“Shoot”
Your Enemy with Light and Prayer
By
Geraldine Amaral
NOT SO VERY LONG AGO,
a friend came to see me for a Tarot reading.
She was distressed because she believed someone had cast a spell on her.
“It’s black magic!” she exclaimed, relating a long list of problems
that were being “caused” by this “jinx.”
She was convinced that her life was now under a dark cloud and wanted my
help in determining who had placed the “evil eye” on her, how she could undo
the spell, and how she could retaliate.
I
immediately wondered: was she using this curse as an excuse for not taking
responsibility for her life? Was she
a victim of some kind, giving away her power to these unseen forces?
What’s more, the idea that anyone can place a “curse” on another is
problematic for me. I do believe
people can bombard us with negative thoughts that definitely affect us, but
whether this constitutes a “curse,” per se, I’m not sure.
Nevertheless, wanting to keep an open mind about the matter and not
wanting to impose my belief system on my friend, I decided to defer to the vast
wisdom of the Tarot. Because she had
three concerns, I constructed a three-card spread, as follows:
Ø
Card 1: What
is the source of the negative experiences and bad feelings I am experiencing at
this time? Is someone practicing black magic on me?
Ø
Card
2: What can I do to undo/counter the negative energy?
Ø
Card
3: What is the teaching or gift for me to receive from this experience?
Without delving too deeply into my interpretation of her reading, the cards that came up were:
Card
1, What is the source of this negativity? The
Five of Swords suggested that
conflict of some kind was clearly occurring.
The card depicts a figure in the foreground who seems to have beaten off
two retreating figures in the background. But
did this mean that someone was trying to hurt or defeat her, or was this a
symbolic expression of her own inner turmoil?
I offered both interpretations to her.
Card
2, What can be done to block the
negativity? The Three of Swords
depicts a heart pierced by three swords, symbolizing e
motional pain, such as sorrow, loss, remorse, guilt,
and anguish. I asked her if there
was anyone whom she had hurt, and with whom she needed to make amends.
I also asked her if there was a matter for which she had not forgiven herself.
From her reaction, I could see that this question struck home.
Sometimes the Three of Swords represents anger turned inward, thus the
swords are piercing one’s own heart. This
can often lead to depression and projection (as in blaming others for one’s
own problems). Sometimes the Three
of Swords is also a warning about giving away one’s power.
If, for example, we constantly depend on the approval of others for our
happiness and well-being, we will inevitably feel disappointed, frustrated, sad
or fearful.
Card
3, What is the gift of this experience?
The Hermit card is the
“way shower” and healer, bringing wisdom and light to all who come under his
lantern. Could it be that this
experience was actually an opportunity for her to rise to a higher spiritual
ground?
Regardless
of our different perspectives on this problem -- my friend believing that she
was laboring under a curse, while I believed, at the very worst, that someone
was sending her a lot of focused negativity -- the only way to combat the
problem is through prayer and “light work,” as portrayed by the Hermit.
Prayer
is a form of “light work” and is like plugging in an electrical appliance or
logging on to the Internet -- it is a way of connecting to a source of some
kind. But prayer operates at a much
higher energy level, connecting us to the vast reservoir of energy and
understanding that is both within and around us.
Prayer also has an aura of mystery which is related, I think, to the
concept of our oneness, that we are
all bound together in the Collective Consciousness, the Universal Consciousness
that we call God or Spirit.
Contrary
to what many people might believe, prayer need not follow a certain structure or
framework. We don’t have to get on
our hands and knees, we don’t have to go to a church or temple or synagogue --
although surely if this works for you, honor that.
If you have difficulty praying or feel you don’t know how to pray, you
might begin by setting aside any preconceived notions you have about prayer,
including how to pray, when to pray, what to say.
Sometimes the less you know about prayer, the more powerful your prayers
will be. The only requirement is
that you have an open mind and a willing heart.
What’s more, we don’t even need words to contact Spirit.
Words can actually restrict us; they keep us locked within the
confines of our own limited thinking. If
we wish to contact supranatural or transpersonal forces, we need to bypass the
analytical, egotistical mind altogether.
So,
how do we pray without words? There
are many ways, one of my favorites being creative or guided visualization, which
I will explain in detail shortly. The
images of the Tarot are particularly good to use with this process, as any Tarot
image can be “incubated” in the subconscious.
By incubate, I mean that the seed of the image’s essence and energy is
planted in the subconscious mind and allowed to “hatch” there.
The subconscious mind is a powerful and vast resource and it has no
concept of limitation. Jesus said,
“The
Creative
visualization is one of many techniques for incubating a particular Tarot image
that depicts your goal or desire (others include carrying the card around with
you, placing it in your daily organizer, or even placing it under your pillow at
night -- any strategic place in which the card will "impregnate" your
unconscious mind). The 78 Tarot
images provide powerful visions for creative visualization.
Creative visualization is a technique that assists you in energizing
yourself to attract some experience, event or person.
By mentally picturing what you seek, you draw it to you.
Since they portray universal life experiences, the Tarot’s images are
particularly useful for visualization. These
ancient images help us to bypass the every-day mind, our verbal mind, and
retrieve an idea in its pure archetypal form, thereby allowing it to grow and
develop. As the saying goes, "A
picture is worth a thousand words."
Here
is a guided meditation technique involving creative visualization that can be
used in a situation similar to my friend’s.
Its purpose is to attune yourself to the spiritual forces operating in
your life and to help you let go of anything that blocks Spirit from speaking to
and through you. In
particular, this meditation is designed to combat any negativity that you feel
is being directed towards you. It is
a method of spiritual or psychic protection.
It is a way of sending, or “shooting” prayers to another.
It is intended to open your channels of communication with Spirit so that
Spirit will also “shoot” light to your enemy.
In
preparation for the meditation, I suggest you set up a little altar, preferably
in an uncluttered area of your home. Place
the Hermit card on it (since the Hermit most strongly relates to the concept of
prayer). If you believe an actual
person is sending negative energy to you and you know that person’s name, you
may want to write down that name on a piece of paper and place it on the altar.
If you don’t know the person’s name, an image, as from a magazine,
may also be used.
This
process can be used for global prayer and healing as well.
For example, you can place a picture that represents a global enemy on
your altar/table, such as Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, terrorists, religious
fanatics and so on. “Shoot” them
with prayer and light, picture them in a positive way and you will do your part
on the etheric realm to disarm their hatred and ill will.
Once
your altar is set up, try the following guided meditation, which takes its
inspiration from the imagery of the Hermit card.
The light that the Hermit holds represents the kind of energy we seek to
put forth through prayer –- sending light and healing out to others in order
to interrupt and combat the negative flow coming from them.
Using a meditation like the one that follows is a way that you can pray
for anyone at any time:
Light
a white candle, symbolizing the purity and clarity of understanding and guidance
that you seek. Visualize the pure
light of the Hermit coming forth from the card, surrounding and enfolding you
and your “enemy.”
Observe
your breath as it flows in and out of your body.
Now take several slow, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and
gently exhaling through your mouth. Allow
your breathing to help you feel more and more relaxed.
Now, visualize the light of the Hermit radiating out from the card and
into you. Let the beautiful, warm,
healing light gently float down and all around you.
Feel and see this light first at the top of your head, then allow it to
slowly flow to your eyes, nose, mouth, chin.
Notice that whatever part of you it touches becomes relaxed.
Now it is warming and illuminating your neck, shoulders, upper arms, your
entire body. Wherever this healing
light travels, it removes tension, negativity, fear, pain, depression,
unhappiness, distress of any kind, and fills you with peace, relaxation,
forgiveness, a deep sense of belief in yourself, the true self within.
As the light completely engulfs you, you know you are completely
protected and safe.
Now
visualize yourself in a quiet, restful place, such as a lush, serene, sunlit
garden. As you stroll through this
garden, you encounter the person who has hurt you or whom you feel is your
enemy. It’s okay if you can’t
see his or her face. Take a few
moments now to connect with this person. Breathe
deeply, and allow the healing light from the Hermit’s lamp to enfold both of
you. See you “enemy” engulfed and enclosed in the healing light of the
Hermit. See the person, your enemy,
becoming more and more radiant, transforming from a person of dark energy into a
person of light energy.
Spend
some time now in the light, just you and the enemy.
See the light healing the other person, see him/her becoming lighter and
lighter. See them finding
themselves, their true self, their spiritual center.
Linger in that light, just you and your enemy.
Bask in your shared radiance. When
you feel ready, say goodbye and walk back through the garden to where you
started.
Breathe
deeply, rub your hands together, and bring yourself fully awake. You will notice
that the feeling of peace and tranquility remains, as will the memory of the
sunlit garden and the person, once your enemy, who is now bathed in the radiance
of positive light energy.
The
Science of Mind religion might call this process a “spiritual treatment.”
It is a form of praying for another in which you envision that the person
for whom you are praying is “a perfect idea in the mind of God…our whole
procedure during a treatment is intended to remove from our own mind any idea or
picture of imperfection or sickness in the person…”*
Not only does this kind of “treatment” assist the person for whom you
are praying, it helps you feel more connected to others, more aware of the bond
that ties together all of humanity. As
you pray for others who have hurt you, you simultaneously interrupt any
negativity that they are directing towards you as well as heal yourselves.
By healing the “enemy” you are also healing a part of yourself.
Praying
for someone who we think wants to harm us or who has harmed us, is a gigantic
challenge. How can we be expected to
pray for those who brought about the pain and suffering of September 11th?
In our personal lives, how can we pray for someone who has betrayed or
abused us? Definitely, no easy task.
Yet, it is the best way to disengage ourselves from such persons.
Praying for others can initiate a powerful healing, both for the
prayer-giver and the prayer-receiver.
Make
the Hermit your prayer talisman. Carry
it around with you to incubate this prayerful attitude.
Pray for accident victims, for Iraqi soldiers, for hungry children.
When you read or hear about bad news, pray for those who have suffered or
died. Pray also for those who have
achieved success, that they may experience gratitude for their blessings and use
their success wisely. Through the
Hermit card, spread light and healing to all you encounter.
As you do, you become a mirror, and the light you send out is reflected
back to you.
Note:
Of course if someone is harassing you, stalking, threatening or bullying
you, it is appropriate to take suitable legal steps.
References
used in writing this article:
*Science
of Mind Magazine, December 2001, pp 90 – 92
*Positive
Thinking Magazine, A Guidepost Publication, Vol.
54, No. 4.