From Zacciah Blackburn...
There are two aspects of healing. In Peruvian mysticism there is not really a word for negative energy. Instead, they speak of either pure energy or heavy energy.
Heavy energy is that which does not serve you. It is like carrying a heavy suitcase everywhere you go. It throws you off balance, weighs you down, and over time it begins to hurt you. Some of that heavy energy simply needs to be released. We need tools that help us release it, discharge it, and transform it.
Then there are tools of awakening, what they call pure energy. This is the process of aligning with the pure states of our being. The more we understand our pure nature, our inherent nature, and the more we activate and awaken those states within ourselves, in right relationship with the living aspects of the cosmos, the more our lives become enhanced in every way.
Heavy energy is what weighs us down. It includes the emotional entanglements and wounds we carry, the obstacles we become caught in, and the mental constructs that arise from misbeliefs. These are beliefs that are not rooted in the deeper reality of who we are within the greater fabric of life.
In an infinite universe there is always more for us to approach, more for us to embrace. So may I never imagine that I am finished learning. May I always remain open to the greater embrace of life that is constantly flowing toward me, touching me, informing me, blessing me, whether I am aware of it or not. The universe has its own ways of bringing us into relationship with the greater mystery.
The more I can remain open to that relationship, the more I can enter into a living connection with the cosmos itself, a living universe that feeds us, nurtures us, and helps us evolve both as human beings and as spiritual beings.
So within healing we have two things happening. There are the parts of ourselves that need to be resolved, transformed, or released, the shadow, the wounds, the trauma, the misunderstandings. And there is also the deeper aspect of our nature that we are learning to realize more fully.
We are learning to align with it, attune to it, embody it, and ultimately become that which we truly are in right relationship with the greater cosmos.
Both of these aspects of healing are important. And when we begin to pair our sound practices with one of these intentions, whether we are releasing heavy energy or aligning with pure energy, the practice becomes much more focused and powerful.
We can create tools that support either process.
Many people in the holistic world focus primarily on what needs to be fixed or healed. But there is something important to understand here. If I hold the identity that I am wounded and in need of healing, then I am holding the identity of being unhealed. In that moment I am not resting in wholeness.
Let me say something here from personal experience. I have walked through cancer. I came from a childhood of abuse. I understand how heavy energy can become. I understand trauma, illness, and the depth of those experiences. I also understand that there are pathways through them.
There are real pathways through the most difficult experiences of life that can lead us into healing.
But ultimately it becomes my choice where I will stand. I cannot fully experience healing while holding the identity of being broken. At some point I must choose the state of wholeness that I am willing to live within.
As facilitators we can help others see this possibility. We can help them enter into that state of healing. And what I have found over the years is that when we focus on the essential nature of who we are, the shadow and the distortions begin to loosen and fall away.
If I hold fast to the principle of light, darkness simply cannot prevail.
One of my teachers used to say it very clearly: if you hold fast to the principle of light, darkness has no room. Think of a dark room at night. The moment you turn on the light switch, what happens? The darkness disappears. It cannot remain in the presence of light.
Now the darkness may come again. Life will always bring us challenges. But when we focus on essence, when we focus on light, we develop the tools, wisdom, and understanding to meet those shadows in a way that transforms them.
My Peruvian teachers expressed this beautifully through the understanding of release and alignment.
And interestingly, it was actually the breath that taught me this most clearly.
Every breath shows us the principle. With each inhale we take in nourishment and sustenance. With each exhale we release what the body no longer needs. The breath is constantly releasing what does not serve us and receiving what nourishes us.
And when we look at nature we see that this exchange is part of a larger living relationship. What is toxic to us becomes nourishment for the trees. What the trees release becomes nourishment for us.
Life is breathing together.
In that way, every breath is teaching us the same principle: release what is heavy, and align with what nourishes life.
Release and align.
Release and align.
These are two powerful principles we can work with in healing.
But if we place all of our attention on what is broken or wounded, it becomes very difficult to recognize the wholeness that is already present within us.
When we focus our awareness on the state of wholeness, grace, and inherent goodness, we begin to align with those principles. And as we align with them more fully, we grow into them. We begin to feel their truth within our own being, and from that place our healing naturally unfolds.