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by Emily A. Francis

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Many times when someone receives physical body work, such as massage or reiki, it seems that often, perhaps just a few days, later their pains return just the same way they were before their treatment. This could be due to two things: First they may have only had one particular layer addressed and treated (such as just the muscles, just the mind, just the energy layers, or just any one avenue of the body in isolation). The second reason is possibly due to the fact that we as a population do not know our bodies and our minds well enough to continue with whatever shift the body has just undergone through a particular treatment. There are no meditation, coping skills, or energy awareness classes offered in school (unless you are super lucky!). Until you journey into this deeper path of awareness, you could miss so many things that your body is experiencing without your conscious knowledge. In my book The Body Heals Itself: How Deeper Awareness of Your Muscles and their Emotional Connection Can Help You Heal I hope to rectify this by at least shining light and introducing you into the various layers that make up your whole being.

How does the body experience feelings and emotions? First, we have an outside stimulus—something that happens that locks into our minds and our bodies. We try to understand it and simultaneously we try to experience it. These experiences encompass positive, negative, and neutral perceptions. When we experience something that is painful we lock it into our minds and into our bodies. We feel it through our nerves (the stimulus to feel the emotions throughout our entire bodies via the central nervous system as they occur), through our blood and plasma (which carries memory), and through our fascia (which moves our energy patterns along the matrix of the fascia throughout our bodies); it shows itself in our auric field in our energy patterns, and embeds itself deeply into our muscles (muscle memory is so much more than remembering how to move). Our muscles hold our emotional experiences very similarly to the way our minds lock in our experiences. When we go through any extraordinary experience, we deal with what we can in the present and then store the rest to be dealt with at a later time. If it never does get uncovered, it can bury itself and plant deep roots of pain, anguish, shame, etc., into our whole bodies. Feelings and emotions that root down or ignored never die nor do they lay dormant. They fester deep within and without being recognized can manifest realities that are not healthy.

In many cases we only attempt to heal ourselves through our mind and cognitive therapy without acknowledging the rest of the body in conjunction to these painful situations. It is my belief that herein lies the divide between understanding our pain, and truly liberating ourselves from our pain. When we shift in our bodies through addressing each of the many layers of our understanding and then learning to transmute that energy into something tangible, this is our liberation. The experiences then become something that we can understand, accept, lessen, and release so that we can finally allow the body to heal itself. We must address each and every layer: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic in order to process it into something we can move forward with in a way that is positive. What our outside influences may be in order to help us heal (doctors, surgeons, psychotherapists, reiki masters, ministers…whatever it may be) are all a necessary part of our path to healing; it is nearly impossible to go it alone. In the end, however, it is our body that decides once and for all whether or not we heal in full. Your body holds all the keys to your energetic wisdom and it is our most powerful ally.

The body communicates its emotions and pain patterns in magnificent ways. The body is reliable and does not play games; it speaks your truth always. Yet we know so little of how to decipher its messages. The communcation our bodies provide through our pain patterns and energy signals is fairly straightforward. If we are perpetually exhausted and our energy is depleted, that is a big red flag that we need to switch it up and look deeper. Maybe we need to change our schedules, adjust our diets, sleep more. If we are depressed or anxious, this is a big sign that we need to seek help from someone to help us get to a new level of being.

Physical symptoms are often coupled with a spiritual crisis. We don't understand our spiritual gifts and instead manifest pain and anguish instead of understanding how to use our sensitivities for something much more grand in our lives. These situations are avenues that are nearly impossible to go it alone. If we have constant pain in a particular area of the body but have no memory of when it started or why, we need to find someone who might be better at communicating with your muscles to help you shift and release. Holding pains in direct areas of our bodies without experiencing a physical trauma, we must look at which muscles groups are storing the emotions and look deeper into why this is. We tend to decide for our body what it is trying to say and we don't reach out for support until the pain becomes a full burden or worse and we find ourselves sick. For example: have you ever felt like you are just stuck in mud or quicksand? You don't know what next step to take and you find yourself feeling lost, confused, lacking energy, not trusting yourself? Chances are, you feel this in your knees. The knees and the muscles around the knees are all about moving forward in your life, figuring out what the next right step is and where to begin. We don't need to overburden ourselves trying to see the whole path, just take that one next right step. Followed by the next one right next step. This can help liberate knee aches, pains, or swelling issues in this area very quickly. Your body and your mind absolutely must be on the same team for anything to work well in your life. It actually can be that simple.

We know when we are sad, mad, happy, fearful, resentful, shame-filled. We have spent a lifetime learning about emotions because they are very mainstream and accepted widely by everyone. What we have a harder time with is understanding why we physically hurt in the same place time and time again. We don't understand fully that those same emotions that we can identify with are also living inside our muscle body just as much. Also, what we don't realize is that by ignoring the signals from our bodies we could actually be leading our selves to become sicker, and more disconnected. Unfortunately, illness is the final signal that our body gives us in regard to all of our systems being out of whack. The good news is that our bodies are magnificent beings and amazing healing miracles can occur simply by understanding and changing the way our body is operating. Our best form of defense is to learn our bodies language and listen to what it has to tell us, followed by feeding it well in response. (This does not just pertain to what you put into your mouth.) Your body's ability to heal is so much stronger and more amazing than anyone has given you permission to believe. Miracles take place across the world every single day. First, however, we must learn to listen to its wisdom, learn to follow in its guidance, and honor the sacred possibility that our bodies can hold. This takes a lot of work, openness, and faith.

I have every faith in you!

Emily A. Francis

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017. All rights reserved.

I had a dream that has changed my life. In the dream, it was springtime and I was outside walking about in a meadow. It was very peaceful and I could feel the breeze in my hair. Next I was with the late Pope John Paul II and a priest who was the pope's aide and a good friend of mine in the dream. I was wearing a white dress that looked like a first communion dress. Someone caught my attention. I alerted the pope and he told me to let the Dalai Lama in. I opened the large iron gate and escorted him to a small chapel. When I excused myself to let them speak, the pope said to me: Sit down, this message is for you. I sat in a rocking chair. As I was leaning forward attentively to hear what he had to say, the landscape morphed into winter. I was now in a cathedral listening to mass, wearing a winter coat and holding a book in my hand. I saw the priest and I told him I was so glad to see him because I wanted his advice and to share with him a major life decision I had made. (The decision was that I had agreed to marry my elementary school love.) However, before I could share the news, he interrupted me and said, Oh, I know what decision you have made, but you have to consider X. (Here he stated the full name of a person known to me.) I stopped and looked at him and said: X? Then all of a sudden I was flooded with memories of times I had been with this person. The priest answered, Yes, he cares a great deal for you. He told me. So I asked the priest what he had said, but the priest just insisted that I have to consider this person. He then asked me to walk with him so he could tell me more of what this person had said. As he was going to tell me, I fell in a mound of snow and couldn't get out. I then saw the priest cross the street and disappear into the night. I've continued to have more vivid dreams of the man I was told to consider. What do you think this all means?

~Anonymous

Susyn:

I believe this was more a vision than a dream. In fact, based on the spiritual leaders who were present, your keen awareness of the different seasons, and all the other details you relayed, I think you should consider this a spiritual intervention of sorts.

If we begin by considering the seasons and how they appear to play an important part in this vision, we can see why this message could be life-changing. The dream begins in spring, a time of year when physical rebirth and new life are generated. At this point, the dream is about the future and the wonderful things to come.

When the scene of the dream turns to winter, the mood definitely shifts. Winter is a time of waiting or hibernation when one sits still to ponder spiritual matters more than physical concerns. The winter coat you wear represents a type of protection. The mound that you fell into represents a baptism of sorts, with the snow and the color white representing a spiritual rebirth.

Our dreams and visions tend to deliver messages in a form that is familiar to us. Because you have a Catholic background, yours included the pope and a priest. When the Dalai Lama entered the picture, you had a trinity of religious leaders working with you. Since you trust the spiritual wisdom of these men, you're being encouraged to trust the message of the dream.

Dreams and visions have a way of shifting our awareness and presenting new ideas for us to consider. This certainly appears to be the case with this remarkable dream. You believed you had already made a life-changing decision, but then your subconscious suggested a different and perhaps better alternative. Note that the minute it was suggested that you consider X, you became open to the idea.

You didn't mention what kind of contact you currently have with either of these men. However, based on the fact that you continue to have dreams about this other person, I think you'd be wise to explore this possibility in real life. If you are not 100% committed to marrying your elementary school sweetheart, you may want to take a break from that relationship or at least postpone the wedding regardless of what is happening with X.

If it turns out that neither you nor X are interested in pursuing a relationship, the vision you had could still keep you from moving into a commitment you're not wholly sure about, and open up to new and potentially more rewarding possibilities.

*****

Oceania:

This profound dream illustrates your ambivalence about transitioning into a new chapter of life. You feel torn between the old and new, the familiar and unknown. This is perfectly natural during periods of growth and change; as excitement pushes us forward while fear pulls us back, we rarely experience perfectly smooth sailing.

You are poised between seasons. Winter symbolizes dormancy, pregnancy or preparation. It is a period of rest and renewal before new life emerges. Spring is about birth and expansion as we enter a fresh cycle of life. As the dream begins, you feel comfortable in your springtime energy. Your white dress represents a clean slate and new beginning. It is a first communion dress because youíre prepared for communication/ union with your spiritual side.

Here you're portrayed as a spiritual novice surrounded by three wise teachers. As both East and West are represented, their wisdom is well-rounded. In fact, the pope outright instructs you to let the Dalai Lama in (to your psyche). Since you have to open an iron gate to get to the Dalai Lama, his Buddhist views may be challenging for you to integrate.

You sit in a rocking chair, which is symbolic of vacillation and uncertainty. Just as you are about to receive the popeís message, you become fearful and the dream retreats back to winter, your dark and cozy safety zone. You thus close yourself off from hearing the popeís guidance on what lies ahead.

You feel vulnerable at the thought of new growth, so you insulate yourself with a warm winter coat and downsize from meeting with the pope to a local priest in order to feel more comfortable. You are about to share news about your childhood sweetheart (symbolic of looking back) when the priest interrupts and asks you to consider another option.

You want to know more but fall into a snowdrift and get stuck. Earlier in the dream, you don't hear the pope because the scene morphs into winter. This means when a spiritual message is about to be revealed, you run back to your cave to hibernate instead of emerging into the sunlight to receive guidance about your future.

You are on the verge of spiritual growth and learning to trust in the wisdom of your higher self. Imagine releasing what is familiar and embracing the unknown. If you reach out to the person the priest mentioned and see where it leads, a lesson, friendship or more will surely blossom.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.