Unanswered questions, years of worry and anxiousness have now surrendered to both traditional and new age methods of psychic healing. Pearl Mathias takes a look at some of the spiritual sciences that have gained popularity and mass belief over time
In a day and age where science and technology are breaking barriers and there are answers to questions that were left unanswered for a long time, what makes us believe in something higher and beyond ourselves? Is it the helplessness of certain situations or just the mere need to know for sure what the future holds for us that causes us to approach a spiritual reader? No matter how much we may laugh it off, we still find ourselves reading the daily horoscope while flipping through the newspaper in the morning. Do we need assurance that everything is going to be fine eventually and the reason why things are happening the way they are right now? I think it’s just human nature to want to know for certain the what, why and how of things. Although we know that what has to happen, will and there’s not much that can be done about it than modify the way we are receptive to the news; yet we possess this undying curiosity to know more right here and right now. We want to know what happened in our past lives and how it’s affecting our present and changing the future. So we dig deep. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a secret to no one. Brian Weiss is the master of past life regression worldwide and he’ll give you answers you never imagined. There are spiritual readers and guides who are more than willing to connect with the world beyond. It’s the faith that we humans have in them which propels them to carry on their work. I won’t be quick to dismiss their mind powers that make it possible to read into the distant past and predict the near future. Most of these spirit sciences have been passed down through generations. They stem from age old beliefs and traditions which weren’t necessarily meant to predict anything in earlier times. It was done merely because of prior knowledge and understanding of forces higher than oneself. Today, we have come to believe that knowing beyond the obvious will help us heal, grow and change our lives. It takes you a step further in being more aware of yourself, your thoughts and actions. Between the 4th and 6th century, a man named Gautama Buddha turned heads by living an extraordinary life through mere curiosity about daily happenings. He gained enlightenment and his wisdom is spread across the masses today. His life depicted a beautiful sentiment which was set in the following words, “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” However, to realize that we need to change is priority and today we have people to help us achieve this. We are in search of something higher than ourselves that have a strong influence on our lives. We seek the help of spiritual guides by attending seminars, watching teachings of their videos, chanting mantras or getting our kundalis read. Among other sciences that came up through the ages, we have coffee and tea leaf reading, tarot cards, aura and shadow readers, past life regression therapists as well as pranic healers that have gained momentum over the years. Vastu or feng shui helps bring about harmony with the environment and surroundings which in turn brings in prosperity and luck. At the end of the day, some are staunch religious followers while others believe in natural forces and some others believe in holding their luck in their own hands. Belief is what keeps the world moving, and in this case, certain businesses.
COFFEE AND TEA LEAF READING
Did you know that there was more to a cuppa than being rejuvenated with every sip you take? Tea leaf reading or Teomancy and Coffee Ground reading or Cafeomancy is an art that’s been around for centuries. More than merely reading the leaves, you are required to delve into your psyche. However, one doesn’t necessarily need to be psychic to master this art. It is possible to read the leaves and grounds by learning the symbols and committing them to memory as well as mastering concentration. Many things can be seen at the bottom of the cup; objects, animals, people, babies among others. The more defined the symbol, the stronger the impact it has on the person’s life. The closer the symbol is to the top of the cup, the sooner it is likely to take place. Symbols also reveal positive or negative connotations. These are more to make you aware of your behavior and the changes you could possibly make. The reader and the seeker sit close together, the seeker is asked to turn the teapot once to the right and twice to the left and then pour the tea into the cup. The reader will first look at the symbols floating on the top of the full cup. If a leaf is floating, it depicts a visitor; a sturdy leaf depicts a man and a woman visitor is denoted by a softer leaf. On drinking the tea, the seeker leaves a small amount at the bottom of the cup and is asked to hold the cup and focus on their desires for the future. Depending on the ability of the reader, some see weeks or months, while others see years ahead.
SHADOW READING
Shadow reading can be conducted every day with the inevitable presence of bright sunlight. They begin by measuring the person’s shadow in three postures after which the time, date and place of birth is noted. After this, calculations are done to know and understand the history of the person, problems faced and remedies for the same. Anil Babubhai Acharya, well known shadow reader tells us that this science has been carried down in his family for generations. Even though we may not have heard of it that much, shadow reading dates back to the Aryan period when they worshipped the sun. Shadows were highly significant to them then as all their calculations, including time, were based on reading it. The Acharya family has studied and mastered this tradition, which not only predicts the present, but also tells one’s past and peeps into what the future holds. This science can be used to recommend the best time for business activities and to guide couples on the best time for them to try to conceive a baby, love, health and spiritual progress. He also stated that through shadow reading, he can tell if we’re applying ourselves to the right career based on our karmic journey. Although this is a slightly dying art, this unique method of predicting every detail of a person’s life – health, relationships, career, kids, friends, partner, spiritual quest, karmas, dissolving of bad karmas and energy balancing, along with the opening of body charkas, balancing of it and removing of blockages with an approximate prediction of the time period during which the events will take place is extremely accurate. What’s interesting is that it takes approximately two decades to master this art and hence it is taught in the family since childhood.
AURA READING
The aura is your energy identity. It is a swirling mass of colors which represents you on the mental, physical and emotional level. Your thoughts and feelings give color to your aura, making it possible for a psychic to know what you are experiencing. It is widely accepted that there are 7 levels of the aura; however some psychics are able to perceive subtler levels. Healthy auras are brighter and bigger, radiating a positivity and warmth that is tangible to everyone. Aura’s have been represented in various religions since time immemorial. In many Hindu paintings of gods and goddesses, the aura is marked on their back head. The Buddhist flag represents the colors seen around the enlightened Buddha. In Jainism, the concept of Lesya relates colors to mental and emotional dispositions. Hindu and Buddhist sources often link these colors to Kundalini energy and the chakras. The symbolism of light found in the Bible is at times associated with the idea of the aura or “body of light” and similar interpretations are found in Islamic traditions as well. As the aura is made up of pure energy, it is easy to influence. Any disturbances can be smoothened out. In recent times, Aura therapy is becoming a popular method of rejuvenating the energy. White light cleansing is one of the most widely used techniques which provide quick but short term relief. While white light or even golden light cleansing is a perfectly good energy healing tool, dealing with the root cause of the issue requires deeper energy work, namely through chakra healing, guided visualizations and specific meditation techniques. Other popular methods include crystal healing, salt baths, burning camphor, frankincense and white sage. In today’s technology savvy world it is possible for the layman to see his aura and understand its many nuances. The Aura scan and Aura photo are devices that can be used to read the same.
PRANIC HEALING
Pranic Healing is a highly evolved and tested system of energy medicine developed by Grand Master Choa Kok Sui. It utilizes prana to balance, harmonize and transform the body’s energy processes. Prana is a Sanskrit word that means life-force. This invisible bio-energy or vital energy keeps the body alive and maintains a state of good health. In acupuncture, the Chinese refer to this subtle energy as Chi. In Hebrew, it is also called Ruach or the Breath of Life. Pranic healing comprises of a simple yet powerful and effective system of no-touch energy healing. It is based on the fundamental principles that the body is a self-repairing living entity that possesses the ability to heal itself and that the healing process is accelerated by increasing this life force that is readily available from the sun, air and ground to address our physical and emotional imbalances. This form of healing requires no drugs, gadgets, not even physical contact with the subject. The reason Pranic Healing works on the energy body is that physical ailments first appear as energetic disruptions in the aura before manifesting as problems in the physical body. The pervasive energy that borders, interpenetrates and sustains the physical body, also affects our emotions, our ability to handle stress and even finances. These forms of Energy Healing are also related to the “Laying on of hands” in the Christian Tradition and “Do In” in the Japanese Tradition. Pranic Healing practices originate in many cultures, and can be found in the early Vedic Literature of India as well as in multiple other ancient schools of Yoga and Esoteric Sciences.
PAST LIFE REGRESSION
If you have ever wondered why you have a fear of heights or you look at a stranger and feel like you know them, the answers may lie in your past life, says Brian Weiss, author of Miracles Happen. Through past-life regression, Dr. Weiss says it’s possible to heal and grow, your mind, body and soul, as well as strengthen your present-day relationships. One of the most common signs of a past life is déjà vu—the sensation that you have met a person before or have visited someplace previously. Sometimes, this déjà vu feeling is a sign of a past life with a particular person or in a specific place. Past-life recollections aren’t always actual memories; they may also contain symbols and metaphors that need to be interpreted so that their meaning and message can become clear. These symbols are no less powerful than literal ones. The technique used during past life regression involves the subject answering a series of questions while hypnotized to reveal identity and events of alleged past lives. It is very common to travel through different lives with the same group of souls; they are called groupings, soul mates or soul companions, or soul families. We seem to learn our spiritual lessons and accumulate or resolve our karma with our soul groups. Relationships may change from life to life, but the souls are the same. Dr. Weiss says if you can connect your current fears to a past life, those fears will often disappear. In ancient Indian literature, the Upanishads mention past-life regression. The Hindu scholar Patañjali discussed the idea of the soul becoming burdened with an accumulation of impressions as part of the karma from previous lives. Patañjali called the process of past-life regression prati-prasav which means ‘reverse birthing’, and saw it as addressing current problems through memories of past lives. Some types of yoga continue to use prati-prasav. In the religious mythology of China the deity Meng Po, also known as the ‘Lady of Forgetfulness’, prevents souls from remembering their past lives. She gives them a bittersweet drink that erases all memories before they climb the wheel of reincarnation.
ACCESS BARS AND CONCIOUSNESS
Gary Doughlas, founded Access Consciousness 25 years ago and Access is spread over 170 countries around the world. There are 32 bars of energy that run through and around your head that connect to different aspects of your life and all of the points you touch when using this modality are called ‘The Bars.’ These Bars store the electromagnetic component of all the thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions and beliefs that you have ever had about anything. For example, any thought that you had about a ‘relationship’ that you considered important, is stored in the Bar called ‘relationship.’ There are different Bars for healing, body, control, awareness, creativity, power, aging, sex and money; 32 in all. Each Bar corresponds with that aspect or area of your life that it is named. By touching one Bar, you begin to clear away the energy locked up in that area or aspect of your life. While touching another Bar, you not only heal the issues from the first Bar and the second, but you clear all the points of view about those two Bars in relation to each other, allowing for exponential change. It is a space of being in absolute allowance. Aarti Asrani, an Internationally Certified Access Bars & Body Facilitator says “In Access, we facilitate people to know what they know, and once they know, then it creates a space to make different choices. The Access Bars work on a subconscious level and deletes from the hardware of your mind all the data that does not serve you anymore. Think of it like an antivirus for a computer that deletes all that is corrupt. Access deletes all your corrupt files creating more ease, joy and space in your life and new possibilities start showing up.” You may ask, what is the value of erasing this bank of data you have stored all this lifetime, and every lifetime? Each thought, idea, attitude, decision or belief that you have fixed in place solidifies the energy and limits your capacity to change anything in that area. You change the energy, you change how that part of your life shows up. What is the most simple and easy way to change energy? Get your Bars touched! When you do, something different can show up in your life with ease. Even if it doesn’t work, you have just had the best massage of your life. This is an incredibly nurturing and relaxing process, undoing limitation in all aspects of your life without any effort.
Volume 5 Issue 10
