|
|
|
Something Unexpected When something unexpected happens, one of the first things our minds try to figure out is “why?” I suppose the implication is that if we know “why,” we can prevent it from happening again. Two months ago, OSO was struck with severe pain in her abdomen. At first we thought it was a reaction to the anesthesia she had taken two days earlier for her thyroid surgery. But when the pain persisted, we took her to an ER and, after running tests, they admitted her to the hospital. I was not yet asking “why?” I was, rather, acutely present to what OSO was experiencing, and I was absorbing all the reports from various tests and listening carefully to input from doctors and nurses. In fact, it was not until OSO came home from the hospital nearly two weeks later that I moved into the Caretaker mode and began to ask “why?” The answer to that question would provide clues to how we could best cooperate with the healing process. I was reluctant to suggest an answer to the why question. This was OSO’s process, and I did not want to interfere in any way. However, in a three-way conversation with our friend who was actively providing healing energy each day, I offered the possibility that this was a reflection of a long-standing condition which had formed in response to a pattern in OSO’s birth family that we had given the name “Uproar.” The name came from a book we had read many years ago by Eric Berne, M.D. called Games People Play. Uproar was not a game my family played, but I remember vividly the first time I witnessed OSO’s family engage in it. OSO’s parents had gone out with her sister and brother-in-law, and OSO and I had stayed home. We were watching a television program when the four of them returned. Because the program was just ending, we did not immediately turn off the TV. That triggered “Uproar!” I could not believe the intensity of the shouting as each person criticized us for not turning off the TV. Then OSO jumped in to defend our choice to see the end of the program. The Uproar continued for half an hour, with an intensity that was beyond anything I had ever experienced. Later, after we were alone, OSO told me that it was not unusual in her family. And, over the years, I came to recognize the pattern that was so intense one would think it would only erupt if something drastic had occurred. But that was not so. It was rather common, in fact. I recalled the pattern as we talked with our healer friend because, I suggested, it seemed OSO’s bowels were in “uproar” and I wondered if it was a long delayed outpicturing of the family “game” that had been played so intensely in all OSO’s early years as well as intermittently in the years I had known her. The three of us concurred that this was entirely possible. After our talk, I began to focus my attention on calming and soothing OSO’s intestines.
Body Talk For many years we have worked with listening to body messages by identifying an expression that fits the condition in the body. I had first recognized how helpful that form of communication can be when a woman I knew told me she was feeling bogged down. She proceeded to describe how difficult it was for her to make decisions: She had guests who had overstayed their welcome, but she didn’t find the words to ask them to leave; she wanted to do some remodeling in her house but she never finds a way to address it; her communication with her husband was obtuse and sluggish. And there was more. I could see how swollen her legs were, as if full of water. They were an out-picturing of her feeling of being bogged down. When seeking to heal a condition, it is often helpful to pay attention to how we talk about it. A splitting headache could be reflecting my indecision between two opposing choices. Being hard of hearing could indicate a resistance to what someone is telling me. A stiff neck could indicate stubbornness. And so forth. We can heal the physical condition by changing our behavior or attitude. In addition to other growth challenges, OSO has been working on the “uproar” pattern by identifying excessive reactions in daily events. She is breathing the energy out to clear her reactions to situations and to individuals. My pattern, on the other hand, is to ignore my feelings and therefore to get clogged up! Frequent constipation is my body’s way of saying, “Hey! There are feelings that need to be cleared out and let go.” As I have been present to OSO during this crisis, I have monitored my feelings so that I don’t get backed up. I am blessed that I do not worry about things. For as long as I can remember, I have trusted the life process. That is my consistent mantra. I am happy that during this long process of healing with OSO, I have stayed conscious of my feelings and given them expression both to OSO and to others. Any occasion of illness is an opportunity to make conscious choices about how to respond. This time with OSO has been intense, and a genuine privilege for me to stay open and clear and to let Love energy flow through me. OSO has made it easy for me. She has stayed open and receptive to what I and others have offered to her. She has stayed conscious and has been doing her spiritual work while dealing with her physical problems. This has been a totally unexpected set of circummstances for us to deal with. We have had a lot of support from our Love family and friends both near and far. I am grateful for the blessing of living a conscious life and using each event as an opportunity for growth.
|
|
Home/ Teleos Institute /Order of Teleos/ Sponsorship of Teleos/ Lorrance & Pike / Contents of Site / Emerging/ Personal Life Coaching / The Love Principles / Publications / To Place An Order |