MasterWorks International
Polarity Articles
INDEX Dr.Stone’s Real Contribution The Three Modes of Touch What is Polarity Therapy? The Magnet of Life Transitions Polarity Therapy—Hermetic Medicine? Prana in its Seven League Boots Shiva and Shakti—The Fundamental Polarity Polarity Therapy and the 5 Elements The Ether Element and the Body The Air Element and the Body The Fire Element and the Body The Water Element and the Body The Earth Element and the Body The Polarity of Drugless Mental Wellbeing The 5 Elements—Mental Health and Disorder Part 1 The 5 Elements—Mental Health and Disorder Part 2 The 5 Elements and the Dying Process Polarity Therapy and Pain Relief Sensory—Motor Pain Control Technique Physiological Responses to Polarity Treatment Christmas Star Patterns Human Evolution & The 5 and 6 Pointed Stars Part 1 Human Evolution & The 5 and 6 Pointed Stars Part 2 Polarity Therapy & The Spiritual Universe Polarity Therapy & The State of Yoganidra The General Session Structural Balancing Treatment of Knee Problems Treatment of Shoulder Problems Self Help for Headaches Footnote Teeth Once a Week? Addiction & Co-Dependency Part 1 Addiction & Co-Dependency Part 2 Ripples in a Pond And Relax The Mystic Bible by Randolph Stone Passion Polarity– Is it like Reiki? The Jewellery Question Chakra magic
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Dr Stone's Real Contribution By Phil Young RPP Most people in the Polarity community think that Dr Stone was the person who brought "Energy" as the vital principle in the Healing Arts into people's perception. The reality of the situation is a little different, in that even a cursory reading of the article excerpts below from the The Journal of the Science of Osteopathy, Volume 3, Number 4, August, 1902 clearly show that Energy was a vital consideration from the very earliest beginnings of Osteopathy. It seems that, firstly, what Dr Stone really did was to keep the vital life force aspect of Osteopathic practice alive when the rest of the osteopathic community was rushing headlong into materialism and being swayed by the growing strength of the allopathic medical model and secondly, he created some extremely effective practical methods of working with this vital life force directly through the chakras and the energy currents in the body. THEORY OF THERAPEUTICS. The theory of our therapeutics depends on, (1) the vital force, which represents the sum of all vital activities and processes in the body organism, the cosmic energy in man, the energy of understanding and will; and (2) on nutrition, the tissues and organs depending for their vitality and vital activity upon nutritive conditions. Both of these are controlled from the brain. The brain centers represent the higher life, and the different paths from the brain to the body along the nervous system are pathways of distribution in connection with vital force and nutrition. In this we must take account of brain nutrition, in connection with which we get (1) the production of a secretion, the cerebro-spinal fluid, and (2) the generation of nerve energy that passes outside of the brain in the form of waves of vibration. PHYSIOLOGICAL AXIOMS. 1. The first pages of physiology bring out into prominence, the vital force as that which lies behind the matter of the structure and the material functional of the body organism. 2. The basic principle that runs all the way through physiology is order, harmony and coordination, these being established by and through the nervous economy. 3. There can be no organic disease or organo-therapy, because no organ of the body stands isolated and alone, the sympathetic relation of the nervous system making it imperative that the body be regulated as a commonwealth of cells. THE FORCES OF NATURE. There are certain forces, - sound, light, heat, electricity, etc. The physical basis of all these is vibration. Vibration is an accepted fact in science. Solid bodies are composed of atoms which are vibrating at almost infinite velocities. One substance differs from another mainly in the modulus of vibratility, the different planes of substance representing the planes of gradually increasing vibratility. The higher vibratility governs and moulds the lower, just as the sun centralizes the solar system. The most refined vibrations that mean life and light, with all their accompaniments to the planets, in that solar system. In man this vibratile characteristic also predominates, for within his organism he combines the higher and lower grades of vibratility in connection with mind, brain, bone, muscles, blood. So long as these combined vibratilities are in harmony are in harmony the organism enjoys life and health.
THE VITAL FORCE. In man there is a vital force, so-called because there is no better term. It is not the vital principle or the soul or the subjective mind. It is the vital force, or that force which originates and remains in the body as the result of the union of spirit or simple substance with matter. It is the objective mind of the psychologist. The principle of this vital force is the power of fluxion or of vibration, which, as in the physical forces, can permeate the substance without affecting or modifying its substance. There are thus three planes, the pure material, the pure spirit or psychic, and the plane which originates in connection with the union of these other two, the vital force plane. What is the plane of therapeutics? THE THERAPEUTIC PLANE. In the therapeutic plane we are dealing with the nexus of spirit and body, and, therefore, with those vibrations or fluxions that lie at the foundation of the force called vital. On this plane crude materials cannot be of any service, because they are foreign to the force to be affected, and as such cannot enter the field of the vital force. In the crude drug substance, (a) there is nothing refining, but everything thing is crude and material body substance, and as it is not the material we are curing, as it is the vital force we are adjusting, there must be a refinement compatible with the force to be affected; (b) increased vibratility is the principle of adjustment. The article excerpts were written by Dr. J. Martin Littlejohn, Ph.D., M.D., D.O., L.L.D. (First Dean of the College of Osteopathy, Kirksville Missouri, founder of the Chicago College of Osteopathy, and founder of the British School of Osteopathy)
THE THREE MODES OF TOUCH by Morag Campbell RPP It goes without saying that the way that you touch someone whether it be in the therapeutic context or in the more intimate context of a personal relationship is extremely important. Through the medium of touch we can convey a whole gamut of messages, a silent communication takes place every time we place our hands on another human being and as with verbal communication, touch can elicit a whole range of responses in answer to that contact. As bodyworkers we have a special responsibility to be "present" in our hands as we work not only so that we may be sensitive to the feedback from the tissues beneath our fingers in order that we may physically dialogue with them effectively, such as when we coax tense and held muscles to relax and soften, but we also have to be mindful of the emotional communication that is also a big part of the work. It is therefore pertinent to take a good look at the three modes of touch as described by Dr Stone in his writings and to consider their use and their communication pattern to the client. As with all things in this system the modes of touch are divided into a triune function. Lets look at each in turn. SATVIC touch is categorised as neutral and is generally described as balancing. Returning to this mode of touch after stimulating or releasing the body allows the energy to disperse and move where it needs to go. It is also an opportunity for the practitioner to "listen" to the feed back from the body and then act accordingly. The touch can range from a deep contactfull hold or moulding to the body through to extremely light contact just at the surface of the skin and even off the body altogether. There is no movement involved. The practitioners hands just rest with the client and allow the energy to express itself in whatever way is appropriate. Even though this touch is described as balancing there is nothing wishy washy about it. This neutral touch is full of potential energy. Within this neutrality there is a resonance with the core energy and the source and because all undifferentiated energy is present in this neutrality all things are possible. The ether energy held here encourages an openness and expansion of the energy fields to allow for the interplay of the other elemental energies. With this openness comes the potential for the air energy to create movement and change, the fire energy can thus be released to warm and further expand the body, whilst this warmth and expansiveness allows for the easier flow of fluids through the body and the earth energy is represented by the release of old toxins through the eyes, lungs and skin. This mode of touch which is more about "being " than "doing" also needs to convey a sense of safety and support in the face of all this opening. RAJASIC touch which Dr Stone described as positive is designed to stimulate and mobilise the energy allowing it to expand outward (centrifugally) from the centre. The touch involves a range of movements from small circular, almost massage like technique , done with individual fingers over a small area, through to larger movements involving rocking the entire body. Movement is the key word here. By moving we are introducing the air element to our client to elicit a response from their energy. When stimulating a small area with the fingers it is important to move the underlying tissue and not just the skin. When larger whole body rocking is called for then it is important to rock the body at its natural frequency. In purely physical terms it requires the least effort on the part of the practitioner when you rock the clients body in this way. This
allows you to maintain a high level of sensitivity to any subtle shifts or changes in the holding patterns within the clients body. When rocked at this frequency, which is dependant on the size, weight and tension pattern of the client, a loosening of the emotional and physical holding is much more likely to occur as the client relaxes into the comfort and ease of this natural rhythm. If we impose our own frequency of movement on to the client then the movement can feel uncomfortable and sometimes be disturbing to them creating more tension and holding. TAMASIC touch is described as deep and dispersing. This mode of touch is used primarily to break up long standing holding and tension in the physical body. It facilitates the return of long stored energy back to the core (centripetal flow). This is a more invasive technique than the previous two and the practitioner should be aware of this. Hard, dehydrated tissue does not readily surrender to persistent, hard pressure which can be extremely painful causing the client to pull away and even drive the blockages deeper in to the energy system. When performing tamasic bodywork you should only apply pressure for short periods of time ( 30 secs to 1 min) then release the hold and allow the body to adjust and relax before reapplying another short application to the tissues and energy. Prolonged tamasic contacts exhaust tissue and can weaken energetic response even further.With this in mind it seems to me even more important in this case to gain the trust of the tissues by applying steady, but increasing pressure to the body at a rate that the client can deal with for short time periods. There is a reason for the holding. These defenses have been set up over years and I feel that a "slowly, slowly catchy monkey" approach is a better way to proceed than a battering ram at the portcullis. By adopting this steady, intermittent but persistent method the client does not feel the need to "run away" withdrawing their energy and shutting down on their emotions. Many therapists use tamasic work when trying to release old emotional holding patterns however it is most important that you do not confuse an emotional response due to prolonged deep and painful pressure with the true release of old deeply held emotions. The fiery release often initiated with this work may simply be because you have hurt the client. Nor should you think that this kind of release due to therapist inflicted pain will bring up old buried emotions with it. The tears that sometimes occur as a response to this form of tamasic work are little more than tears of anguish at being abused by a therapist that you trust. This said there are of course some clients who believe in the maxim "no pain - no gain " and in this instance the best approach is to do just enough tamasic work to satisfy their need for confirmation and then to lead them into an understanding of therapy as a more subtle phenomena. Remember our original statement about touch being a mode of communication. It is especially important to consider what the message is you want to give here. Is it "I want you to let go because I say so" ( me clever therapist - you client) or "I want you to let go because you feel safe and willing enough to enter that arena on your own with my support". One other point. Communication is in the feedback and touch is no different to verbal dialogue in this regard. Listen to the message that your clients body is giving you and respond with your touch. If the conversation doesn't flow then change the message you are giving and convey that through your hands. Happy talking!
WHAT IS POLARITY THERAPY by Morag Campbell RPP & Phil Young RPP Polarity Therapy was developed by Dr Randolph Stone who was a Chiropractor, Osteopath, and Naturopath. He sought to research and understand the fundamental healing process in man, recognising that man is not composed of flesh alone but also of mind, emotion and spirit. His travels and studies throughout the world finally lead him to the ancient healing systems of China and India and the belief in the existence of a life force or energy that vitalised and organised all life. He recognised that a parallel could be drawn between the human body and an electromagnet, in that a magnet has a positive and negative pole with a magnetic field extending around it. These fields being produced by moving electrical currents. The body too can be viewed as an electro or perhaps more appropriately a bio-magnet, with its own bio electrical currents producing a field around it. Hence the name Polarity Therapy. In order for an ordinary ferric magnet to function effectively the constituent atoms must be lined up in the same direction so that each tiny individual magnetic field can combine to produce one large field. The atoms of the human body too must be lined up or polarised with each other otherwise the bio-magnetic field of the whole body will become disorganised and impede healthy functioning. If you drop a magnet on to a hard floor the magnetic field is destroyed because the atoms are shaken into a random pattern. The individual atoms becoming depolarised in relation to each other. The body reacts in a similar way to trauma, injury, stress, or exposure to the powerful electromagnetic fields of many modern office and household appliances. The energy model that is actually used in Polarity Therapy borrows heavily from Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional system of ancient India. Much of the terminology used is Sanskrit in origin, for instance a lot of attention is paid to the"chakras" which in India are considered to be major centres of bio-magnetic activity in the body. With the skilled use of their hands Polarity therapists are able to help in the re-polarisation of the body by the transfer of bio-magnetic energy from their hands to the client. Polarity Therapists recognise the therapeutic effect of human touch at all levels and seek to coax resistant flesh to release its contraction, not only freeing up tissue and muscles but allowing for better blood circulation and lymph flow as well as allowing more space to the underlying organs so that they can function more effectively. Fuller breathing is encouraged, more efficient elimination and detoxification, improved digestion,relief from pain and better posture; all of which leads to an increased sense of well being. In many American hospitals nurses are trained in a system of therapeutic touch which has much in common with Polarity Therapy. It has been found to decrease trauma, release emotional pain and accelerate healing thereby speeding the road to a full recovery. The human body has great self healing capabilities which can be greatly augmented by the correct use of touch. Polarity therapists also work with simple dietary reform reflecting Dr Stones naturopathic background. As the roots of Polarity Therapy also lie in Osteopathy and Chiropractic, Polarity Therapists are trained in techniques for readjusting and balancing the autonomic nervous system and the spinal alignment. They also work with gentle stretching exercises to free up the body
and induce fuller breathing and all are trained in communication skills to aid in the clarification of the clients mental attitudes and goals. Polarity Therapy can treat a full spectrum of conditions from those related to physical trauma to those problems associated with mental - emotional stress. It has been found to be of benefit in the treatment of back pain, digestive disturbances, menstrual problems, headaches, arthritis, sports injuries and such conditions as ME. Within the art of Polarity therapy there is incorporated a whole system of balancing the structure of the body to alleviate stress and strain put upon the spine and sacrum and internal organs by bad posture. Using a gravity board and a plumb line the therapist sees how the body stands in relation to gravity. Then with gentle manipulation they correct the alignment of the sacrum, the spinal vertebrae and the cranium and any rotation of the torso. Once the body is correctly aligned many cases of chronic back pain find great relief.
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THE MAGNET OF LIFE By Phil Young RPP There are many different systems of energy balancing or energy medicine as it is now often referred to such as Acupuncture, Shiatsu, Reiki, Polarity Therapy, spiritual healing, and so forth. The reason that most people visit an energy medicine practitioner is because they have some kind of a problem with their state of health, in other words they are suffering from some specific physical pain or disease. All energy systems work very well on healing physical problems and to some degree or another also on relieving mental emotional stress. What is less well understood however is that a good energy balancing session that affects the complete energy system within the human body both the electromagnetic or the bio- magnetic as well as the Etheric energy can change a person's whole life. By whole life I do not mean just their state of physical health but that their life experience itself begins to change, suddenly they can find a whole new world opening in front of them. There many different approaches to creating the life that you desire and it might seem strange to think that a system of what is most commonly thought of as alternative medicine may well offer the best route to changing your whole life. Dr. Randolph Stone the founder of Polarity Therapy was very clear in his understanding that the energy in the human body acts like a magnet in as much as it attracts and repels. He called this phenomena the "Magnet of Life". Unlike some other systems Polarity views everything that exists as a manifestation of some specific level or vibration of energy. One of the most fundamental Polarity concepts is stated as "all is energy". Every experience we have in life is an energetic experience. The movement of energy is always pulsatory, so the human energy system changes polarity on a rhythmic basis and the energy can be polarised into either an attractive or repulsive phase of activity. Many systems of personal growth and therapy say that we create our own life but the question is how ? If you think of this magnet of life then it is easy to see how we created the life we actually live. We created it through energy! Human consciousness itself is energy or if you like " mind is energy". The polarisation of the energy that is our consciousness or mind will determine the kind of life experiences, people and events that we are attracted to or to which we have the exact opposite reaction to and are repelled from. This magnetic process can be easily illustrated by thinking of the whole experience of eating a hearty meal. In hunger, the desire to eat, the process of attraction to some particular food and the feeling of being repelled by other foods is a part of everyone's experience. Practically, there is no food that we as human beings eat that even in normal quantities cannot be toxic to us. Their are certain constituents in food that are not really useful to the human body. After eating a meal we break the food down and digest it and in that process of digestion we absorb into the body that which is useful to us and then we eliminate the waste material that we do not need. If we don't do that then we are quite likely to develop certain physical problems, at the very least a general level of toxicity. This same process is just as true in terms of everyday life experience we need to be able to absorb and eliminate so that our lives don't become toxic. When the life energy in the human system is polarised properly it moves through a phase of motor or out flowing energy and then into sensory or return flowing energy and it is in this phasic shift that
lives the secret of a healthy life. When in the attractive phase of energetic activity we attract what we need, selectively evaluate its usefulness and then absorb what is most important and helpful to us. Then as our energy changes polarity from attraction to repulsion to use the Polarity Therapy terminology we repel or eliminate that which we don't need. In an everyday sense most of us are aware of this phenomena; we are attracted to certain people, we like a certain kind of music, we hunger for a particular taste, we long for the experience of relating to someone at a very deep level. We also know that the some things we withdraw from; certain foods that repel us, we find it difficult to be around certain people for any length of time, most of us have experiences in the past that we would choose to eliminate from our consciousness, perhaps even physical trauma to the body the memory of which is difficult to bear and that we would like to eliminate. The reality of the situation is that there is no single experience in life which does not have a Polarity built into it and by that I mean that even best experiences often have negative aspects and the secret of having a happy life is to be able to hold on to the positive and eliminate the negatives as we go along. It really is a process of digestion; we have life experiences that we need to digest and as we digest them we need to keep all that which is useful or helpful to us and eliminate the parts of the experience that are less palatable. Even in the happiest relationships there are things that our partners do which are annoying. The only thing that keeps the relationship alive and growing is the two people's ability to keep focused on the good things and to have their energy polarised in such a way that they can eliminate from their consciousness the difficulties that arise rather than becoming shall we say mentally constipated and holding onto them. The practical difficulty that most people experience is that their energy is polarised in such a way that the things that they desire the most and that they would wish to magnetise into their life are the things that they are the least likely to get. Their energy is polarised in such a way that they actually repel or repulse the very things that they want the most. This does not happen at any real level of conscious awareness and choice but happens as a part of a persons total energetic balance. The fact that the state of your energy controls your whole life is perhaps the greatest reason to follow the biblical dictum of "man know thyself". The more intimately acquainted you are with the energy in your own body and provided you realise that energy is in essence consciousness itself, is actually your mind in your body then you might begin to have a sense of the possibility of using this basic function of energy to attract and repel in an appropriate way. Once your energy is polarised properly and can shift easily from attraction to repulsion at all levels you can simply watch your life change. You begin to notice that not alone does your body feel different in a physical sense but that your thoughts are different, your emotional responses have changed and that in a very short period of time that job you always wanted finally appears on the horizon of your perception, the relationship which you always wanted finally manifests itself in your life. That perhaps you have the parents and even the children you always wanted after all !
Energy is a truly pervasive phenomena and Polarity Therapy really is one of the few systems that understands this in depth and has techniques that can effect all the different levels of energy within human being dramatically and thereby alter the whole course of someone's life experience. To put it humorously the questions are; do you have a magnetic personality and are you repulsive enough?
TRANSITIONS by Morag Campbell RPP Some of the most important and powerful moments of our lives are the moments of transition those moments when we leave the known and move into the unknown. Every aspect of change has transitions. How we move through those transitions tells us something about how we deal with change and newness in general. Some people will not move into a new mode of being, or a new relationship or job without first having an anchor or a hand hold in the new situation. Others like to leap into the new like skydivers, trusting that Life's currents will carry and support them until they land unscathed on new territory. For yet others the period of transition must occur at a snail's pace so the there is a slow and steady movement from the old to the new. For yet others the idea of transition itself is just so scary that it is not to be undertaken at any cost and life continues along in the same old rut. From the Polarity perspective the concept of transition is ever present. In the body there are transition areas between each oval field for instance. The oval fields are the cavities of the body. There is one in the head, one in the throat, another in the chest and the abdominal cavity is divided into two fields; the upper abdominal digestive region and the lower pelvic, reproductive region. Separating these fields are areas of transverse tissue. The one most people are familiar with is the respiratory diaphragm. This transverse area separates the field of the chest or air oval from the digestive region or earth oval. The field of the head is known as the fire oval, the throat is known as the ether oval and the lower pelvic field is called the water oval. Energy is attracted to these ovals in order for the fields to function efficiently. For instance the field of the head or fire oval attracts all the different frequencies of elemental energy as do all the fields, but fire energy is predominately attracted here in order to keep us alert and conscious, to fuel our intellect and keep our vision sharp. The transverse areas which separate the oval fields are supposed to be neutral areas of relaxed and open tissue through which the energy can move easily from one field to the next. They are also areas of obvious boundaries and demarcation. When we think about transition the idea of boundaries cannot be far behind. When we travel, we cross State and Country boundaries where we are forced to stop and go through the necessary ritual for passage from one place to the next. In the body too the transition areas can be perceived as boundaries between the fields where one frequency of energy has to pause and negotiate the different terrain of the human landscape. We could even think of the energy as it passes through the air oval as rather like taking a flight to a new country. At some point we have to touch down and the terra in changes to the earth oval. Now there is a different medium to successfully traverse, then the journey continues by sea as it were, through the water oval. The deep currents of energy that flow through the human body have to be able to continue moving through the different fields, but also elegantly and easily move through the boundaries and check points of the transition areas. Although the transition areas should be relaxed and open in many cases they are quite the
energy through the body. Emotional energy is a powerful force and in order to hold it down and contain it the transverse areas strengthen their defences. In other words the borders are closed. Once closed the free flow of all the energy is restricted, not only that but it takes tremendous amounts of energy to maintain this defensive strategy. In this mode we become stuck and restricted, frozen even. Our ability to deal with the shifting tides of Life is severely hampered. Our choices limited, we become reactive and predictable. Transitions are essential to the concept of change and as energy workers, change is what we are about. We know that the Life energy has to change in order to move. That change may be a change in Polarity, either away from or towards an energy source, a resulting change in direction of flow; a change in the expression of a certain elemental frequency, as when a fire release may result in a consequent release of the water energy. For instance when a person gets hot which then leads to sweating, or when anger topples over into tears. As we are giving a session, we are aware of the energy constantly shifting and changing under our hands: sometimes pulsating. sometimes tingling sometimes prickling and sometimes magnetizing for instance. The underlying truth is that all Life is in a constant state of change and flux. It moves from chaotic randomization to ordered balance and then shifts again into randomization. This opens up for the possibility of new experience and increased potential if we encourage it, or at least be open to it happening. So often the period of transition, rather than being welcomed and embraced, is accompanied by resistant and anxiety. This is what causes us problems, not change itself but our resistance to it. In order to make transition less of an issue we need to be aware of all the areas of transition that we encounter from day to day and grow more accustomed to it. Every door we walk through takes us from one environment to another, from one experience to another, often even from one colour to another. Every day moves from day to night. Sometimes this happens slowly and sedately, sometimes the sun seems to sink in a flash and night falls with an unexpected urgency. Every transition is different and we need to acknowledge that, rather than beating ourselves up because it is not happening as fast as we think it should, or because we are not dealing with change in the manner that we did last time. We must welcome each of Life's transitions for what it is - a chance. A chance to be different, a chance to act in a new way, a chance for a new experience or encounter, a chance to grow. Just breathe and let it happen! • •
The picture of the Oval fields is from a full colour chart entitled “As Within—So Without.” Available only from Masterworks International Click here to buy.
Polarity Therapy - Hermetic Medicine? by Morag Campbell RPP Certainly there is some evidence to suggest that polarity could indeed be defined as Hermetic medicine as so much of it seems to fit within the framework of the seven Hermetic principles. Dr. Stones studies would almost certainly have brought him into contact with the ideas and practices of the Hermetic philosophers and alchemists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Let us take a brief look at the seven principles mentioned THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM THE UNIVERSE IS MENTAL - which doesn't mean that the whole world is "off its trolley" ( no matter how true that statement may appear on some particularly trying days ) but that the All is Infinite Mind which is the fundamental reality and the womb of all universes. Dr. Stones Polarity model states that the world as we know it is perceived through our five senses and 'organised' by our minds interpretation of those perceptions. We create our own reality. THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE WHATEVER IS BELOW IS LIKE UNTO THAT WHICH IS ABOVE, AND WHATEVER IS ABOVE IS LIKE UNTO THAT WHICH IS BELOW - this is clearly demonstrated in polarity in say the reflex patterns in the feet reflecting what is going on in the rest of the body and the correspondences of the five pointed star energy pattern where disturbances in the pelvis and digestive system can be carried upward in the body to find their correspondence in the breasts, shoulders and neck. The pattern of the six pointed star demonstrates beautifully the interlaced triangle representation of spirit and matter ie: that which is above being reflected downward into matter and that which is below reflecting back to spirit.
THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION NOTHING RESTS, EVERYTHING MOVES AND VIBRATES - this is fundamental to Polarity; the life energy is in constant motion if it is not, any impediment to its flow results in pain, disease and eventual death.
THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM EVERYTHING HAS ITS TIDES, ITS RISE AND FALL, ITS PEAKS AND TROUGHS; ITS EQUAL PENDULUM SWINGS TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT - Dr.Stone does not make great mention of this principle in say the way that the Chinese medical professional might but any practitioner of the art will know that timing is everything!
THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSATION EVERY EFFECT HAS ITS CAUSE, EVERY CAUSE HAS ITS EFFECT, ALL PROCEEDING BY LAW, NEVER BY CHANCE - the exploration of this principle is what makes Polarity such a powerful companion on the path to self growth and knowledge. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER EVERYTHING HAS ITS MASCULINE AND FEMININE ASPECTS - the centripetal and centrifugal energy flows. Energy leaving a source on its outward, positive phase and returning to that source in its inward, negative phase to complete the cycle. THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY EVERYTHING IS DUAL, HAS POLES AND PAIRS OF OPPOSITES - I rest my case!! Those of you who are familiar with the Polarity model will be able to find numerous examples of the afore mentioned principles and come to realise that we are indeed modern day alchemists turning the lead of mans everyday material existence into the spiritual gold that is our birthright.
"PRANA,IN ITS SEVEN LEAGUE BOOTS, SPELLS: HEALTH, YOUTHFUL RHYTHM AND LONGEVITY." By Phil Young RPP This quote from Dr. Stone sums up in a lyrical way the importance of prana. This life giving and sustaining energy is present all around us and like the air we breathe we can take it for granted. Dr. Stone described prana as literally the "Manna" from heaven. He said that it could not be stored but had to be gathered anew every morning and every moment, with every breath. He described it as a radiant energy that keeps the body buoyant, vigorous and healthy. In Ayurvedic philosophy, all life is composed of the tridosha or three principles. These principles are termed Vata, which is a combination of the air and ether element; Pitta, the fire element and Kapha, which is a combination of the water and earth energies. The principle of Vata is subdivided again into five aspects sometimes referred to as the subtle 'airs' in the human body. Prana is said to be centred in the brain where it moves downward to the heart and lungs. It governs all higher sensory functioning and our five senses. It also governs inspiration, the intellect and consciousness itself. Prana brings the energy necessary for these vital functions down into the body. The second of vital air is known as Vyana. It is centred in the heart and governs all the circulation of blood and lymph and of the prana itself. It governs all circular movement of the joints and body generally. Without the downward aspect of the prana, vyana will not work. Udana is the third air. Situated in the region of the diaphragm, it governs upward movement such as expiration, coughing, speech, vomiting, hopping and jumping. It is also responsible it is said for the movement of the soul out of the body at death. It is helpful with memory as it returns energy to the brain. The fourth air, Samana is situated in the region of the small intestine. It controls secretions in the stomach, peristalsis and side to side movement. The final air, the Apana is located in the large intestine and its movement is downward. It governs urination, defecation and the expulsion of the baby at birth. Dr. Stone stated that for various reasons a body becomes too stiff and resistant and starves for lack of prana as the blood flow becomes more and more congested. His use of the term prana here is taken to mean a generic term for all of the above vital airs which need prana, as defined above, as the motive force behind them all. In Ayurveda, the energy of all creation is understood as the breath of Brahma the Creator, The Supreme Breath.
especially if we have a good percentage of live foods in our diet, that is to say a variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and spouts that we eat raw. We also obtain energy directly from our environment and getting out into nature on a regular basis allows us to absorb raw elemental energies almost by osmosis through our five senses. Positive, uplifting people are also a source of energy for us as are the impressions that we absorb from say music and art . It is therefore imperative that we surround ourselves as much as possible with positive experiences that nourish us, encouraging our energy fields to expand and allowing the flow of the life force which gives us that wonderful sense of vitality and wellness.
Shiva and Shakti – the Fundamental Polarity by Phil Young RPP In this article I want to explore the manifestation of Shiva and Shakti in the practice of Polarity Therapy. The common thread in the religious beliefs of the Indian subcontinent upholds a single Reality and reveres each of the several manifestations of the Ultimate Reality in the forms of Gods. Bhrama, Vishnu and Shiva are seen as the Supreme Trinity. Shiva is both static and dynamic and is both creator and destroyer. He is the oldest and the youngest; he is the eternal youth as well as the infant. He is the source of fertility in all living beings. He has gentle as well as fierce forms. He is omnipresent and resides in everyone as pure consciousness. Shiva in his terrible aspect, is the god of destruction and cosmic dissolution. He is commonly worshipped in the form of the lingam, or symbolic phallus. His other main forms are the great yogi, or ascetic, and Nataraja, Lord of the Cosmic Dance. As a yogi he is depicted as seated deep in meditation in the Himalayas, holding a trident, a snake coiled around his neck, his body smeared with ashes, and his hair long and matted. As Nataraja, he is shown four-armed, bearing various emblems, and dancing on one foot on a prostrate demon. Shiva's mount is the bull Nandi, and his consort is the goddess Uma, Parvati, Durga, or Kali. Shiva is inseparable from Shakti . There is no Shiva without Shakti and no Shakti without Shiva, the two are one - or the absolute state of being - consciousness and bliss. The Fundamental Polarity. Shakti, the mother Goddess, also known as Ambaa (mother), or Devi (Goddess) is considered to be the personification of Cosmic Energy in its dynamic form. It is believed that Shakti is the power and energy with which the Universe is created, preserved, destroyed and recreated (by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). Shakti is composed of the three gunas, which form her body. It is said that she creates and maintains but she also dissolves. In everyday life Shiva and Shakti are often represented as the male and female principles but as we have seen in the larger macrocosmic sense Shakti is the life principle, the life energy. Shakti represents the constructive forces in the world. Shiva is pure consciousness and represents the destructive forces. In the Bhagavad-Gita Shiva says “I am created Death, the Destroyer, the shatterer of worlds” What we call life exists in the balance between Shiva and Shakti, the destructive and constructive forces in the universe. In the current practice of Polarity Therapy (circa 2002) there is such an emphasis on Shakti, the life energy and the life principle which, of course in itself isn’t wrong but ignores the powerful and essential presence of the Shivan forces in the creation of health. Remember the two cannot
exist without each other. It is certain that consciousness itself is an intrinsic in all human beings and so in that sense Shiva is always present in all your Polarity sessions. However, so often in our work we try and limit the effect of the destructive or dissipative forces on the human energy system. Yet this is to neglect the true value of destructive forces in the creation of health and well being. In the current therapeutic climate there is an increasing movement away from Shivan processes with the continuing growth and evolution of the lightest of subtle touch therapies such as cranial-sacral therapy that focus of the cosmic life breath and also the permeation of trauma work through the whole therapeutic community. Shakti is at her zenith. In Dr Stone’s original work there is a direct appreciation of the role of Shiva both in terms of consciousness and in his understanding of the need to break up old patterns in the body, mind and energy. Shakti in her dissolving presence is found in the way in which we all seek to dissolve the blockages to the free flow of prana through the use of the Raja and Satva gunas in the touch of life that we offer to clients. Yet Shiva can be manifest in the lightest of satvic work as the consciousness or level of intent that seeks to break up and destroy old patterns. Shiva also appears often quite powerfully within the Tamas guna and in the quality of touch that expresses that energy. Yet Shakti is there to and what is so crucial is the delicate balance between the dissolving energy of Shakti and the destructive energy of Shiva. In the past in therapeutic communication work the emphasis was so often on energetic discharge through catharsis or abreaction but now perhaps it is different with the proliferation of satvic influences. However, Shiva needs to be present here also if there is to be breaking up of outmoded ways of being through the destruction of old redundant mind patterns. Consider this quotation “He who wishes to be born must first destroy a world. The egg is the world.” In the mind, the matrixes of thought constitute whole worlds and for us to truly grow and realise our potential any insight derived from the expression of Shiva as pure consciousness is helpful to allow us to come to an understanding the nature of our patterns. Sometimes through this conscious insight lone we can take responsibility for and then modify our world. But to be born anew, to have a new life, often needs Shivan consciousness in its manifestation as the lighting bolt that shocks and shatters. In cathartic release or even the sustained glow of the very gentlest of energetic discharge, our patterns can become quiet, mere empty moulds, but they still exist….waiting….for the energy to fill them again. Waiting until they can re-assert their dominance. With conscious vigilance and continued work on ourselves we can often prevent this energetic re-activation of our patterns. Yet they lie quiet within simply waiting. How much more significant to destroy those old patterns and build a new world both inner and outer. You can only do this with the help of Shiva – the destroyer. Don’t be afraid of Shiva but use your consciousness in all its possible manifestations wisely with compassion and with restraint. I sense that the biggest problem in the past has been that sometimes therapists, whatever their chosen modality, all too often allowed the Shivan energy to control them instead of expressing it with respect and wisdom and in balance with Shakti. For too long in Polarity Therapy the tamasic work, whether it is expressed through touch or words, was simply deep pressure work. Apply pressure until a blockage released or the pattern
shattered. This was effective but I suspect too often damaged the pattern production capacity of Shakti to build a new world for a new human being. Remember how a chick is born, the egg does not explode but it cracks and then a small hole is produced in the shell and is chipped away at until the chick can emerge fully from the egg. It takes time but once fully born the egg is no longer a pattern or a world. It can longer hold energy. It is destroyed but there is no truly explosive destruction in the birthing. In bodywork it is the difference between pressing extremely hard into the tissues to provoke a response as compared to working softly but deeply into the tissue, simply staying on the edge of the clients' comfort zone, challenging the restrictions but not punishing them for existing. In the balanced expression of Shiva and Shakti there is a patient waiting until there is a crack in the pattern, a small fissure that will gradually grow. This process takes time it’s not, or is rarely, a single session miracle. You need to support the client through the process, respect the inevitable fears that will arise. Work with Shakti to build a new world so that there is something to be born in to when the time is right. Who in their right mind would want to be born into a void?
POLARITY THERAPY AND THE FIVE ELEMENTS by Morag Campbell RPP Polarity Therapy is a broad based system of healing. It has techniques for re-aligning the physical body and improving posture and organ functioning, ways of influencing the nervous system, a complex reflex theory and ways of working with the subtle energies that make up the body and mind of man. It also incorporates a knowledge of the most fundamental of building blocks the five elements. These elements of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth were the way that early man related to the known world. Without the scientific background that we are now familiar with , primitive man could only come to understand his world through his five senses and the basic elements that he experienced around him. Modern man seems to have very little time for these elemental forces, although some scientists are studying the monumental forces that each element is capable of generating. The way the elements manifest and interact is very relevant even today, and to a Polarity therapist they can give insight into the process of disease thus forming an important tool in energetic diagnosis. Each of the five elements seeks to express itself through the manifestation of its own quality or vibration of energy. When that natural expression is blocked then the energy, instead of being released externally, is forced back into the system where it interferes with the natural flow and causes disharmony. Let me give you a more concrete example: One of the energies that some people have a problem expressing naturally is fire. Fire's natural expression is loud, enthusiastic, direct, joyful, angry......get the picture? Many of our early parental injunctions and societal rules suppress this kind of expression. If you never able to release this particular quality of energy then it is expressed internally (it has to go somewhere !) and the vibration of energy that is fire begins to impose itself on the internal organs of the body for instance, interfering with their natural vibration or frequency and freezing the surrounding musculature so that the organ cannot function efficiently - result...... disease states such as ulcers and liver malfunctions. Of course it is not just the physical body that is affected, the fire energy as it manifests in the mind can cause one to become stuck with obsessive thoughts and the personality become unresponsive and domineering. This is reflected in the interaction with others so that their communication becomes clipped; we might even say they become "short" with others and demanding of their own way. Generally this leads to an inability to empathise or even listen to another's view point. All this can lead to considerable interpersonal friction and hurt. Diagnosing the imbalances in the expression of any of the five elements can aid the Polarity Therapist in assessing the cause of someone's problems. Then through the skilled use of energy bodywork, exercise, diet and communication counselling anyone can come to recognise how the elements are manifesting in their lives; which ones they are familiar with and use a lot and which they shy away from; they can come to know them better and recognise them all as allies and so become more liberated as they give in to full expression of these most basic of energies. If you are keen to find out more about how the elements affect you then you can purchase "Quinta Essentia" a treatise explaining how each of the elements affects our body, mind, personality, the way we communicate and even the food that we eat. Also available as an ebook. Click here to purchase now!
THE ETHER ELEMENT AND THE BODY by Morag Campbell RPP
Very often this element leads to an elongation of the body as if reaching up to the heavens and there is an ethereal, slightly frail look to them with a far away look in the eye. Frequently ether people are quite delicately built giving them an air of insubstantiality. The ether element rules all the spaces in the body and there are many more spaces than we realise - we are not as dense as we think ! For instance we have a cranial cavity designed not only to house the brain but with sinus spaces that allow for the passage of oxygen and act as resonating chambers so that we can distinguish and make sound. We also have the cavity of the mouth and the digestive tract, the space within the chest that houses the lungs and the spaces in the lungs themselves that allow for the diffusion of gases. Even at the microscopic level it does not matter how small the organism is it still needs space within which to exist. The whole of our body takes up space and needs space in which to move around in. Without space there can be no movement and without movement there can be no life. Therefore, the space comes before everything and needs to be present before any of the other elements can manifest. Problems with the ether element in relation to the body can result in breathing difficulties ie: not enough space in the lungs or the posture of the chest is too collapsed or restricted to allow for free and easy breathing. All problems with the body, in relation to this element are always identifiable as lack of space or constriction and so this can effect the body in many ways such as a constriction of the upper body or the abdominal cavity leading to problems with the organ functioning in these areas. As ether rules all the spaces in the body it has a strong connection also with the joints as these need to have sufficient space around them to allow for the free and easy movement of the body. When the joints become inflamed or immobilised through the build up of calcium deposits as in cases of arthritis then our movement ability is the first thing to suffer. As ether is the medium through which the other elements are made manifest and expressed it stands to reason therefore that the ether element has a strong connection with the throat area. It is through the throat that we express our emotions, thoughts and feelings. An energetic blockage of this element will affect the throat leading to an inability to express ourselves, communicate with others and physical problems such as tonsillitis and laryngitis. The ether element has been linked to the sense of hearing and a discord in this particular energy can result in hearing problems such as tinnitus or deafness. The ears are, of course, important organs of balance as well as instruments of hearing and ether is seen as a very neutral and balanced energy unlike the active, expansive energies of air and fire or the more passive water and earth.
THE AIR ELEMENT AND THE BODY by Morag Campbell RPP Because the air element is the impetus or impulse behind all movement then it is easy to see that it also governs all the movement qualities in our body. The most obvious of these being the beating of the heart, the pulsing of blood through the arteries and veins, the rise and fall of the ribs in breathing and the passage of food through the body through the process of peristalsis. Don't forget the other movements of the body that are present all the time below our normal level of awareness such as all the pulsations of the various organs, the impulses of our nervous systems and even the minute vibrations of every single cell in our body. Even when we doing nothing we are far from still, in fact, we are constant vibration and pulsation. At a grosser level all our movement capabilities such as walking, running and all physical activities have to do with air. The astrological sign of Gemini is said to have influence over the shoulders and arms as well as the lungs and respiration. Highly energetic, those of us influenced by this sign, can be prone to nervous exhaustion as well as problems of the chest and shoulders such as bronchitis and neuralgia. Libra's rule over the kidneys can lead to hormonal problems in times of stress as well as problems directly associated with these organs. Problems with the lower legs such as cramps or varicose veins can afflict those of us born under the sign of Aquarius as well as a variety of non specific conditions that can mysteriously disappear as easily as they came. The air body is often long and lean. People influenced by a lot of air energy can be tall and very graceful. They have a lot of energy which tends to have an upward momentum so that they can find it hard to sit still. Even when standing and talking they tend to move about a lot, waving their arms in the air to accompany their speech. Even without any knowledge of our astrological make-up it is easy to see that the air element manifests most strongly in our chests as breathing. The best way to ensure an adequate supply of the air element into the body is to make sure that we breathe well. Breathing is more than the drawing in and the letting go of air. It represents our ability to connect with Life itself. By the very act of breathing we open ourselves to Life and close again in the giving and receiving of this essential commodity. When our breathing is disturbed then we are disturbed. A disorder of the breath means disorder in ourselves, inhibiting our essential self and limiting us to the greater possibilities of life. Many people do not allow deep diaphragmatic breathing to take place. They breathe high up in the chest and the breath is weak and shallow. This kind of breathing is driven by the ego and closes us to the deeper expression of our essential self and our feelings. We do not connect with our bellies. When breathing is deep and even then the whole body feels enlivened. Notice how you breathe when you are feeling depressed and you will see what I mean. A brisk walk or a game of tennis can be just the thing to shift your mood by getting that air element moving again as you increase your breathing capacity. It is essential that we relax and let go of the breath. Doing this completely will enable the air to automatically flood back into the lungs and there will be a natural ebb and flow to the procedure. Any holding here, which is evident in the chronically held concave, depressed chest as well as the chest that looks continually inflated , represents our inability to let go and trust to life. If we can soften the chest wall and allow the free passage of air in and out of the lungs we free ourselves of our inhibitions
and hypertension and open ourselves to freer expression of our essential being. The heart is linked strongly to the air element situated as it is in the centre of the chest. We are quite rightly very protective of this vital organ both at a physical and emotionally level. We tend to guard it well, not giving it away lightly or wearing in on our sleeves where it is vulnerable and can be easily damaged. Over zealous protecting of the heart can lead to holding and tension in the chest. Holding back in this area creates a sunken chest and rounded upper back. We literally lock the heart away in the cage of the ribs, so much so that often we ourselves are not aware of it, until unable to be contained any longer and seeking expression, it rises up demanding our attention and threatening our very existence with an 'attack' of heart. Conversely, someone who is said to be open hearted will have a body that reflects this attitude and the chest will be open and exposed to the world. This is not to say that they will suffer no problems with this organ as a consequence. Some of the most open hearted people I know who can speak and act from the heart, express their heart felt feelings freely and are generous with their love have heart conditions. It is as if they are almost too open and this area of the body becomes over exposed and therefore open to attack not from within but from without and they are often easily hurt and damaged by other peoples words and actions. Obviously with all this emphasis on the structure of the chest the shoulders and arms also play an important part in relation to this particular element. Any holding of the chest and breathing will tend to hold our shoulders immobile. Our shoulder blades have been called the ' wings of life '. If they are stuck to the rib cage then how can we fly ! It is as if they hold us down instead and we become "heavy hearted." The arms can be thought of as extensions of the heart for as the embryo grows in the womb the tiny arm buds seem to grow out of the organ itself and so the sense that is associated with the air element and the heart is the sense of touch. It is often through touch that we can express our true heartfelt feelings. If we close down on our heart centre we lose the ability to reach out and make contact with the world around us. We do not hug, or caress. We do not touch and therefore are untouched by life. We become cut off from it. The nervous system is another aspect of the body that is strongly influenced by this element. All pervasive, it transmits messages with lightening speed. It acts as a communication network both sending and receiving messages that keep us in touch with what is going on around us. All conditions of the nervous system such as Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis or Motor Neurone Disease are a problem with this element. Too much air in the system can produce an overactive nervous system leading to nervous exhaustion or panic attacks and that other aspect of the air element flatulence and bloating. The production of gas in our body, caused by poor digestion or intolerance to certain foods, can cause havoc to our whole system. Not only does it cause considerable pain , discomfort and distension in the abdomen but can also lead to headaches, neck pain and pains in the limbs such as the calf muscles. The ease of movement of air seems to enable this particular problem to surface anywhere with disastrous results sending shooting pains all over our body. On the other hand too little air leads to conditions such as asthma, poor circulation and muscle spasm. It can lead to stagnation in the gut causing constipation. So , with an imbalance in this element all the movement capabilities of our body suffer accordingly.
THE FIRE ELEMENT AND THE BODY by Morag Campbell RPP The fire body is of medium height and build and these individuals who are heavily influenced by this element are usually very strong and wiry. Balanced fire gives a healthy glow to our skin and a sparkle to our eyes and a general sense of vitality and robust good health. If we have an excess of fire energy this can lead to a large belly and a more rotund appearance. As I said, one of the main qualities of fire is its heat producing capability therefore the region of the solar plexus and especially the liver which is the largest heat producing organ in the body come under the fire element. Our bodies work efficiently within a very small temperature range and it is important that this temperature is adhered to. A few degrees too high and we produce fever where the body literally burns up. Here is an example of the cleansing effect of fire in action. The high temperature produces an adverse environment for invading organisms and the excessive fire drives off the water in our body as sweat which cleanses the body of toxins. So critical is our body temperature that the successful management of a fever can mean the difference between life and death especially in the days before modern drugs. It is equally critical to maintain the core temperature of the body which can also be life threatening if it slips to dangerously low levels leading to hypothermia and eventual death. The protective function of fire can be seen at play here also. A good maintenance of the fire element in the body ensures a high level of vitality and when the vitality is high then the immune system functions efficiently maintaining good health. If our vitality drops for some reason, energy levels are lowered and that is when we succumb to disease. We need a good supply of fire to give us the power to fight infection and win ! The digestive region of the body is also associated with the fire element as it is concerned with the breakdown of food. The stomach produces fiery hydrochloric acid in just the right amount. Too little leads to incomplete breakdown of food which lies in the stomach too long and can lead to incomplete absorption of nutrients further on in the system. Too much can lead to stomach or duodenal ulcers as the gastric juices literally burn into the linings. The gall bladder also is thought of as a fiery organ. It secretes bile, an acid neutraliser which is never the less a highly caustic fiery substance. Many of us have a problem dealing with fire in our lives and are somewhat afraid of it and rightly so as fire has a habit of flaring up at a moments notice quickly getting out of control. Because of this, we hold excessive tension in the region of the solar plexus causing considerable contraction here that in some cases bows the body forward, pulling down the chest which effectively starves the fire of air by restricting breathing. It is obvious the kind of physical problems that are created by this kind of body structuring. Stuck in this chronic flexor contraction we take on the appearance of a whipped dog. There is no way that the fire element is going to be able to express itself naturally within the body in this state. Each element seeks expression and one way or another it will be seen and heard. Result - stomach ulcers, liver problems and problems with the rest of the digestive tract as the organs are restricted and not able to be gently massaged by the movement of the diaphragm as in good breathing. The organs of the abdomen need sufficient space in which to function well, each has its own rhythm and natural vibratory level for optimum functioning and if all the organs are squashed in on each other then their functioning is impaired. The restriction in the chest can lead to problems like
asthma - and all because the fire energy is not allowed to express itself naturally. Another problem that can arise if the fire is not given natural expression is the production of rashes, spots and acne. If we are unable to express anger and frustrations and suppress them then they will be expressed internally through the body instead of externally through angry outbursts or heated argument. We even use the expression 'an angry rash' to describe the condition and they frequently appear in areas of the body that are particularly associated with the fire element such as the head or the region of the solar plexus. The condition know as Shingles for instance often starts at the waist and can spread all around the body at this level whilst the other common site for it to occur is on the face. The head is a prime site for the expression of fire energy. We talk of someone as being a "hot head" or "blowing their tops". Certainly a lot of heat is lost from the body via the head and is a good reason for wearing a hat in very cold weather. We can see the fire energy clearly when someone is hot or angry as their face gets redder and redder or when they blush with embarrassment. Too much alcohol or 'fire water' as the native Americans called it produces the same flushed appearance which can become permanent with those with a drink problem. Incidentally ,many people who are unable to express the fire element naturally turn to alcohol as a way of stimulating this particular energy. They literally add fire to their systems and the most common results of drinking are to enable the person to freely express their joyfulness and become more outgoing or conversely to express their anger and aggression. These are all qualities of fire. Smoking is another way in which people can emulate this energy taking on the appearance of fiery, smoke breathing dragons. The part of the head where the fire element can be most clearly seen is the eyes. They are the sense organs through which we perceive light. There is also an internal light that can be perceived in the eyes, " Her eyes lit up when she saw the present", " Her eyes shone with delight" " His eyes burned into me" "There was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke" are all common modes of speech to illustrate or should I say, illuminate the point. Our general health and vitality can be read in our eyes. Well balanced fire leads to a good complexion with bright, alert eyes. Too much fire can mean a ruddy complexion and staring , bulbous eyes. Too little gives a pale skin and dull, listless eyes that are lacking in energy and interest. A disturbance of fire energy in the head can lead to headaches. Often the fire imbalance affects the digestive system too. Migraine headaches are a classic fire problem affecting the head, the digestive system and the eyes with disturbed vision as a classic symptom . Conjunctivitis, where the eyes become red and irritated is another fire problem. The thighs are another area where fire energy is very perceivable. The fiery personality sets a goal and goes for it. They have a strong sense of direction but need good legs to take them there or they become stuck. That fire energy makes the legs strong and the step purposeful. If we are lacking in fire the legs become weak, ill defined, shaky and no longer support us. In addition to the belly, the thighs are another part of the body where there is a tendency to store this particular energy. This seems to be more the case for women where so called "jodhpur thighs" are common. It is often culturally frowned upon for women to express their fire energy openly. They should not be loud, vivacious, aggressive or angry. " Sugar and spice and all things nice that's what little girls are made of "!!
Fire is also the element of sexual passion. Again, there are many sayings that illustrate the connection between this element and desire. We can "have the hots" for someone, or 'burn with desire' . Former partners are commonly known as 'old flames'. Poorly functioning fire can lead to problems with impotency and low sex drive. Too much fire channelled into a sexual outlet and watch out as we can be carried away in the heat of the moment ! The fire element can also be linked to the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. As we have heard fire people are great 'doers' , rarely sitting still for a minute. This constant need for activity means that the sympathetic nervous system is switched on for long periods of time. Indeed, it may never actually get switched off so the person stays sympathetic dominant and is classified as a Type A personality i.e. someone who is prone to high levels of stress. One of the problems of being sympathetic dominant is that the endocrine system and especially the adrenal glands are switched on all the time pumping out adrenaline into the system which keeps the heart rate high and the body in a constant state of alertness. Whilst the human body is designed for this on occasions, such as in times of danger, it does not cope well with this activity over a prolonged period - result "burn out !".
THE WATER ELEMENT AND THE BODY by Morag Campbell RPP
The water type body is usually quite large and well rounded. For a women this means lots of voluptuous curves and a fluid sensuous way of moving. It is no coincidence that the fertility symbols of the world often depict a female form with large breasts and belly as the bearer and supporter of life. The eyes are usually large and soft and have a watery quality to them. The human body is largely composed of water and so it is this element then that rules our basic matrix, as it were. Every single cell in the body is surrounded by and supported in a liquid medium. However, if we have to be more specific then it can be said to relate directly to the lymph, the cerebro-spinal fluid, urine, sweat, blood and mucus. It is critical that the correct amount of fluid is maintained in the body. We cannot live long at all without sufficient water and soon become dehydrated. Conversely, too much water in our systems results in fluid retention which creates a different set of problems as the tissues become waterlogged as in oedema; even the lungs can fill up and we can quite literally drown in our own fluids. A part of the body that is closely linked to the water element is our reproductive system. Here is where the creative aspect of water, as distinct from maintenance, comes in. Here is the seat of our greatest creativity in this earthly realm - the ability to form another human life. For woman the importance of a well functioning water element is obvious. She needs to be able to get in touch with the receptive quality of this element in order to receive the male sperm, to provide a nurturing and secure liquid environment for her offspring, to sustain a long period of growth and the flexibility to enable her body to expand and change to accommodate the growing size and needs of her child. When her child is born the water element has an important role to play in the production of milk and in the emotional bonding that occurs between mother and infant. As we can see, the water element has a very active role in the whole process of mothering which is not to say that it plays a minor part in the role of the father. His water element has to be well balanced to enable the production of healthy sperm and seminal fluid and to encourage the feelings of caring and compassion for his partner and child. The nurturing energy is just as important in the male as it is in the female. The astrological water signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces rule the breasts, genitals and feet respectively. An imbalance in this energy can create problems such as lumps or tenderness in the breasts, thrush, herpes and other problems of the genitals as well as menstrual problems in women and prostate problems in men. Sometimes the imbalance will show up in the feet first and quite considerable pain and discomfort is engendered as we walk. As this element has a strong link with the pelvis then not only the pelvis but the lower back can become affected also. The skin also has an important link to this element as it reacts so readily to our emotions. Spots and rashes can be caused by the water element being out of balance quite often as a result of the fire element seeking expression through angry eruptions and boils. This element has a lot to do with our general sensitivity and an imbalance can cause us to become overly sensitive so that our whole body aches or hurts if it is touched or we may develop allergies which are a sensitivity and an inability to cope with our environment. We lose our watery ability to merge and flow with our surroundings.
THE EARTH ELEMENT AND THE BODY by Morag Campbell RPP
The typical earth body is strong, well built and somewhat square looking. It can be big boned. This is just the kind of body you needed to fulfil a hard days work geared towards working with the body in a very practical way. Working the land, for instance, which is a very obvious earth activity requires a body with enough muscle bulk and stamina to dig trenches all day or drive in fence posts. The earth body, being so solid, has a downward energy to it. When the person stands or moves there is a sense that their centre of gravity is quite low. This makes them very grounded and therefore hard to push over and it is for this very reason that lowering your centre of gravity to your Tan Tien, as the Chinese call it or your Hara as it is known in Japan, which is located below the navel, is so important in martial arts training. This sense of downward energy in some can make the gait appear cumbersome and heavy. Having our centre of gravity down in the pelvis enables us to be truly centred. By settling down into ourselves as it were we allow our internal strength to support us and give us a "ground" to move from in our lives. When you look at some people it is easy to see that they are pulling up from the pelvis and their centre of gravity may be somewhere up their chests. This creates tension and rigidity in the body and cuts them off from their sense of inner support and regenerative possibilities as well as their instinctive drives. They will not have what the Buddhists call a Ground of Being and will be cut off from receiving the incoming stream of the Divine Being. Rather as a lightening conductor earths the incoming force of the lightening bolt so too we need the ability to earth these cosmic forces. Because the earth element is the most dense of all the elements it stands to reason that it rules the most dense of the body's tissues - bone. It is the bones that provide our structure and support, define our shape and build as well as serving a protective function. The importance of the density of the bones is realised when you hear of children with Brittle Bone disease where the slightest knock causes the bone to shatter. A similar thing occurs in some women as they get older when the drop in their oestrogen level causes the bones to weaken as there is not sufficient uptake of calcium and Osteoporosis develops. The bones help to bear the whole weight of the body and give the muscles something to work against so healthy functioning is vital to this support system. The bones also support in another way by providing blood cells from the bone marrow. If there is a lack of the earth element the bones will weaken as above. If there is too much then arthritis and bone spurs can be the consequences. The idea of support is also mirrored in the astrological sign of Capricorn which rules the knees. So any problems here can point to an earth disturbance. The other important functions that this element presides over are those of assimilation (remember the earth has massive capacity for absorption ) and the seemingly, contrasting function of elimination. It is vital that these two functions are working in harmony to maintain balance. If we continue to absorb and do not eliminate at the same time, the whole system backs up. In the body the small intestine is responsible for a lot of the absorption of nutrients from the
food that we eat. This occurs through many tiny finger-like projections called villi. These increase the surface area of the intestine and make absorption that much easier. Absorption occurs in other parts of the digestive tract too, for instance, in the colon. Here water is reabsorbed back into the body from the faecal matter as our food passes through our systems in a fluid state. If a large proportion of the water content was not re-absorbed we would rapidly dehydrate which is of course, what happen when we have diarrhoea. Even the absorption of oxygen into the blood cells can be thought of as a process of earth. In fact any function where a substance is absorbed into the body to help to maintain and build is a product of this element. Elimination then is an important aspect of the earth element. The ability to let go of substances that are no longer useful is essential for healthy maintenance of the body. In this respect the colon is thought of as the major organ of elimination in the body and it is ruled by the astrological sign of Virgo. Many people have problems with their colons. The most common being colitis, spastic colon and haemorrhoids. In order to eliminate freely we need the ability to relax, release and let go. Holding on emotionally and physically, usually because of fear, causes a disturbance in this element. There is also a popular fashion myth in the western world that says that to look good we should have a flat abdomen and many women especially fall prey to this sort of propaganda and tighten their abdominal muscles excessively. Whilst this may give them the ideal model figure it reeks havoc with the underlying organs of the pelvis especially the colon, often making evacuation of the bowels difficult. As we have mentioned before this can lead to an eventual build up of toxins in the body which in turn leads to more problems. Our rigid toilet training also does little to encourage the easy movements of the bowels and negative programming around the faeces itself means that many people hold on in this area creating the problems already mentioned as well as gas pains, bloating, general discomfort and pain. If there is a disturbance in the earth element it will effect not only the colon but all our elimination processes such as sweating, urinating, breathing and crying. The astrological sign of Taurus rules the neck and any holding here results in difficulties in letting go of our feelings and emotions and interferes with our ability to communicate. So tension and holding any where in the body but especially the neck, the abdomen and the knees impedes our ability to let go. We are usually fearful that if we do let go we will "fall apart", we will not be able to support ourselves or we will be embarrassed or "let our selves down " in some way. These fears lead to excessive holding and rigidity in our bodies and an over use of this element to control. We control out of fear and it is important to recognise and acknowledge this fact for only then can we change it.
The Polarity of Drugless Mental Wellbeing By Tony Caves RPP As a Polarity Therapist I work on the principle that the only true healing is self healing. The body is a wonderful self healing mechanism. Western physical medicine is very useful in first aid, life threatening, emergency situations to keep us breathing, stop blood loss and keep the heart pumping. The eradication of the major epidemic diseases, however, is due entirely to the diligence of public health officials who are socially not medically based. In fact it was a long uphill struggle to persuade hospital doctors to wash their hands in order to prevent cross infection!! It has been my experience that the state of modern psychiatric intervention is on a par with the sanitation arrangements of the medieval walled cities. However, 'Learning to listen to the body and trusting its signals is perhaps the only real and lasting health insurance we can have'. (Andreas Moritz - 2004) In most short and long term sickness all we need to do is obviate our negative thinking and our nurturing of the sick state for emotional reasons and let the body get on with returning to balance. The only thing that any treatment or procedure can do is help people to reorganise their lives to a higher level of wellness. Medical biotechnology does have some helpful procedures but practitioners always attempt to go beyond their limitations and in doing so work against the wellness principle. Most drug treatments fall into this category especially when administered for mental disorders. I read an article a few years back about Salvador Allende who was president of Chile in the 1970's. He was apparently a medical doctor who established a Commission to examine the effectiveness of drug therapy across the board. His country was at that time spending millions with 'Big Pharma', the American drugs industry. The commission came to the conclusion that only about seven to ten of the drugs they were purchasing were actually effective and this led to the cancellation of many lucrative contracts with Big Pharma in the USA. The rest as they say is history - he was assassinated, General Pinochet took over and the pharmaceutical deals were safe. Since that time the world-wide pharmaceutical industries, led by the USA, have gone from strength to strength to become one of the most profitable industries on earth, serviced by ranks of medical doctors who are little more than corporate pawns. Our medical personnel are tempted and then indebted by corporate gifts ranging from holidays in California with all expenses paid, to endless pens and post-it notes. Add to this corporate hospitality awash with food and drink and generous 'research' and 'training' grants (they have often paid handsomely for training I have delivered) and it is not difficult to see why the first response of medical practitioners is to reach for the prescription pad! Alarmingly there have been a number of reports in the newspapers recently that medical doctors are 'killing thousands' with the wrong drugs and more sinisterly with the side effects of the 'right' drugs. (various Daily Mail 2004) Cont…….
In psychiatric circles the above issues have been open secret and a subject of debate and discussion at least since the introduction of the 'major tranx' in the middle of the last century right down the current crop of 'wonder drugs'. Most mentally disordered people are on a cocktail of drugs most of which are to counteract the side effects of each other. The only thing they do is subdue symptoms and make the behaviour of the disordered person more socially acceptable. From the outset the medical discipline of psychiatry has been primarily a tool of social control. This is evidenced by diagnosis like Drapetomania and Dysoesthesia Oethiopeca, characterised by an irrestrainable propensity to run away in the first instance and in the second to a person paying no attention to the rights of property that was given to black slaves in the USA in the 19 th century. In the UK right up until the 1950's the Lunacy Acts defined some women as 'moral defectives' because the gave birth to illegitimate children and additionally offended male authority figures in some way. They were usually locked up in institutions for the rest of their lives. In modern times I have on many occasions witnessed disordered people being threatened with electro convulsive therapy (ECT) if they failed to co-operate with other treatment regimes such as drug therapy. Drug therapy saves society the cost of lock and key and merely imprisons the person inside themselves. Current psychiatric wisdom (although it is really just a theory) holds that psychotropic drugs work by having an effect on the chemical systems within the physiology of the brain. However, not even the most optimistic drugs advocate suggests that the drugs permanently change the chemical signature, merely that they get the balance right in the short term. On a very simple level they work by affecting the production or reduction of certain key chemicals that are thought to regulate behaviour. The thoughts, feelings and emotions of the individual are bypassed and either subdued or blanked out completely, condemning them to a twilight world of legalized drug addiction. Most people are told they will have to take these drugs for the rest of their lives. Big Profits for Big Pharma! The impact of psychotropic medication is still hailed as a major breakthrough in the relief of mental disorder. However, all that any of these drugs do is mask symptoms. Stop taking the drugs and the symptoms return. The worst effect of these drugs is that they confuse the endocrine system and lead to hormonal imbalance. This has an effect on virtually every mental and physical system, but especially the ageing process. Look at any long term drug user and they will undoubtedly look skeletal and behave prematurely aged. This is especially noticeable in 'spaced out' thinking and speech patterns even when sober. If mental disorder is created by a chemical imbalance in the physiology of the brain, and this is by no means certain, it would be reasonable to argue that the imbalance is caused by the energy charge of the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the individual. We know that the brain is an electrical/ chemical system. Thinking appears to be 'fired' by charges of energy which in turn affect the chemistry. Thus working with the energetic polarity of thoughts, feelings and emotions would seem to be a better approach. This is at least attempting to work with cause rather than symptom! Thus behaviour is an energetic process fuelled by chemistry. The notion that we are within and part of a vast and subtle field of energy that influences and can be influenced by human thoughts, feelings and emotions is inherent in ancient esoteric teachings. It was in the 1990's that western clockwork science documented, under laboratory
conditions, the existence of a form of energy previously unrecognised by that discipline. It is thought to have been integral to the structure of the universe since the beginning, it permeates everything in the universe and it responds in very precise ways to the energy of human thoughts, feelings and emotions. It also provides a conduit linking all life forms. These ideas are explored fully in Lynne McTaggart's book 'The Field' published in 2001. These understandings would have been basic to ancient temple and initiatic teachings. They are the basis of Polarity Therapy that works on the principle that this core energy expresses itself in a multitude of valences or frequencies that affect and are affected by human thoughts, feelings and emotions. The physical body and the world we see about us is thus a frequency of energy that appears solid given the precise circumstances of the normal human condition or consensus reality. It has also been established that the 'energy' of thoughts, feelings and emotions has a chemical signature in the body and brain, (the brain is part of the body and is physical), and thus chemicals act as markers of the energy states. Mental disorder is thus not limited to that small area of the body known as the brain. We can direct this energy to cause chemical signatures or markers in ourselves and other people. Energy follows intention. This is the opposite of modern medical drug based practice that aims to change the chemical signature and thus change the energy of thoughts, feelings and emotions. Of course this does not happen. It just shorts these energies out and leaves the person subdued and their behaviour nominally acceptable. This medicine is about control not growth. In short, negative thoughts, feelings and emotions have an energy that causes mental overwhelm and blockages at the energetic level thus affecting the chemical balance and creating the signatures of disorder. Positive thoughts, feelings and emotions lead to the free flow of energy and signatures of empowerment and growth. Unfortunately these negative energetic, chemical signatures are habitual and the more often they are created the stronger the hold on the individual to repeat these negative energy patterns. Finally they become part of the personality and identity of the disordered person and they will strive to preserve them as the normal mode of functioning. I would suggest that drug therapies merely exacerbate this situation. The Polarity of mental disorder is really quite simple and what to do about it well established and is the psychological equivalent of the public health services. However, it requires effort on the part of the person suffering the disorder and moves toward growth that may not go in the direction desired by the therapist or society at large. It makes freethinkers not zombies. It is these two things, individual effort and unpredictable growth, that has always mitigated against these treatments among professional cliques because there is no power or profit involved. The traditional medical response means that once diagnosed the person suffering from the disorder is literally a slave of the psychiatric system. Through the allocation of specific diagnosis that name the disorder with clear parameters of expected behaviour there is an implicit encouragement for the diagnosed person to remain systematically disordered and exhibit specific 'symptoms'. The rewards for this behaviour are financial benefits, expensive drug treatments, in-patient respite and highly paid professional interest, not to mention the social interaction with peers through various poorly focussed clubs and therapy groups. It has been my experience that most mental disorder is a learned response but the good news is that it can be unlearned through a series of focussed properly structured, life enhancing practices and treatments. However, the individual must at all times be encouraged toward self expression and centred development.
Diagnostic chemical medicine should be a last resort, not a first reaction. Initially, however, it will be necessary to remove the production of drugs from a profit making system. Secondly, it is essential to undertake proper independent research to discover the real effectiveness of the drugs on the market at present. Thirdly, the dosage situation must be properly examined. Breggin points out that characteristically the recommended therapeutic dose is also the toxic dose. Producers could learn from the homeopathic approach and other researches where it has been suggested that vastly diluted substances have a profound effect on the human system. Lastly, it is desirable to remove mental disorder from the medical to the social arena. The adoption of a gentle energy based response, drawing on a number of approaches, may move us away from the current medievalism toward a more civilised approach to mental disorder. Sickness and health originate within the psyche of the individual. While we are all the same we are also all different. Attempting to impose standardized cures from outside are doomed to failure. “The Art of Mental Wellbeing” by Tony Caves Click here to buy now.
The Five Elements - Mental Health & Disorder Part 1 By Tony Caves RPP Warning, this article could change your mind! Brain, mind & consciousness This article presents one way of looking at how we think and the process of thinking. It seeks to discover what constitutes ‘disordered’ thinking and what makes for ‘healthy’ thought processes and what it is that makes us who we are. It is a way that has proven helpful to me and to others and will hopefully prove helpful to the reader with a Polarity orientation. It is taken from ancient ideas and practices but firmly based in the authors’ face-to-face research and practice with mentally disordered people, including the criminally insane and those who work with them. However, in any explanation we should keep in the forefront of our understanding that the map is not the territory, it is just one way of ‘getting a handle’ on things. This is a huge and complex topic but the basics of the polarity five element viewpoint is highlighted below. Polarity is a useful starting point inasmuch as basic brain thinking leads to a twofold appreciation – we are either attracted to the object of our thought or we feel aversion toward it, whatever ‘it’ may be and this distorts energy. This becomes triune through the addition of the mid point – indifference and finding the energetic balance leads to free flow and clarity. (In Polarity practice terms in relation to touch, this equates rajastic, stimulating, positive, forming – satvic, balancing, neutral, energetic and tamastic, dispersing, negative, empty.) Thus all our thinking is based in attraction (positive), aversion (negative) or indifference (neutral) which act with distortion or clarity through the five elements. The structure of the thinking process can also be viewed as triune in nature. My research would lead me to the view that there are three aspects to the process and content of thinking and thought. These are; brain activity, consciousness and mind. We must continue to be aware, however, that these divisions are only there to help us get to grips with the topic – there is no real division. In the words of the Heart Sutra ‘emptiness is form and form is emptiness’. In terms of mental health and disorder one only has to look at a corpse to see that the body and the brain is part of the body, cannot become ill, sick or disordered by itself. The energising principle must be present to bring about changes. Without the energising principle it simply rots. Thus we have the physical organ of the brain which functions through a crude chemical/ electrical mechanism and it is this mechanism that is the primary province of psychiatry and neurology and really where these disciplines stop. The drug therapy, electric shock treatment, surgical intervention and ‘couch and talk’ of the ‘cut ‘em, shock ‘em, drug ‘em, and bore ‘em brigade’ all seek to intervene with this physical/chemical electrical system. These interventions appear not work, they merely subdue symptoms and replace them with the side effects of treatment, rather than restore full health. There is a great deal of research at the moment, using mild electrical stimulus, to examine which areas of the brain are responsible for what thoughts. However, even this research is leading to the conclusion that many different areas of the brain are fired for each thought which is a consensus of lots of different pieces of information each time a thought takes place. The
areas of the brain fired for the same thought might be different in different people. So although the outcome may appear ordered the process is actually chaotic. There are, however, documented accounts of people living ‘normal’ lives, even showing high intelligence, with little or no physical brain at all and only fluid in the brain cavity (no evidence, however, of anyone living without a heart!!). Again extreme trauma to the head and brain, like spikes entering the lower back of the head and emerging through the bridge of the nose, have little or no effect on the individual once the initial difficulty has been stabilised. We must be aware that the energy involved in thinking is not at the same density as the physical body/brain to which it steps down. There is a movement on the fringes of scientific research, which comes to the conclusion that to explain complex scientific ideas scientists must use the tools of poetry and metaphor because current scientific methodologies are wholly inadequate. It is also thought that our explanations and understanding of what happens actually influences events. So by and large what we expect to happen in any given set of circumstances is usually what will happen as long as enough of us believe it. In this way ‘reality’ is a consensus reflection of non-physical energy. Thus the brain is a very sophisticated complex chemical/electrical system, installed in and part of a body which experiences the polarity of a dualistic take on things. Although the brain is primarily a reactive system, it’s complexity means that it appears to have a separate, solid, permanent, continuous and defined existence and most people live within this system for most of their lives. The brain functions on repetition, habit and the safety of the known with some perceived risk thrown in for window dressing. Cycles of activity are long and numerous enough to keep this fact hidden from most people. This is consensus thinking when the majority in groups or nations agree to see the same things in the same ways at the same time and anyone who doesn’t is mad, bad or different. If they are perceived as intelligent or powerful enough they may be seen as eccentric or artistic. The brain convinces us that we have an individual personality that is also solid, separate, permanent, continuous and defined and has us working to preserve that ‘image’ of ourselves which really doesn’t exist in the limited way we think it does.. Hence we seek firm foundations, we repeat familiar behaviour think reassuring familiar thoughts and seek to ‘own’ bodies, homes, possessions and experience within rigid time/space concepts. From an open and aware, rather than a perplexed or torpid, perspective some of this thinking can be quite useful and enable us to live full and productive lives within the dualistic experience. Consciousness is the focus of our awareness of the moment, it is basically what we are. It is conscious awareness that brain thinking confines until it is forced to give it up at death. However, conscious awareness is much more mobile than we are generally led to believe. It is quite possible for consciousness to have a range of non-brain experiences while alive and at times in everyone’s life non-duality ‘sparkles through’ (as Ngakchang Rinpoche puts it) to give them unforgettable ‘peak moments’. In a paradoxical way non-duality is sometimes experienced as a ‘guardian angel’, ‘god’, or ‘goddess’, which act as a sort of anthropomorphic bridge which consciousness can cross and recross. This is the hidden connection between brain and mind that is sometimes experienced in dreams and meditation.
Mind is ‘the spirit that entered the land’ during the dreamtime of Australian Aboriginal myth. It is spacious, vast, cloudless, without choice, non-dual and penetrates everything including brain. At some level conscious awareness experiences mind but this is blocked or hidden by dualistic thinking. Mind is energetic in nature and part of every level of density and dimension, including time, space, matter and energy and is most importantly non-dual. Non-dual is not the same as whole or oneness. It is none of what the Buddhists call the four philosophical extremes of monism, dualism, nihilism and eternalism. These along with ritualistic ideas belong to dualistic brain thinking. Non-duality must be experienced by conscious awareness and this is possible for everyone. Some people attempt to explain this experience in terms of what is known as ‘twilight language’ and paradox. The Taoists do this as does the Zen koan and the Sufis describe it in a rather beautiful way as ‘longing for the beloved’. Some modern physicists call this the ‘zero point field’ and new astronomers describe it tentatively as ‘quintessence’. (They have obviously read Morag Campbell’s book!!). The energy of mind is like a clear light that is focussed through the brain. The brain separates the light into the five rainbow colours of the elements. However, most brains distort the clear colours of the rainbow and leads conscious awareness to experience dualistic conditioning and conceptually negative forms of thinking and behaviour. What we see hear and feel is a conceptual interpretation of what is happening. What is happening is spacious and perfect, it is our interpretation or concept that is the perplexed experience of dualistic conditioning. This is why the space element is not empty or as some term it ‘ether’. The space element is closest to the non dual nature of mind which is a plenum of unconditioned potentiality, moulded or shaped in respect of all five elements by becoming the object of thought. Thus conscious awareness forms it through the step down of energy into the dualistic world we know and love but is the subject of our continued addiction. Prior to becoming the object of thought it is non-dual, spacious and perfect. It is this perfect, spacious, sky-like state that is the meditative experience. Thus mental disorder occurs when conscious awareness is completely overwhelmed by brain activity. This may take place to the point where conscious awareness is no longer ‘conscious’ of what is happening. At this point conscious awareness either retreats into the spaciousness of mind or becomes isolated from both mind and brain. This is the most painful experience we can suffer. However, at some point it is always ‘aware’ of what is happening, hence the pain. Everybody ‘knows’ what they are doing all of the time. In this way ‘sanity’ is the degree to which conscious awareness functions smoothly in relation to both mind and brain. Some people say that this can be measured. So, in the final analysis we must acknowledge that we are in and of the physical world and we must strive to order our existence, both positive and negative, with energetic clarity.
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The Five Elements - Mental Health & Disorder Part 2 By Tony Caves RPP Polarity, mental disorder and the rainbow colours of the elements The unconditioned potentiality of the plenum is distorted in five ways according to our perception of the rainbow colours of the five elements and this is reflected in the degree of perplexity or clarity experienced. Depending on the depth of the distortion of the transparent energy of mind, the kind of mental disorder experienced will range from mild to severe depending on the degree to which conscious awareness is wise to the self-perpetuating nature of distracted brain activity. The mechanism through which brain limits conscious awareness is based on the distortion of the clear, transparent energy of mind as it passes through the brain and becomes the vibration of the rainbow colours of the elements. The relationship between the degree of each distortion and the relationship of each distortion with the other within the five elements becomes the focus of the move toward clarity. In severe cases the distortion is complete and conscious awareness does not experience clarity at all. This leads people to the notion of evil, and the psychopathic personality, which presents difficulties in terms of the help that may be offered. But even in these cases clarity does 'sparkle through' on odd occasions. Just as clear, transparent energy increases in density as it 'steps down' toward what is experienced as matter, the same is true of the finer vibration of what is experienced as thinking. The denser vibration of thinking becomes distorted by brain activity, (brain is matter and thus at the same vibrational density as the body), which is primarily expressed through the emotions; joy and love being examples of transparent expressions and closer to mind, while hatred and fear are examples of perplexed expressions of brain dominance. Mental disorder moves toward the ultimate forms of distortion which fall into definite types, which can be mapped through reference to the five elements. Interestingly these can be seen to match, to a certain extent, modern psychiatric classifications. However, I believe that diagnostic classifications are mostly unhelpful. They give a false sense of knowledge and understanding to the worker and serve only to label and stigmatize the mentally disordered. Thus the five distorted perceptions may be viewed as ways of coping with consensus reality. It is this conceptualization of negative emotions through brain activity that causes the problem. Negative emotions and negativity can be expressed with clarity and are not necessarily undesirable. We live in a polaric world and it is the blockages and distortion of energy that need to be cleared and eliminated. In this way mental disorder can be viewed as a normal response to an abnormal perceptual situation. However, open energy flow is the natural state of the body/ brain complex making all mental disorder a workable situation. The problem can be viewed as healing in action because we are self-regulating self-healing beings. Even in the worst cases of functional or organic psychosis there are moments of clarity when the transparent nature of mind 'sparkles through' bypassing the perplexity and distortion of brain activity.
Thus the difference between mental health and mental disorder is one of degree on a sliding scale. It is the difference between transparency and perplexity. The more conscious awareness is able to perceive the energy of the mind and the five elemental colours with clarity and transparency the greater the opportunity for a healthy open response to life situations. The more conscious awareness is limited to a perception of distortion and perplexity through repetitive brain activity, the greater the chance of chaotic and difficult reactions to life situations occurring. Mental health is spacious and aware, mental disorder is dense and blocked. Perception is achieved through the relationship of the rainbow colours of the five elements experienced through the five senses expressed as positive and negative emotions. The colour of the space element is blue. The space element is related to all five sense perceptions. The 'emotion' is ignorance. The perplexed perception of this element is the feeling of being overwhelmed and not understanding who or what you are and your place within the world. Insensitivity and a dull humourless attitude predominate. This equates to the psychiatric classification of psychopathy. The transparent perception is of clarity and unlimited intelligence that is peaceful and contemplative. The colour of the air element is green. The related sense perception is touch. The perplexed perception is one of panic and seeing menace in everything and everywhere. Jealous, power hungry and competitive. The emotion is desire. This equates to the psychiatric classification of paranoia, delusions anxiety and obsession. The transparent experience is one of selfaccomplishing activity that is confident, practical and positive. The colour of the fire element is red. The related sense perception is hearing. The perplexed perception is one of obsessively grasping, insecurity, isolation and loneliness. The emotion is pride and the psychiatric classification is psychosis. The transparent perception is of awareness, compassion, passionate communication with everything and total appropriateness in thought and action. Turned on and tuned in! The colour of the water element is white. The related sense perception is sight. The perplexed perception is anger and aggression being self-righteous over analytical and 'picky'. The emotion is fear. The related psychiatric classification is depression. The transparent perception is clarity, integrity and luminosity. Intellectual precision. The colour of the earth element is yellow. The related sense perceptions are taste and smell. The perplexed perception is fixity and dominance expressed as territoriality being greedy and arrogant. The emotion is greed and the related psychiatric classification is personality disorder. The transparent perception is equality, equanimity, expansion, wealth and generosity. Over the years I have devised a specific method for working with the polarity of transparency and perplexity through the five elements, the related sense perceptions and emotions and this is the subject of another paper.
The Five Elements and the Dying Process By Tony Caves RPP Warning, this article could change your death! The Philosopher Pythagoras (circa 6"C BCE) established a mystic school on a hill overlooking the town of Croton in southern Italy. Over the gate the legend Eskato Bebeloi - ‘no entry for the profane’ was inscribed and although entry to the school and Temple of the Muses was extremely difficult, in a situation unusual in ancient times, men and women were admitted on equal merit. There were as many enlightened Pythagorean women as there were men. From my reading of Randolph Stone’s work I am sure he was very aware of the Pythagorean ‘hidden’ teachings due to his phraseology and the way some of his ideas are presented. It is said that the Pythagoreans chose the time of their death. They would retire to the Temple of the Muses and having given up food and drink would sit quietly waiting for death. They apparently had a technique for collapsing the elements of their bodies into themselves through the energy centres or what are now commonly known as the ‘chakras’. This was evidenced by vivid colours surrounding their bodies during this process, culminating in a beautiful light turquoise blue as the consciousness returned to the non duality of the mind through an opening in the top of the head. It is said that at this time the physical body had disappeared completely and it is for this reason there are no verified tombs for Pythagoras or any of his community. A fanciful ancient story we might think. However, in modern times I have met people who claim to have witnessed similar events among Dzogchen practitioners in the Himalayas. These people usually retire alone to a tent or cave to ‘take rainbow body’ which is a direct result of their spiritual practices which include exercises to physically open the skull bones at the fontanel to allow the mind essence to leave the body. This rainbow of colours is said to be a result of the elements collapsing into themselves in a specific order and the colours that are seen by viewers of this phenomena are the five colours associated with the elements red, white, blue, yellow and green. In this case, however, the body does not disappear completely as the hair and nails remain to be placed in reliquaries as objects of veneration. This may be cultural. So is there any truth underlying these reports? Is there a process or order associated with dying which is the same for all of us but has been missed or ignored by modern scholarship? In the past I have supervised and assessed staff in nursing homes where the experience of death is a daily occurrence. It would be my contention that it is possible to observe ‘elemental dying’ in ordinary people although in these cases we are still left with the disposal of the physical body!! Drawing on Pythagorean and Dzogchen ideas and my own personal observations the following process appears to be apparent. My thanks also to Chagdud Khadro for her very clear description of this process from a Buddhist perspective. Although each death is unique according to the circumstances, the physical condition and the state of mind of the dying person, a general process can be identified which always takes place either slowly or quickly depending whether the death occurs through sickness or old age or through accident or violence. Obviously the former via the deathbed experience is more easily observed.
In the first stage the dying person experiences the dissolution of the earth element through the navel energy centre or chakra. The person is overcome by drowsiness and dullness and feels heavy and pressed down. The sight blurs, the head lolls, the teeth grind and the body seems to shrink. There will be a yellowish hue about the person. In the second stage the dissolution of the water element takes place through the heart chakra. The person suffers extreme dryness of mouth nose and throat as blood and bodily fluids coagulate. Bodily sensations and hearing are greatly reduced and the person becomes irritable and uncomfortable. The skin and hair seem to lose their lustre and the yellow haze seems to change to smoky white. In the third stage the dissolution of the fire element takes place from the throat chakra. It becomes impossible to swallow and the heat leaves the limbs and moves in toward the centre of the body. The sense of smell fades and the exhaled breath becomes colder. It is at this point that the person ceases to recognise even close friends and relatives. The smoky whiteness surrounding the person starts to show blotches of spreading redness. The fourth stage brings the dissolution of the air element through the base chakra. The person will begin to hallucinate and there is a rasping in the back of the throat, the so called ‘death rattle’ and a green hue will be visible. At the same time the entire energy system and polarity of the body collapses. This centering of polarity is sometimes described as the essential white drop of energy received from the father at conception, which is located in the crown chakra moving down through the central channel to the heart chakra. At the same time the essential red drop of energy, received from the mother at conception, rises from the base chakra to the heart chakra. As the drops merge the moment of death is over and all aspects of consciousness melt into the spaciousness of pure mind (ether) at the heart chakra. At this point the pure spacious non-dual mind rises and leaves through the crown of the head. It is at this point that a faint, clear bluish hue may be noticed. Of course we are not actually viewing ‘something’ ‘going somewhere’ but merely a shift of conscious awareness. It is all ‘refined energy’, ‘dao’ or the ‘zero point field’. It is not necessary to be clairvoyant to witness the rainbow colours of the dissolution of the elements. Caution is obviously needed at the deathbed due to the primitive way in which death is viewed, especially in this country. However, one can point out the mistiness around the body that is always present during the dying process. This may be due to the condensation of bodily fluids or perhaps reasons related to the energy of the person. However, most people can see this quite clearly. Ask the person to imagine what colour the mist is and they will generally see the appropriate elemental colour and are then able to observe the whole process.
POLARITY THERAPY AND PAIN RELIEF by Morag Campbell RPP
One of the first questions that is asked of any system of healing or therapy is how effective is it in the reduction or elimination of pain. The word pain is mostly used generically. There are many forms of pain. For instance there is pain that occurs as a result of impact trauma on the physical body as in the case of a fall or automobile accident. This pain is usually sharp and intense and often accompanied by swelling and inflammation and bruising with maybe deep cuts or abrasions. A similar acute pain can be experienced after surgery as the body not only has to deal with the original trauma but the added insult of the surgeons knife. An all together different type of pain is experienced in more chronic cases resulting from a long standing condition. This pain is usually more dull, like a deep ache and may have been endured for many years. There is also emotional pain which can be very intense and can erupt at such times as bereavement and separation. To a Polarity Therapist all manifestations of pain are seen as a result of energy not moving or being interrupted in its natural flow but how to deal with it depends on the type of pain and the individual circumstances as to the cause of that pain. The acute trauma described above resulting in sharp intense pain, inflammation and swelling is as a result of an excess of blood flow and energy to the area so the first thing to be done is to calm and draw off the excess energy that has accumulated at the trauma site. This can be achieved in several ways for example by placing the left hand, which is yin, cooling and drawing and related to tamas the centripetal energy in the body, over the site. The right hand can be held opposite the wound. If it is not possible to physically touch the body due to excessive pain in say burns cases then work off the body. Take a moment to contact the energy in the aura and then slowly and repeatedly lift the left hand up and away to draw the energy away from the site. Once a reaction has occurred and the blocked energy is starting to move then it is important to encourage the flow of energy through the area in the direction of the surface current flow to continue the soothing effect. For instance damage to the right knee joint would require that we remove the local congestion at the knee and the place the right hand above the knee and the left hand below the joint to go with the longline currents that flow down the right hand side of the body at the front. Once a flow is established it is important to extend the contacts so as to move the energy through the entire limb. Drawing the left hand repeatedly down the whole leg will also achieve this aim. If treated shortly after damage has occurred I have seen tissue swelling decrease and bruising disappear before my eyes with this simple application and of course a corresponding alleviation of pain. Chronic, long term pain is rarely so obliging and needs different handling. Here we are dealing with a low energy state which often results in spastic tissue which is hard, unresponsive and cold to the touch. In these cases we still need to release the local energy lock but in this case deeper tamasic work, couple with rajasic stimulation is required to break up the long standing lock and encourage fresh prana into the area. When this is achieved, it is advantageous to work against the surface currents in order to stimulate the energy through the body. In the example of
the right knee therefore, the right hand would be held below the knee and the left hand above. The activation of the energy and subsequent increased blood flow to the area helps to clear the accumulated stagnation and once again the tissues become hydrated and responsive to the touch. They soften and become more elastic. This can bring a quick reduction in the pain level but sometimes this increased activity can result in a reactivation of the original problem - in short a healing crisis where the original incident is re-experienced and for a while the pain may increase. If this happens it is important to reassure the client and encourage them. Suggesting hot and cold water application to the area and or warm epsom salts baths with skin brushing to further encourage blood circulation and the release of old toxins from the tissues is also advisable. There should be a definite positive change in the nature of the pain within 24-36 hours. Chronic conditions will need further work to totally resolve the problem as you work back through the layers of holding and adaptation that have occurred over time. Many times this is where the polarity reflex work comes into its own. Making the "right" connection can be the key that unlocks the energy in a particular body part. Of course working with both chronic and acutely painful conditions can elicit a variety of emotional responses. However sometimes the pain that a client is experiencing can be as a direct result of an emotional shock such as in cases of sudden death or separation from a loved one. As in the previous examples the energy if that event is held or frozen in the energy fields. To release the pain we must still work to relax the energetic holding and in this case especially encourage its expression. Here release work on the diaphragm and jaw to encourage the energy to move up through the chest and throat is beneficial. As Dr.Stone regarded the perineal area as the negative pole of the mind, working this area to the neck can release emotional holding and help to subsequently calm and relax the mind and body. Working with the voice and sound also helps to free this energy. It has been my experience that polarity is particularly effective in working with emotional energy and effecting rapid change here. So can Polarity Therapy be effective in the reduction and elimination of pain ABSOLUTELY !!
SENSORY - MOTOR PAIN CONTROL TECHNIQUE Diagnostic factors in relation to the usage of the Perineal and Coccygeal treatments by Phil Young RPP The following understanding of the concepts of motor and sensory pain are derived from the work of Leonard J. Allen , N.D. D.O. neuropath and acupuncturist, a colleague of Dr Randolph Stone the founder of Polarity Therapy. In this context the terms 'sensory and motor pain ' relate to the pain that occurs on movement or the pain that occurs upon the application of pressure, not to the sensory and motor nerves nor to the Polarity concept of centripetal and centrifugal energy flows. When a client comes to you in pain their perception of that pain is conveyed to the brain or central nervous system by the sensory nerves. Pain can be described as either sensory or motor pain in relation to which branch of the autonomic nervous system is conveying the nerve impulses. Before looking at pain and its treatment in any more detail it is important that we make a distinction between Visceral pain and Musculo-skeletal pain. Visceral pain tends to come in waves with peak levels of sensation (discomfort) which fade then re-occur. Musculo-skeletal pain tends to be constant at a certain level of sensation. It does not come in waves. It can be present all the time or only on movement. Sensory-Motor Pain Control Technique deals with the treatment of Musculoskeletal pain only. The following treatment principles do not apply when visceral pain is the problem, which is not to say that the use of the perineal and coccyx treatments in such cases is unwarranted, they may in fact be essential. No matter what kind of pain is present in the body both sensory and motor nerves are involved. The motor nerves in the musculature create the spasm which restricts circulation and the sensory nerves transmit the painful impulses when movement is initiated or pressure applied. There are sensory nerves of both para-sympathetic and sympathetic origin. In Polarity terms the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is the positive pole ( + ) and the parasympathetic is the negative pole ( - ). The major polarity technique for influencing the parasympathetic nervous system is the perineal treatment. The coccyx treatment is the basic technique for influencing the sympathetic nervous system. Remember that the positive, sending or supply pole can only dominate when the negative or receiving pole can accept the energy flow. In Sensory - Motor Pain Control because the two branches of the autonomic nervous system work together as one whole unit both systems or poles are worked on during each treatment to ensure proper current flow but with a bias towards one or the other system or pole. Usually only one kind of pain is present at any one time. However, it is possible for both to be present at the same time, if this is the case treat as for motor pain initially until the picture gets clearer. Motor pain is present in the musculo-skeletal system when pain is present constantly or occurs as you apply pressure to the affected area. Most often the posterior zones of the body are involved. It is the sympathetic nervous system that conveys the impulses related to motor pain. Pressure on the appropriate spinal vertebrae relating to the painful area will elicit increased pain
in the vertebrae as well as in the painful area, and it may also create pain in the corresponding anterior zone of the body where previous to the application of pressure no pain existed. In treating Motor pain work on the coccyx and connect it first to the painful spinal vertebrae and then locally to the painful area. The specific contact area for each vertebrae being treated is about 1 inch either side of the tip of the spinous process over the sympathetic nerve ganglia (beside the vertebral bodies). Finish the coccygeal work by balancing it with the sphenoid bone. In treating Motor pain always finish with a short perineal release. Sensory pain in the musculo-skeletal system is intermittent and occurs on movement. Most often the anterior zones of the body are involved. The para-sympathetic nervous system conveys sensory impulses and pain. Pressure on the appropriate spinal vertebrae related to the painful area causes no increase in pain in either the vertebrae or related area. However, pressure applied to the locally to the affected area will create pain in the related spinal vertebrae. In treating Sensory pain work the perineal floor and connect it firstly to the neck, then the specific vertebrae and locally to the painful area. The exact area to contact for each vertebrae being treated is 2 1/2-3 inches either side of the tip of the spinous process (between the ends of the transverse process). Complete the perineal work by balancing the sacrum and occiput. In treating Sensory pain always finish with a short coccyx treatment. Dr. Stone's books reccommend working both poles of the autonomic nervous system simultaneously by giving a perineal treatment in which the perineal floor (para-sympathetic reflex area, -ve pole) is connected to the tense muscles on either side of the vertebral bodies (sympathetic reflex areas, +ve pole), with further polarisation occurring through using a positive contact on the perineal floor ( the fire finger ) and a negative contact (thumb, air finger or left hand ) on the tense areas either side of the spine. It is useful to think of the perineum and the coccyx as fuses for the specific areas that you are working on, repair the fuse and as long as the power supply is still stable the energy currents can flow freely again and a full healing can take place. The key in all this lies in the statements Dr.Stone makes in his first book, 'The New Energy Concept of the Healing Art' in the section on Prana that 'The artery rules', and 'The blood is the life principle'. It is well to remember that one of the basic tenets of Osteopathic practice as laid down by its founder Dr. Anrew Taylor Still was 'The artery rules supreme through the sympathetic nervous system', a phrase Dr.Stone would have had deeply embedded in his mind during his own osteopathic training. In application the rule means that it is the sympathetic nervous system that controls blood flow to ALL parts of the body, the visceral organs and musculature, and that it is the blood flow that holds the key to life and healing. Blood is life, particularly fresh arterial blood. Dr.Stone took this a step further by identifying that it is really the prana, the pure life energy that is the most important factor and that the bulk of the prana in circulation is carried by the blood. This concept is one of the basic theories in Chinese traditional medicine where it is stated as 'the chi and the blood flow together'. A theory that Dr.Stone would certainly have come across in his studies of ancient healing systems. The usage of the perineal and coccygeal treatments to balance the autonomic nervous system will affect the arterial circulation and allow fresh blood and life energy to flow in to painful, blocked and stagnant areas in the body. Whilst all the visceral organs in the body are supplied by both sympathetic and para-sympathetic nerve fibres the musculature is only supplied with
sympathetic nerve fibres, and so at the muscular level, in terms of blood and energy flow, it is the sympathetic that is the more important of the two branches of the autonomic nervous system. Tense or spastic muscle fibres are full of stagnant blood, and prana as well as waste materials such as uric acid. In these cases the sympathetic lock must be released so as to allow fresh blood and prana to flow in and clear away all the wastes. The muscle can then relax relieving the pain and normal functioning will then resume. Stimulating the para-sympathetic system through working perineal floor always has a profound affect on the sympathetic system because both branches of the autonomic nervous system work as a whole, so even though the musculature has no para-sympathetic nerve fibres the muscles are still dramatically affected by a perineal treatment because of the general release of the whole autonomic system. Dr.Stones technique of balancing the perineal floor to sympathetic nerve reflex areas gets around the need to identify which particular branch of the autonomic nervous system is involved in any particular problem. However, an understanding of Sensory/Motor Pain technique can give you much more precise information which will allow you to effect an even quicker resolution of a clients problem than is possible using the technique Dr.Stone recommends. Please remember that pain has a devastating effect on the body, the faster it can be relieved the better. Release the diaphragm as severe pain always creates blockages there. Luckily, diaphragmatic release is one of the inherent effects of perineal and coccygeal treatments but sometimes specific local release is also required. Tense or spastic muscle fibres are full of stagnant blood, and prana as well as waste materials such as uric acid. In these cases the sympathetic lock must be released so as to allow fresh blood and prana to flow in and clear away all the wastes. The muscle can then relax relieving the pain and normal functioning will then resume. Stimulating the para-sympathetic system through working perineal floor always has a profound affect on the sympathetic system because both branches of the autonomic nervous system work as a whole, so even though the musculature has no para-sympathetic nerve fibres the muscles are still dramatically affected by a perineal treatment because of the general release of the whole autonomic system. Dr.Stones technique of balancing the perineal floor to sympathetic nerve reflex areas gets around the need to identify which particular branch of the autonomic nervous system is involved in any particular problem. However, an understanding of Sensory/Motor Pain technique can give you much more precise information which will allow you to effect an even quicker resolution of a clients problem than is possible using the technique Dr.Stone recommends. Please remember that pain has a devastating effect on the body, the faster it can be relieved the better. Release the diaphragm as severe pain always creates blockages there. Luckily, diaphragmatic release is one of the inherent effects of perineal and coccygeal treatments but sometimes specific local release is also required.
PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO POLARITY TREATMENT by Morag Campbell RPP As we work on the life energy through the medium of the physical body, the body responds in a variety of ways to the release of holding and the re-establishment of a free flow of energy. One of the most common reactions is a softening of the tissues under your hands. A softening of the tissues is always accompanied by an increase in blood flow and a re-vitalisation of the area, which we can detect as increased energetic activity. I believe that when we make contact with the body we are in fact connecting with a living, intelligent, sophisticated biological system, which responds to the feedback that it receives from the therapist's hands by re-organising and evolving in response to that feedback. It is as if your hands and the client's body are involved in a constant dialogue, where information is continuously passing back and forth, leading to adaptation and change along the way. Over the years I have come to realise that with sensitivity and conscious intent we are able to highlight tension, stagnation, fear etc. trapped in the tissues and, given that information, the body will, when ever possible, seek to release, re-organise and evolve to a higher level of organisation and function. I am not talking about the kind of intense reaction that can accompany strong tamasic work and indeed I am not an advocate of this approach. In this case the reaction is not so much a release of stored energy and old holding patterns but more the body's reaction to pain. When the body is forced into a "shock" reaction, it often as not leads to the release of emotion, intense shaking and a feeling of overwhelm. I am rather talking about the kind of responses that occur spontaneously and organically, within a safe environment of trust, where the body feels sufficiently supported and resourced to be able to respond in a natural way. As the body responds to our touch, re-organisation and rebalancing often involves various easily recognisable releases. One of the most common is a shift in breathing. As the body releases it often necessitates the need to draw more fresh prana into the system to cleanse and re-vitalise. This the body accomplishes by deep sighing or yawning, sometimes quite uncontrollably for several minutes. Often changes occurring in the nervous system are accompanied by a shift to deeper breathing and this can act as a guide as to when to release your contacts and move on. Over breathing, which can occur, as the client seeks to stay with a particular sensation and is maybe over-enthusiastically encouraged to breathe deeply by the therapist, can lead to a condition called tetany. This condition comes about as a result of the blood oxygen/carbon dioxide levels becoming unbalanced. Should this occur, the client can experience tingling, especially around the mouth and arms and, if it carries on for some time, the muscles of the face, neck , arms and hands become rigid. This can be extremely alarming for client and therapist alike. The simple solution is to encourage the breathing to return to a more normal level by breathing with client until more shallow, calming breathing is re-established. Occasionally the body will begin to shake in response to your touch. This occurs especially when the fire and air elements react together in response to your touch. The shaking can be limited to a specific area of the body or spread through the entire system until the whole body is shaking and even the teeth chatter. This reaction is frequently accompanied by a drop in body
temperature and signifies a strong release. Should this occur then encourage the client to move around and shake themselves or brush them down vigorously as this helps to ground the energy and discharge the excess energy being released from the body. This reaction is usually followed by a period of rest whilst the system re-organises and stabilizes anew and generally does not last long. Strong movement of energy throughout the whole system can result in the mobilization of emotional energy. Emotional energy always rises up in the body, usually originating in the pelvis and seeking expression through the ether field of the throat. As the energy encounters the respiratory diaphragm, the body can begin to gently buck as the energy tries to push it's way through. When you encounter this reaction then you know that an emotional release of some kind is imminent. Should the energy succeed in passing through the diaphragm area it may well become stuck at the neck transition areas and this often results in the shoulders tightening and lifting, the neck becoming rigid or arcing and the jaw tightening. Encouragement and hand placements will help to keep theses area relaxed and free to enable the energy to move through without distress. It is the client's resistance that causes the pain and distress so common when emotional energy is seeking expression. Sometimes the response comes as intense heat throughout the entire body or conversely as freezing cold. We could surmise that heat is the body's way of releasing excess fire energy in order to re-balance. A cold reaction is often as a result of a sudden release that allows old blocked energy, which has been trapped near the surface of the body through excess tension, to flood back to the core and the vital organs. Again given a short period of recovery the body quickly returns to a more reasonable level of temperature Often the physiological response will take the form of a bodily elimination and intense sweating can occur in the area being worked or sometimes the body will break out in a sweat from head to toe. Occasionally the client has a sudden need to urinate or evacuate their bowels immediately after a session. There is even a feeling a nausea that can occur and the client can express the wish to vomit. This usually stays as a sensation and I am happy to say that to date no one has actually thrown up on me! During a period of sattvic work, which encourages the body to go into deep relaxation, then several trance state phenomena can be observed. The eyes may sink deep into the skull as the tension leaves the small muscles around the eyes or they move rapidly under the eyelids in movements reminiscent of REM sleep patterns. There may also be some slight lacrimating. The pallor of the face often changes and the cheeks redden slightly. This may also be accompanied by repetitive swallowing. All these signs indicate the client has shifted into an altered state of consciousness. They will often dip in and out of these states during a bodywork session and it is during these deep trance states that the deep healing potential of the body can be accessed. As a result of this kind of work the client may feel extremely heavy and drained at the end of the session. This is because the body has been taken to a level of relaxation which is way below the levels the client is ordinarily able to access. This deep relaxation is often experienced as heaviness and the client often feels they are unable to move. Again, a short period of rest usually results in a return to more normal functioning, but not to the high levels of tension the client
may have been experiencing, but been unaware of, before the session. All of these reactions, and more, pay tribute to the effectiveness of the session and to the intelligence of the human body. These reactions can be, but often are not, accompanied by emotional release, but that's another story.
Christmas Star Patterns by Morag Campbell RPP
At this time of year as I walk around the city and look into the houses that I pass by on my way to and from the office, I am surrounded by stars. Stars on Christmas trees, stars in shop windows, stars on fairy lights, and invariably they are 5 pointed stars. This symbol has become so common and is used so frequently in advertising that it has slipped past our conscious mind most of the time, but deep inside this powerful symbol still has a profound effect on us. In Polarity it is one of the energy patterns that we work with constantly. The lower points of the star are settled into the pelvis, dipping into the water oval with its wealth of unconscious emotions, intuitions and creativity. The upper points of the star are seated into the shoulder joints at the air oval where our more conscious hopes and desires and aspirations are to be found, whilst the final point touches up into the throat and the ether field of expression. The star illustrates the Hermetic principle of Correspondence which states: 'Whatever is Below is like unto that which is Above, and whatever is Above is like unto that which is Below, to accomplish the miracle of the One.' Thus many times we have neck and shoulder problems which have their origin and cause in the alignment of the pelvis or disturbances in the digestive system. The star pattern has as its neuter pole, the respiratory diaphragm. Working the energy of the five pointed star helps to free this often restricted area and helps to free repressed emotions so that they can move upward for release. The five pointed star reaches inward and upward in an evolution motion towards higher consciousness and self expression. Its diagonal components activate the deep caduceus currents, thus sparking off the whole chakra system and it stoically balances the pelvic girdle with the shoulder girdle and the head for correct structural alignment. How nice to think that each one of us is a star - a special human being with the potential for growth and evolution and with perhaps the greatest of human gifts - creative expression.
Human Evolution The Five and Six pointed Stars by Phil Young RPP Pragmatically speaking the first step in the usage of the understanding of human evolution as outlined in the first part of this article on the five and six pointed star is to evaluate at what stage in the process a client (and even you yourself) is currently working with. The value of this is enormous in that it can give you a sense of the fundamental position, I might even say problem, that the client is struggling with. One should not underestimate the potency of the struggles that arise at each stage of human evolution as they form the basic context or background to all the physical and emotional problems that might arise. To put it another way this model of evolution with all its difficulties at each stage is the meta-level of experience that defines or shapes all the other levels and modes of experience and expression. This understanding of the clients basic issue can be used to guide the energetic direction of the verbal communication and facilitation process. I don't intend to spell out in detail the kind of interventions relevant at each level as you should endeavour to understand the process through your own experience, thought and deliberation. However, as an example, a person at the stage of dualism (symbolised by two lines) can be evincing an enormous amount of turbulent energy in their life style constantly shifting position yes I will - no I won't, yes I will - no I won't. Alternatively they could have reached a stage where the two polarities have effectively neutralised each other. The energy level in this case is much lower. What is required in either case is the creation of another energetic centre or organising principle around which their life can begin revolve in a more fluid pattern. A reconciliation of either the turbulent energy or the stagnation of opposition into a trinity of thought, emotion and action. Let us say you have a client whose conflict primarily revolves around a relationship in terms of should they end it or should they stay with it and work on the issues. In this case it is important to move above the level of the "will I - wont I" issues and the various arguments that are involved in the support of each position. The need is to move the whole situation to a higher level, to the meta-level of relationships. To consider what the whole function of relationships is in human life and to view the specific issues from a higher level of perception and organisation. To illustrate the idea of a metal-level imagine that you travel to work by car, an old rather unreliable car, but you can't afford to change it. Repairs are becoming more difficult, parts are hard to find and expensive. You find yourself thinking of all the difficulties the car causes you when it is not running. Yet sometimes it will run well and you really are rather fond of it but you never know from day to day whether it will get you to work or not. If it does not run you often take the day off rather than go in late. Should you change the car or should you keep it. You certainly need it to get to work. You find yourself caught in an ongoing polarised loop around the issue of 'my car' unable to resolve it one way or another. To begin to resolve this conflict you can move to the meta-level of the issues around the car. The meta-level of the car is "transport". When you move your conscious to this level you can consider that the car is fundamentally a method of transport, a way of getting from A to B. When you shift to this level you realise that within this grouping called 'transport' that there are many ways of doing that off
which a car is only one, there are bicycles, trains, feet, motorbikes, buses and other people can transport you. Suddenly you have many options and energy is freed from the circular loop and is able to begin to move in new directions. To return to our example and to discover what the meta-level of relationships we can consider the following question; what is the function of relationships? In actuality relationships have multiple functions so we could probably come up with a number of different meta-levels appertaining to the example. For simplicity the meta-level I am going to suggest here is 'community', an even higher level might be 'society' as the meta-level of community but this is probably too high a level to be useful therapeutically. When we consider 'community' we are talking of the whole group of relationships that exist in everyone's life, relationships with life partners, friends, parents, children, colleagues at work and so forth. In many ways the grouping of all a persons relationships into a community is a description of their life. If you help the client to focus at this level it is possible to open out their perception to other possibilities. If the basic issue is one of unmet needs within the problem relationship then by shifting to the meta-level we can begin to explore this issue throughout the persons life as a whole. Suppose the baseline problem is one of intimacy, the client experiences a certain a lack of intimacy with their life partner. By using the meta-level you begin to explore this issue in all their other relationships. You will discover in what other relationships intimacy is obtainable, at what level that intimacy exists and the degree of satisfaction it offers. By looking at all the other relationships what you and the client might discover is that there is in fact a great deal of intimacy in their life. Once this is openly acknowledged then the energetic fixation on this issue with their partner is altered significantly and the pressure on their partner is reduced. Sometimes this will quite lead to an overall re-evaluation of the problem whereby the true nature of the clients difficulty is exposed as something quite different. Of course you may also both discover that there is very little intimacy at all in their whole community experience which in itself will also take the focus off their partner but lead to an exploration of yet other possibilities and strategies not related to this one relationship in the clients community. I have to admit to a certain dislike of the word community as a meta-level of relationships, its accurate enough but feels clumsy due to the way the term is used in everyday language. The description of this process should not be unfamiliar to you in terms of your communication work with clients but the concept of the meta-level, the higher embracing organising level of perception may be and should help you to shift your own consciousness and energy to a higher level more easily during your work. That way you the therapist act as the higher level energetic centre for the client,. You model it for them during the session as a way of perceiving and processing their life experience and you continue in that state of consciousness when you do the bodywork. This way they are immersed in a totally new experience in which there is no turbulence or fixation just the possibility of many new perceptions, feelings and actions. When the client leaves the therapy room and re-enters their everyday life this experience will begin to integrate slowly but steadily into their own perceptions and influence their actions in the following hours and days. Leading to both reconciliation and resolution. It is so important to remember that consciousness 'is' energy. If you can shift your consciousness to the meta-level of any particular area of your life experience then you will liberate your self from the tyranny of both stagnation and closed loops of turbulent internal discord.
Human Evolution The Five and Six pointed Stars by Phil Young RPP When most polarity therapists think of the 5 and 6 pointed stars (interlaced triangles), they think of energetic interference patterns and their relationship to the structure and function of the human body. What is perhaps less well known is that the 5 and 6 pointed stars are a symbolism relating to man's spiritual development. I cannot say if Dr. Stone was aware of this teaching although he may well have been. This development is symbolised by a set of geometric shapes beginning with a point, a line, then two lines, a triangle, square and the five and then six pointed stars.
The human being begins as point of energy in the cosmos. When born, man is represented by the polarity of a line which represents the being of conscious experience. In his natural state man is a duality. He consists entirely of pairs of opposites. All his thoughts, feelings, sensations and emotions can be divided into positive and negative, yes and no, right and wrong, black and white, and symbolised by two lines. At this level of development, thought opposes feeling and emotion. The desire to move is opposed by the need for stillness. At this level the dualities exchange places frequently and seemingly randomly. It is extremely difficult to use ones will to assert control as the whole organism functions in a random and mechanical fashion. All living systems have a tendency over time to reach a particular balance or state of equilibrium. After a time the energy of dualism becomes exhausted and the tension decreases leading to a certain kind of balance but one lacking in vitalism. This is a mechanical balance but one that lacks the sense of conscious control. The shifts from positive to negative still occur but much more slowly and still outside of a persons ability to influence consciously. As soon as the spiritual aspirant realises the degree to which they live their life mechanically a seed of self awareness or self consciousness is born and the struggle for a truly conscious life begins. This is represented by the triangle. The state of duality is transformed into a trinity through the addition, in polarity terms, of a neutral organising centre at a higher frequency of energy and consciousness. The trinity has a great deal more energy within it. There are now three positions available. Initially, the function of the new third position beyond yes and no, reconciles the opposites into a new kind of unity. A unity that has a much higher level of stability. It takes the seeker a long time to reconcile all the various dualities within their being. The process is dramatic in terms in the amount of energy liberated. But all good things come to an end and again the system begins to find an equilibrium in which all three points (poles) of the triangle have equal potency and the whole organism
again becomes too stable and the level of excitement within it drops. At this stage another energetic shift of consciousness is required in which another new organising centre must be found or created at a higher frequency to once more take the organism back into a state of higher energy in which the fixity of the triad is both transcended and reconciled. What emerges now is the quaternity commonly represented by the square although more accurately in three dimensional space by the tetrahedron. This shift from human development expressed in terms of two dimensional plane structures (point, line, surface) to three dimensional structures is of extraordinary significance, because it is only when man has reached the level of development symbolised by three dimensional structures that he or she can be said the have become hu-man. It is at this level that the first glimmer of true human will is made manifest and that contact with higher levels of existence is possible. Once more enormous amounts of energy are liberated and the aspirant is swept along on a rising tide of reconciliation in which all their thoughts, emotions, feelings and sensations undergo a profound transformation. At this stage the manifestation of wilful intent is profound. Decisions can be made and carried through in a way never before possible. When this process of transformation is nearing completion the energy level once again decreases and stability is achieved that internally feels like stagnation. Again the need for a shift to a higher level of organisation is felt. With the addition of a new organising centre the quaternity becomes the pentagram or five pointed star, which Dr, Stone referred to a the symbol of the invagination (the female vagina) in which energy is moving inwards and upwards. At this stage the personal will begins to become subordinate to transpersonal will or the will of God through a deepening contact with the presence of God. It is at this stage that a true personal relationship with the divine can be established as the energy and consciousness within the seeker is drawn inward and upwards. It is only at this level of human evolution that prayer and meditation can reach the source of existence. Before this they are merely the necessary practise required to discipline and prepare the self for the journey ahead. Even at this level of being in which contact with God begins to transform mind, emotion and body, and where ones whole life is lived with a deep contact with the Divine and all that this might entail, the organism will once more tend towards stable equilibrium and yet again another new organising centre of energy must be activated. This new stage is symbolised by the transformation of the five pointed into the six pointed star or Seal of Solomon (interlaced triangles). Now the inward and upward movement of the five pointed star is reconciled by the flow of energy from above flowing downwards and outwards. At this time contact with the presence of God is balanced by one becoming a true vehicle for the expression and practical manifestation of Gods' Will on Earth; "Thy Will be Done on Earth as It is in Heaven". At this level the seeker has become fully human and embodied the Seal of Solomon. They have a clear connection with the Divine and are a perfected channel for It's expression within the world. Energetically this system always tends to stay in a state of energy that is far from equilibrium as energy is being constantly fed to it from a greater source than the self.
Polarity Therapy and The Spiritual Universe by Morag Campbell RPP I have been reading with great delight The Spiritual Universe by Fred Alan Wolf and would recommend the book to Polarity therapists and all those with a particular interest in the nature of the known universe and in particular the nature of the soul. In Polarity, the philosophy expounds that the nature of all things is dualistic - hence the name Polarity. We believe that the soul which is a personalised aspect of an intelligent universe is at the core of us all and "occupies space which in our terminology is neutral. Neutral not in the sense of balance or nothingness but in the sense of potential. The neutral space has the capacity to evolve and manifest in a myriad of different ways. Wolf, a theoretical physicist, states that, and I quote: ... recent advances in our study of "empty space" have led to startling new discoveries indicating that a vacuum is not nothing. According to quantum theory, a vacuum consisting of the space between subatomic particles of matter or between large gravitating bodies such as the earth and sun, is not empty, but ( and here's the really exciting part for us) consists of vast amounts of positive and negative energy. Here we have science confirming the basis of Polarity, the concept of yin and yang energy and the idea of becoming. From nothing comes something. Does this mean that when we place our hands on another individual, and resonate with this space within them, that we are actually instrumental in allowing, or in fact encouraging, something new to become manifest simply by polarising their energy fields. It is certainly my belief that this is so and experience has shown me that real change, both physical and mental is not only possible but indeed highly likely when we carry out a Polarity session. It has been said that Dr Stone, when he worked on a individual, had the ability to reach right inside them and connect with their very soul. This is something we should all be striving for both in our practice as Polarity Therapists and in our practice as human beings. The ability to connect at a deep level with another human being always brings about a state of change and transformation. Each one of us has the potential to become that much more than we already are and sometimes it takes someone reaching out to touch us at our core before we realise that anything is possible. From the seed power of the universe all kinds of possibilities and developments can and do occur. What we have to keep reminding ourselves is that we are pure energy. Again according to classical physics, things, and that includes you and me, have energy. They are able to absorb and emit this energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. With the intelligent use of our hands and consciousness we as Polarity Therapists can affect this radiation. Encouraging and stabilising the field, so that the individual is able to draw in that which they need, and throw off that which they do not. As new and challenging experiences are made manifest for us, we can dip into that rich and exciting vacuum of potential and manifest what we wish. A word of
caution however, maybe we should pay attention to that old counsel of "wish for what you want, but be sure that you want it!" Fairy tales throughout the world remind us of the horrors of being granted three wishes and it all going horribly wrong, such as the story of Midas who wished everything he touched be turned to gold. I guess you know the end of that particular story or can guess at it!
Polarity and the state of Yoga Nidra - Yogic Sleep By Morag Campbell RPP There are times in a polarity session when the person being worked on slips into a state of deep relaxation accompanied by a seeming cessation of breathing. Whilst this can be disconcerting for the beginning student of polarity we soon come to recognise this as a profound state where often true healing takes place. It is described in the Indian Yogic tradition as the state of Yoga nidra and is a state of magnetism. It is as if the whole body becomes anaesthetised, pain disappears and certain phenomena occur which are manifestations of Yoga. The body becomes full of electromagnetic pulsations and vibration, respiration becomes occasional and the heart movement can become conversely very rapid or very slow. In some cases you can experience the pulsation and vibration of the universe as if you are bathing in a sea of energy. It is said that this state provides a link between the physics and metaphysics, to cross the ocean of materialism. This is described as the state of union of individual consciousness with supreme consciousness. Below are some easily recognised indicators of this state • A gradual closing of the eyes or motionless of the eyes • Quivering of the eyelids • Complete relaxation or rigidity of the limbs and other organs • Temporary paralysis of the limbs • The face may appear flushed • The teeth may chatter • Sensation of heat or cold in different parts of the body • Tears in the eyes • Passing of electricity and electric currents in the body • Jerking of body • Different unusual phenomena that resemble delusions, illusions and hallucinations • Loss of sense of pain • Power of intuition increased • If you do not have the luxury of a polarity therapist to aid in the realisation of this state here is a meditation that may lead you there. "Drop the pressure from the chest and embrace the heart. Feel how it is moving. If you can embrace your heart, your fire will disappear.....calmness......and you will not need to embrace anybody on this earth. What an electric current is moving. Just feel it.....no need of any imagination. A stupendous movement of Nature without imagination. Entire chest...... every particle of the lungs is filled with an electric current. You will enjoy the movement and speed because you are in it. Feel the circulation of the blood from the heart into the head, from the head to the heart. Shoulders, arms, chest and abdomen, legs, feet and toes, feel it pulsating. Drop everything and feel the operation of Nature, how life is pulsating, keeping the body alive. Feel it.....
Feel your contact with the sun and moon and stars. Feel the pulsation of the sun, moon and stars in you and your pulsation in them. You can feel this. Every pulsation is a kiss, an embrace. God loves you. Watch carefully and if you know rhythm, what rhythm is, then breathing comes like a drum, and pulsation of electrical waves like a divine musical instrument. Heart beat moving in rhythm. Absolute motionless....no motion in any part of the body so that you may experience direct soothing pulsation. Every pulsation brings calmness, tranquility, freedom from limitations. First freedom you feel is like a light..... you are present everywhere. Absolute surrender. Allow your thinking mind to be dissolved in this mighty ocean of Prana. Enter into a deeper and deeper trance. Become one with this ocean of light.....let breathing stop....... Feel that every particle in your body has become an electrical current. The ocean of energy is passing like the current of a waterfall. You can listen to it, it is like a hissing, ringing, humming........This sound is not in the head.....feel it everywhere.....it is the current of energy. Am I limited in this body? NO I am present everywhere. Feel the pulsation touching the sun, moon and stars. Coming back feel your body...feel the pulsation of life, the tingling sensation between your skin and the atmosphere. Drop everything, feel your entire body, your entire skin is the centre of living electricity with sensation and tranquility. Enjoy.....deeper and deeper is the mind, and deeper and deeper is the experience of Being. Experience various atmospheric pulsations. Enjoy....it is the movement of pure energy.....pure energy is living pulsation. Enter into a deeper and deeper trance where you reach a state where every pulsation becomes one....a transparent magnetic pulsation......feel it, it is the greatest bliss. feel it, holding breath....no motion... breathing in perfect equilibrium.....from neck to nose without creating any extra motion. Do not imagine anything......silently enter. The thinking mind can not imagine such a tremendous bliss. Feel like a white cloud, present, this magnetic life, giving you a message of eternity that you are ever unborn and undying. Feel that you are like the blue sky........and pulsation and thinking are shining like the stars, within you......remain motionless like the sky." Do not imagine anything......silently enter. The thinking mind can not imagine such a tremendous bliss. Feel like a white cloud, present, this magnetic life, giving you a message of eternity that you are ever unborn and undying. Feel that you are like the blue sky........and pulsation and thinking are shining like the stars, within you......remain motionless like the sky." Extracted from a guided meditation delivered by Shri Ramamurti
The General Session By Phil Young RPP For some time there has been a mild controversy in the Polarity world over the creation of the General Energy Balancing session by Dr Stone's successor Pierre Pannetier. Some practitioners have felt that that the idea of a general as opposed to a specific balancing session was inappropriate and was in some way a weakening of the Polarity concept of tracing a clients energy flows and correcting the specific energy imbalances. Yet such a concept has existed in Osteopathy since the work of its founder Dr A.T.Still. All the old time osteopaths gave what was called a 'general treatment' as well as doing specific manipulations. It is interesting and instructive to compare an example of Osteopathic general treat with the Polarity general session. A GENERAL OSTEOPATHIC TREATMENT Patient reclines on table, lying on the side. Relax the tissues of the back by the following methods: 1. Stand in front of patient and grasp uppermost arm. Relax the tissues about the shoulders and down to the spine and back with the other hand. Hold the arm at the elbow, and using the joint as a lever, work the arm back and forth. By this means the spine is manipulated and any deviation corrected. 2. With patient in same position, place one hand beneath the neck and grasp the occiput. Rest the other side of the patient's head against your breast, and apply traction to the tack and upper dorsal region. 3. Place one elbow on the hip and the other on the shoulder. Stretch the spine by extending the arms and stretching the hips away from the shoulder. 4. Manipulate the shoulder. Pull up the scapula with one hand, while with the other press the shoulder. 5. Place one hand under patient's scapula and grasp the shoulder with the other hand. Then rotate the shoulder. 6. Manipulate the limbs by seizing the limb in both hands, relaxing all tissues with a rotary movement of the hand. 7. Manipulate the spine by pulling it toward you, while patient is lying on his side with knees flexed and braced against you. 8. Turn patient on other side and repeat above treatment. 9. Place patient face downward, with toes extended and arms hanging down over the sides of the table. Describe a circular movement with the palms of the hands, at the same time apply pressure, to relax all contracted tissues of the back. Pull the muscles away from the spine with the fingers. 10. With the patient lying in a prone position, stand at one side of the table and grasp the hip of patient on further side in front. Apply pressure up and down the spine with the heel of the other hand, while pulling the hip upward. Treat both sides. 11. Patient in same position. Operator stands at head of the table. Apply pressure on each side of the spine with the thumbs. 12. Raise the limbs in one arm and rotate them, while applying pressure at the lower part of the abdomen with the other hand. 13. Apply pressure to lower part of spine while one limb is raised. Raise the other limb and
repeat the pressure. A POLARITY GENERAL SESSION * 1. Head Cradle 2. Sensory Motor Hold 3. Tummy Rock (on right side only) Then to the Right Foot 4. Inside ankle 5. Outside ankle 6. Ankle point 7. Toe pull and tendon compression 8. Toe pulls 9. Leg pull Repeat manipulations 4-9 on the left Foot then continue as below on the left Leg and Arm 10. Pelvic and Knee rock 11. Wrist flip 12. Arm rotation 13. Finger and Arm stretches 14. Thumb and Web stimulation 15. Thumb and Web to inside elbow 16. Elbow and lower rib contact 17. Pelvic Rock (diagonal X contact across the torso) Repeat manipulations 10-17 on the right Leg and Arm 18. Orbital corner and Occipital ridge (do both sides of the head) 19. Cranial Balance 20. Sensory/Motor current balance 21. Navel and Third Eye balance (on right side only) 21. Back brushing 22. Front brushing * For full details of the Polarity General Session see “Polarity Therapy—Healing with Life Energy” by Alan Seigel and General Session DVD. Click here
Dr. A. T. Still in his book, Research And Practice, gives detailed instruction for the general treatment of measles, diphtheria, influenza, mumps, chickenpox, smallpox, cholera, malaria, scarlet fever, and many other diseases. In fact, in reading Dr. Still, we come to the conclusion that he used general treatment in all abnormal conditions of the body except those of recent traumatic origin. Remember that the body functions always as a unit and never as a series of parts. To quote from McCole: "It is of basic importance in Osteopathy to remember that while we speak of anatomic parts of the body, such division has advantages for purpose of description only. The important fact is that life is carried on by the body, its muscles, nerves, glands, acting as a whole. The osteopathic concept is not built about parts as parts, but about the functional capacity of the body as a whole." The Polarity General session addresses the completeness of the energy flow by working the major positive, negative and neutral poles of the whole body as a unit. Like Osteopathy, Polarity is about the functional capacity of the whole energy system.
STRUCTURAL BALANCING by Morag Campbell RPP Structural Balancing is another unique feature of the art of Polarity Therapy. It deals with the way in which the body aligns itself in relation to external forces. These external forces can be interpersonal, environmental, cultural and of course gravitational. A body that is twisted and bent can still survive to a ripe age however a toll is taken in terms of restriction of energetic flow throughout the body, interruption of optimum organ functioning and a lack of variety in emotional states. A body that is unable to change and adjust to life's changing demands puts stresses and strains on the individual that can go unnoticed for years until along comes "the straw that breaks the camels back" so to speak. Polarity has many effective protocols for re-aligning the body which although at a superficial glance look much like pure physical manipulations are none-the-less performed with the express purpose of engaging and then re-establishing energetic flow. The energy can be view as the underlying template that influences the physical form. If the energy pattern becomes distorted then physical manipulation alone will be insufficient as the disturbed energetic flow will cause the physical body to eventually deviate from true again. The innate wisdom of the body will be constantly trying to align the body in its vertical position and over time this causes overlays of compensation to occur that the Polarity practitioner will have to help unravel. Thus what on paper looks like a series of manipulations become an art form and a joint exploration of a unique life history. In the structural work particular attention is paid to the position of the sacrum which form the "keystone" of the structure as a whole. True to the Polarity principles although the focus may be the sacrum attention is also given to its corresponding poles so that eventually all three poles are brought into alignment. After a series of corrections through the entire body the sacrum is finally balanced with its positive pole at the occiput and its negative at the heels .In order to do this the practitioner needs to be able to assess the body in its standing posture and for this a gravity board and plumb line is used so as to observe the deviations from a centre line. A house is only as good as its foundations and so work on the structure begins at the negative pole, the feet, and in particular the position of the heel bones. Not many people come to a Polarity practitioner asking for their structure to be re-aligned but the techniques available come into their own when dealing with persistent back pain, problems with the digestive organs and the organs of the pelvis such as menstrual conditions, breathing difficulties and even some skin conditions. Coupled with other specific energetic work in these areas as well nutritional advice and exercise the Polarity practitioner has a very powerful set of tools at his or her disposal. A total re-alignment of the Structure
Cont…...
THE PELVIS
The word pelvis means basin and it is composed of several articulating or fused bones and of course associated muscles. It is the centre of gravity for the whole body. It receives the weight of the upper body and transmit it to the legs and it also absorbs stresses from the lower body when walking and running for instance. The shape of the pelvis varies considerably from person to person. THE SACRUM
The sacrum is the posterior, wedge-shaped component of the pelvis. It is located between the two ilia and is in fact composed of five fused vertebrae. The first sacral vertebra articulates with the fifth lumbar vertebra and is known as the sacral base. The fifth sacral vertebra articulates with the coccyx or tail bone and is known as the apex of the sacrum. The anterior sacroiliac ligament binds the sacrum to the medial surface of the ilium and there is a series of posterior ligaments that connect the ilium to the sacral crest. Thus the sacrum is held firmly in place. However under stress it is possible for the muscles and ligament attachments to pull the sacrum out of alignment. This movement may only be a couple of millimetres but is enough to cause extreme pain and distress. The sacral base will tend to 'slip' inferior (downwards) and anterior ( inwards) on one side thus leaving the other corner of the sacral base superior and posterior.
It is critical that the practitioner recognises the relevant position of the sacral base and there are several indicators to help with the assessment. Sacral base Posterior - Superior There may be pain around the mastoid bone. Tension in the gluteal muscles on this side. Shoulder is high. Sacral base Anterior -Inferior Buttock line lower on this side (where there is good tone) Shoulder is low. High iliac crest Short leg side ( not a definitive indicator, short leg has other causes) Buttock crease between cheeks leans to this side. ( chronic conditions) COMPENSATIONS In order to ease pain and in response to the body's perceptions of 'uprightness' the body compensates for any movement of the sacral base. In the case of a right anterior-inferior base the lumbar spine will , when it can, move to the right in response to this shift . This shift can cause a compensatory movement to the left to occur above the diaphragm in the thoracic vertebrae . Further compensation can then occur in the cervical vertebrae and at the cranial base. A lumbar spine that does not move to the right with the sacral base creates great stress and consequent strain at the lumbo-sacral junction. The compensations that the individual body makes range from the subtle to the gross and each case is treated accordingly. For further information on this topic refer to "The Art of Polarity Therapy - a Practitioners Guide" by Phil Young.
CONSIDERATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF SPECIFIC PHYSICAL PROBLEMS WITH POLARITY THERAPY by Phil Young RPP and Morag Campbell RPP. KNEE PROBLEMS Physical: Injury/Trauma The gait cycle (check for problems with and injuries to ankle/hip and lower back. Consider arthritic conditions (acid/alkali balance in the diet, bodyweight, wear and tear). Archetypal (simple) energetic: Earth astrological triadv, earth chakra, disturbances in earth oval (liver/stomach energy problems in this area often show up as knee pains on the opposite side to unbalanced organ energy). Umbilical disturbance (Evolutionary bow position relationship of knees to navel). Dr Stone says that perineal locks often create temporary obstructions to the deep energy flow down the legs making the knees “give way” or collapse. (look for neck energy blocks – consider overall mobility of the neck, rotation, side bending, anterior-posterior translation, lateral translation, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis and colitis). Is it at a Chronic – Acute stage. Emotional: Earth is often related to FEAR. Knees are concerned with giving up, letting go, falling and surrender in a general sense. Look for fixity in earth energy emotional correlations. Knees are also essential for climbing and descending, consider what the emotional implications there might be to the idea of climbing or descending in life. Think of the upwardly mobile person in life or one who has lost everything through redundancy or a business collapsing. Knees are also to do with fear, we quake at the knees or buckle under fear or pressure. We stiffen our knees to give us a false sense of security. In order to support us emotionally and financially we often lock the knees back thus bracing ourselves against life and it’s perceived onslaughts. Soft relaxed knees act help the thighs like the shock absorbers they are designed to be and allow force to flow easily through the lower body. Soft knees allow us to absorb and ground any impact on us both physically and emotionally. Rigidity in the knees as the negative pole of the astrological triad of earth has its reflection the colon as spasticity and lack of absorption but also in the neck. The positive pole of the neck is where our control issues can be contacted. We hold our neck stiff, suck in our stomachs and lock back our knees thus deadening our responses and literally holding back, as the knees release the diaphragm can relax and the neck lets go. The head/neck complex either falls forward into collapse or gently up and back into openness and vulnerability. In terms of the mind look for a general rigidity (over structuring) of the psyche. Rigidly held beliefs and values.
Complex energetic Consider the relationship between fire and earth elements as both are positively charged and have a profound influence on each other. Fire warms a cold earth, whilst earth provides a support for fire as you cannot build a fire in mid-air. It needs a base as well as something to combust, earth provides fuel for the fire. Ether – Space – Grief. Without space in a joint there is no movement and general congestion. In relation to grief have they experienced any recent losses in their life? Loss of either a loved one or a possession (such as a job or a home). Air – moving through life Fire – see above Water – Perineal and autonomic balancing Earth - The Pentamirus Combinations of Earth Physical tissues Earth – Earth Bones Earth – Air Skin Earth – Water Flesh Earth – Fire Blood vessels Earth – Ether hair Look for any disturbance in the Earthy tissues governed by these elemental interactions to see which of the other four elements are perhaps disturbing or unbalancing the earth (element) Transpersonal: Giving in surrender to the greater will of God. Is it time to let go of the personal ego? TREATMENT POSSIBILITIES Five pointed star to release tension in the lower abdomen that is preventing energy releasing down the legs. Perineal session (for the same reasons as the five pointed star work and also to release emotional holding that the person may be “sitting on” as well as autonomic balance) General digestive work including umbilical sessions Balancing the energy in the earth chakra Working the three poles of the astrological triad of earth – neck, colon, knees Other elemental work. Consider structural corrections i.e: Os Calcis correction – problems with the feet and ankles will throw the body out of kilter further up. Purifying diet – especially if arthritic condition is suspected. Change acid/alkali balance
CONSIDERATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF SPECIFIC PHYSICAL PROBLEMS WITH POLARITY THERAPY SHOULDER PROBLEMS
Physical: Injury/Trauma/Posture Common physical problems in the shoulders come about as a result of bad lifting practices, over exercising/sporting injuries and poor posture. Check alignment of the head in relation to the shoulder. Ears should be in line with shoulders when viewed from the side. If the head is carried too far forward then strain is imposed on the trapezius muscle as it ‘shoulders’ the entire weight of the head. This posture leads to a chronic imbalance between the anterior and posterior muscles of the neck and torso. Consider also if the shoulders are rounded forward in a heart protecting posture or held up as if the person has a coat hanger beneath his/her clothing. This built-in startle reflex can get structured into the body in individuals who grow up in a threatening or loud environment where they are frightened most the time or where they were waiting for a blow to the head to occur for instance ( a good clip around the ear never hurt anyone – did it?). This posture leads to a chronic shortening of the trapezius muscle. The shoulders may also be un-naturally held back in the classic military posture lifting the ribcage into a chronically held state of inhalation. Consider arthritic conditions (acid/alkali balance in the diet, bodyweight, wear and tear) Archetypal (simple) energetic: Air astrological triad v, air chakra, and disturbances in air oval v (look for air energy blocks – breathing patterns and general mobility of the rib cage, Kidney problems or back pain and lack of flexibility in the ankles). Is it at a Chronic – Acute stage. Emotional: The emotion associated with the air element, of which the shoulders are the positive pole of the astrological triad, is greed. A person with a mobile, open, relaxed ribcage is able to be in touch with their heart feelings and is able to relate to others with compassion. Often the chest is collapsed, conveying a personality that never got its wants met, the shoulders clamp down in a posture of defeat and the breathing is severely impeded so that general vitality suffers as a consequence. The shoulders held in this posture also add to feelings of inadequacy and defeat. Dr Stone referred to the scapulae as the “wings of life” so keeping them clamped to the ribcage ensures that life is never lived to the full and in deed is perceived as a struggle. Shoulders pulled back form a protective function for the ribs and heart. This posture also conveys a mistrust of life as the person is always waiting for the “knife in the back”. Closing the back off in this way however over exposes the front of the chest and the person still has feelings of vulnerability. Feeling over- burdened or ‘shouldering responsibility’ can start with tension and pain in the shoulder area but living in a state of continual anxiety and stress can eventually affect the
kidneys, the neutral pole of the astrological triad for air, and can lead to eventual adrenal failure when taken to extreme. Complex energetic: Consider the relationship between air and water elements as both are negatively charged and have a profound influence on each other. Both elements are present in the chest or air oval, Air as respiration and movement (pumping of heart and breathing) and water as emotion and mucus. The Pentamirus Combinations of Air Physical tissues Air – Earth Contraction Air – Air Speed Air – Water Slow movement Air – Fire Shaking Air – Ether Lengthening Look for any disturbance in the shoulders governed by these elemental interactions to see which of the other four elements are perhaps disturbing or unbalancing the air element. Particularly the earth and ether combinations. Transpersonal: Trusting that God will supply our needs and that we live only by his/her grace. TREATMENT POSSIBILITIES • Balancing the energy in the air chakra • Polarizing the air oval • Working the three poles of the astrological triad of air – shoulders, kidneys, ankles Other elemental work Ether – Consider expression of wants and needs and free the shoulder girdle to create more space between scapula and rib cage. Brachial plexus release. Air – work with the breath to increase respiration and mobilize the shoulder girdle with brachial plexus work and trapezius release. Release the diaphragm as contraction here will pull down on the shoulder girdle. Also work on the thoracic inlet to ease off the trapezius muscle. Fire – Pain in the shoulder girdle is often as a result of poor digestion. Digestive reflexes from the liver and stomach are often carried up into the shoulders through the five pointed star. Work the five pointed star and fire of digestion treatment. Free sore points on the scapula and balance with the buttocks (sympathetic nervous system reflexes). Water – Five pointed star work will bring up emotions for expression and emotional clearing. Try perineal work to free shoulders and trapezius in unresponsive cases. Earth – Consider structural work on the pelvis and spine to give support to the shoulders. Often feelings of being over burdened come as a result of poor support from the lower body and the burden is carried on the shoulders alone. The body no longer works as a team. Feet and hand reflexes to the shoulders. Often shoulder condition result in a contraction of the arm and hand muscles – grasping. • Purifying diet – especially if arthritic condition is suspected. Change acid/alkali balance . • Breathing exercises. • The Cliffhanger.
Self Help for Headaches By Morag Campbell RPP Headaches are one of the most common ailments and can be easily and effectively dealt with using Polarity. As with all symptoms we need to address the underlying cause of such conditions and, in the case of headaches, the culprit frequently lies in the digestive system. This is especially true of headaches that affect the eyes, such as migraines, or those really annoying headaches that masquerade as eye strain and feel as if someone is pushing your eyes out from inside your skull. The head and the eyes are strongly related to the fire element and so balancing the fire chakra and connecting the eyes to the liver and stomach area is useful. Dr Stone talked about what he called 'the path of fire' which runs from the air toes (second toe), through the navel, where it crosses over and proceeds up the body, finally passing through the centre of each eye. Thus by stimulating the air toes and fingers and connecting them to the gall bladder and stomach alternatively, then working from the top of the head to underneath the jaw on each side in the region of the air current line, we can effectively clear the energy through this pathway. Another simple technique is to stick your right thumb in your navel and direct the energy from there to the painful area on the head, also paying particular attention to under the eyebrow ridge, where there are digestive reflexes.
Sometimes headaches are caused by tension in the motor pole of the eyes, which is the Occiput. Easing out tension at the occipital base and ensuring that the energy is flowing well through both sides of the neck is useful in these cases. Working the negative pole in the feet is also important and milking the big toes can help to bring relief as well as working into the diaphragm reflex just under the ball of each foot. With the help of a friend the following technique is useful for relieving gas pressure in the head. Place one hand on the back of the neck, with the thumb and forefinger just below the occipital ridge and the other hand on the forehead. The recipient is seated. Slowly push the head back over the supporting hand on the neck as far as is comfortable and then let the head come upright and slowly fall forward. Alternate between these two actions several times. You may find that results vary depending on which hand you have on the forehead. Experiment with both to see which gives the best result.
FOOTNOTE By Morag Campbell RPP In Polarity Therapy we recognise that the feet are the most negative pole of the body. Dr Stone said that the energy has a tendency to get congested in the most negative poles of the body ie: feet and pelvis. Ideally the energy leaves the positive pole at the head and flows to the feet where it is received and then allowed to flow back to the head through attraction, thus completing the cycle. If there is congestion in the feet therefore, the whole energy system can become blocked. The feet therefore are an important place to work in any session and can hold the key to a great many of our health problems. Chronic, and excuse the pun, 'long-standing' conditions often show up as pain and disturbance in the feet, whereas more acute conditions will tend to show up in the neuter pole of the hands. For the energy to be able to circulate through the whole body, the feet must be released. We can tell a lot from observing the feet. Our feet are our connection to the Earth and a high arch can be an indication that the person is ungrounded. Chronic tension in the feet, leading to conditions such as hammer toes, can represent fear as the toes seek to keep a grip on life. A pinched in 'waist' on the second/air toe can indicate a tightness in the diaphragm area, and pinching or compression at the base of the forth/water toe can indicate a chronic psoas spasm.* Each of the toe joints represent an aspect of the elemental triads, so for instance the first joint of the middle/fire toe represents the head area, the second joint-the solar plexus area and the third joint-the thighs. Distortion of any of these joints can point to a disturbance in these body areas, or a more general disturbance in that particular element. The astrological triads for the other elements are as follows,: Air-shoulders/kidney area/ankles, Water - breasts/genital area/feet and Earth - neck/bowels/knees.*** I notice a common disturbance of the earth toe for instance in which the toe is often bent and hidden under the water toe, indicating some disturbance in the colon and often some emotional holding. The feet are also the foundation of the whole structure and a misaligned heel bone or arch can set up a spiral of muscle imbalance throughout the rest of the structure. A small misalignment at the feet for instance, can manifest as a severe twist at the shoulder girdle and neck. Ill fitting or high heeled shoes have an adverse effect on both the feet and the position of the pelvis which can upset the entire structure. Whilst it is often the areas of pain that attract our attention as therapists, and require some local work to release holding and spasm, if the feet are not addressed then any manipulation further up the body will probably not hold. ** As well as being the main negative pole of the whole body, the feet are the negative pole of the water element and water imbalances will often show up here as oedema and painful feet. Painful menstrual cramps can be relieved by keeping the feet warm and dry. As you are probably already aware from reflexology, the whole of the body is represented in the feet, and so releasing tender areas here will have a 'knock on ' effect on the rest of the body. As well as the more common system of foot reflexology, Dr Stone had some different ways of looking at the feet correspondences to the body, which he called horizontal reflexes.
With reference to this, he devised a treatment which he called simply 'heart therapy' where he worked in the tendon interspaces between the toes. Which tendon interspace is worked depends on whether the heart condition is due to an emotional head/heart conflict, digestive disturbances and diet or due to a problem with the structure of the heart and its impulse to beat. For so many people their feet are an unloved part of their body, often neglected and squashed into ill fitting shoes for the sake of fashion. We should all be encouraged to take better care of our feet and self massage is a good place to start. Hard skin and corns should be dealt with by soaking in a bowl of hot water to which has been added a generous handful of Epsom salts or the hard area can be painted daily with almond oil to which has been added several drops of Tagetes oil. Within very short time our feet become soft and pliable and alive and with a new found spring in our step we can leap ahead more joyfully into life.
As a final thought a few words from Dr Stone. “Keep your head cool, your feet warm ,and your bowels open and you can hope for a long life!”
* Esoteric Anatomy by Bruce Burger. ** The Art of Polarity Therapy by Phil Young. *** Quinta Essentia-A study of the five elements by Morag Campbell
TEETH by Morag Campbell RPP I have just got back from my annual check up at the dentist and it got me thinking about the significance of teeth. I am sure that most people's awareness of their teeth comes from a purely cosmetic perspective - are my teeth white enough, straight enough - or from a pain perspective i.e.; I need to get to a dentist because I am in pain or discomfort. Sure we all clean our teeth, floss them even but there must be more to teeth than this surely? Rudolph Steiner had an interesting observation on teeth and that is that animals such as cows and other ruminants, are very digestively orientated. They have a constant need for food. Their teeth are primarily dominated by the molars which are great at grinding food. A cat and other felines tend to be more heart and lung dominated. They have to run at speed to catch food, and in these creatures the fangs (cuspids) dominant their mouths. Then there are the rabbits and other rodents who are very nervous system dominant, their mouths are dominated by the incisors. Interesting isn't it? Interesting too is the facet that in humans no one set of teeth is dominant and the incisors, cuspids and molars are about equal in size in our mouths. We humans of course recognise the need for good oral hygiene in order to keep are teeth in tip top condition, no one appreciates the excruciating nerve pain of toothache or the painful gums caused by gingivitis and yet there are more reasons to be conscious of the state of our teeth and gums than just those associated with our mouths. According to Egyptian tablets dating back as far as 650BC the great king Annaper-Essa suffered from terrible headaches and pains in the joints for which no cure could be found until one wise physician suggested that he had his teeth extracted, whereby his troubles miraculously disappeared. During the 17th century the French surgeon Jean Louis Petit pointed out in his Treatise on Surgical Maladies that dental caries can be responsible for all sorts of ailments. The bacteria Streptococcus viridans for instance, which can be found in the mouth can be responsible for such ailments as rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica and neuralgia. There is published evidence indicating that periodontal disease may be a risk factor for other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, the occurrence of preterm low-birth weight babies, and respiratory infections. How an infection in the teeth can be responsible for conditions in other sites of the body is not readily known but many people are often 'cured' of such diseases by having the offending teeth removed. So taking care of your teeth and gums is much more important that you might have previously thought and as usually prevention is always better than cure so making sure that you cut down on your sugar intake and e at lots of hard, crunchy fruits and vegetables. After eating it is a good idea to rinse and gargle to remove food particles that may be stuck between teeth and here's a tip that Dr Stone would approve of: for discoloured teeth, try salt mixed with lime or lemon juice to brush the teeth. To ease toothache, apply a couple of drops of cinnamon or clove oil to the base of the aching tooth. Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime), guavas or pomegranates should be included in the diet to ensure healthy gums as these fruits contain large quantities of vitamin C. Massaging the gums daily with a mixture of salt, black pepper, turmeric and sesame oil can also be beneficial. Keep smiling!
ONCE A WEEK? By Phil Young RPP
Have you ever wondered why most systems of alternative and complementary medicine only treat clients once a week? I certainly have. In my original thinking my sense of this was that it was most certainly dictated by financial considerations. As private health care providers most therapies are relatively expensive. So the once a week rule made financial sense as a trade off between cost and frequency. As I began developing my practice as a Polarity Therapist I was interested to note that people did seem to respond well given treatments just once a week although with clients with severe back pain I often recommended two sessions during the first week and weekly thereafter. I should also say at this stage in the discussion that structural problems could be treated more than once a week after a certain stage in the treatment process, as the work is definitely more towards re-educating the structure than resolving any specific energetic disturbances. As time passed I also began to perceive that the time period of one week between sessions had a more therapeutic significance in that it gave time for any acute healing reactions to resolve and for the energy system to reach a new and stable integration. It seemed to me that in the more general cases that I happened to treat more than once a week that it was as if the energy systems was simply being kept in a constant state of flux. There was no time for the system to stabilise at a new level. The constant energetic stimulation clouded the therapeutic results. One way of thinking of this is those childhood toys called snow scenes in a glass container, shaking the glass makes a little snow storm inside the container. In the case of energy work each treatment is like shaking that toy, shaking it again before the snow has time to settle is the equivalent of over treatment. There is no time in which things are allowed to settle. However, that said, in the case of acupuncture I was aware that in Chinese hospitals people can receive acupuncture daily and in the case of Polarity Therapy I had read that Dr Stone treated people more frequently than once a week in his clinics in India. Also in Homeopathy, a system which Dr Stone often referred to, a remedy is taken daily. As I have already indicated ,in some cases, I have treated clients more than once a week with good results. So is there a basis for more frequent polarity treatment? I think the real answer to that must be yes but my sense is that the treatments, like a homeopathic remedy, should be precise i.e. related to one particular element or one aspect of the nervous system. To complicate matters a little further I also perceive a difference between the treatment frequency of chronic and acute illnesses. Dr Stone said that you can only resolve a chronic condition when you have made it acute again through increased energetic circulation. With this in mind it seems obvious that it is certainly practical, perhaps even necessary, to treat a chronic (low energy) condition more than once in relatively quick succession until you get the system back to an acute stage (high energy) at which point you can resolve it with the appropriate local release of energy blockages and global energetic stimulation and balancing. In the case of a client presenting an acute condition it is unlikely to need more than one treatment a week as the system is already very energetically active and it will need time to re-organise after each session. Please remember however that sometimes even the application of one global energetic polarity treatment such as Pierre’s general energy
balancing session is all that the energy system might need to shift even a twenty year old chronic illness to an acute stage. In my recent researches on the history of Osteopathy, through the writings of its founder Andrew Taylor Still , I discovered the following comment “there a few illnesses that will admit more than one treatment a week”, strong support indeed for the weekly session. In reading further, what is clear is that the majority of people that he treated were suffering from acute illnesses. A situation that is more true for all allopathic doctors who the majority of people use as their first health care option in acute conditions. In the United Kingdom the majority of alternative and complementary practitioners are used only after all the allopathic treatments have failed so typically, unlike the early Osteopaths, we treat chronic low energy conditions that will admit a more than weekly session. In closing and beyond all theorisation please be guided by the energy itself
ADDICTION AND CO-DEPENDENCY by Morag Campbell RPP - PART 1
In fact these two topics could be classified under the single heading of dependency, since in the first place we are dependent on a substance and in the second, the dependency is on another human being. Dependency can be defined as psychological inward attachments. The more we are attached, the greater the dependency. In the polarity model attachment is seen as a problem of the water element, however the problem probably does not initially arise in this element and so when we look at what is going on at an elemental energetic level it is useful to begin with the fire element as in many cases this is the start of our problems. The model we are about to look at clarifies what happens at an energetic level in relation to stress and a perceived assault upon the ego or sense of self as we seek to establish our identity through the elements. ETHER - I AM. AIR - I WANT. FIRE - I CREATE. WATER - I FEEL. EARTH - I HAVE. The fire element is seen as a masculine energy. It is primarily involved with our creativity. In relation to our ego it is the creative impulse to perfection. However the manifestation of this initial creative impulse is often less than perfect and this leads to the following behaviours and feelings. First, there is anger and a sense of failure. This is followed by frustration and the inability to accept criticism and then hostility. As the energy increases as in figure 1. and peaks we try to alter what we are doing, if we are unable to, or the new idea also does not work then there is great disappointment and increased hostility. At this stage we attempt to keep going but if the energy collapses then we fall into victim mode. AT THIS POINT WE MAY WELL JUMP INTO THE WATER ELEMENT IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE US FEEL BETTER. Staying in the fire pattern leads to cynicism, becoming over critical and judgmental and then there is the final collapse into bitterness, vengefulness and hatred or the negation of love. THE WATER ELEMENT AND ITS ROLE IN DEPENDENCY. Water is a very passive element so we tend to fall into it when the other elements fail. The egoic sense of water is an appreciation of the world through the senses: I FEEL, THEREFORE I AM ! Addictive passions are not vivid or intense they are passive, indiscriminate and banal. The addict is satisfied by the superficial qualities of a substance or person. The addiction fills time and occupies attention so that deeper meaning and feelings never develop. There is the wish to escape from the realisation that it is impossible to be "all together " all the time. Things are not always perfect ! The energy starts to rise and in the alarm reaction phase (figure 1, on next page) we appreciate the experiences that we are having. They dull the bad feelings that we have
about ourselves. Self gratification comes into play and pleasure seeking in a passive way. At the peak of this phase we are very good at rationalising our behaviour. The water
element is the negative pole of the mind after all. As we move into the resistance stage the energy is building and we become gluttonous. We play with the world and we want more and more sensuous experiences. At this point we become very seductive and often we stay in these two phases as the energy rises, drops back again then rises again. However there is a tendency to become over indulgent, not fully digesting the one experience before beginning another. We are now in a obsessive, compulsive pattern and are entering the pre-addictive phase. Right action now can divert disaster! As we topple over into the exhaustion phase there is a lack of energy to digest the experiences and so we are driven even further into exhaustion. We are now totally addicted and do not have the energy to rebuild ourselves. We are less and less able to cope and unable to deal with the anxieties that put us in this situation in the first place. This leads to irresponsibility as the taking of a substance, whatever that might be, is the only way we know to stimulate the energy of this element, but it does not work and so we have more and more even though we know that it is dangerous. The alternative is the death of the ego. By this stage we have lost all discrimination so any drink or drug or sexual partner will do. Self loathing hits an all time high as we are helpless against the effects of our addiction. This causes increased anxiety, lack of interest in anything and an increased desire for oblivion. Also at this time we become good at getting other people to do things for us and facilitate the habit ( co-dependency ). In the final phase of degeneration there is no hope and no defences left. We hit rock bottom. The connective tissue of the body collapses, the lymph system breaks down and infection sets in. We lose the very sense of self that we set out to maintain.
ENERGY WORK Ellipted attention This distracts us from having to feel fully or relate to ourselves. At its worse we can only feel ourselves in terms of the other person. We shift our field of awareness to someone else. If attention is at the edge of my field then I am vulnerable to whatever the other
person does. Practical: Stand and feel the extent of your own energy field. Become aware of the edge of the field only, how does this make you feel emotionally. Two person work place your awareness at edge of field and have another person do some frenetic activity or stand peacefully. What are the effects on you?
Dropped attention Here the focus is on yourself. Focus on your own energy field and body sensations. Connect to the body. Practical: Chi Kung exercise drawing in energy from heaven and earth to heart and then sinking it to tan tien by reverse abdominal breathing. Try different shapes of energy fields. Round, square, triangle shape for instance. Open attention This places the focus on self and includes others. Expand the energy field and attention in all directions to include the fields of others. Imagine that you are the nucleus of an atom and the people around you are electrons. Part 2 of this article will continue with explorations of specific Polarity bodywork and other therapeutic interventions.
ADDICTION AND CO-DEPENDENCY by Morag Campbell RPP - PART 2 When we are dependent or addicted the very grounding of our life is missing. There is no joy, no ability to take pleasure in people, things or activities. There is an inability to master relevant parts of our environment coupled with a lack of confidence in our ability to make a difference for ourselves and others. We may be anxious, emotionally volatile with little control over the expression of our instinctual needs. There may be periods of self doubt, feelings of inadequacy and dependency plus a desire to escape from everything including ourselves. There may also be feelings of separateness and so a desire for interpersonal fusion. These feelings, which are common in adolescence, are the reasons why so many young people begin addictive trends at this time. The inability to cope with the world and a high fear of failure leads the addict to seek out the repetitive sensations and rituals and routines , anything in fact that helps to avoid new situations and alleviate the need for decision making. The solutions to these problems depend on what stage the person is at when you first see them. If they are in the exhaustive phase of the fire cycle then you must find ways to build that energy so as to increase their vitality and encourage independence. Get them to find a vision or passion - a purpose to life. Also encourage them to acknowledge and express needs so that they feel nurtured. It is extremely important that they get back in touch with their body and feelings. Bodywork Examples: Release work on solar plexus and thighs. Release fire spiral on back of body. Release holding in neck to get them in touch with feelings again and encourage expression maybe with perineal work. Stimulate fire chakra Once someone has entered the water phase of the cycle then try to build self esteem. ( Beware that therapy falls under the heading of someone doing something for them and risks encouraging co-dependency ) Get them interested in their own well-being. Stop the addictive cycle by breaking the pattern - you may have to be cruel to be kind. Put them back in control by utilising trance and non-trance states. Build their energy levels with bodywork and diet. Get them interested in new activities and encourage enthusiasm. Get them out of the habit of comparisons - this is hard as our entire lives are based on comparisons and we have been conditioned to compare all the time. It is comparison that brings about the feelings of inadequacy and emptiness. "Measurement and comparison is the essence of dependence. - To live without comparison means no dependence, no self sufficiency, no seeking, no asking. Therefore it means to love. Love has no comparison, therefore love has no fear" - Krishnamurti.
Bodywork Examples: Pelvic release work, such as perineal, to bring up feelings. Six pointed star work to balance fire and water and harmonise the spiritual with the body. Ether work to establish ego and re-connect with source and to encourage a safe space where the individual can be aware of the emptiness without trying to escape or condemn or evaluate it. Meditation practice may be helpful as well Chi Kung. TRANCE WORK Consider the nature of the watery loop and memory states and patterns. These memories of states that we adopt in relation to trauma or learned responses mean that we hold the trauma psychologically as well as somatically. We know that tight muscles and particular breathing patterns "freeze" the experience in the body and this is where polarity can be so useful in releasing these patterns. As children the minds eye takes a picture of what we don't want to happen and we then view life through that filter- alter it by recalling a pleasurable experience, lengthen it, expand it, deepen it and bring it into the present time. ( We have many experiences some good some bad but we can learn from all of them, even the bad experiences can be good in some aspect )In co-dependency there is much age regression and positive hallucination (projection) that the adult child is constantly reliving the past in the present time. We impose pictures and voices over the present moment- Hallucinating what is not there. We are locked into the situation because of fear for our life or fear that we can not take care of ourselves. Keep focused in the present moment. For projection get them to focus on some part of you that attracts them whenever they start to project on to you, or get them to imagine that your face is a rubber mask, if you peeled it off, who do you see? Make the implicit -explicit. Get them to create the hallucination several times so they get a sense that they are the creator of it not the victim. They take charge of it. In addiction people elicit the deep trance phenomenon of Amnesia. They may also include disassociation, confusion and negative hallucination. In order for an addiction to endure the person has to blank out some portion of the outer world.For instance children of alcoholic parents blank out parents fighting or passing out through drink, they move to the safety of intrapersonal trance ( withdrawal into their own world) instead of interpersonal trance where they have to watch parent drink. However the drinking parent exists within the psyche and the childhood conflict of watching the parent drink becomes re-enacted in the adult watching herself drink. To cope with the conflict the old trance state is re-enacted. Addictive behaviour of any kind " I have to...." involves a narrowing and fixating of attention. Practical: Experience fully what happens as trance emerges ie: fogginess. Keep eye contact to keep them in the present. Expand the experience of negative hallucination ie: let the fog get more dense. Alter the structure of the hallucination, move it around, change its shape, size, colour, texture, smell. By increasing the changes you break out of the pattern of not seeing. Instruct to see what is not there. Different sensory experience from the habitual one. This stimulates resources formerly not retrievable. What else are you "not" seeing that "is" there.
Confusion is another trance phenomenon. This produces two polarised identities. "I want it my way" and "I'll do anything to please you". Both exist side by side. "I'll do anything" is designed to win love and approval. This creates an internal struggle. We project one identity "I want it my way and you'll do anything to please me" -Bear. Or " I'll do anything to please you and you want it your way" - Wimp. Sometimes we flip between the two. To stop confusion going on automatic try a neutral response "I don't care if I do it your way or not" This diffuses and confuses again. Confusion can be a ruse to get you what you want ie: dumb blond. We may also use our intellect to present a state of confusion in order to present a facade of control or stability. This is done to defend against our own confusion. We project one identity "I want it my way and you'll do anything to please me" -Bear. Or " I'll do anything to please you and you want it your way" - Wimp. Sometimes we flip between the two. To stop confusion going on automatic try a neutral response "I don't care if I do it your way or not" This diffuses and confuses again. Confusion can be a ruse to get you what you want ie: dumb blond. We may also use our intellect to present a state of confusion in order to present a facade of control or stability. This is done to defend against our own confusion.
Ripples in a Pond By Morag Campbell RPP Very often our focus in the work that we do is quite rightly on the client. However that client is not in isolation and the changes that occur for them have their ramifications on their family members, friends and acquaintances. Like a stone dropped in a pool of water the ripples spread out in an ever increasing circle, so that when we treat one person we are in effect also treating a number of others as well. This can easily be explained when we consider the practical implications that changes in beliefs, diet and lifestyle and even communication have on those people who are close to the client and who will experienced the changes most directly. As the client changes, those around them are gently forced into change as well. For some this is a welcome development - for others it raises greater and greater resistance. Change also happens on a very subtle energetic level as well and the effects can be experienced immediately by those close to them, as the clients' energy shifts and changes in response to Polarity bodywork. This was illustrated very graphically by one of my clients. Case History Beth was woman in her early forties. She was tall and thin with an air of fragility about her. Always, elegantly dressed she came to Polarity with anxiety as her presenting problem. I learned that she was in a problematic marriage and had two children, aged 14 and 8. Her second pregnancy had been difficult. The baby was large and her belly had swollen so much towards the end of the pregnancy that the skin had split around her umbilicus and had remained sore and open wounds for the last six weeks of her term. At this time her relationship with her husband was extremely problematic and she received little or no support from him. She felt abandoned and afraid and she had directed a certain amount of anger, or maybe more appropriately misdirected it, at the growing child in her womb. As a consequence of this her relationship with her youngest son had always been problematic. He did not like to be touched and hugged and now was exhibiting signs of anti social behaviour in the home, such as not communicating with family members and being somewhat aggressive especially towards her. Because of the charge on the pregnancy and the situation with her son, I began with umbilical work. I began by telling her that I would be working in and around her navel. She immediately became terrified and said that no one had touched her belly since the birth of her son and it was obvious that there was a large amount of fear locked up in this area. We spoke about this for a short while and I asked if she would be willing to allow me to initially place just the flat of my hand lightly over the navel with the proviso that at any time she could tell me to remove it. I explained that I would do nothing without her consent and that we would work closely together to see if we could get some resolution of the problem. Putting my right hand lightly over the navel immediately brought a rush of tears but she told me to leave the hand where it was so I did, holding satvically with my left hand over her heart. Gradually I could feel the emotion subsiding and the tissue beneath my hand began to respond to my touch. Working gently, and checking in with her often, I gradually worked to regain the trust of the tissues. After 20 minutes or so I was able to switch the contact to my right thumb in the navel and this more concentrated
contact brought a rush of shaking throughout her body and waves of cold energy streaming through her system. A narrow band of air around her body felt cold also. She identified this as fear. After a short time her breathing changed and became deeper and I continued the contact in the navel whilst working around her body with my left hand to encourage the energy from this centre to expand out through the whole system. After a while I felt my thumb growing warmer and Beth began smiling. She eventually placed her own hand over my hand at the umbilicus. I flattened my hand to make a broad contact again over the area and her hand pressed down on mine. We stayed like this for a few minutes, then she turned her head towards me and said "thank you." I then slid my hand from her body and she lay there for some time with her own hands over her belly, quietly lost in her own thoughts. Clearly, a powerful release had occurred and she had re-established contact with that part of her body that she had rejected for over 8 years. This in itself was a positive response to the session but there was more! When she returned for the next session, Beth told me that on returning home, her son had rushed to the door to greet her, thrown his arms around her and said " I am glad you are home Mum." Ripples in the pond indeed !
AND ....RELAX! by Morag Campbell RPP Maybe the most obvious place that we see the link between the mind and the body is in the area of stress. Stress, we are lead to believe is at the root of the majority of the illnesses that beset us. It leads to illness, we are told, because it suppresses the immune system. First of all we need to recognise that stress is a very individual response to certain stimuli, be they physiological or psychological. An event which is highly stressful to one person can be much less so to another. The response seems to be predetermined, to a great extent, by an individuals' genetic tendency to hormonal activity and previous learned experience. However it is a fact of life that each one of us, to some greater or lesser extent, finds certain times or events in our lives stressful. If we look for a moment at the physiology and biochemistry of stress, we see that nerves connect the brain to every organ and tissue in the body and any challenging or threatening situation activates the body's stress response, which involves the release of a hormone that stimulates physiological arousal and regulates the immune system. The key areas involved in this stress response are the hypothalamus and locus ceruleus in the brain, the pituitary gland, the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenals. So called stress hormones are released from the brain, cortisol is released from the adrenal glands and nerve chemicals are released from nerve endings. All this chemical activity modifies the ability of the immune cells to fight infection. There is at this time, well documented evidence to support the fact that stress does indeed affect the body's ability to respond to viruses and bacteria and indeed also has a tendency to prolong wound healing. The immune system operates as a decentralized network which responds to anything that invades or disrupts the body. Immune cells are generated in the bone marrow, lymph glands, spleen and thymus. Each of these areas communicate with each other via tiny proteins. These chemical messengers send signals to the brain through the bloodstream or nerve pathways. In this way a continuous communication is set up to balance the stress and the immune system response. New research is now finding that under certain conditions, the stress hormone cortisol is not only an immunosuppressant but that it may even enhance certain aspects of the immune function. It seems that chronic stress is as a rule immunosuppressive, whereas acute stress can enhance cell mediated immunity, which sounds good but can lead to the exacerbation of such conditions as contact dermatitis and allergic skin conditions. Once again, the key factor seems to be the balance between the hormones secreted by the hypothalamus (corticotropin releasing hormone- CRH) and the amount of cortisol released from the adrenal glands. The cortisol is the classic stress hormone but it also has an inhibiting effect that then regulates the stress response by sending a message back to the hypothalamus to stop the release of CRH. Cortisol is therefore an important immunoregulator, acting throughout system to prevent it from overreacting and harming healthy tissue. This is the reason why so many Doctors treat inflammatory conditions with cortisol (hydrocortisone) injections.
Problems can also occur when for some reason the hypothalamus does not send out enough CRH which is the case in some conditions of depression which can blunt the stress response. This leads to lethargy, fatigue, increased sleep and increased eating. Interestingly some people have all the symptoms of depression listed here but also have symptoms of a hyperactive immune system, such as those people suffering from fibromyalgia who also experience muscle ache and joint pain. Here is a clear case of the chemical messenger communication getting thoroughly confused. Fatigue, coupled with hyperactivity of the immune response is associated with cortisol deficiency which occurs when CRH secretion decreases. Well so much for all the scientific bit. As you can see the picture is complex. We know that the slightest disruption of the hormonal system can reek havoc throughout the entire body, so where does all this leave us as practicing Polarity therapists? Actually in quite a strong position. From the facts above we can see that helping our clients into a state of deep relaxation with a predominance of satvic bodywork, balancing the energy of the chakras to strengthen endocrine functioning, and working on the adrenal glands both directly and through reflex action will undoubted have a powerful effect on the regulation of these stress hormones. Cranial sessions and core sessions, such as the perineal work, will also undoubtedly bring about relaxation and re-organisation of the whole system on a deep level. Dr Stone called this work metal emotional therapy and, as stress is an emotional response to a stimulus, the benefits if such sessions are clear. Research has also shown that a strong positive social support or group psychotherapy has a beneficial effect on patients suffering from illness. Dr Stone of course was well aware of this, and it was the reason that he was adamant in encouraging positive thoughts and attitudes. Pierre Pannetier said that he never heard Dr Stone utter a negative statement, although he did tell some awful jokes, but that's another story! So the support and the relationship that we can offer as Polarity therapists can make the crucial difference as to whether someone's' illness gets a hold or not, and can lead, at the very least to a vastly improved state of wellbeing and quality of life, and at best to a complete resolution of their problem. I would also argue that the fact that we touch during our sessions is also having a strong effect on the immune response as well. In humans loneliness is perceived as a "threat" and engenders a stress response which often manifests as high blood pressure. Sometimes we, the therapist, may be the only resource, point of contact and support that a person may have. We should not therefore underestimate the effects that we are having simply in our close relationship to the client, and the benefits of the bodywork sessions that we perform. Touch someone deeply enough and with Love and we engender a positive, expansive, life affirming response. Medical data taken from Scientific American. August 2002. Polarity thoughts - my own.
The Mystic Bible by Randolph Stone by Morag Campbell RPP As a new student of Polarity the theory of the energy flows, the elements, the three gunas etc are often confusing. This confusion is not really alleviated by reading the two Volumes of Dr Stone either. So often the writings of Dr Stone are a mixture of bodywork procedures and biblical quotes so if we want to really understand where Dr Stone was coming from and the esoteric meaning behind the different qualities of the life energy that he mentions we must go to the least known of his publications - The Mystic Bible. This 340 page book was said to have been written by Stone all in one go as a continuous stream of consciousness. The book is obviously strongly influenced by the teachings of his spiritual master Maharaj Sardar Charan Singh Ji and the thrust of the publication is the explanation of many of the stories of the Bible from a hidden or esoteric perspective. The emphasis is also on the Soul's journey through this earthly realm and explains the strong spiritual perspective behind the work of Polarity Therapy. In chapter V111 entitled Creations in Eden, Stone has three headings 1. the Garden 2. the three types of trees and 3. the four rivers out of the One River. These headings relate to the creation as described in the Bible in the book of Genesis. "Eden", Stone tells us, "is the etheric or astral plane of finer substances than the physical." He goes on to say that " It is the individual etheric or astral body created for man at this stage and on this level of involution." So within us all and forming the matrix for our existence here is the garden of Eden or paradise. This is in fact our beginning, our own genesis and it is from this place that we move out into the physical world of our senses. As to the heading The Four Rivers out of the One River in the Bible Stone tells us that the One River "is the psychic prana which flows out of the etheric realm and becomes the gross physical prana which in turn flows over the nervous system in the body of man".
Physical body. "The prana flows over the five Tattwas* as fields and regions in the human body, as wireless energy, before it becomes the gross prana of nerve impulses and physical action". At this point he does not mention the nature of the four rivers but we can surmise that they represent the four elements in their manifestation. Stone explains how the psychic prana can be wasted in it's downward drive for sensation, and the mind and soul become enslaved to the earthward pull. Exhausted by this downward pull, there is little chance of the this fine etheric energy being purified and drawn upward and inward by concentration ie: meditation. The wasting of this energy in satisfying the five senses prevents spiritual progress and also robs the body of the life energy necessary for perfect health and vigor, he says. So Dr Stone confirms that we are indeed energy or vitality wasters. With more emphasis on our spiritual selves and our soul's purpose and less on our emotions and bodily sensations we may once again be reminded of our origins in heaven and our continuing connection to that realm. He goes on to say that "The Spiritual Life is not trouble-free on this earth, but the earth life is a test in our overcoming those lower tendencies by the strength of the Inner Grace and Love.”
*Tattwas are the materials most active and therefore important to the physical body in the bloodstream ie:air/ oxygen, water/lymphatic fluid and fire/nourishment. They are also the three materials necessary for all growth as demonstrated by the seed. In order for the seed to germinate it must have oxygen, water and warmth before it will commence sprouting.
PASSION by Phil Young RPP One of the most problematic things in being a practitioner of alternative or complementary medicine is to actually create a viable practice. It's an area that most training bodies in the field are guilty of misrepresenting in that they often present it as something that is easy to do, suggesting that clients will flock to your door. In reality, its all too often clear from the very first interview with a student as to who is going to make a successful business out of their healing work and who isn't. Ethically, any trainer should make very clear the potential difficulties a practitioner is going to face as well as the strategies they will need use to create a thriving healing practice. Many people take trainings in alternative medicine for their own personal interest and development rather than to become a professional healer. One only has to look at the classified advertisements in newspapers and bodywork journals, as well as on eBay, to realise that a lot of people who train to become practitioners are giving up because of the sheer numbers of second-hand bodywork tables that are for sale. The impulse that makes one want to train as a healer is not necessarily accompanied by the abilities required to be a successful practitioner. To be able to create a practice requires you to be a small-business person. This means that you have to be your own sales and marketing manager as well as accountant and secretary. All this alongside being a practitioner of your own chosen healing art. This is no small challenge and one that many fail at. The most fundamental key to being successful lies in your ability to network and simply talk to people about your work. All too commonly practitioners find it easy to talk about their particular therapeutic approach but to the average person in the street it often sounds like gobbledygook. Healers often forget that they have been educated in both a philosophy of healing as well as a language of healing that is not shared by the general public. You have to be able to talk to people in a way that they understand and yet more importantly, you have to be able to convince them to come and see you. To use a sales terminology you have to close the deal. One of the most effective approaches to selling your work as a healer is to be passionate about what to do. Passion in anyone tends to be attractive. If you feel passionate about something it is easy to be really congruent in your expression, to speak fluently and easily with no um's or er's. However, there is a difference between being passionate and being overly evangelical. Evangelism can be very off putting and many healers have a tendency to be very evangelical particularly just after they have finished their training. Evangelism can be passionate but it can also feel coercive and that can turn some of your potential clients right off the idea of having a session. However, people do like to be persuaded and it is your genuine passion for your work that will do that for you. The key to genuine passion is to really understand what you love to do. By that I don't mean what therapeutic interventions you use but what it is that really excites you about working with another human being who is in physical pain, emotional distress or in need of a new direction in their life. It's not the easiest question to answer. All too often during the training period students get caught up in the specifics of the particular therapeutic approach they are studying. This is, of course, an essential part of the training process. But the move from technical
proficiency to really working with people in a very deep way is a step that many practitioners don't quite make. They have an enthusiasm about the particular approach they are using but never quite get to the point where the specific therapeutic style or model drops away and the work becomes a profound way of contacting and supporting another human being during their voyage to self-healing and personal discovery. Your passion as a practitioner is clearly related to the way in which you experience and guide that unique process. To put it another way what is it that you love to do and experience with your clients? What are the fundamental guiding principles that you use? Is your fundamental goal to ease their suffering or to enhance their personal self-awareness or take away their pain? What gets you excited about working with another human being? What makes it a delight to sit in your treatment room at the beginning of the day in anticipation of the experiences to come? Your understanding of what you love to do and its daily expression in your work gives your healing business a unique focus. This focus and your enthusiasm is what is truly infectious. It is this that makes your clients into your sales team. The experience they have with you is what they are going to go out and tell other people about. In general they won't be telling them about the specific body contacts you make or what you have talked about. It will be the feeling experience they had during the session that they want to share with family and friends. Oddly, you don't even have to be profoundly effective in terms of your therapeutic interventions to create a viable practice. If the whole overall process of being with you is engaging and full of contact that is often all that you need in your sessions. Many years ago the British Medical Association created a report on complementary therapies; its conclusion was primarily that healing practitioners didn't do anything except give people time. The tone of the report indicated that this 'giving of time' was really a somewhat inconsequential aspect of our work. The reality is quite the opposite in most cases it is the most important aspect of our work. We do give people time and our full attention during that time whether its twenty minutes or two hours. Time experienced in this way with another human being is such a rarity in the modern world. Even within committed personal relationships there is often too little time to simply 'be' with each other. In your sessions there is time enough for love; for contact and support, and depending upon your therapeutic approach, time for holding and touching and for listening and hearing. In every session you give there is time for your passion as a practitioner of the Healing Arts to find expression. So what is your passion?
POLARITY - IS IT LIKE REIKI ? By Morag Campbell RPP One of the first questions I am asked when I say what I do is "is it like Reiki?" The answer is no, but the frequency of the question leads me to believe: 1. In the Reiki PR machine 2. The propensity of the general public to fit all energy based healing systems into the same box. Polarity varies from Reiki, spiritual healing and magnetic healing in one very fundamental way. The purpose of Polarity manipulations is to establish the flow of finer energy currents in a person so that there can be a constant exchange of the finer forces of nature with their system. In other words, we are seeking to both enable the free flow of vital energy both into the person's system and to establish the free flow of old or stagnant energies away from the system. In Polarity therefore we do not give energy or take it away as in Chi Kung healing, nor do we channel universal energy in the way that Reiki practitioners and spiritual healers do, rather we seek to balance the person's own energies by releasing excess surface tension so the energy centres of the body can radiate fully and the energy can flow to where it is destined. This presupposes the innate intelligence of the human energy system. It is not up to us to determine where the energy might flow, whether there should more or less in any given area, but rather, by exposing the person to the full extent of the "pool" of energy within, their own system can determine where it can be put to best use. This is a fundamental difference from the aforementioned therapies which tend to give energy. We swim in a universal ocean of energy and when the impediments to an individual's free flow of energy are removed, energy is drawn naturally into the system wherever and whenever it is needed. This free energy is available; in the air we breathe - in the form of prana, in the foods we eat - providing it is fresh, unprocessed food preferably eaten raw, directly from the earth and from the finer emanations of good friends and acquaintances. By directing the individual to seek out these conditions in their life all the energy they will ever need is available to them all the time. Freeing the energy system in order for these finer essences to be accessed points to another difference between Polarity and these other modalities. In a Polarity session, we do not just lay our hands on the body or work exclusively slightly off the body in the energy field or aura, but we actually get physical. We manipulate the physical body utilising specific forms of touch in order to release tension and holding in the tissues. However, the underlying purpose of such physical manipulation, which is very different from say massage, is to free the inherent energy in the body, which means as Dr Stone said, there is specific intent and meaning to our manipulations and not just mere mechanical labour. The application of a simple magnetic balancing hold to an area of blocked energy will not be as effective as a positive action i.e. one that stimulates the energy. This kind of manipulation, or positive physical action in the contact, stimulates the flow through its repelling action. Such
manipulations often cause some temporary pain and discomfort. The currents aroused then complete their own circuit of flow. Polarity therefore has more to offer in terms of health care and the return to well being than these other energy healing systems. A system whereby you are given a lot of energy is rather like suddenly winning the lottery. In the short term it can feel wonderful but just having a lot of money does not ensure that you know how to use it wisely so that it may sustain and support you through out your life. Finally, remember there is no Tea* in Reiki! *(Polarity has a unique blend of cleansing herbs that go to make up what is known as the Polarity Tea).
The Jewellery Question By Phil Young RPP The question of whether or not a client should keep their jewellery on during a polarity session is one that frequently comes up in training courses. Over the last 20 years I have heard many different opinions expressed on this topic. In my mind the answer to the question lies in Dr Stone's writings. In particular the section in the book 5 Vitality Balance in volume 2 in the section called the wonderful effect of gold and silver (page 102-103). The first thing we have to realise in reading the section is the Dr Stone actually used metals in his treatments. We know from anecdotal accounts that when people were waiting for their session, the receptionist put gold and silver clamps on their fingers and toes. He also used gold and silver combs during his sessions. These were stroked down the body to create specific energy affects or were used on reflex areas. So in actual fact the use of metal particularly precious metals is in some sense intrinsic to the practice of Polarity Therapy. In another section in Dr Stone's writings he does mention making a couple of turns of gold or silver wire around a finger to stimulate the energy. He also talks about the way in which the golden wedding band stimulates the water energy and hence the reproductive system in the body. So the answer to the question ‘should a client takeoff any jewellery that they wear habitually during session’ is, I believe, ‘no’. To me any jewellery that is worn habitually becomes a part of the clients energy system. Therefore I feel it is incumbent on me to get the energy flowing and balanced whilst they wear the jewellery. If I were to get them to take off the jewellery, and then get their energy balanced, it is quite possible that in putting what is perhaps quite pure gold or silver jewellery back on, they are quite likely to disturb or even destroy the balance that I have created. This must be the case if, as Dr Stone says, gold and silver are such powerful factors in influencing the life energy. So I never get a client take off jewellery. It's also important to remember that at various times you can fall foul of issues of personal freedom in asking a client to remove jewellery particularly when that jewellery is relative to their religion, culture or beliefs. The last thing we want to do as polarity therapists is to create a mental or emotional disturbance in a client that might make them feel threatened in any way. We want to have them as responsive as possible. Another question arises as to whether a Polarity Therapist should remove their own jewellery before giving a session. In large part the same principles apply. I myself have found over the years that wearing an electronic quartz watch is quite disturbing to my perception of the energy. I do wear a watch now but I have made sure that is an old-fashioned self-winding watch with no electrical energy within it. This does not appear to affect my perceptions. I have never found that any jewellery that I have worn in the past has affected the energy flow in my body in such a way that it had a deleterious effect on the client. One only has to realise that it is common for everyday experiences to disappear into the background of our consciousness so that they have no particular influence. A personal case in point being that I habitually carry my wallet in my left rear trouser pocket. I have no awareness of it there. Just recently I took to wearing it in my right pocket and found it initially incredibly disturbing, I was acutely aware of it all the time, then suddenly it disappeared from my awareness and moved into the backdrop of my consciousness. In fact I'm more aware of it if it is not there. If I happen to forget to put it in my
pocket in the morning it can ruin my day! I believe this could be an important consideration in asking any therapists to takeoff jewellery. I suspect it could be extremely disturbing to their perception of the life energy simply because it is not there. Their awareness will be drawn to that lack, that emptiness or ether space to use a Polarity terminology. This would be extremely disturbing to their perception of life energy. The only practical consideration here is that bracelets and/or some rings may catch on the client during a session and should therefore be removed for that reason. Pragmatically, long finger nails can be more or a problem for therapist and client alike, than any jewellery that may be worn. As Dr Stone pointed out, anything that has a profound influence on human consciousness can be used for healing. Therefore, as all Polarity therapists know it is equally true the anything that has a negative effect on our consciousness can create disease. My take on the topic is to avoid disease in either client or therapist. Though of course others may have different opinions.
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