progress in the Dharma

I have titled this post “progress in the Dharma.”  I want to be clear about what I mean by that (and describe what this post will be about).  It is not supposed to be a catchy title to hook readers.  Rather, I am making progress in my heart and it is showing up when I repeat inspiring stories of enlightened masters.  How can I tell?  Good question.  I’m not 100% certain I am making progress, but at least on one level I believe I am.  Read on to discover what I am trying to get at.

To provide a bit of context here: I have been doing treatments with babies over the past few weeks (craniosacral treatments to help the infants unwind any birth trauma).  Therefore, on some level, I have made a commitment to do my own pre- and perinatal psychological work (on myself first, so I can do it more easily for others).  And I have been assisting in teaching Vagus (Nerve) System work – moving toward self-regulation and emotional stability by resourcing the social nervous system (strengthening the parasympathetic nervous system).  And on top of all this, I had a bit of a fight yesterday with a good friend, which triggered me and I got poor sleep last night in a new and different bed as a result.

With all of that in mind, today I had about 20-30 minutes to kill at work, so I was talking with a friend there about Dharma teachers and great enlightened masters and their stories.

I mentioned Asanga and how difficult it was for him to attain enlightenment (with Maitreya Buddha).  http://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/asanga-and-maitreya-buddha

I mentioned a couple of the stories about Patrul Rinpoche from the Snow Lion’s Turquoise Mane.  That book has an incredible array of inspiring stories by the way!  And it is so cheap?! http://astore.amazon.com/kirmoosblo-20/detail/0062501836

And the most bizarre thing happened to me as I was relating these stories: every time I got to the kicker about how the realized master was acting extremely compassionate or displaying Bodhicitta and skillful means, my voice cracked and I teared up.  I got emotional just relaying a simple story!

Well let me tell you something.  For me, this is progress.  I have gone entire decades wishing I could cry.  I was in the military for five years and I may have cried once that entire time I was enlisted.  There were times I gave up on my desire to emote through crying because it was so foreign and distant!  And now it is happening three times in a row, within a 10-minute span, as I relate these Dharma stories?!

Something is up.  Either the person I was talking to has a special connection to the Buddha-Dharma (quite possible, as he is very sharp, both logical and intuitive) or I am making progress with my own heart chakra work or my lack of sleep caused me to be unusually, radically emotional today (or some of all of the above!).  I never teared up for any other reason tonight though, so I think I can rule out that last option.

No matter what is the case, I love telling those stories as they inspire me to do my own personal Dharma practice.  And if there is a willing listener who is not shutting down upon hearing the stories and seeing my joy in telling them, then that is a great start!  🙂

Thanks for listening to my confused mind ramble on and on,

~Kirby

a horary astrological quandary

Recently, as in over the past 6 months or so, I have been having difficulty staying motivated in my current job.  There are aspects of my job that involve gross mismanagement and frankly I am getting bored.  I work in a restaurant and serving people dinner night after night after night is starting to become way too routine.  I love how the people change every night or at least every few days, so at least I am meeting new folk, but even for them it is service as usual.

My work in food and beverage has some advantages: my current job provides great benefits – health and dental insurance, 401K plan, decent tips.  But the management has been working under the philosophy that “we can expect people to work more, we can pay them less and we can have less staff and things will be just fine.”  To me, that is a horrible strategy.  In fact I detest it.  I heard that someone wrote an anonymous letter to the board or something, and I completely support the need for that to happen!

With all that in mind, yesterday I spent the entire day with two Tibetan language professors.  They are great teachers – patient and skillful and knowledgeable.  Over the course of the day, my Tibetan language skills started to return.  I have been very lazy and lax in practicing Tibetan.  Therefore, my Tibetan language has become about as rusty as possible.  I have forgotten more than I currently remember!

But, they invited me to participate in weekly conversations with their students which will happen on Friday evenings.  Unfortunately, I work every Friday evening.  So my mind is just going through all the possibilities: can I find a new job?  Should I cut back my current job?  Should I try to see more bodywork clients?  Should I stick with my job as it stands and attempt to practice Tibetan one morning a week?

The pros and cons are about evenly balanced with things tipping toward keeping my job for at least another 6 to 8 months (and then nursing school will resume with a vengeance and I will have to cut back anyway).  Those benefits and the steady income are really hard to beat.  I could easily stir up four or five clients per week, but I would need a few more to make it profitable to quit my job and do more bodywork.

Therefore, I had the notion to check my astrology chart or better yet, to cast a horary astrology chart about this question: should I quit my job in favor doing more of what feeds my soul?  Studying Tibetan, seeing more bodywork clients, treating more babies.  So I jotted down the exact time I had that question and set about creating the chart.

I used my astrology software (because hey, I spent $250 on it years ago, so I might as well put it to good use!) and came up with the chart for 11:26 pm on 6/9/16 for Charlottesville, VA.

It has a 3′ 37″ Aquarius rising, 24′ Leo Moon, 19′ Gemini Sun, 26′ Taurus Mercury, 20′ Gemini Venus, 25′ Scorpio Mars (retrograde), 14′ Virgo Jupiter, 12′ Sagittarius Saturn (retrograde), a 23′ Aries Uranus, 12′ Pisces Neptune and a 16′ Capricorn Pluto.

The first and most important and most challenging task is determining the primary significators in a horary example.  Normally, the 7th house has to do with the astrologer doing the horary astrology, unless they are doing it for themselves, which negates that issue.  So I don’t need to worry about that. Generally speaking, the rising sign represents native (the querent – person asking the question) and with an Aquarius rising, Saturn (we use traditional rulerships) is the Lord of the Chart.  Therefore Saturn is one of the primary significators.  Determining the next significator is the challenge.

This question has to do with 10th house issues of career and profession, but it has to do a little with 6th house work environment issues and it definitely has to do with 9th house philosophy, foreign language and higher learning.  So which do we choose?  We are allowed to have one or two secondary significators if we must, so let’s just assign the primary significator as the ruler of the 10th house.  Scorpio is on the 10th house, so we go with Mars.  Then the ruler of the 9th house can be our secondary significator – with Libra on that house cusp, Venus is our choice.

“Should I quit my job in favor of doing more of what feeds my soul?”  That is our question.  Saturn rules the querent (me) and Mars rules the quesited – the question.

Now is this chart valid or radical?  There are several things that make a horary astrology chart null and void, including having the Ascendant be between 0 and 3′ (too early to tell) and 27 and 0′ (too late to do anything about it).  The 3′ 37″ Ascendant is mighty close to being too premature to tell.  So that tells me that this issue or this question is very young, and that more information may be forthcoming.  It is almost worth stopping right there and saying, let’s wait a week and see what unfolds.

However, because I am a stubborn astrologer, I continue.  Saturn is not in the first house, so we can continue.  Saturn is not in the 7th house (even though I am acting as my own astrologer).  The Ascendant or the Moon are not located in the via combusta (15 Libra to 15 Scorpio) in fact nothing is presently tenanting that region of the chart.  The Moon is not yet void of course (she still will meet Mercury by square and Rx Mars by square.  And finally, the asteroid Fortuna is at 23′ of Aquarius.

Therefore this chart is technically radical – we could interpret it if we wanted to.  However I notice right off the bat several things that are probably indicative of difficulty or obstacles.

First, both of my significators (Saturn and Mars) are retrograde.  This is telling me that I am going against my natural inclination of playing it safe and sticking with what is practical.  I abandoned taking leaps of faith years ago when I got in trouble attempting to merely run a bodywork / astrology business without any other forms of income.  And both of these significators are indicating that my thinking might be a little backward (retrograde).  That is not to say don’t quit my job!  But let’s see what else the chart says.

The asteroid Fortuna is in the first house (23′ Aquarius) but the Moon has just opposed it and is separating by one degree.  The opposition means that my heart and my sense of luck (good or bad) are opposed to each other – which does not sound too good.  Fortunately it is separating, but it is still pretty intense.  I could say that my fortune has not been good as of late (and sure enough, the number of customers at work have been declining significantly over the past couple of years and the past 2 weeks were very low tips) but that it will start improving each day the Moon moves away from the opposition.

Just from these two phenomenon – the two significators being Retrograde and having the Moon oppose Fortuna, I am going to say that quitting my job to follow my heart (at this time), would bring great difficulty.  Sure I can look at Saturn and Mars more closely and see if anything would bring about their perfection (success in this matter).  They are not moving swiftly and only Mars is in a strong sign (it rules Scorpio).  Considering they are both moving backward (retrograde) and they are 18 degrees apart in different signs, I can say with certainty that by the time they become conjunct in this chart (which looks to be around August 24th, 2016), many other planets will have made Hard aspects to both.  These hard aspects are indicative of potential obstacles.

It is interesting though that this date comes up.  I am planning to attend a long workshop in Canada between the dates of August 21st and Sept 4th and I intend to take 2 and a half weeks off of work (whether they want me to or not!).  So it sounds like August will definitely see the resolution of this question, even though I want it to be sooner!

It is fascinating to see other nuances in this chart however.  As I mentioned, this is the beginning of this quandary and the chart reflects that with the 3′ Aquarius rising (this issue is premature or just starting out).  The underlying issue around my question is: “will I have enough money if I back off my present work schedule or quit my job outright?”  And look at the positions of Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune.  They are making a huge T-square.  Jupiter is in the 8th house nearly conjunct the North Node – which indicates that I would have success regarding other people’s money (maybe I would make a lot of money by seeing more bodywork clients).  But it is opposite Neptune in the 2nd house, indicating that this issue about money is fuzzy at best and that I might be deceiving myself in some regard.  Neptune is in Pisces which is one of the mute signs (along with Mars in mute Scorpio), so that makes me wonder if there are any secrets around this topic (which I might not be sharing with you, my readers or are there secrets that even I don’t know about yet?).  And finally Saturn is at the end of the 10th house, being the stern practical structured advisor saying, “you should not leave your job until you have a guaranteed source of income.”  This is wise, practical, pragmatic advise!

The secondary significator of Venus is Combust (close to the Sun) but it is separating.  This reflects my total lack of confidence in leaving my job or provoking a discussion about taking Friday evenings off which is sure to ruffle some feathers.  With that said however, Venus is in its Term (it has a little bit of strength) and it is in Mutual Reception with Mercury – Mercury is in Taurus and Venus is in Gemini – they are in each other’s signs which grants additional strength to both planets.  Therefore, my mindset around studying Tibetan is clear – I will get great joy and benefit from doing so.  But the primary significators indicate that this is not the right time to quit my job or to provoke certain discussions.

Because this chart was nearly premature, I plan to ask this question again in about a week.  In the meantime, I will bide my time and see how things go at work and I will inquire about potential clients to see if seeing more clients would be feasible.  Maybe a change is in the works!

Thanks for bearing with me as I navigated the rocky terrain that is horary astrology!

If you or anyone you know has a pressing question, I would love to look at the horary astrology about it!  I would even give a discount for the first few charts.  Let me know if you are interested.

~Kirby

 

Back in the school groove, issues with Pharmacology

I realize you might have been expecting a follow up to the Khenchen quotes from last post.  However, I have a test in Pharmacology this week and I am stressing a little.  Plus I am having issues with the rigid theories that the Pharmacology book / professor seems to be professing.  I am hoping she is keeping it simple for us rather than another alternative.

(By the way, I believe that if / when we work with a professional and skilled mentor / bodyworker / therapist to purify and release and come to terms with emotional issues from our childhood, then our health will improve as our mental state similarly improves.  Yes, what I am trying to say is that much of our health is psycho-emotional in basis.  Too many people are lonely or depressed or apathetic or are suffering from unresolved birth trauma or development traumas and their health will definitely suffer for it.  See the Adverse Childhood Experience work to back up what I am saying here: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/ )

So I want to express my objection to the rigid views posed by the authors of the Pharmacology book that I am studying from.  I am at a little advantage due to having studied numerous alternative and complimentary modalities.  But honestly, how can you say that once someone needs pharmacotherapy for hyperthyroidism that they would need medication or a serious intervention (surgery or radioactive iodide) for the rest of their lives?  Can you at least mention that there might be complimentary modalities which could have efficacy in helping to alleviate endocrine problems?  I need to look it up before I mention it to a patient, but I know people who have said that Kundalini Yoga helped to cure them of hypothyroidism.  And what about acupuncture – it is efficacious with many disease processes?

So I am all about evidence based science.  And I am all about pharmacotherapy when alternative treatments and preventative medicine has been tried.  But unfortunately here in the U.S., the money is being made from people being sick.  There is very little money to be made in prevention.  Yes, fortunately some insurance companies are seeing the value in prevention.

I am all for Western Medicine when it is not being highly influenced by the monetized system that is the Pharmaceutical Industry.  In the meantime, I am going to put some of my concerns to bed and learn this stuff.  I need Pharmacology for nursing school AND I intend to work with babies and children (NICU or pediatrics) so hopefully I won’t need to worry too much about this material once I am working where I want to.

In other words, yes I feel the medical system as it stands right now is a bit corrupt.  The FDA is run by former big pharma executives and vice versa.  No I do not believe that I can change it markedly as one individual, but hopefully I can join the Holistic Nurses Association and feel like I am among like-minded peers.

Thank you for listening to me voice my concerns!

~K

Spring Retreat 2016, best quotes of Khenchen, part 1

I just returned from Spring Retreat 2016 at the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, Maryland.  At that retreat, Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen taught in the mornings and Khenpo Tsultrim taught in the afternoons.  Khenchen taught on a couple of topics – the first, a little booklet he handed out called “How to Live in Happiness,” he taught from for 3 days.  Then he taught on a couple of Vajra Songs by Milarepa and Lord Jigten Sumgon on the other 2 days.  I had to leave on Friday unfortunately.  I loved being up there, I missed many of my friends from years past.  It felt like being at home in a way.  I do hope to get up to TMC again in the next 6 months.

At the retreat, he said several pointedly insightful things or he used metaphors I had not heard before.  So read these and see if you agree that they are wise and / or witty / insightful / sharp, etc.

You can go here: https://www.youtube.com/c/drikungtmc/live to see the videos of Khenchen and Khenpo teaching from TMC’s live stream.

If I have made a mistake, it is due to my personal obstacles and obscurations.  I believe Khenchen Rinpoche has realized the three kayas and attained ultimate realization.  Therefore any mistakes are my fault.  Please comment if you feel my interpretation of Khenchen’s words is far off the mark!

I love how Khenchen emphasizes that Buddhism is not really a religion, but rather it is a method to cut through the causes of suffering.  It provides the path or the steps to realize lasting happiness.  He mentioned that taking refuge (in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) looks like someone is converting to Buddhism, but they are also taking refuge in cutting off the causes of suffering.  That was a nice zinger to start off my retreat.

One of the members of the audience related a story they had heard from a great Master: he said that you want to invite the Emperor of all virtues, which is Great (ultimate) Compassion.  And we want to make certain to invite the Emperor rather than the King.  That is because, when you invite the Emperor, it is understood that his retinue is to come along with him.  If you invite a King, you must specify whether or not he is to bring his retinue.  And since Great Compassion is the emperor of all virtues, when you invite Great Compassion into your heart and your life, then all the other virtues will also tag along as they are the emperor virtue’s retinue.

Khenchen also emphasized that the pure mind, the uncontrived mind, the natural state, is joyful and peaceful without any effort.  Once one realizes Buddhahood, there is no need to go pursuing joy and happiness and peace – these are the mind’s true nature.  We can just rest the mind and eventually rediscover the mind’s pure imprint.  And then happiness will arise naturally without effort.

I work in a particularly stressful environment (at least on certain days) which is in food and beverage service.  At times, people get angry and other times, it is relatively easy and calm.  Khenchen Rinpoche mentioned that we should see the mind, at times, as being like a hurricane.  From the ocean, this massive storm develops.  It sweeps over the land and it might destroy entire cities.  Then within a day or two, the storm dies down and dissolves.  The storm arose from emptiness and it dissolved by into emptiness after it did its damage.  Where did it go?  Where did it come from?  Likewise, the mind can have little hurricanes rushing through it.  Other people might experience little hurricanes of anger.  But it will die down, it will pass.  My own reactions might be like a hurricane.  Notice this!  Have compassion when other people are experiencing little hurricanes, practice patience if possible.

The last anecdote or metaphor that I will share has to do with sand castles.  [From Khenchen]  Children build sand castles on the beach.  Then if other kids or adults come and kick them over, the child who built it might get very upset and frustrated and angry.  Likewise, when we buy a house or even just rent, when something goes wrong with the house, we can get so upset, so angry, so whiny.  The plumbing might go or the electrical wires might be old.  But if we realize that our houses are similar to sand castles, that a massive earthquake could take them out at any moment, then we can be less attached to whether or not bad things happen.  It does not mean don’t care – we need shelter, most practitioners need a shrine area in their home, if we have a family then we probably require a good house!  But just don’t get so attached that you get hot with anger when something unexpected happens.  Rather relax the mind and realize that this is an opportunity to see impermanence in action.

Thanks for reading!

Khenchen’s skillful means are immeasurably vast

I had the chance to spend close to 2 hours privately with Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen during this recent retreat (and no, I did not twist his arm to have this happen).  I was able to offer him something which I was so glad to do.  He has given me the greatest gift which exists in this world – the Buddha-Dharma is the key to unlocking ultimate happiness, free from afflicted emotions.  Therefore if I can give anything back, that will be very good.

Anyhow, in spending this time with him, I got to see his skillful means in action.

The first day (the first hour), he was more open and he asked me questions about what was going on in the news and we chatted about the Dharma in the West and a few other topics.

Then during my interview, I admitted (because I wanted to reveal everything to Rinpoche and have him give me very precise advice) that my Dharma practice had been de-railed or at least become quite scattered over the past few years.  This is mainly due to being sick and not understanding why.  When I got the shingles 3 years ago, it was barely in my astrology chart at all, which was frustrating.  Normally you can see this stuff coming.  (Although do not worry, I hardly a fatalistic astrologer and I approach everyday realistically.)  And then this bout with chronic Lyme’s disease was equally frustrating – leaving nursing school for a semester was frustrating especially!

So I told Rinpoche about how I used to play computer games but that I have given that up.  I asked him about role playing games – pretty much my only vice left – which I had to explain.  But he got the gist that these games occasionally distract me and maybe even affect my mindfulness.

Then the second day, the 2nd hour, he was more distant and he was bluntly neutral.  His disposition was much different from what it was the day before (before I had my interview with him).  I think he knew that my Dharma practice was not as diligent as it was five to eight years ago, but he did not realize how much my practice may have derailed.  And of course I am putting words in his mouth or thoughts in his mind.  I do not actually know what he was thinking .  Anyway, he sudden change in disposition made me think that something was wrong – was he feeling off?  Or had I done something wrong?  Had I said the wrong thing?

It took me driving on the road home – a 4 hour journey due to traffic and passing multiple accidents – to realize what was probably going on.

In fact, along with having a full and long day yesterday, his change in demeanor had affected my mind.  I was a little concerned – mainly about what I had done or said wrong, if that was why he changed his attitude.

On the ride home, I got the info that Khenchen was being extremely skillful with me.  I told him about my last remaining vice and he told me that letting it go was entirely up to me.  But now his actions and his disposition were that of the most loving and more importantly compassionate parent. He was letting me go, putting some distance between us so that I could get my Dharma practice in order.  Rather than me putting in a scattered, sparse amount of diligence into my practice and hoping that a Lama will be there to pull me out of trouble, he was showing me that my “salvation” as it were, is entirely up to me.

My happiness is up to me.  My suffering is up to me.  My attaining enlightenment is entirely up to me.  Yes he gives incredible advice and teachings, but at the end of the day, I need to get my butt on my meditation cushion!  🙂

Therefore, his change in demeanor was one of the most compassionate actions he could take with me.  Time to stay mindful and heedful and alert and watch my mind, guard my mind and slowly slowly complete my Ngondro practices.

Thanks for reading!

Good things are happening! Baby treatment, Lama treatment, reactions

So this has to be the most full spring retreat I have ever done.  Possibly even more full than either of the Mani Drupchens I did up at TMC six years ago!  Many good things are happening and I rejoice.

I got to treat another baby that I met up here.  He was induced so I think he has more work to do, plus it was past his bed time (impromptu treatments are difficult to get “right”) but I know that his mother benefited tremendously!  Sometimes it is more of a Mommy treatment than a baby treatment, but that will also benefit the infant.

I also got to give a massage to a Lama.  I’m not going to name names but I am very fortunate to create a deeper connection with a very realized being who is beyond attachment and aversion, and who excels at piercing through ignorance and confusion.

What is most interesting though is, while the Lama was my “client” for 50 minutes, he was still my Lama.  And once he got off the table, he was resting in equanimity as usual, just resting in neutrality.  But my mind was wondering why we weren’t making much of a connection.  I obviously have much work to do around attachment.  I am attached to whether or not he likes me.  Is it okay to attempt to please your Lama?  I think it is, but just don’t have any expectations for him liking you back any more than he loves all sentient beings.

So that is where I am at.  I gave two treatments today and I feel pretty good.  Good enough to start studying more Pharmacology!  🙂

I am heading back to Charlottesville tomorrow.  But I will definitely miss Frederick Maryland.  I have definitely missed being at TMC.  It feels like home.  It has so much potential that is somehow not being used fully.  Having Khenchen Rinpoche here as well helps, but he has already moved on.  He is talking about slowing down and retiring (teaching and traveling take their toll and he is in his 70’s).  He deserves a good long rest.  But he is definitely not going to retire in Maryland or Virginia  😦

Receiving teachings from Khenchen (or any qualified Lama) is one of the greatest blessings I have ever received though.  He is an overflowing swollen waterfall of Dharma and wisdom and compassion and I want to continue to drink up those healing waters for years to come.

Thanks for reading!

Baby initiation, gaining a head of steam

So I am about to write about the amazing week I am having…  I should start out by setting the context from the past year.

In a nut shell, I was locked into finishing nursing school in two years when I started developing some mysterious symptoms – arthritis, foggy headedness, nerve pain, etc.  It eventually got so bad that I withdrew from nursing school for a semester.

Fast forward to now.  I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme’s disease but I am taking a 6 month regimen of some potent homeopathic medicines specifically geared toward taking out that particular borrellia bacteria.  And 8 weeks in I am starting to feel much much better.

And then two weeks ago I was apart of a Craniosacral class which involved treating infants.  It was like that was the boost I needed.  It was a kick in the butt in a great way.  I now feel like, as a nurse I want to work with babies.  As an independent complimentary medicine practitioner, I want to work with babies for free – assisting mother and baby to release birth trauma and then giving their process back to them saying, “you are doing great Mom, keep it up!”  It was like I received a spiritual initiation of sorts – from the babies!  Yes, my bodywork teacher coached them through it, but they were the ones willing to show up and do the work.

And I am at a one week Buddhist teaching retreat with one of my first Tibetan Lamas, a sublime, precious, extremely-rare-to-meet teacher named Khenchen (his title) Konchog Gyaltsen.  Yes my personal Dharma practice got derailed by my frustrating sickness and from being in school.  But I intend to pick my practice back up.

I am tentatively committed to doing a pre- and perinatal training in Canada later this summer.  I am extremely excited about that.  I want to learn this work as quickly as possible and be of benefit to any babies and families in my area that need the assistance.  I wonder if I can get donations for my trip north of the border?  What do you think?

So I am excited about what this summer and the rest of the year holds for that matter.

Thank you ever so much for reading!

~Kirby

 

Foggy Dharma, a muse

Driving up to the Tibetan Meditation Center on Memorial Day.  Fortunately very little traffic, easy drive.  Except for the fact that I worked late last night and now the mischievous little gremlin known as drowsiness is setting in, as I drive.  Like trying to keep the squirrels away from my bird feeder, I pinch myself, slap my face a little.  Nothing is working – it just comes back in 5 minutes.  Finally I stop for a soda.  It doesn’t do much, but it is enough.

As I approach Gambrill State Park, where the Dharma center is located, I am driving up.  Up above Frederick, into the woods.  Black and blue cohosh shrubs and the edible garlic mustard greet me, watching as the world drives by.  It is a mist green tunnel this morning.

My heart is feeling better the closer I get, opening, taking a deep sigh, melting.

Then I see the Dharma sign and hanging across the driveway is a massive Tibetan Buddhism symbol laden banner – no words.

I have arrived.  But my mind is still on its journey and my body feels like it is still asleep.

I am so happy to have arrived.  Khenchen is nearby, about to come over to give his teachings.  Old friends and new are here.  It feels like coming home.  I have missed you TMC.  Life has kept me too busy.

I am looking forward to hearing the spontaneous wisdom dispensed this morning.

Thanks for reading!

treated my first baby on my own today

So I have been setting the intention to work with infants for a solid week.  Not a lot of time.  But already a precious baby manifested.  A friend at work was shaking as she described her 3-week-old niece nearly suffocating on her own thick mucous – which she and the mother had to pump out to get her breathing easy again.  So I discovered an infant in need and I offered my services.

What services are those you might ask?  Emotional and physiological process work for babies.  Bodywork for infants – just listening and offering a safe space for the babies to show you what they need to release birth difficulties.  That is what.  I am not an expert, but I have been doing this work with adults for over 10 years now.  So fortunately it is not a huge step to translate that work to infants.  And I have a solid, skillful mentor.

I did hit one snag, one obstacle.  The mother does not speak English and my Spanish is poor at best.  Although I certainly learned a bit today!  There was a translator, but this presented a definite issue.  The mother was able to detach from me (and considering she did not know me prior to today) and focus on the translator.  I would have rather her stay more present to the baby and to my questions.  But I was flexible and I worked with the baby as best I could under the circumstances and she was very open to seeing what might transpire during the session.  Plus she gave me permission to discuss the session here on my blog (without any names being mentioned).

It went pretty well.  I checked the baby’s diaphragms (energetic vortices around the babies chest and tummy), checked the baby’s cerebral spinal pump – the action of pumping its cerebrospinal fluid, tracked its CS fluid as it flowed from cranium to sacrum and finally did a brief little unwinding as the baby showed me the spirals it had to make during its birth.

There was definite evidence that positive changes were happening.  The babies eyes seem to be brighter by the end of the session – maybe every clearer.  And during the unwinding and spiraling portion, the baby’s skin tone changed colors which I pointed out to the mother.

Unlike my mentor, I do not fully understand everything that the baby is trying to communicate with me.  And keep in mind, a 3-week-old cannot communicate verbally.  When you have laid your healing hands on 1,000 bodies, those bodies start to speak to you and you are able to listen and intuit the meaning.  That is what happened with this baby.  You can tell when it is in distress due to pupil dilation or fists clenched.  I did not have to deal with much of that today.  But I do need to ask questions of my teacher regarding the mother – I think she may have been dealing with her own psychological stuff (whether her own birth issues or developmentals, I do not know).  I would like to find some resources for her however to make her motherhood journey easier.

I did schedule another free well-baby check up for two weeks from now.

I love working with babies!  By the way, if you know any babies under the age of 18 months in the Central Virginia area that might benefit from a wellness baby treatment, let me know!

Thank you for reading!

~K

lots going on: early summer 2016 update

To add to my last post about treating babies, yes I am still enthusiastic about giving more treatments over the coming months, whether to babies or not doesn’t matter.  I would like to treat more babies but finding new mothers who are willing to trust a stranger is not going to be easy and I don’t know many pregnant mothers (although I do know a couple from work!).

I am looking at healing space this week – I will probably share office space with a friend of mine who is an acupuncturist.  I will know for certain in a week or so.  But it will be nice to see clients on a weekly basis!

I have started my summer nursing class – Pharmacology.  It is a big amount of information to chew on.  But it will be challenging and nice to be back in the academic grind (using my brain cells for learning rather than just waiting tables and seeing the rare bodywork or astrology client).

And on top of all this, I am going up to Maryland next week – Frederick Md and the Tibetan Meditation Center specifically.  I am very excited to attend His Eminence Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen as he teaches.  Honestly I don’t care what he teaches on – he is a Buddha and one of the leading scholars in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.  He is also one of my heart teachers and I have a special connection with him (which hundreds of his students have with him also).  I believe he will teach on the Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Gampopa, but if he chooses a different topic, that is fine too.  Look back through my older Dharma category posts to see stories that I describe around Khenchen.  He is sublime and semi-wrathful in his wisdom, penetrating and compassionate, the real deal.

I am very fortunate to be able to attend Khenchen and other legitimate Tibetan Lamas.  (May all beings know sublime spiritual teachers whom to learn from!)

In addition to the above developments, I am working full time as well.  And I am still getting more restful relaxation in as I recover from a health issue.

This late spring is a busy time but hopefully I will handle it all with ease.

Thanks for reading!