It’s extraordinary to look back now and to reflect on the journey I needed to take to get the chance to return to Life. It’s kind of equivalent to having to fully rebuild an engine that has been completely dismantled (shattered), having just been given a really nice set of tools, while only being given a starter course in auto mechanics. And, at the end of the journey, the engine needed to work. A daunting task to say the least.
In the end, my journey speaks of a man who was put on this earth to be a healer in the same way that a bird was meant to fly. It speaks to someone that refused to be separated from an experience of Life he was opened to as a child. It speaks to being given a Gift that had the power to allow him to overcome the depths of his own ignorance. That, in a nutshell, is what sits at the heart of my story.
When I started my core healing journey, I was clueless. I had a massive, Mount Everest type of mountain before me to climb, so I moved forward with my companion the songs of Life, and I learned as I went. The journey I took should be understood to be an education, not just a healing journey. Like anyone learning a trade, I needed to get deep into the weeds of what it meant to heal emotionally so I could go beyond just helping myself. My process certainly gave me an in-depth education. It took decades of full-on commitment to get to the incredibly positive place that I am today.
In the plant-based tradition that I’m a part of, we speak of the learning process the healer needs to go through in terms of learning how to dance with the night. Unlike the Western view of good and evil, my tradition understands light and darkness through a more elemental perspective. Light and darkness, at their essence, are two impersonal elemental forces of the universe that touch and are a part of us in every moment of our lives. They’re two parts to a whole that can never be separated, and that need to sit in balance so they can nurture Life.
The healer’s path is a very difficult one. He is tasked with taking a journey deep into the darkness so he can ultimately help others overcome their struggles. Along the way, he’s given the talent, the Gift, and the training needed to have a chance to be successful with this journey. No matter how deeply he liberates himself from his pain, the amount and depth of suffering he experiences stamps the darkness into him, making it feel normal for him to be in the presence of so much pain and struggle as he works to help his clients return back towards Life.
At the same time, the power and beauty of Life that the healer needs to be a part of also stamps itself deeply into him, changing him indelibly. The more the healer is able to create success with his own journey, the more he realizes and accepts a simple fact. That he has been put on this earth to learn how to dance beautifully and powerfully with the night so he can struggle his way back to the Life that it ultimately plays a part in nurturing.
The type of emotional healing my journey shares demands a lot of hard, hands-on work and courage to follow through with. It isn’t for the faint of heart. I’ve found we live in a culture that doesn’t put a lot of value in the power and function of our emotional systems, so many don’t see the need to seek such a journey with their own struggles. I’m OK with that.
This blog is geared towards those that are hungry for something more than what the status quo offers. It’s geared towards those that are hungry to get the chance to redefine what it means to struggle emotionally. It’s meant to help you see that there is a trail forward that gives you a real chance to not have to be trapped in your struggles, and that you’re not alone in this fight. The journey is demanding, but the fruits of your labors will be extraordinary, and fully worth the effort.
For those of you that resonate with what I’m offering, welcome! Let’s get started with this journey so you can hear what it’s all about.