weapons to get the others to turn over their oil supplies. It is clear to me that this is the start of a great war.

Finally one small voice whispers "we have no more oil, we have used it all to get here". More and more voices say that they too have used the last of their supplies of oil to get to this field.

A single shot rings out, and it is not clear where it comes from. The whole field erupts into a great battle.

A see a man walking across the field. People are shooting at each other and dying all around him, but he doesn't seem to notice or care. He starts to bend down to pick up a wildflower in the field, and I see a bomb headed right for him. The bomb explodes, and when the smoke clears I see him standing in the middle of the crater as if it is still solid ground, holding a beautiful wildflower to his nose as if nothing happened. I see others following him across the field, also not seeing the battle going on around them. It becomes clear to me that the soldiers cannot see these people singing and dancing across the field enjoying the flowers and the sun and the breeze. The people walking and dancing across the field cannot perceive that there is any battle, any war, or any lack for time and ability to enjoy the world.

A small group of people stand at the edge of the field, unsure which reality is real. They ask themselves "can we sing and dance across the field?" "Will the bullets and bombs hurt us?" "Which way do we go?"

With this, my rememberance of the vision ends...

Thoughts about the Nature of God...

2010-08-19T16:49:00.000-04:00

It's important here that I say that these are my thoughts. What I think is not necessarily in line with anyone else's thinking. Actually, I'm rather certain that very few, if any, of the established belief systems will agree with me entirely on any of what I'll be writing here...

Where? Personally I am what may be considered a Pantheist. I believe there is one divine being, God or god for lack of a better word, actually Consciousness may be a more accurate term though much larger, that is everywhere. Everywhere? Yes - I do mean everywhere and in everything. I don't believe there is anything in the Universe, or even the Multiverse, that is not touched by this divine being. If hell is living in the absence of the divine than there is no hell, because everything and everywhere that is, was, or will be was created by this divine being and is therefore part of the divine.

Who? Same answer - everyone. We were all created by this same being and are therefore all part of the divine being. We have the free will to explore our own part of the divine consciousness, which includes interacting with the rest of the universe in any way that we see fit, including other people. I believe that our higher consciousness has agreed to certain lessons to be learned in this life and will therefore direct us into certain directions by bringing certain interactions our way, but we have free will. Our perception of time may complicate our understanding of free will, but more on that later.

When? You guessed it - this being existed before there was any such thing as time and will continue to exist long after the Universe has collapsed back into a singularity or expanded so far that it has torn itself to shreds (I believe the current Hypothesis by Astrophysicists is that the Universe is expanding more slowly today than it did yesterday and that eventually everything will collapse back to a singularity, but that will be a few billion years or more and is nothing we have to worry about. Subject to change as our understanding of the Universe changes.)

OK - so let's get to the details about description...

Male or Female - both and neither. Now I'm hearing all the readers of this going "WHAT???" so let's get into some of the deeper details.

From all of the traditions I've studied, Monotheistic beliefs suggest that there is one all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-living consciousness/God/etc. Pantheistic beliefs basically say what I've already said - basically that this being is everywhere. Polytheistic beliefs are the other side from the Monotheists - yes the beings are everywhere because there is one of rocks, and another of trees, and another of beaches or, depending on the specific belief - there is one for men and one for women or there is one for each part of the globe, or... Summary - Polytheism says there are multiple gods who are everywhere. All three are legitimate beliefs, but personally I think that Monotheism is missing the "everywhere" part and Polytheism is emphasizing the differences instead of seeing that one being could be that diverse.

For example - some of you probably figure that I'm a very spiritual/philosophical person. Some know that I do bodywork for a living and enjoy the comfort of a hot tub, sauna, and massage. This may or may not seem odd to those who know I enjoy martial arts as well as outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, and backpacking. Does this line up with someone who also enjoys riding motorcycles? Something of this nature could support Polytheism - a being of diverse characteristics may be more easily described and understood as multiple beings that describe their various characteristics.

So if we have one all-powerful and all-knowing consciousness and we have creatures that are male, female, both, and neither (some organisms have both male and female parts and some organisms have no gender at all) than this being, in order to fully know everything, must be simultaneously male, female, both, and neither. My personal experiences with this consciousness, through meditation as well as trauma, suggest that it is true. I believe that he is sufficiently comfortable with her own masculinity and femininity that he really doesn't care what you call her.

Univeral Mind Lattice - Alex Grey (www.alexgrey.com)

So what does this being look like? I believe the Christian Bible is correct what it states that we were created in God's own image. Now I'm hearing another "WHAT? That doesn't work with the rest of this post???" Actually, I think the issue is what we really look like. Visionary Artist Alex Grey (www.alexgrey.com) drew an image that I am sometimes blessed to see while doing my massage work. The image I am referring to is called the Universal Mind Lattice and is attached above. The picture is available in his book "Sacred Mirrors" and as a poster at http://shop.cosm.org/universalmindlattice.aspx - I highly recommend checking out his work.

I believe that this is probably the closest physical image I have seen that describes what we really look like. Likewise, I believe that it shows what the universe really looks like and, to complete the answer that was last asked, I believe that the divine consciousness follows in the same image. A holographic web of energy.

Web of Wyrd - Norse Mythology

Where else has this been seen? For starters, the Norse referred to the Web of Wyrd and I believe that the depiction of the Web of Wyrd is a description of the same image, simplified (albeit a few thousand years older). More recently, I've seen a similar image on a video talking about Physics (String Theory) and the various dimensions that particles can move in that reminded me of the same web pattern of light. That video can be found at http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/brian_greene_on_string_theory.html.

So then, what about the different images of Gods and Goddesses? I believe that every culture throughout the world, and likely in the universe, has tried to answer the question about where we come from and eventually they start venturing into the realm of the divine. I believe that that complete comprehension of that realm is beyond the abilities of any other consciousness simply because the divine is so vast. I believe that it is beyond expression in any language or medium (art, music, written, spoken, or carved) because of the limitations of the language or the medium. Therefore, each culture has expressed it's understanding, it's interpretation, of the divine in the best way that it can. All are legitimate views, just there are some things we cannot understand, express, or appreciate while in this body...

So What is the Summer Solstice?

2010-06-21T23:33:00.000-04:00

Some may wonder why people put particular spiritual or religious significance to solstices and equinoxes, after all, it's just a change in the length of the day right?

Well, yes... Summer Solstice is the day of the year with the most daylight. How much daylight exactly is dependent on how far you are from the equator (conversely - if you are south of the equator than today was the Winter Solstice for you, the shortest day of the year). This has nothing to do with the distance from the earth to the sun, and is strictly related to the tilt of the earth on it's axis in relation to the sun - which changes how directly the sun's rays hit the earth in the northern and southern hemisphere.

However this is very significant. If you're close to the equator, the change in the amount of daylight is very small, but if you're anywhere near the arctic circle there's a good chance that you're still looking at the setting sun as I am writing this as 11:30 PM. To an ancient culture, daylight meant many things including productive hours of the day, vulnerability to invasion or ability to invade another group, growing and hunting seasons, personal comfort, and other things...

Of course, there are also energetic and spiritual differences that change throughout the year - things that we don't necessarily think about in a society that sunset means we flip a light switch or turn on the headlights in our car (assuming yours don't turn on automatically). Summer is a good time to connect with other people, enjoy the growing season (since the planting season is now done), and basically get out and be active. Hmm - do that already? Most of us do - we don't usually think about it, it's just habit or tradition. Get out, have a BBQ, do a yard sale, spend some time by the pool or at the beach, be social.

So then what does a ceremony or ritual do, when done for the solstice? Easy - it brings awareness and intention. It gets our head straight. It makes us aware of what we do and why we do it. How is this important or valuable? If we know that we are doing something and why, and it's not working, we have a chance to change it instead of looking back in September and saying "where did the summer go, I promised myself last year that I wouldn't waste my summer again, and now it's gone..."

Those that spent some time today recognizing the day (and there are several holidays recently passed or coming in the next week or so) are taking a little time to recognize where they are, and what they need to do for the next 3 months - as well as what they'll remember to work on next year at the Spring Equinox.

Preconceptions and Stereotypes

2010-06-19T13:17:00.000-04:00

I guess this topic come to me for two big reasons today. First and closest to my own profession, I spotted a discussion on a Bodywork Newsgroup this morning pertaining to how massage is portrayed on Television.

The show is "In Plain Sight", about two federal marshals who work in the Witness Protection Program. The scene, which I actually caught right after coming home on Thursday night, was of the sister of one of the agents talking with her boyfriend about things when he makes a comment to the effect of her having not just signed a lease agreement for her own space. Turns out she's a Massage Therapist or going to Massage School and he later goes on that it's the economy (another topic for later...) and not a lack of faith in her.

The second reason, perhaps the greater social reason, is today is Juneteenth, the anniversary of the day in 1865 when Texas Slaves were told they had been set free by President Abraham Lincoln. Of course this is several years after slavery was abolished and the Civil War was over.

To the topic at hand. Preconceptions are actually useful. Breaking the word down into word parts - pre means before and conception has a meaning of thought. So a preconception is actually "before thought". Think back to ancient humans, they could be walking down a path and see a mother bear. A preconception that this was dangerous and a good time to quietly walk the other way could save their life.

A preconception becomes a stereotype when it becomes a common social preconception, usually about negative qualities, and not always accurate. An example for ancient humans could be observing someone carrying a big heavy ax and wearing hide. They may have a preconception or a stereotype that this was common dress for a Viking, who were known to be fierce warriors. The stereotype that many may have is that they were uneducated, ruthless, and barbaric. The truth is that they were warrior poets, and war was very common in those days. An ax was a very efficient means of combat, and hide served as both armor and warmth. As a side note - their culture is a big part of the root of the Rune System, which is based around a set of symbols, a lot of mythology, and a complex poem. Language, Shamanistic Ritual, Poem, and Divination System. They settled Iceland and Greenland, and visited North America several hundred years before Columbus.

So a stereotype comes from preconceptions, may or may not have any relation to reality, but preconceptions were (and probably still are) an excellent survival tool to set plans of action in motion faster than the speed of thought. How does this relate to Television, Massage, and African American Culture.

Think for a moment about the typical African American. Got a thought? Let me help - the average Black person... Clearer picture? Good - I'm pretty sure that any reader at this point now has an idea, probably paralleling what they've seen on TV, a sports field, in music, or gangs on a street.

Now what if I tell you that some of the best manners I have ever seen from another person, came from someone who would be classified as African American. Terrific towards their families, intelligent, great cooking, and very friendly to anyone. Really. Now there are biological reasons why they tend to be very good at certain sports (it has to do with how the sun changes Vitamin D to Calcium to build stronger and denser bones and muscle tissue and how their bodies process that). Yes, some do follow the stereotype, but the general African American culture is actually very different.

Now think about the average massage therapist (forget for just a moment that I am one). Got a picture? Maybe the Go-Daddy commercial from the 2010 Superbowl comes to mind?

Now what if I tell you that most states require over 500 hours of education to be a Massage Therapist, much of that time in Anatomy and Physiology. What if I tell you that in most of those states, we are Licensed Health Care Professionals. What if I tell you that many young massage therapists find that it makes dating more difficult and that over 60% of Massage Therapists are small business owners. What if I tell you that a good massage has nothing at all to do with sex, and it ruins any therapeutic benefit when it does (it's also illegal and any legitimate massage therapist works hard to eliminate that from their community)?

So then, the common stereotype for a massage therapist is not based in the reality of most Massage Therapists. In the case of Massage Therapy and escort services - it's that people who are not massage therapists using the name to cover what they really do to the dismay of the Massage Therapy Profession.

So what about Television? Simply - it's a very good communication tool that many people are glued to for hours a day. I've actually seen a study that shows that the average 4 year old has watched enough television that if a Bachelor's Degree was offered in television they would be able to get it. The problem - most of us watch junk, and most television reflects, sets, and reinforces stereotypes. Why? I don't really know, but I'm guessing it's what people in general like to watch, it's entertaining, it's easy to script, it's easy to act. Then people who are stereotyped start to behave that way - because it becomes what is expected of them.

So I encourage you to think a little bit, get out and meet some real people. Challenge the stereotypes.

And if you're a Massage Therapist, do a presentation to share some of that hard-earned knowledge about anatomy and physiology. If enough people defy the stereotype we may eventually begin to change it.

Just remember - changing a stereotype takes time. Sociologists also know that when someone is presented with information that conflicts commonly held social beliefs, their beliefs do change for just a few minutes (sometimes a few hours) but that they then revert to their prior beliefs. It's easier that way. That is what Gestalt is all about - the amount of information conflicting a belief that is required before the belief about what something is changes to the new truth. Because another truth about Massage Therapists is that many of (some 60-70%) are in our second career. I used to be an environmental consultant with a degree in Chemistry and a second in Environmental Policy, which is based on Sociology.

On Oil

2010-06-07T01:21:00.000-04:00

I know I have not written in a while, I've been busy setting up the new massage office and moving into my new home with my wife. But it came to mind today that the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico has been a big issue today. Maybe the fantastic thunderstorms that passed through today got my mind on it, I just know that I have seen a lot about it today.

First I will say that, anyone who has known me for a few years knows that I have historically spoken very highly of the environmental record of BP. As someone who used to work in hazardous waste cleanup consulting and for a company that primarily did big oil companies (Sun Oil Company/aka Sunoco and Shell under various names were the biggest clients) I know that BP holds a reputation for being very stringent on safety and on environmental impact. Unfortunately, this event leaves me questioning this reputation. I'm doing a bit of a wait-and-see to determine if I am still willing to buy gasoline at BP stations, or if they will join my no-go list (which includes Shell) due to their environmental policies.

But to the point of this writing...

Yes, we should all be outraged at the amount of oil spilled. This should not be tolerated, at all. Fortunately, it appears that this spill (frequently called a "release" in the environmental industry by companies much smaller than the companies they consult for...) has put on hold any permits to drill off the coast of Alaska for the coming months, where a similar spill would be much harder to control or clean up, and would have a much greater environmental impact.

But we must also consider our part of the equation as well.

Our part?

Yes - while very few people reading this blog are very likely to ever see crude oil, or any petroleum product anywhere it doesn't belong, we all own a part of this. That part is our demand for oil. Sure, it's very difficult to buy a car that doesn't run on some petroleum compound, and in my area it's even harder to get from home to work to grocery shopping without a car. But we do make choices.

Think about how much petroleum you consume every week. How is your home heated? How much trash does your home generate (crude oil is the source for many chemicals for paper making, metal smelting, plastics, styrofoam, and much more)? How fuel efficient is your car? Do you carpool or plan trips to minimize unnecessary mileage?

If we all buy the petroleum products, regardless of their price and their environmental impact, we send a mixed signal. Just a little bit of consciousness about how this decision that you are about to make will impact your personal demand for energy or petro byproducts can help to reduce your impact, just a little bit. If enough of us cut back, it will be less profitable to drill another well and risk another environmental disaster - because the oil company doesn't make any money if none of us buy the product...

That said - if you must buy something, try to buy it from local small businesses. More small-business money returns to the community than large business money (eg- WalMart), big business won't really miss it, and small businesses tend to be more energy efficient....

Sometimes we just have to move...

2010-03-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

Hmm, so sometimes we just have to move. It's been said that the human body is the only machine that breaks down when not in use. Actually, that's not the only reason we have to move. Movement is change, and change is good for the mind, the body, and the soul.

My wife and I are getting an opportunity to move to a property in Raymond NH that her family has owned for a few decades. Since this is a little distance from my current office, this means my massage office will also be moving to the Raymond NH area. On a client-based business like massage, moving often means that clients are lost and the business has to be rebuilt.

Sometimes however, rebuilding the business is actually an opportunity. For example, this is a good opportunity to finally change my phone number to a NH-based number. My old number will forward to my new one for a few months until I cancel it, so I don't really lose anything.

This also means that we'll be living in a place with a little bit of land and access to water. Lots of trees. I'm hoping there is good hiking nearby. The kind of property that is good for the soul.

I will be able to re-evaluate all my marketing strategies. Anything I didn't like before, I can start over. I can keep what works. I can put greater emphasis on the work I want to do (combining Orthopedic and Energy Work) and reduce my emphasis on the work that I don't enjoy so much. I can, and have to, choose a new office space - we are thinking a storefront at the intersection of two major state routes in the area, and within a half-mile of an even bigger one, subject to change based on lease negotiations.

I am hoping this is a good opportunity to break stagnant patterns that don't work well and claim new patterns that will work.

Sometimes, we just have to move....

A changing of worlds...

2010-01-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

I don't remember the exact source, but the full-quote from some Native Wise person is that "Death is but a changing of worlds." Ok, so why is this important right now.

First, we are in the season of winter. In many tribal cultures, this was the time to go into the home or lodge, join family, eat, sleep, reflect, and be social until the snow melted. It is a different world out there, especially in the northern climates, than it is in late spring, anytime in the summer, and most of the fall. Cold, white, a little hard to be outside and not productive for growing crops.

Second, many of us just celebrated the holidays (Bodhi Day, Hanukkah, Muharram, Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ashurah, Full Moon, New Moon, Blue Moon, Lunar Eclipse - just the ones I know about in December). Less than a week ago, many of us watched the ball drop and all yelled "Happy New Year". Somehow, we consider it a different year, a change...

In my very limited knowledge of Tarot, the death card is a card of change. In animal medicine, the snake, which represents transformation (change) in the form of shedding its skin and transmutation (also change) in the form of changing positive to negative and negative to positive (specifically the poisonous ones) is also known as the guardian of the gates between life and death.

Finally, I just found out today that a friend that I had not seen nor heard from since college, who lived less than 50 miles from my home, passed away earlier this week from a mysterious and apparently uncurable infection on the heart. I wish that I would have known, I could have talked with him one last time, but to the physical world, it's too late now. He has changed worlds. I will look forward to seeing him again in the next one.

But how is this important? Life is about change. We must change, or else we will die - of boredom if nothing else. Change is growth. Change is good. The sun set at my home less than an hour ago. In about 13 hours it will rise again. The next day, the sun will rise and set again, at a slightly different time than today, and a slightly different place. The cycle continues, but it does change.

Sometimes people ask me to give them the same massage today that I gave them last week, or last month. When I am asked, I do my best, but the truth is, it's impossible. Yes, I take notes, they are still the same body, but I am not the same person right now that I was an hour ago, and neither is anyone else. Last week, or month, even more so. Another wise person once said "We cannot stand in the same waters twice." Life and time both change, like the water in a river.

But this is good. I feel the tissue change under my fingertips. This is why my hands move, following that change. I feel the craniosacral rhythm in the palms of my hands, and that this movement changes as I listen to it. I see my clients open my door at the end of the session, after they are dressed, and how their face, their standing, their moving, and their energy are all different. This is a large part of why I do massage for a living, I enjoy seeing people looking and feeling better when they leave than they did when they arrived. Life is, after all, about change and growth, and learning...

So what then, of death? Celebrate life. Call your old friend from college, if only to say hello. Stop fighting with the neighbor. Spend time with that good friend. Hug your parents and children. By all means, remember your ancestors, but life is for the living.

As for my friend's wake, I will spend some time remembering him and the memories from college. Another friend, who I speak with regularly, has a daughter who turns 4 this weekend. I will spend my time with the living.

So what is massage all about anyways...

2009-10-19T12:34:00.000-04:00

I guess my first post should be a summary of what this blog, and my thoughts, are all about.

Massage therapists should know that when we touch someone, whether we are spreading oil/cream/or lotion on the skin to prepare for deeper work, contacting a Chakra or energy center, doing a Craniosacral hold, or releasing a trigger point in Psoas Major - a deep muscle of the back contacted through the abdomen, we are touching a whole person. This idea has deep philosophical, metaphysical, psychological, and medical impacts.

The person we consider to be a pain in the neck may literally aggrevate neck or back pain. Working on this source of pain in the neck, whatever muscle or energy center it may be, can bring up memories of that person and other people that have had the same impact on our lives.

Massage is, and should be, a lifestyle. The reality is that every massage therapist is different just as their approach is different. The places they do massage have an impact on their work and how they do it. Either way, it really is about touching people in a way that makes them feel safe to explore and release their causes of pain and stress. It should be sensual, appealing to the senses in some way. It should be intimate, based on deepening levels of trust. However, it should never be sexual, due to a whole bunch of issues starting at the off-balance emotional loading that completely changes any type of healing environment and frequently makes deep levels of healing difficult if not impossible.

Even though my wife regularly gets massage from me, the work is very different. The deep and personal nature of our relationship makes if difficult for me to offer my best work, and likely for her to receive it even if I could offer that work for her.

Feel free to contact me for questions and clarifications, or to discuss other ideas