Mysticism
So many Healers (including mainstream therapists) sell themselves, in part, by projecting an image.... and sadly, many are attracted to image. Why is that? Perhaps the idea of having an "ideal" allows people to kind of let themselves "off the hook" declaring, well, I can never be like him/her. Or maybe we just like the idea that somehow our idea of perfection really does exist.
Perfection. When you are a ball of light on the other side, there is one kind of perfection. Here on Earth, the fluidity of movement, acceptance, surrender, flowing into change. This is perfection. Earth perfection is the ability to fully embrace, love, laugh at, survive, the roller coaster ride you chose before you came here. I am very suspicious of those who present "well." And those who present as super amazing, well let's just say that is often the hallmark of a narcissistic personality (or even sociopathic) which in this era, in the USA are majority personality tendencies (not kidding http://narcissistsupport.com/the-red-flags-of-a-narcissist-series-in-order/). Having quite a few clients who are professional "healers" (in various modalities) I have experienced that there can be a rather large gap between what is presented to the public, and how that person is living his/her life. Reading biographies of famous people you admire can also sometimes reveal such dissonance as well.
Current psychology discourages and often forbids disclosure and there is some validity in that clients can end up feeling sorry for or worried about a therapist and lose the ability to receive help and guidance. However, a good therapist could use that material as part of the healing process. When we were tribal, indigenous, the shaman, the medicine people, lived among the people. They were indeed mystics however they were also profoundly known as humans. They ate, laughed, made mistakes, loved, among the people. They were accepted, in fact revered, for the ability to live in both worlds. It also meant that if a medicine person became unbalanced, or abusive, or took advantage, there was no hiding that from the people. This not only helped protect the people, it supported the medicine person in their own work to stay balanced.
In this culture we find that there is a commercial market where people get disappointed to discover the human-ness of a healer and will not only leave but at times attack the medicine person when their preconstructrd image is deconstructed. I actually trust people more when I see their humanity. I prefer transparency and authenticity in people. When people react to someone's humanity by leaving , criticizing or attacking, this has damaging repercussions. Healers/medicine people can succumb to the pressure to appear perfect and not only hide their issues, but also then find themselves without resources and support for their own journey on Earth. In a culture that already endorses "if it doesn't work, leave or get a new one" it also means that people don't get to learn acceptance, boundaries, to redefine what perfect looks like (a work in progress, balance and fluidity).
This is not an easy answer topic. There is no one-fits-all formula. For me, I like to know how any one who I might let into my life to support me, is living his/her own life. What life issues have they confronted and how did they respond. No matter how much I know about someone's Earth life, when one puts on his/her medicine hat, the mysticism begins. Gifts, powers, talents, can never be fully explained, only experienced, in awe. I have met many (many) extraordinarily talented medicine people, but so unbalanced in their own Earth journey that I find them toxic. I have compassion, but also do not want that in my arena of healing. I might go to a class they offer, but that is it. This is my choice. Others I know will tolerate behaviors I would not, in order to have an "experience" with someone's "medicine."
It is up to each individual to carefully approach well constructed "fronts" of people who are in the healing industries. Pay attention to the person, to behaviors, consistencies, red flags. Remember our own unhealed areas will attract "lesson" people to show us where we still need some work. Going slowly, combining intuition with logic, looking at our own ego challenges as well, we can enter gently into a relationship rather than diving in head first. If stories don't make sense, if there is lack of detail, or too much of a good or exciting story, wait and see. If a medicine person is reluctant to disclose, that may be because s/he has been attacked or betrayed as well, so again, wait and see.
Let's not though, continue to make the magical mystery tour acceptable. Even if I know every detail, every flaw of a medicine person's life, to me, when s/he is in their gift I am honored and awed. It is not easy to be a human. And it is much much more challenging to be a medicine person and a human than to be a muggle. As your gifts develop, chose to not create an "image" or "persona" unless you are clearly performing either creatively or in a ceremony. Support each other by encouraging authenticity, disclosure, and personal growth no matter how much talent is there. Allow one to work one's magic, without mystifying the human who welds the gift. Let's eliminate grandiosity. We are grand enough, just the way we are.
Journey on.
Thanks to Kai for the picture.
Perfection. When you are a ball of light on the other side, there is one kind of perfection. Here on Earth, the fluidity of movement, acceptance, surrender, flowing into change. This is perfection. Earth perfection is the ability to fully embrace, love, laugh at, survive, the roller coaster ride you chose before you came here. I am very suspicious of those who present "well." And those who present as super amazing, well let's just say that is often the hallmark of a narcissistic personality (or even sociopathic) which in this era, in the USA are majority personality tendencies (not kidding http://narcissistsupport.com/the-red-flags-of-a-narcissist-series-in-order/). Having quite a few clients who are professional "healers" (in various modalities) I have experienced that there can be a rather large gap between what is presented to the public, and how that person is living his/her life. Reading biographies of famous people you admire can also sometimes reveal such dissonance as well.
Current psychology discourages and often forbids disclosure and there is some validity in that clients can end up feeling sorry for or worried about a therapist and lose the ability to receive help and guidance. However, a good therapist could use that material as part of the healing process. When we were tribal, indigenous, the shaman, the medicine people, lived among the people. They were indeed mystics however they were also profoundly known as humans. They ate, laughed, made mistakes, loved, among the people. They were accepted, in fact revered, for the ability to live in both worlds. It also meant that if a medicine person became unbalanced, or abusive, or took advantage, there was no hiding that from the people. This not only helped protect the people, it supported the medicine person in their own work to stay balanced.
In this culture we find that there is a commercial market where people get disappointed to discover the human-ness of a healer and will not only leave but at times attack the medicine person when their preconstructrd image is deconstructed. I actually trust people more when I see their humanity. I prefer transparency and authenticity in people. When people react to someone's humanity by leaving , criticizing or attacking, this has damaging repercussions. Healers/medicine people can succumb to the pressure to appear perfect and not only hide their issues, but also then find themselves without resources and support for their own journey on Earth. In a culture that already endorses "if it doesn't work, leave or get a new one" it also means that people don't get to learn acceptance, boundaries, to redefine what perfect looks like (a work in progress, balance and fluidity).
This is not an easy answer topic. There is no one-fits-all formula. For me, I like to know how any one who I might let into my life to support me, is living his/her own life. What life issues have they confronted and how did they respond. No matter how much I know about someone's Earth life, when one puts on his/her medicine hat, the mysticism begins. Gifts, powers, talents, can never be fully explained, only experienced, in awe. I have met many (many) extraordinarily talented medicine people, but so unbalanced in their own Earth journey that I find them toxic. I have compassion, but also do not want that in my arena of healing. I might go to a class they offer, but that is it. This is my choice. Others I know will tolerate behaviors I would not, in order to have an "experience" with someone's "medicine."
It is up to each individual to carefully approach well constructed "fronts" of people who are in the healing industries. Pay attention to the person, to behaviors, consistencies, red flags. Remember our own unhealed areas will attract "lesson" people to show us where we still need some work. Going slowly, combining intuition with logic, looking at our own ego challenges as well, we can enter gently into a relationship rather than diving in head first. If stories don't make sense, if there is lack of detail, or too much of a good or exciting story, wait and see. If a medicine person is reluctant to disclose, that may be because s/he has been attacked or betrayed as well, so again, wait and see.
Let's not though, continue to make the magical mystery tour acceptable. Even if I know every detail, every flaw of a medicine person's life, to me, when s/he is in their gift I am honored and awed. It is not easy to be a human. And it is much much more challenging to be a medicine person and a human than to be a muggle. As your gifts develop, chose to not create an "image" or "persona" unless you are clearly performing either creatively or in a ceremony. Support each other by encouraging authenticity, disclosure, and personal growth no matter how much talent is there. Allow one to work one's magic, without mystifying the human who welds the gift. Let's eliminate grandiosity. We are grand enough, just the way we are.
Journey on.
Thanks to Kai for the picture.
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