Using Akasha to Heal Your Life

Most healing modalities come from the perspective of stopping the pain. Whether it be spiritual, emotional, or physical the idea is the pain needs to stop and once the pain has stopped, the person is healed or as healed as the modality can achieve. I call this the tri-age perspective. The idea is to stop the problem from getting any worse, repair the damage, then supporting the natural healing process to put things back the way they were. Intervention draws our attention like any event which is out of the norm. We are fascinated by what is unique, different, out of the ordinary or what disrupts routine. Unfortunately this draw can cause us to focus all of our attention on intervention and think the healer and the modality are the entire healing process when they are instead one necessary part. 

Healing is, very generally, a two part process. There's the intervention for the times when events have negatively interrupted our regular routine therefore we need to focus on triage to remedy the situation and there's the healing where we move outward to rebuild our lives incorporating our new state of being and the wisdom attained. A good example of this is a broken bone. First the break occurs and triage is necessary. Most people have either experienced this themselves or helped someone else through it. You have to figure out what happened (break/sprain/bruise), get the swelling down, set the bone back into the right place/right alignment with everything else, then bind it in place either with wrapping or casting or even with new structure (pins/plates/plastic). Intervention continues to make sure everything is fusing correctly. There might even need to be further structure or multiple stages of support to go through. Then, at some point, the intervention ends because it has done what it can do. 

But the healing doesn't stop at the intervention. Afterwards comes rebuilding. Muscles which have atrophied need to be rebuilt. Tendons and ligaments needs to be used and encouraged to stretch and strengthen. The person needs to relearn what it means to use that particular bone or the structures around it. They have to learn to trust it again. To trust themselves. Beyond this they don't go back to being who they were before the break. Their literal structure and foundation have changed. Their structure has released the old and taken on the new. They need to explore this new self, learn what it makes possible, what new infusion it is bringing and unfold the new self that has become.

Healing trauma follows this same pattern of triage and rebuilding, yet people often get stuck in the intervention stage. I meet people who tell me of spending decades releasing trauma. Some are the definition of "I've tried everything" and I ache for them. They have released through various types of therapy, energy modalities, food cleanses, special diets, retreats and meditations, so much Reiki they can't bear the thought of one more treatment, and still the trauma persists. Usually they are in despair that this is just the way it is and yet it can't be because they simply can't imagine living this way one day more so they search again for some way to release. They live lives which turn into empty husks where the focus has become all about coping with the trauma and healing the trauma by releasing it rather than living.

Full healing doesn't happen via triage or, I should say, we don't become completely healed human beings because we have received triage via a healer. Healing continues in what we do with our lives after the triage has been applied. Once the broken leg has been stabilized and the intervention has allowed it to fuse, it's up to us to start using it. In healing trauma people mistake releasing for the healing. They are led to believe if they release then they will feel better and return to normal and when they don't they seek more releasing. Instead, once releasing has been done, the next step is to become reacquainted with the new self which has come into being and begin to build trust.

Akasha, the substance of the Akashics also called Prana or Chi, the life force which animates us, has holistic healing properties which we can access consciously to heal trauma. It is constantly flowing into and out of us in two different directions, filling us with resources and helping us become or manifest our lives. The Akasha flow from the universe enters us through our crown or the top of the head and flows through us downward exiting the perineum or the feet or both thereby manifesting into the embodied world. The Akasha flow from the manifested world, in particular the Earth, enters us through our feet or perineum or both and flows up and out from the top of our head thus returning our becoming to our higher self and the universe at large. Both of these flows are necessary for our health and to keep us integrated into the web of life physically and spiritually. Trauma of all kinds effects our ability to utilize these flows, sometimes even interrupting or rerouting them.

Akasha is wonderful for helping us with the second phase of trauma, when we are ready to heal after releasing, when we are willing to learn who we have become and to create trust in this new, wiser, and more capable version of ourselves. People ask me "When do I know I'm ready to heal?" The answer is unique for everyone and only that person can truly know when they are ready, but there are a few ways to recognize when it could be time. If you've dug through the traumatic events so often and so deeply there is not one uninvestigated or rehashed action or movement, then it's probably time to move into the second phase. If your body has plateaued in its healing and now is just an unresponsive sponge for energy or releasing work, then you're usually ready to move forward. If you feel so empty there is nothing left but echoing space, memories, and dust? Then it's time to move forward if for no other reason than you deserve better. If the body seems to be moving backwards, getting worse and pickier and more reactive rather than less, then you're likely getting signaled it's time to stop the triage and start the healing or that a new layer of trauma is being revealed.

Just as the body seeks to be healthy Akasha seeks to support us in being connected and achieving our highest potential. Akasha flowing into us from the universe carries universal wisdom and message from our higher self which is encoded so each energy center of the body receives what they need the way they need it to inform every aspect of our lives. Akasha flowing up from the world is providing us with embodied connective message we can use to help us manifest ourselves and our purpose, again, encoded exactly how each of our energy centers needs to receive it. To begin the healing process using Akasha or to supplement and support a healing process already in progress, we can tap into these flows through our energy centers. I recommend people work with whatever system they are most familiar with whether this is the Chi points in Chinese medicine, the Chakras of Hinduism, or the Sephiroth of Kabbalah. These are not separate or competing spiritual programs, any more than nerves and veins and the lymphatic system compete to fully describe the physical body. Instead they are maps of the physical/Akasha system, each one focusing on a specific process.

Using whichever of these systems is best known or works best for you, the first step is to determine where the trauma is affecting you energetically or physically. It is common for me to see people who have perfectly well functioning chakras from the solar plexus upwards. We're a brain/thought oriented culture and spiritual people tend to focus their work on the upper centers such as being open hearted and cultivating gratitude (Heart Chakra), seeing universal truths (Third Eye), and speaking the truth or having an authentic voice (Throat Chakra). Most spiritual practices also focus on the spiritual/self connection with sits in the solar plexus so many people work with this energy center either to strengthen it and therefore their self-esteem or to use it as a door through which to access higher self and the universe. You know, the "Go inwards, see the light, then follow it outwards to other realms" kinda thing. So where I often see unhealed trauma suffering from over-triage is the energy centers of the lower body, the hips, perineum and legs. 

There are many reasons why these areas suffer the most from trauma or linger in a trauma induced state. The hips or 2nd Chakra is where we hold the concept of value. How we value others and are valued in return. It is a physical creativity center which includes not only procreation but also regeneration of the self and the other and the self with the other. The perineum (Root Chakra) is where we manifest our identity into the world through the necessities or logistics of living. If we see the big picture clearly with our 3rd Eye our Root is how we navigate the big picture as it exists and brings our piece of it into existence. And our legs are the foundation we stand on, the method by which we make our way in the world, the way in which we literally walk our path. These are what we are most often attempting to heal through releasing because they are what has been so materially damaged by trauma. Our core, who we truly are as a soul, as a being, hasn't actually been touched and we can reconnect with it in the core or center of our being. Unfortunately our soul's connection to the outside world, how it is able to interact with the world is something which we can easily be separated from.

To begin the healing we need to reconnect with these lower centers. Often we try to force them into acting the way we want, into behaving as if the trauma had not occurred, or to take on new tasks which leapfrog the trauma in order to land us in a new and better life of our choosing. This usually doesn't work and so we take on more triage which can over time become abusive in its own right by continually reinforcing the wounded or injured state. Instead, when triage has been implemented and the time has come to move forward, we can utilize Akasha to help reintroduce us to these aspects of ourselves.

Determining Where to Start

In spiritual community the tendency, when thinking about energy healing or moving energy, is to start at either the top or the bottom. If you're working with chakras or Kundalini then you start at the bottom and work up. If you're bringing in universal wisdom or external energies for healing then it's from the top down. And if you want to ground or move out from the body, then you're often directed to start at your center, solar plexus, or 3rd chakra and move upwards and out.

However, the point of working with and healing the body is to become aware of and attend to the body, so instead of starting at an arbitrary point, it's better to be an explorer and let your body show you where to begin.

For some people it can be fairly easy to notice where things are stuck, struggling, or out of balance and this is because they hurt. Pretty much all of our back structures are common places where people have chronic, sharp or even debilitating pain. I'm hard pressed to think of one spot which isn't.

If you don't have pain pointing a big red arrow for you, then pressing gently on your body can tell you what area is most...pressing. Using your hands flat against you with gentle but firm pressure, check each area of your body, not for pain, but for response. This can be like the pleasure tingles you get from having your hair brushed or getting a massage. It can also be the slight anxiety you feel when you realize you've forgotten something important. Or it can be a full-on acknowledgement of "yes" with a small sampler of the memories and feelings contained within.

If you find several areas or everything gives you a response, then start with the area which drew your attention most or had the most response.

For those who have knowledge of the chakras or have worked with Kundalini, it is important to note the root chakra is not just at the base of the spine. It includes the buttocks, the anus, the perineum and also the high upper thighs close to the hip sockets. So, when you're checking for where to start, you might include flat palm pressure against these areas as well.

Engaging with Akasha

Once you've recognized where to start you can begin to engage with the Akashic flow. Remember Akasha is always flowing through you, both front and back and in both directions, top to bottom and bottom to top, so you don't need to call in more energy. Instead you want to begin working with what is already flowing through you to start the "all clear" signaling which will allow the body to unpack what it has in storage.

To do this, find somewhere you can sit comfortably with your back fully supported. This can be on the floor with your back against a wall, in a high-backed chair, or a comfy couch with a nice headrest. Have next to you something which you can use to put gentle pressure against the area you are going to work with. A rectangular couch pillow can be good along the spine or a bolster can work for hips. This should be firm, but supportive pressure like your hands, nothing forceful, painful, or sharp.

Once you are seated with your pillow or other pressure support item beside you, let your awareness move from the front of your body to the area you will be connecting with. Let this be both physical and energetic, allowing your nerves to report their experience of you while you relax into a meditative state. This is much like what people call mindfulness practice, but it is targeted at a specific area of the body. For those who have taken yoga classes, the goal is much like Savasana. To be completely relaxed, the mind calm, but awareness stays fully present and attentive to the body. For those who are energy aware you may wish to notice the Akasha flowing through you like river water through a Delta or wetlands, like blood flowing through the veins and arteries threaded throughout your body.

Once you've relaxed a bit and your brain has slowed down into a meditative mode, move your awareness to the area you wish to engage. Let yourself take in its "normal" state and validate this is you. Then gently put your support pillow or item in place and rest yourself against it. Allow yourself to experience what it is to be supported in this vulnerable spot. Acknowledge you are supporting yourself there, possibly for the first time.

If/when you feel ready, you can start moving more Akasha into this area. Through this mindfulness practice Akasha will have gathered and pooled around the area you're working with. Think of allowing this energy to flow like a shower which cleanses or a rain which replenishes after drought. As more Akasha moves through you should feel the area warm and your body may want to move, squirm or shift. Allow any movements and follow any insights you might have. This is the body offering you its wisdom.

You may experience flushes of difficult emotions, retrieve memories, or feel vibrations in various parts of your body. It's not unusual to feel heat flushing through muscles and joints which don't have pressure on them. This is the nervous system releasing stored energy, trauma, and emotions gently. You may even experience chattering teeth and the shivers if something deeper releases. This is part of what happens when we heal after a traumatic event.

Do not force yourself to be still or to stay in the process for any preconceived length of time. These actions will cause your body to respond as if things are not "all clear" and store things more securely which is the opposite of what you want. Don't force things, but instead accept and allow.

Coming Back Safely

Once you are ready to complete the process, lean forward or release your pressure on the support pillow/item and remove it gently. Sit upright and allow yourself to feel how things are different from when you started. 

Bring your awareness back to the front of your body by wiggling your fingers and toes, looking around the room, and shifting your weight. Be careful and mindful when standing up as things might have shifted physically for the better, but this can be awkward if you're not prepared for it.

As with a massage or other physical healing modality, make sure to drink water in order to flush out any toxins or debris which has been released into your system. 

The full effects of this work can take 24 - 72 hours to be fully felt, especially if core emotional or behavioral issues are involved. Be graceful with yourself should you start remembering difficult things, having epiphanies, or experiencing feelings which seem disconnected from the current moment. Use the best self-care you can in the moment so they can stay up front where you can work with them.

Healing core issues and releasing stuck energies is not so much about returning to a "normal" state of wellness, but about transforming who we have experienced ourselves to be. It converts issues into wisdom, de-triggers trauma and moves it into our history, and gives us the opportunity to choose a better path forward into the life we each deserve. 

Akasha can help any area which has been affected. For instance it can help if someone struggles with having their own voice or standing up for themselves (Throat Chakra) or in being able to decide on one course of action over another (Sephiroth Chokmah and Binah) or to attract/find a healthy community (Sephirah Netzach). The same process applies where the person should start at their core or whatever energy center they connect with best and then move towards the affected area. Once they feel their relationship with this new area is as healthy and well-functioning as the first, then they should move on to another and another...

While magical, this is type of work is not a magic wand which resolves all issues, but is a means to begin a process. Akasha heals holistically which means it works on all the levels of self so working with an energy center will affect all aspects of your life. I sometimes think of it like a flower whose stem is put into dyed water. We don't realize all of the amazing organic connections of things until we see them highlighted like dye moving through the veins of flower petals. We may not realize everything which has been affected by the trauma, but the good thing is we don't have to. Akasha can not only help us heal, but help us identify new skills we've acquired, new perceptions we've developed, and the wisdom we can put into play to make our lives better than they have ever been.