With the popularity of western medicine, most of these ancient practices were dismissed as scientifically unfounded and, at best, simply ritualistic. Lately, however, western scientists and doctors have been looking into traditional world ethnic and oriental medicine with great interest.
Today, Chinese acupuncture, aromatherapy, yoga, tai chi, qi jong, and other martial arts and disciplines have crossed over into the western healing arena and evolved into what is termed as alternative medicine, an exciting niche gaining an ever-increasing following. Curiously enough, although the concepts are old, they have found their way into the field of new age healing.
The strange fact though is that even the rich and learned resort to it when the patient’s disease is pronounced incurable or terminal by doctors. And some of the recoveries are spectacular enough to be pronounced miraculous! I have heard of many instances of healing by faith before (I am from Pangasinan, the Luzon province famous for faith healers), but the very first time I heard a westerner talk about something similar was in the early 1990s.
Robert Urich, Hollywood actor and lead star of the TV series Dallas, guested on Oprah’s show and enthusiastically talked about how he was able to battle cancer using visualization to heal the disease. It was more of mind over matter than faith healing, but these two distinct practices actually run parallel paths. Although Urich died in 2002, he was able to prolong his life for a good number of years.
Urich described to a wide-eyed Oprah a healing meditation he practiced. He imagined a ray of white light from the sky enter through the top of his head and slowly fill every cell of his body all the way down to his toes with its healing and loving warmth. The interview was imprinted on my mind so I started to read more about it.
Today, light is used to cure winter depression or SAD (seasonal affective disorder). More and more hospitals and health establishments are realizing that colorful paint on their walls perk up patients and help them recover faster than traditional and depressing gray walls.
In the United States, color therapy (chromotherapy) is being recognized as a complementary system to other treatments and therapies. Practitioners report great success in the recovery of stroke victims and patients with chronic depression. Furthermore, we all know that even the laser, now a household term for treating many maladies, is a powerful, concentrated light.
Any type of spiritual healing can have a wondrous, profound effect on your mind, body, and spirit whether you are young or old, rich or poor, healthy or sick. The positive feelings you will experience make your body respond by stilling your mind, reducing stress, expelling tension, and healing your infirmities. Here are the simple steps to follow:
1) Find a quiet place where you can sit or lie down and not be disturbed.
2) Get comfortable by taking off or loosening up restricting clothing, footwear, and accessories. You may light an aromatherapy candle or play some light meditative music if you like.
3) Once seated or lying down, take a series of deep, relaxing breaths and get focused and centered.
4) Continue your slow breathing, close your eyes, and see your mind and body at peace like a clear pond without a ripple in sight.
5) Visualize a beautiful ball of glowing white light from the sky descending on top of your head and see it permeate every part of your body. Imagine each cell getting lighted, revitalized, energized, and healed as the light slowly descends through your head, scalp, brain, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, chin, neck, and shoulders. Feel the energy surge through your bones, arms, hands, and fingers; see it descend through your throat, heart, lungs, internal organs, butt, thighs, knees, legs, feet, and toes. Feel your body being illuminated, all tensions and energy blockages melted and washed away by the light. Let the light stream into any part of you that you think needs healing and renewal. Notice how radiant your entire body has become and how wonderfully light and clear-headed you are. Let the positive radiant light illuminate your body and visualize all the negative charges, unpleasant thoughts, tensions, pains, and sicknesses exit through your soles into the ground. The white light has purified your whole body, saturating it with peace, health, beauty, energy, and power.
6) Stay relaxed for a while, take a few more deep breaths and enjoy the pleasurable sensations you are feeling.
7) Slowly open your eyes, smile, and do the next thing you need to do or whatever you feel like doing.
8) Repeat this meditation every time you need to unwind and recharge your energy.
By the way, you will know if you are doing it right when you get goose bumps on your arms and all over your body as the energy recharges you!