| Often in our culture we find natural processes, such as grief, buried or shoved aside – or even shamed. We are not taught how to grieve our wounds. The body erupts with its own forms of grief and manifests as chronic pain, injuries, arthritis or even cancer. Many physical ailments have emotional, psychological and spiritual components as well.
Sometimes we have wounds in our bodies that seem unexplainable, and often doctors and medications and therapies just don't seem to help enough. Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yin & Yang and the Five Element theory of the balance of our chi energy can give us a deeper understanding of our cycles of dis-ease and health.
Today we find "alternative" methods of healing becoming more prevalent, perhaps returning us to more ancient connections with the holistic, natural approach of our ancestors. Massage and energetic bodywork can become a return to the ritual of the moment. Being present with another person is often healing in itself. The power of touch is well-known for its benefits. We can use bodywork such as acupressure to help relieve the discomfort of our wounded bodies, and to reconnect us to the ancient wound of self, here in this moment. Through this connection we may hope to share in the process of healing ourselves on an individual basis, as well as on a planetary level. Many cycles and transitions can be addressed on many levels through bodywork. We are a microcosm of the macrocosmic universe.
Observable cycles have been represented and translated in the metaphors and languages of the ancient arts, such as the Tarot, the I Ching, shamanism and astrology. Early humankind looked to nature and the Earth, and into the stars and heavens, for an understanding of cycles and transitions, performing divinations and rituals to mark rites of passage and cycles of becoming. It is the nature of these cycles that brings us to where we are today, at this moment. We can speak of our own cyclic evolution and take our place on the spiraling mandala of humanity. We can still look to the transitions we experience and find connections in the synchronicity of each moment. |