Unit 7 Meeting Aesclepius

After completing the Meeting Aesclepius exercise from the CD, I felt renewed. I found this exercise to be a little easier; that may be due to the more practice I've had with meditation recently. My vision of the wise healer was that of an ancient Tibetan man. This may be because of what Hollywood has put into our heads of fitting the characteristics of a wise healer, but whatever. It worked for me. I already felt as though I were sitting in a temple with him in his red robes and long white mustache. He was actually quiet throughout the whole connection with me. I could see myself sitting in front of him on a mat while we held hands and just exchanged energy. I could see the light leaving him and coming into me. It was empowering. So, I found this exercise to be very enlightening because I think this is the first time I've actually made it to a visual in my head. Mindfulness is gradually taking me to another level of calm and patience. I used to set off like a rocket at the drop of a hat. Now through mindfulness practices, I control my emotions and reactions. I don't let things get to me the way they used to. With more practice, I will be able to apply these techniques to much more and I eventually will reach that epic point of consciousness we've read about in our books.

The saying "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" I think hold significant truth. How can one person preach about something but never experienced it for themselves? It's kind of contradictory, is it not? The profession of choice for me is nutrition and this saying goes hand in hand with proper nutrition. I couldn't be a fat nutritionist who eats McDonald's all the time and expect people to listen to my advice. That's just silly. Practice what you preach...that's what I say. People need to be open-minded though when it comes to this phrase because often times people turn away from the saying when it has a spiritual reference. Accepting and loving others and their beliefs is key. I know sometimes it is hard to do that but we must try as best as we can.