Ruth at Lotus Blessings.
(See translation below for many languages:)
When I embarked on the practice of daily meditation in 1979, I found a world of bliss. It was a realm in which I could escape the daily frustrations and griefs, the disappointments and hardships of life. My enthusiasm was great. In just half an hour of meditation on the mantra my teacher had given me, I could be bathed in ecstatic waves of peace and harmony. I chose to meditate rather than do many activities and in a way it became an obsession. After a few months of this, I began to feel discomforting stabs and constrictions in various places within my body while meditating. I was dismayed to find that along with meditative bliss and daily insights in the truth of the universe, I would be feeling these gnawing pains that seemed to be in the body, but not of it.
As my meditation progressed, these little knife-like stabs seemed lodged in my heart area. As much as I tried, I could not move them; sometimes they remained for days. It was sometimes depressing and painful, like a cramp or a "side stitch" after running. It definitely took the thrill out of meditation and was an obstacle to my joy in meditation; I resolved to find out how to remove this pain. Thus began a series of efforts that culminated in a technique that I call "Parallel Universe" which has turned out to be a technique that not only cures the "soul pains" but cures physical pains and other negative issues as well.
As Jack Kornfield says in A Path with Heart, "Our worldly education doesn't help much in meditation"(230). Nothing I had ever been taught had trained me for this dilemma. So many things in our lives come as a surprise because no one warns us or tells us what will come. I am thinking of puberty and childbirth and marriage. These are all strange territories which we navigate blindfolded.
However, I knew intuitively that these pains were not of physical origin, but were unresolved FEELING trauma from the past rising up to consciousness to be resolved. I did not want to overpower, ignore or numb the pain because it was clearly a dis-EASE emerging out of the darkness of denial and needing to be healed. If it was something that I created in unconsciousness, whatever it was, I had to face it and accept it. If it were attachments from other entities that were draining my energy, then I wanted to be able to let that go also.
Over the years, wrestling with ways to NEUTRALIZE these soul aches, I found successful strategies for dealing with the pains-- and some that eliminated them PERMANENTLY.
What to DO?:
Practice until you find one that works. Get into your usual meditation posture. Do your usual spiritual practice and when you are feeling peaceful, try these techniques for salving soul pains. You may want to record this on a tape to play to yourself when you do it.
1. Salve #1 - Parallel Universe:
This has also been called the Merkaba type salve and my friend Sue calls it "Equal and Opposite." Whatever it is called and whether you believe in parallel universes or not... it works!
This technique was given me by a friend.
#3 Salve - Neti Neti
This technique is similar to the #2 where you sit in the pain and concentrate on every aspect of it.
This technique comes from the Vijnaanabhairava - an ancient text from India which gives glimpses of the truth. The book has many more such techniques such as: "Towards whatever object the mind goes, one should remove it from there immediately by that very mind, and thus by not allowing it to settle there i.e. by making is[sic] supportless, one will be free from agitation [of the mind]." Verse 129. So everytime your mind tries to rest on a subject, make it switch to something else.... i.e. as it tries to keep returning to your pain, force it to think about your big toe, or the noises in the street or something. It is as if you are training a dog. Every time it disobeys you, jerk the leash and pull it back. This will leave you in a state of great bliss and definitely no pain.
#5 Salve The Hungry Ghosts:
This technique is Tibetan. It worked in 10 minutes for me with a person who was attaching to me and draining my energy.
#6 Naming:
This one comes from Jack Kornfield's book" A Path With Heart." He says that naming one's demons can have the effect of making them disappear. I quote from p. 100. " Choose one of the most frequent and difficult demons that arises in your practice, such as irritation, fear, boredom, lust, doubt ... for one week in your daily meditation, be particularly aware of each time one of these arises. Carefully NAME it. Notice how it begins and what precedes it. Notice what triggers this state. Notice how long it lasts and when it ends. Notice what state usually follows it. ...Finally sit and be aware of your breath, watching and waiting for this demon, allowing it to come and go, greeting it like and old friend.
These are just some of the techniques that I have found which have helped me deal with "soul" pain as I call it. Today we might say these are blocks in the flow of chi. Whatever it is that causes it, I do not know, but I can tell you that all these techniques have worked for me. I hope these are useful and helpful. You are welcome to use the ideas, forward the letters to others, and pass them along to others with attribution for the ideas to either me or the mentioned authors. Good luck
Ruth Angela - Author of "Ascending Goddess: Kundalini Shakti"
Copyright 2004, modified in 2006. Lotus-Blessings.com
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