unit 7 blog; Meeting Asciepius & Spiritual Leadership

I liked the “Meeting Asciepius” meditation most of all the practices we have done in this class. Asciepius is the Greek God of healing that represents the subtle mind. The narrator of the meditation suggested we visualize a spiritually evolved leader, whether real or fictional, alive or dead. Perhaps because I have had Tibet on my mind a lot lately, and he is arguably the wisest spiritual leader of our time, I envisioned His Holiness The Fourteenth Dali Lama. He is considered to be the reincarnation of The Boddhisatva, an aspect of Buddha, personified. Every time I sit to do this meditation, he is the first person to come to my mind. I visualize his smiling face. I can hear his light hearted giggle and his profoundly simplistic words of wisdom. I see the points of light emanating from the crown of his head, his ajnya chakra (third eye), his throat, and his heart center. I do feel the connection between his energy centers to mine. I can feel the balancing, healing effect of the bond. I especially focus on the throat chakra, because this important center for communication is an area that needs considerable maintenance. I often find it difficult to express myself, particularly amidst adversity, when I need most to speak up. I will continue this practice, and hope that it will continue to help me find my voice and deepen my understanding of my higher Self.

 Namaste.

नमस्ते

“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself.” This concept makes perfect sense to me as a health and wellness professional. I can only teach my student what I have learned. I can not possibly show someone how to do something I have not learned. In this way, my abilities as a healer are limited. This is why I owe it to myself and my clients to continually develop in all aspects of my life, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I do believe I keep this in mind as I strive to make life my practice. I try to eat well and exercise, to train my mind through education and contemplative practice, and to evolve spiritually by reading or listening to spiritual guidance, participating in group spiritual activities, and am increasing drawn to take deep spiritual journeys that will take me to places I have never been before, physically, mentally and spiritually. 

In twelve hours from now, I will be boarding an airplane to China. I have never been out of the U.S. before. I am excited, a little nervous and afraid. It is a journey that is sure to be interesting and exciting. The trip is really for my child and her class. I am a chaperone. I will spend a week in Beijing, where I will have some free time, for the kids will be with host families. I plan on visiting the Lama Temple, taking Qi Gong class, and receiving Traditional Chinese Medical Treatments such as “Fire Glass”. The second week will be busier for chaperoning as we tour the country. It has been many years leading up to this amazing journey. I’m sure I will grow in many ways through this experience. My only regret is that I did not book an extended trip to visit Tibet. I had intended to, but I let excuses of time and money constraints stop me from really following this dream. Upon this realization that I let my fear get in the way of fulfilling my dream at this time, I tried to change my plans, but alas, it was too late. One needs to obtain permits to enter Tibet. It is a politically sensitive issue. I need to correct this. Once I have my degree in Health and Wellness, I am going to take a good long voyage to a spiritual place, where I can bring my children with me, so that we can all live our lives to the fullest, and remain firmly on a path to flourishing.

Om Shanti

ॐ शांति