Do The Right Thing!

"As long as you seek "something" you will get the shadow of reality, not reality itself" Shunryu Suzuki

"Do The Right Thing" was one of my favourite Spike Lee movies. In my life I always try to do the right thing, but doing the right thing is not always as easy as it seems.

Yesterday morning I went with Masauke, the healer I am studying with, to visit the camp of the Wirrarica pilgrims, who had camped for 2 days in a conservation area about 40 minutes from the healing centre. I had met the pilgrims the afternoon they set up camp. They had spent the next day doing ceremonies to ask permision of the spirits of the land, the fire and of the medicine to permit them to harvest their sacred hicuri medicine. I was told that the energies of this medicine, known to the Western world as peyote, was very strong. Also that, because of the quantity of medicine harvested, and because I have not been a part of the purification ceremonies at the various altars that the pilrgims had visited on their journey from their home in the Sierras to the desert, where the medicine is plentiful, I needed to take the pecaution of staying in the van, so as not to be affected by the energy of the ceremony and the medicine.

I am particularly sensitive to spiritual energy, having meditated for about 15 years, trained in tai chi, chi gung and other martial arts, studied energy medicine and been inititated in a couple of spiritual disciplines. I have a group of specific chi gung exercises that I do daily to keep myself centered and balanced as I am what is known as an empathetic healer, someone who easily absorbs other peoples energies. Prior to my martial arts training I was always being affected by the energies of others. Even now, in my healing work, I am sometimes afffected by the energies of particularly difficult clients.

Although I was not getting out of the van, I had arrived dressed in the traditional outfit of the Wirriraca women, which I had been sent one by the wives of the captain of the pilgrimage, when she had heard from Masauke that I was going to be interacting with the pilgrims prior to the end of their journey. I had felt good about wearing the outfit when one of three women pilgrims had commented approvingly on the fact that I was dressed like them when I had first met them. I was also well aware of their traditions and the seriousness of this pilgrimage, and especially this particular aspect of the pilgrimage where they harvest their sacred medicine.

The pilgrimage is such an important aspect of their culture that traditionally, the wives of the pilgrims, who until recent times were all male, wore special dress so that their thoughts of their husbands would not be carried by the winds and make it difficult for the pilgrim to complete the arduous journey. Having also been a suppporter at a Navajo Sundance I understand that importance of modest dress during sacred ceremonies where prayers are being sent to the Creator.

When we arrived at their ceremonial camp site, I was surprised by the number of "visitors", who were at the site, from the local goat herder, who came to get a blessing from these powerful indigenous people, to groups of supporters whose families had long been assisting the pilgrimage by bringing food and supplies for the pilgrims. Among this group there were two women. Neither were dressed in the traditional Wirririca outfits, though one was very modestly dressed in a long skirt similar to the Wirriraca tradition. The one who was dressed in tight jeans was accompanying her husband, a long time suporter, within the ceremonial circle.

I watched from the van, where I could see all the activities of the group, some of whom were having a traditional breakfast of tortillas and a hot beverage, while others were busily sorting and packing the hicuri medicine they had gathered in wooden crates for the long journey back.
At first I was fine to be in the van, but as time passed, I began to resent the fact that the other women were out and about one mingling withthe pilgrims and not even dressed in traditional outfits.

As I became frustrated with the situation, or as my teacher later pointed out, as the energy of the hicuri medicine jumped on me and brought up all those old unresolved emotions, I started to think back to the teachings of my Sensei. In Toronto I train in a very traditional dojo. I have often gone to seminars and tournaments where there are senior Senseis from Japan and where students from other dojos, some junior but sometimes some senior to me, have behaved in ways that, from what I have learned from my Sensei, are not at all appropriate.

I remember the first few times this happened that I too wanted to take a picture with the senior Sensei, or to give a personal gift to my favourite visiting Sensei. My Sensei quite firmly made me, and all the other members of our dojo know that the behavour of the other students was not appropriate. Slowly, I learned to do the right thing, even when I really was tempted to do what my ego was telling me to do and not what my training has prepared me to do.

Now, here I was again, in a similar situation and I wanted to get out of the van and go over to talk to the pilgrims that I had met the other day. To hell with what my teacher had told me. I had to meditate deeply and take myself back to my martial arts training in order to remian in the van and not get really pulled in by my own desires, which I was later told, that the hicuri medicine was bringing to the surface.

Well, lesson learned. I did stay in the van, though I was more snarky than I would have liked to have been with my teacher when he came back. I cross questioned him on the other women present and their lack of traditional dress and ability to mingle freely with the pilgrims, only to be told that they were not healers and were not students of any medicine tradition. They were not on the Spirit path and as such not as open to the energies of the medicine and as well, they had known the group for many many years. Thanks goodness for my Sensei and the year that he beat those lessons into my head. I had done the right thing, contrary to what I, my ego self, had wanted me to do!! Somedays doing the right thing takes a lot of work!!!

Lessons Learned: 1) Do the Right Thing! Even when it is very hard to do. 2) Do not second guess those who have gone before about what the right thing might be... they have been done the path before and that is why we chose them as our guides or teachers, 3) Keep Doing the Right Thing!!

Stay tuned. StayWell and Travel with Spirit, Spirit Traveller.