Why Tarot Readers, Psychotherapists and Clergy Might Not Be Able to Heal ...

 For decades it had been a mystery to me: There have been well-credentialed, even prominently branded "healers" who seemed not to be able to heal. They have included clergy, psychotherapists and even Tarot readers like myself. 

Today following the meditation session at the Zen Cochise Center, Bisbee, Arizona, Master Hye Mun (Barry Briggs) gave me the missing piece to solve that puzzle. It was in his talk, this week on not attaching to what goes on in our heads. Among the points had been:

"When we connect to our own suffering, then we can respond to others' suffering."

Admittedly it is difficult for humans to own our pain, especially in America - the new land of opportunity. No surprise that meme is being leveraged in the current presidential campaign. 

If we are taking full advantage of all that opportunity, shouldn't we be insulated from the kind of suffering less strategic smart creatures endure? Yes, Calvinism, the religious philosophy some of the settlers brought with them from Europe, holds the doctrine that worldly success is a reflection of inner virtue. That state of being is a pain-blocker.

In Episode 5 of the popular streaming series "Feud: Capote vs the Swans," Black author James Baldwin, who has been through the wringer, hammers Truman with the reality that pain is the universal condition. However, the latter continues to push back on that reality with booze. Therefore, Capote is unable to minister to his own suffering in a way that could transform it into a way to understand his behavior and change it. 

It is in 12-step programs those broken by their excesses are told that their suffering will serve to help others. That goes back to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous when one man who had lost everything through booze is able to "reach" another who is on that same path. That was Bill Wilson who shared the details of his own painful downward journey with Dr. Bob. Almost a century later that one-on-one intervention continues to be effective.

Breaking open to experience your suffering, not ducking it through the myriad forms of delusion, can happen through 15-minutes a day of meditation as well as other alternate forms of consciousness. They include the creative trance, hypnosis, dreams, exercise, travel, music, past-life regression, deep analysis, having someone you trust really listen to you and more. 

Retreating into that kind of force field can be your source of self-healing. Eventually, as Bill W. and Dr. Bob made it their mission: You can pass "it" on, that is the healing for others.

Jane Genova * Tarot Card Reader * Intuitive Coach * Medium.

Opening Yourself to Inner Peace, Self-Love and New Success

Deep Listening and Compassion.

For an appointment, please contact janegenova374@gmail.com or text/phone 203-468-8579.