If you’ve been around for a while, you may know that, for the last couple of years, I’ve been studying Spring Forest Qigong (chee-gong). This journey started for me years ago when I began to realize that conventional medicine didn’t have all the answers I needed as I tried to deal with chronic joint and muscle pain, allergies to many of the things that might have helped, endless debates about what was really going on, and some miscellaneous challenges like lead and mercury toxicity.
My friends and partners on my journey toward less pain include a good ortho guy and his office gang, my tattered prayer shawl, a physical therapist, a massage therapist who does WATSU, which is a water therapy, and also raises my eggs, and the saints who have walked, trained, boarded, and loved my various Newfoundland rescue dogs, not to mention their vets! I’ve done acupuncture. Yoga, a while back and maybe again soon. Anti-inflammatory diets (No tomatoes or potatoes!!!). And so on. And on.
For me, the Qigong seems to be that piece that brings together many things I believe and have learned. It also seems to hold over time, which is huge!
Just before Christmas, I wrote about a “cruise” I went on with Spring Forest founder, Chunyi Lin, and some Tibetan monks from Minnesota. Technically, they were on the cruise ship and thousands of us around the world joined with them each day, through the miracles in modern science, in chanting and meditation for healing the world. It was amazing! (A bit outside the circle for an old Southern church Presbyterian, but completely compatible with what I understand about God, and Jesus, and the faith I’ve chosen.)
Well, this week, we did it again! This time thousands of us “went” to the Grand Canyon. Chunyi and the monks led us in chanting and meditations for physical, emotional, and global healing. I still can’t explain it. It has to do with positive energy (rather than negative) and theoretical physics.
I can feel it, though. For one thing, my hip hurts less and that’s hard to knock! Then, yesterday, I learned something I’m not so much trying to figure out, as trying to wrap my arms around and hug close. It has to do with chanting.
Chanting is, in large part, the experience of generating certain musical tones that have healing vibrations. Whether you choose to chant with Tibetan monks, or chant some of the ancient Celtic music, or chant Psalms, the vibrations are healing in many ways. And, because they are sounds, they are also energy.
Yesterday, I had some calendar juggling to do to fit in the 10 am meditation. I asked one person to come a bit early and another to come a bit late so I could fit in my time for healing. It was noisy at home but I was determined to be present for the meditation. So, in a wild fit of technological brilliance, I put on my headphones! Oh, my!!!
Imagine the vibrato tones of a 94 year old monk who’s been chanting since he was a teenager! Plus three other monks kind of filling in around that amazing, round, deep voice. And with my headphones on, I could not only hear the vibrations, I could feel them! Kind of like back in high school when the music was too loud. (But way better!) And, together, we were all generating the energy of healing and peace for the world!
I don’t know about you, but I think the world could use a truckload of healing and peace about now! And because I followed a nudge of the Spirit and climbed out of my box a couple of years ago, I had a chance to be part of it!
Which reminds me of something Chunyi says a lot. “Believe it, it works!” And that’s always followed by one of the world’s greatest grins as he adds the punch line. “Don’t believe it, it works!”
It works!