| OUR SOULS | OUR FEATURED TOPIC
Soul Centered Energy Work by Darell Shaffer Many of us were taught in school that the universe is made of lifeless particles that interact in mechanical fashion, that living creatures have come about through a process of essentially meaningless random mutation, and that our consciousness can at least in principle be reduced to patterns of chemical events in the brain. These views seem plausible because at a theoretical level they mesh nicely with the scientific principles that govern the operation of all the varied technological devices and apparatus upon which our modern lives depend. There are, however, intellectually sound reasons for rejecting this worldview. Increasingly, new research, as well as theoretical perspectives that encompass scientific progress and ancient wisdom, has called this "reductionistic" worldview into question. The leading edge in post-modern thought has been in the direction of integrating physics, biology and spirituality. From Ken Wilber and Daniel Bohm to Carolyn Myss and Norm Shealy, there are increasingly solid researchers and thinkers who offer perspectives that challenge the old mechanical worldview On a personal level, there are equally sound and compelling practical reasons for attempting to move beyond the prevailing mechanistic worldview. For one thing, the theories and beliefs of the prevailing reductionistic worldview provide a vision of life that is cold, brittle and soul deadening. Many people suffer to a greater or lesser degree from the side-effects of having been taught that brittle and mechanical worldview. Indirectly, it informs our perception of emotional cause and effect. We come to believe that our emotions are passive events that are caused, as it were, mechanically by the events of our personal biography. In viewing our lives this way we lose touch with the active process of creating what kind of meaning to give to our lives. Life is an active, dynamic, creative process, and we have the opportunity to join in partnership with the creator to decide for ourselves what the context and meaning of our individual actions are. If we fall prey to the teachings of the mechanical worldview, we forget the role that our souls can play in creating the reality that becomes the life that we experience. There are many aspects and levels to the alternative health care scene today, but on the deepest level alternative health care is about clearing a path for the return of the soul to its proper place as central to the emotional, physical, and spiritual health of the individual. I have spent the last several years studying with some of the world's top specialists in alternative medicine, holistic health and integrative spirituality. "Soul directed energy work" is the outcome of my quest to find the best and most scientifically sound methods for helping people to recover a soul-based life style. Soul centered energy work has three components. The first component is energy field analysis. Energy field analysis is based on the observation that the soul is not a fantasy, nor is it an "airy-fairy" metaphysical entity. Rather it is an actual physical pattern of energy that interacts with, but is not identical, to the emotions. Subjectively, this energy pattern is felt as what we call consciousness. Objectively, the energy pattern of the soul interacts with the body through resonance with the various frequencies of electromagnetic energy that pass through and are radiated by the body. Again, these electromagnetic fields are not referred to speculatively, rather they have been measured and documented with solid, replicable conventional scientific research, such as Elmer Green's "copper room" experiment. Equally importantly, it is now possible to measure this soul-based energy pattern in the electromagnetic field surrounding the body using commercially available instruments and technology. I use a technology called a "Crown TV." Technically known as a gas discharge visualization device, the "Crown TV" actually a specialized Kirlian camera that allows kirlian images of the fingertips to be digitized and processed to create an image, or virtual aura, of the electromagnetic field surrounding the body. The significance of this image is ultimately quite profound. Unlike carnival type aura cameras, the "Crown TV" virtual aura gives information that directly relates to the electromagnetic state of the acupuncture meridians of the fingertips. This, in turn, ultimately creates an image of the electromagnetic imprint that references the state of consciousness at the time the image was taken. Although the human energy field affects the body over the long run and ultimately fosters or impairs the maintenance of physical health and well-being, the pattern of the energy field varies much too much from moment-to-moment to be reliable for medical diagnosis, and none of the images produced are offered for use in that manner. Rather, these "energy scans" are seen as a way to jump-start the second phase of soul based energy work: guided self-exploration. Guided self-exploration is not psychotherapy, nor is it conventional psychological or psychiatric analysis. Rather it is a time-limited process of focused self-examination, aided by the use of selected tools and educational materials, during which a client reviews and reformulates the purpose and meaning of their life from a soul-based perspective. I use the energy camera, a spiritually oriented personality system called the enneagram, and educational audiotapes in a supportive group setting to facilitate the process of personal self-redefinition. The number of sessions involved in guided self-exploration will vary according to the individual and his or her goals, but a typical program would run 12 sessions. The third phase of soul directed energy work is catalytic healing. Catalytic healing is seen as a natural outgrowth of the phase of guided self-exploration. In essence, it is assumed that, given appropriate attention and care, the soul will move naturally toward expression of its own divine nature unless there remain some internal impediments to that expression. In some systems, those impediments are called energy blockages. At a personality level, they might be called fixation points. From a depth psychology point of view, they might be called unconscious complexes. In the vernacular they are called hang-ups. Catalytic healing takes the point of view that, whatever the impediments are, given an appropriate space and access to sufficient variety of opportunity, the soul will move naturally toward those experiences that will facilitate and catalyze its own healing process. Catalytic healing is always an action of some kind. It will be an action that grows out of the deepened soul-based self-understanding that is the product of guided self-examination. But precisely because it is an action rooted in soul-based self-understanding, the action itself is highly individual. In fact, it might not make any sense to anyone but the individual choosing to do it! It could be something as simple as making and keeping a promise to one's self to set time aside for self care, or it might be something as dramatic as a job or career change. It could involve psychotherapy for some people, or it might involve taking up yoga or meditation. It might involve a choice to reawaken roots to a religious tradition from childhood, or it might equally involve a choice to move away from or beyond the boundaries of a stifling religious upbringing. In the end, catalytic healing is simply the recognition of what actions need to be taken to get old personal baggage out of the way so that the soul, which is the mirror of the divine within us, can express itself. Dr. Darell Shaffer practices at the Wellness Center Etc. in Minneapolis. Please call for an appointment at (612) 727-2989. Copyright © 2001 Dr. Darell Shaffer |
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