Today I had a Reiki healing and Angel therapy session with nationally known clairvoyant medium, Rev. Ana Jones. I signed up for the session spontaneously while walking past the Meridian healing center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where I noticed an opportunity for spiritual healing. When I approached the reception, I noticed an advertisement announcing that Rev. Jones would be at the center in a few weeks, offering healing. It felt right, and so I signed up. Well, it turned out to be quite fortuitous because of all the healers I could have approached, Ana was most certainly one who could understand what I was going through. It is not something I can even really explain without going into a very lengthy discourse; suffice to say that her husband was coming from the same spiritual path as I had. As a result, there were things I could talk to her about that most would not understand.
After the Reiki healing and Angel therapy session, Ana shared spiritual insights and messages that she said had been conveyed by her angelic guides. Ana said that my guru was the most powerful presence in the room, and that the central message I received was to protect myself courageously. “I had to be courageous and do whatever I could to protect myself,” she explained. She even mentioned that I should call upon the avatar, Nrsimhadeva, a well-known incarnation of Lord Krishna and a universal icon of protection against evil. It was really amazing to hear her offer this advice, although her own spiritual background was Christianity. Ana also told me that I needed to practice forgiveness as part of my healing and spiritual renewal. I needed to work toward forgiveness for my ex-wife, my guru, my father, and, perhaps most importantly, myself. Her angels actually recommended I read a book called “Radical Forgiveness” by Colin Tipping.
She then offered me a meditation CD to use for assisting my journey of understanding and went on to explain that my experience on the spiritual path had been very similar to her husbands, in that in a very short time I had achieved a high level of realization, however, the ascent had left me feeling “short changed” in other areas of my life. For those familiar with my past, from the age of 19 until 33 I lived the life of a renounced and celibate monk. I had literally left home, escaped to the mountains for 6 months and soon after shaved my head and joined a Krishna ashram where for the next 14 years I owned no more than what could fit inside a 15 inch wide closet. I did not even have a bank account, medical insurance, or even a credit card until I reached the age of 34, after I had decided to move on from my monastic life and get married. You could say I lived a somewhat sheltered life with a laser-like focus on cultivating my intention on understanding God. The experience was certainly enriching, because it allowed me to travel the world, live somewhat stress-free, eat very well, and sleep like a baby. No mortgage, no bills, no screaming kids, no nagging wife, no concern really for anything bar the outreach work I did through the Food for Life charity.
I eventually gave up that monastic life because unfulfilled desires showed me that I had neglected important emotional, physical, and material needs. While focusing on my deepest spiritual needs, I forgot to nourish the other emotional, physical, and material dimensions of my existence. While we are spiritual beings, our material experiences require us to address the needs of the mind, body, and senses until we transcend bodily conception. Hence, in the traditional Vedic system of socio-spiritual evolution, there is the Varnashram institution which offers a gradual progression of the man from student life (monk), to marriage, to voluntary retirement (separation), and finally to the renounced order (sannyas). For all intents and purposes, I had gone from humble student (monk) to a “swami”-like existence in those 14 years. Interestingly enough, Ana’s husband had been a swami for 17 years, and so she knew exactly what I was going through. I decided to marry because I hoped to fill the void in my heart and connect with another soul emotionally, physically, materially, and spiritually. In the end, however, the marriage felt disastrous from the beginning, and for the next nine years my heart ached for freedom and emotional emancipation. To tell that story would take a book. The purport is simple: I tried, and I tried, but in the end, I decided that she didn’t deserve me, and I didn’t deserve her.
After going through the greatest challenge of my life thus far, I now stand at the doorstep of a new beginning, carrying lessons about courage, forgiveness, and spiritual growth. “We are all eternal souls,” Ana explained, “and so no one or no thing can really harm us.” And then in my mind I completed her words, “yes, very true, but the fact remains that until we are freed from this bondage of material existence, we must deal with and learn from the experiences that are presented to us. All of them are meant to “heal” us on some level. The “why” and “how” are something we will only understand once we have fully awoken from this “dream” of material consciousness. In the meantime, it behooves us to keep the faith; be inspired by the great souls that came before us, and to stay focused on the goal – to return “home” back to Godhead.
Thank you, Ana, for your comforting words and thank you for the gift of the CD; but more importantly, thank you for being a messenger of light and love for the world.
FAQ
Q: How can forgiveness lead to personal growth?
A: Forgiveness allows us to release past grievances, fostering emotional healing and personal growth. It enables us to move forward without the burden of resentment, opening up space for new, positive experiences.
Q: Why is courage important in the process of forgiveness?
A: Courage is essential in forgiveness as it empowers us to confront and release deep-seated emotions. It takes bravery to face our pain and choose to let go, ultimately leading to healing and peace.
Q: How can spiritual practices aid in forgiveness?
A: Spiritual practices like meditation and healing sessions provide a supportive environment for introspection and emotional release, facilitating the process of forgiveness by promoting inner peace and clarity.
Q: What role does self-forgiveness play in overall forgiveness?
A: Self-forgiveness is crucial as it allows us to accept our imperfections and past mistakes, fostering self-compassion and healing. It is a foundational step in forgiving others and achieving emotional well-being.
Q: Can forgiveness improve mental health?
A: Yes, forgiveness can significantly enhance mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. It promotes emotional resilience and a positive outlook, contributing to overall psychological well-being.
Q: How does forgiveness impact relationships?
A: Forgiveness can strengthen relationships by resolving conflicts and fostering understanding and empathy. It helps rebuild trust and encourages open communication, leading to healthier, more fulfilling connections.
Q: What did Rev. Ana Jones recommend the author focus on after the Reiki healing and Angel therapy session?
A: Rev. Ana Jones said the author needed to protect himself, act courageously, and work on forgiveness. She specifically identified forgiving his ex-wife, guru, father, and himself as important steps. Her angelic guides also recommended Colin Tipping’s book *Radical Forgiveness*.
Q: Why did Rev. Ana Jones’s spiritual background make the session especially meaningful to the author?
A: Although Rev. Jones came from a Christian spiritual background, her husband had previously been a swami. The author had spent 14 years as a celibate Krishna monk, so he felt she could understand experiences that many others would not.
Q: How did the author’s 14 years as a renounced Krishna monk influence his later decision to marry?
A: From age 19 to 33, the author lived in a Krishna ashram without a bank account, medical insurance, or many personal possessions. He eventually left monastic life because of unfulfilled desires and a sense that he had neglected the needs of his mind, body, and senses. He viewed marriage as an attempt to fill an emotional void and connect with another person on every level.
Q: What role did courage play in the author’s process of healing and forgiveness?
A: The session emphasized that the author needed to protect himself and make courageous choices during a difficult transition. In the post, courage means confronting painful experiences rather than remaining bound by them. This courage supports forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness as he begins a new chapter.
Q: How does the post describe the relationship between forgiveness and spiritual growth?
A: The author presents forgiveness as part of healing from painful relationships and major life changes. Forgiving his ex-wife, guru, father, and himself is connected to releasing resentment while continuing his spiritual path. He also describes meditation, faith, and inspiration from great spiritual teachers as ways to gain clarity and move toward greater realization.
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