"The Comforter" art quilt by Carol Bridges
Self Healing
Healing always comes from within yourself. Others can facilitate your process, sometimes helping you a great deal. They can do this simply with their support, love and understanding. And sometimes they can add very strong directed spiritual energy using not only their own desire to assist you, but calling upon the most powerful universal force they can imagine.
There are many techniques for healing. There are many healing substances. From herbs to modern chemical medicine, from healing touch to acupuncture, and every possible device or surgery, we humans have worked hard to fix our physical problems.
We have also come to realize the emotional field as contributing to health and illness. And we have once again begun to realize the importance of our mental and spiritual fields as being of importance in the healing process. No matter what physical techniques you utilize, my booklet, Zero Medical Bills, will aid your healing process. It lists the Mental Equivalents of Disease, so that you can work on all of these levels at once. I find that doing so greatly increases your chances of quick recovery from any physical ailment.
Be well. It is what your body wants and is quite naturally trying to achieve. Do your conscious part to help it out.
Sculpture by Dwight Sands.
Both Dwight Sands (now deceased) and Carol Bridges practice their "medicine" by bringing their highest consciousness into form. It takes years of practice and dedication to reach the level of expertise they hope to achieve.
We acknowledge fully that we are simply doing the best we can to allow the Spirit of Life to flow through us. Yes, this continues to happen even after death.
It has always been our intention to assist others in their journey of awakening so that all of Creator's beauty can be manifest in this world. Thank you for joining us on this path.
What is a Medicine Woman
in the 21st Century?
We have used the term Medicine Woman (or man) for tribal people who used their connection to Spirit and Nature to heal the illnesses of their people. Though there are still many people practicing these ancient arts according to the sacred ways of their tribes, those of us not raised in a culture which acknowledges the healing power of shamanic (spiritual meditation journey) practices have a hard time describing our work.
I view healing not as something I do, but as a "revealing" of the divine soul self. I have been fortunate to have Native American and Chinese elders impart their wisdom to me, and I have also studied extensively the modern practices of psychotherapy, counseling, group process, non-violent communication, hypnosis, guided meditation and numerous forms of artistic self-expression. All of these techniques helped me to realize the spiritual essence that underlies all beings.
Over the years, I have found shamanic practices to be the most powerful communication with Spirit. This can take the form of ritual, prayer, channeling, energy adjustments, dance, song and the use of music and art. Basically, a Shaman or Medicine Person opens themselves to a non-ordinary state of consciousness and acts out a spontaneous vision in one or more of these forms. At other times, the Medicine Person appears to be doing nothing whatsoever, simply allowing Spirit to work without any "fancy dancing."
We envision Medicine People as wearing lots of feathers and beads, using drums and rattles, calling upon the spirit of Earth, Air, Fire and Water to assist in their healing rituals. I love all of these myself. But, most often my practice looks more like ordinary American life. At this point in time, it is usually "ordinary American life" that is the category in which all of our current illnesses reside.
A 21st century Medicine Woman sees very different diseases than her earlier counterparts. Here is a short list of the things she is asked to heal:
* distractions, inability to focus, can't make decisions
* too many choices, can't decide (internet, shopping, etc.)
* no contact with nature
* not enough slow, conscious touching
* attention deficit disorder, multi-tasking, cannot focus
* immune system malfunction, primarily fear
* drug addiction, medical and social
* family separated by distance, divorce, enforced social isolation
* overwork stress
* unfamiliar with spiritual exalted states of consciousness
* not enough or too much "stuff" both physically and mentally
* ignorant of compassionate ways of communication
* out of touch with one's own soul
* loss of boundaries, diminished sense of self
If you think about a tribal people of even a few hundred years ago, most of these ailments were not even possible! If you had attention deficit disorder in the jungle, you were probably quickly eaten by a tiger. In Indian Dances of North America by Reginald and Gladys Laubin, the authors explained that the native people of the early 1900's began their day dancing, stopped for breakfast, danced, stopped for lunch, danced, stopped for dinner, danced, stopped to sleep. Although this was probably an exaggeration, it gives us a hint that their lives were totally different from ours in nearly every way.
A modern Medicine Woman must address modern problems. Yet, the ancient shamanic practices are among the most useful healing methods I have experienced. There is no actual "medicine" (such as medication or drugs) involved. I am not an herbalist. I am an elder with many years of experience helping people in the ways I have described.
We are all exquisite beings, just covered over with debris from all we have been through. Thus, healing has become, for me, the art of revealing your inner wisdom and beauty to you. As both a material and a spiritual being, you have Sensuous Soul Stories to tell. My job is to help you reveal those stories to yourself so that you can rise above the modern life dilemmas. Your body knows exactly what to do once you get back in touch with what your soul has in mind. We unite in consciousness. It is there where I hold you in highest esteem.