Interview with Maria

I am often asked what brings particular clients to me. Some wish to journey into higher realms for guidance, get grounded, transform troubled relationships, identify and release limiting beliefs, or increase capacity to heal their bodies. Every individual is unique. I share this recent exchange with Maria for the benefit of you who are seeking answers to your own questions. 

What prompts you to open up to me?

Maria: To be honest, I was not looking for a coach with specific credentials. I am trusting my gut. In speaking with you,  I felt a real connection. It just felt right to take the next step. I explored your website.  What I read on the internet confirmed this is the right choice for me. 

Have you had  coaching expectations?

Maria: Well, before beginning, you asked if I had specific intentions, whether I have any experience with hypnosis, remembering my dreams, past life regression, various therapies and healing practices. I suppose my point of reference for our sessions began with the idea I could add to what I have experienced.  I want to learn to trust myself more, get to the root of obstacles I am facing, to shift patterns I see that are holding me back, get clearer on where to go from here.  If I ask you what you feel you can do for me, what would you say?

I am not here to answer your questions, I am here to help you stop asking them. As a sound-board, I help you to notice when you think and feel the way through life.  I also help you to begin to recognize and take responsibility for each of your choices.

Maria: That says a lot.  I ask loads of questions.  Answers are not always clear to me.  I am told I am too emotional and wish to get a handle on that, take more time for me and get over my fears.

Whatever you fear invites you to get-to-know yourself differently. As you change the way you see things, what you see changes. Noticing anything about filters?

Maria: I am seeing obstacles differently.  I am more aware of lessons and options to respond to what life throws me. The way I react emotionally to people and events my life is not always helpful. I also notice emotions I am not really in touch with and resist feeling.  I still take some things personally and wish to change this. I do not like losing control.

Some perceptions are helpful and empowering, while others keep up negative patterns.  A shift in perspective starts with an increase in awareness. Do you relate?

Maria: Yes. As I grow aware of the my judgements and beliefs, I begin to grow aware of what and who triggers me. I really want to stop losing control over my emotions.

Indeed.  As we progress with sessions, are you noticing any shifts?

Maria: I am noticing that my reality changes based on how I feel about it, who I hang around and how I use my time. I am also more aware that making the unconscious conscious is one path to healing. My own ignorance, indifference and inaction only perpetuates discomfort and keeps dreams out of reach. 

You may have heard the idea, 'you are becoming like the five people you spend the most time with.' Personal reality is based on beliefs, expectations.  Experiences reinforce beliefs. So, if you want to change your reality, changing perception is key. 

Maria: In my case, re-training the mind for change takes practice. I work on self-discipline.

Letting go gets easier. Of all the practices we are exploring so far, what stands out?

Maria: The breathwork, different mental processes and ah-ha moments that I have after our open dialogue.

Why are you receptive to breathwork ?

Maria: What you offer are techniques that enable me to gain deeper insight into myself, my resistance.  It hits I allow myself to hinder or speed up self-healing. I am more aware of core beliefs that have been running me and the reasons why my life brings me to where I am.  It feels good to take steps to shift my focus and priorities. 

Why has your most recent session helped you?

Maria: You give me opportunity and space to explore things that I do not make time for by myself. I am more aware than ever before that I get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of being a wife, parent, student and doing my best to juggle it all.  Until today, I had no idea the deeper source of my patterns.  Making the unconscious conscious is already changing how I feel about myself and how confident I am about where I am headed.  You guide me to recall what I forget.

I'm sure you have a theme: the theme of your life. You can embellish it or desecrate it, but it's your theme, and as long as you follow it, you will experience harmony and peace of mind. - Agatha Christie

Reframe illness

If you ever feel under the weather, notice the words you use to describe your state and how experience unfolds to confirm them. Notice what messages the body is sending to you. How do you think and feel about this? This is an opportunity to see through misperceptions.

On the surface, you may feel overtired or over-extended. You may pinpoint restlessness, second guess some of your choices or brainstorm what is next. If you focus on imbalance, sadness, dissatisfaction or rejection, you invite more reasons to feel this way. Be aware of the world you create for yourself.  Only the body is sick. How you view the body and your state of mind changes everything.  Beyond this, what does not change may surprise you.

Watch what happens as you view it all as a teacher. Identify what are you really feeling uneasy or sick about. It's not what you think. Its not the nature of a job, condition, dead pet, or state of relationships that triggers the physical symptoms you notice.  Its not what seems to happen to you, but how you feel about it that affects your energy states.  Shift focus to isolate what you think you fear.  Now, step back to recognize why this fear is an illusion.  Peel away the layers.  Be more selective about your thoughts and the words you use.

Imagine how your life presents as as you recall all is well already.  Sense the joy of laughter and the impact of self-recognition. Healing is a state of mind. The state of being is perfect.

Interview with Pamir Kiciman

Pamir Kiciman empowers people in roles as a Life Enrichment educator and founder of Oasis Reiki in South Florida, U.S.A. He spent the last 15 years training in energy medicine, holistic health, intentional healing, meditation, spiritual psychology and self-healing models. I grew aware of his work though a blog carnival. I interview him on self-healing transformation.

Pamir, your work is inspirational. What process led you to realize you are a healer?

This is probably my favorite question. Prior to being a healer, I was involved and educated in the literary and dramatic arts. I spent 20 years in theater and studied world literature and arts from a humanistic and experiential perspective. This was my grounding in understanding what it is to be human. That, and my own life choices gave me a unique perspective; something like a triple PhD in life! A lot of it was hedonistic and self-destructive. It was full tilt and I wouldn't replace it, but in the end my life became unsustainable. The suffering was too great.

There was a spontaneous dawning in my consciousness, which remained only that for about 5 years before I took any action. A guiding nudge finally lead me to the divine intervention I received through grace. I accepted this with abandon. It awakened my willpower and started a long healing and strenuous process. And it eventually changed my life irrevocably.

What have you learned about identity shifts?

I'm not certain that we change identities. As you put it Liara, we shift. The shift is about emerging, more than anything else. It's the emergence of all that you are, instead of only facets of a personality.

I was looking for my self through all my indulgences, and seeking unconditional love too. When I found both, my indulgences ceased and I realized both were already in me. Instead of the unhappy bohemian, there emerged a happy healer who had been there all along. I came into my fullness.

What does it require for a person to awaken to his or her true nature?

Each person's case is a little different, but also the same. Usually, pain is the prompt. If there are no consequences, we continue our misguided ways because we don't have the presence of mind to realize it eventually catches up with us. When pain reaches critical mass there are two choices: continue escapism and numbing the pain (which creates more pain, but unfortunately not always awakening), or pluck up your courage and step onto the path you're essentially choiceless to take.

I 'woke' up at age 33. Nearly 17 years later I'm still awakening and awake, all at the same time. What I mean by 'choiceless' is that if you don't now, you will at some point. The choice we do have is how we prolong or fast track it. Awaken we must, however. That is the setup.

When did you begin sensing and feeling energy more consciously?

I first started sensing energy in the creative process, especially on stage between myself and my fellow actors, the director and the rest of the production crew, as well as between the stage and the audience. I was very aware of the power of the stage and how it's received in the auditorium. Each place I performed, first order of business was to walk all over the stage, look up into the rafters, walk into the wings and backstage; always had to breathe in the space before making any creative choice.

The type of conscious sensing and feeling you're speaking of, began with formal sitting meditation. Because I had substantial personal healing ahead of me, there began an energetic relationship with my organs and body parts, emotions and thoughts. Then there was soul healing.

What triggered this "soul-healing"?

Reiki work expanded my sensitivity, together with other vibrational healing such as sound, crystals, flower essences, and communicating with nonphysicals and/or the spirit of living things like trees and animals. Regarding what triggered it, I started to meditate in the first place because it was part and parcel of the divine intervention made available to me. I couldn't exactly say "no" even as it was excruciating at first. As an FYI for non-meditators: Meditation is a complete solution.

How do you explain sensing personal vibration and other kinds of energy alignment or imbalance?

If we're honest with ourselves, we know when there's mis-alignment and imbalance. There are other factors like fear: for example, you may feel your job isn't energetically matched but are uncertain about changing it or creating your own.

Honesty can be hard to come by because it requires unwavering courage. For many it's easier to continue hiding. Someone I was once helping told me, "It's going to be way too much work for me to learn to love myself. I prefer to continue all my bad habits and surround myself with people who're a bad influence on me." She realized this in a single session and I never saw her again.

I don't know what she did with her insight. What we do with our insights is a personal responsibility. It's the old adage, can lead to water, but...

What advice do you offer people who would like to see and work with auras?

I prefer calling it a personal energy or ki field.

Here's my bottomline on developing such sensitivities: Find an authentic spiritual teaching and practice that is firmly rooted in perennial wisdom and go deep in living, applying and being it.

From there, receive any gifts that emerge with gratitude and most importantly, with humility. Don't seek gifts. Simply seek. Grow and evolve the self. The rest is candy.

How do you teach people to develop faith and trust in a semi-invisible energy process?

My orientation is always practice-based spirituality. Hearing truth has its place, if it's actually truth coming from a lectern or book. Eventually, the intellectual suspension of disbelief has to be transformed into visceral experience and knowing. When you practice, the object of your faith and trust simply shows up, undeniably.

Which aspects of your own transformation process are especially memorable?

This is tough to answer. It's like asking which aspects of Love do you love? My transformation gave me myself, my essence, I can't pick a favorite.

I can say this: The numinous became central to who I am, how I live and what I do. That memory is divine and eternal.

What do you sense is causing a widespread soul awakening and more heightened sensitivities?

It's cyclical. All the various information regarding 2012 is at play here. We are in an ascending age.

Which signs suggest body is merging with emotions and mind in a new consciousness?

There are many signs of a new consciousness from business to science, green awareness, social ethics, politics and in all spheres. It's slow, but we're moving into an inclusive model. The model that no longer serves is an exclusive one.

Old power says "power over." New empowerment says "power with."

Altruism, stewardship and better distribution of equality and resources are essential to our survival. As the supposedly most intelligent species, we've certainly made our world untenable.

Share some lessons you have learned from clients.

My work gives me the opportunity for radical participation in humanity. I am a record-keeper for each person's story. It's said that if you've no one to tell your secrets, tell them to a tree for safe-keeping. I'm that tree.

I've learned that acknowledgment is crucial. Trust is central. Love is without question the most potent force. We share the same secrets. Personality is a covering. We're all ancient. Good prevails. Beauty is endless.

As you reflect on your dreams, what do you gain? Do they help cleanse your personal energy field?

This is one area I can learn from you Liara. I'm very good with the imaginal, but I haven't focused so much on dreamtime specifically. Many dreams are a mind dump, the cleansing you mention. When my dreams are significant, I always know and can interpret.

This suggests you will appreciate my forthcoming ebook called, Harness the Energy of Your Dreams. What additional remarks would you like to share here?

The quality of the questions we ask in large part determine the answers we receive.

Pamir, I appreciate the opportunity to share these insights with visitors. You inspire people to remember everything is energy and that thoughts of love are especially powerful self-heling tools. The simple things in life are so valuable. What a great reminder to focus more on them.

You've asked some great questions Liara, and I'm thankful because it's been thoroughly enjoyable and I've been enriched.

That feeling is mutual. As you imply, it is by taking responsibility for growth that you learn about the self and transcend thought form energies you outgrow.

I invite visitors to explore the wealth of wisdom available at Pamir's Reiki Help Blog:

http://reikihelp.com/blog