Ethics for Magical People: Healing with Herbs (1 of 2)

Though not doctors, herbal healers do need to follow the same code of ethics in regards to their healing of people. The first rule of medicine, “First do no harm” applies to herbal healers as well.  However, since some inexperienced herbalists think that herbs do not harm people but that “patent” medicine does, they may unintentionally endanger their client.

Unlike allopathic medicine, herbs do not react the same way in every person’s body.  Moreover, since herbs, as a rule, are not regulated by any government authority, a batch of herbs could be contaminated without the herbalist’s knowledge.  Also depending on how each herb is grown, it could interact potentially ineffectively with other herbs in a potion.  Dr. Stephen Barrett (psychiatrist) of “Quackwatch,” writes that “Herbs in their natural state can vary greatly from batch to batch and often contain chemicals that cause side effects but provide no benefit.”  He continues, “Many herbs contain hundreds or even thousands of chemicals that have not been completely cataloged.”  Then he adds, “To make a rational decision about an herbal product, it would be necessary to know what it contains, whether it is safe, and whether it has been demonstrated to be as good, or better than pharmaceutical products available for the same purpose.” An experienced herbalist will find out the possible side effects of the various herbs he uses.  Also, he will inform his client of any potential problems with taking a particular herb.

Furthermore, unlike medical doctors, herbalists are not certified by a nationally recognized board.  The late Dean of Purdue University School of Pharmacy, Varro E. Tyler observed that many herbalists learned their craft through lore and tradition as well as being taught by other herbalists.  Dr. Tyler believed that the safety and efficacy of herbs were not always known except through hearsay.  Therefore, he urged herbalists to avail themselves of recent studies on herbs.  Also, he advised them to keep careful records on how a specific herb affected each of their clients.

However, inexperienced herbalists may unconsciously apply the logical fallacy of “appeal to antiquity” to their craft.  (If it worked in the past or believed to work in the past, it will work in the present.)  Since few records were made or scientific trials conducted in the distant past, beginning herbalists may think that the herbs that they use are always effective.  For example, the herb Echinacea is believed to eliminate colds.  However, recent scientific studies have demonstrated that this herb to be ineffective with colds.  According to Michael Specter, “The New Yorker” science writer, Echinacea caused a rash in children who received it for colds.

A careful and ethical herbalist will understand the caveats of using various herbs.  To ensure the safety of her clients, she will keep abreast of studies about herbs by scientists.  The herbalist will take detailed medical histories of her clients to determine if they have problems with any herbs. By keeping accurate records, the herbalist can constantly assess the effectiveness of her herbal potions.  Through these efforts, the herbalist can empower her patient to make an informed decision about his herbal treatment. 

As a patient, I have a duty to guard my health and well-being.  Therefore my responsibility is to inform the health practitioner of my medical history.  For example, I have mold allergies, and need to be careful of any medicines that are prescribed for me.  Since I had a brain bleed, I also need to know if any medicines will cause blood thinning or bleeding.  As a rule, when I am meeting with a health practitioner, I give them a card with my particular medical needs.  I do not use the herbalists that I personally know, because they do not know how their herbs and the powerful brain medications that I take will interact.  My responsibility to myself and to the healer is to inform her of anything that will cause any adverse problems for me.

Ethics for Magical People: Healing (2 of 2)

Reiki Symbols

The other thing that novice healers may forget is that the sender and receiver are connected by an “energetic cord”, since this is how the energy is send and received.  If the sender is not careful, they could end up syphoning off the receiver’s energy later on.  It can also happen in reverse with the recipient depleting the sender. For these reasons, Wintersong Tashlin adds that the energy body is just as inviolate as the physical body. 

The Eden Energy Medicine Institute has an ethics committee to outline their code for energy healers.  One section from this ethics code states that, “EH practitioners closely monitor their needs to be liked, to be admired, to achieve status, and to exercise power.”  The Ethics Committee explains that these needs interfere with the healer’s discernment and judgment.  Also the Committee stresses that these desires prompt the healer to make unrealistic claims of effectiveness, which in turn raises the client’s expectations.  To avoid this from happening, the healer should be mindful of their own hidden desires.

Clarifying these desires is necessary.  John Coughlin, author and occult magickal practitioner, suggests asking yourself the question:  “Are you sure the intent of your decision is from vested interest or ulterior motive?”  He continues, “Are you helping your friend for purely selfish reasons?”  Therefore, Coughlin counsels before you offer any type of magickal healing, you need to be crystal clear about your motives.

In the case study of Tracy and Jennifer, they are two fourteen-year olds faced with a traumatic situation.  Because her grandmother is dying, Tracy wants Jennifer, her best friend, to do magickal healing for her grandmother.  Neither has the maturity to deal with this dilemma.  Tracy cannot let go of her grandmother, and Jennifer cannot disappoint her friend.  Meanwhile Tracy’s grandmother wants to be left in peace to die.

As a compromise, Jennifer suggested doing a healing ritual where they would ask the grandmother on the astral plane.  She believes that if Tracy’s grandmother consents astrally, then the girls can send magickal healing. This ritual is problematic since the grandmother may be unconscious and unable to consent.  Moreover, according to John Coughlin, contacting people on the astral plane is difficult even for the experienced magickal healer.  He stresses that this option is the “the escape clause” for doing magickal healing without the recipient’s permission.

The other ethical problem the girls have is Tracy’s intense desire to have her grandmother not die.  Since Tracy’s grandmother is adamant about not receiving any treatment, the ritual would make Tracy the final arbiter of her grandmother’s fate.  This would deny her grandmother, her final agency.

Furthermore, Jennifer’s “healing ritual” would be a violation of Tracy’s grandmother’s stated wishes.  Moreover, the ritual would compromise the grandmother’s religious beliefs.  As a Christian, she would be aghast to discover that she unknowingly participated in a “witchy healing.”

Jennifer could do the following instead.  In the ritual, she could ask Tracy to envelope her grandmother with her love, since they have a natural bond.  This would affirm her love for her dying grandmother.  By doing, this Tracy would begin to understand that she needs to let her grandmother go.  The focus of Jennifer’s ritual would be Tracy, instead of her grandmother. 

Works Used:

Coughlin, John, “Magical Ethics and Pseudo-Metaphysics”, Author’s Website, 2004, http://www.waningmoon.com/jcoughlin/writing/pseudometaph.shtml.

----, “Ethics Code for Energy Healing Practitioners”, Eden Energy Institute, 16 September 2010, http://innersource.net/em/images/downloads/EEM_Ethics_Code.pdf.

Feinstein, David, Douglas Moore, Dale Teplitz, “Addressing Emotional Blocks to Healing in an Energy Medicine Practice: Ethical and Clinical Guidelines”, Energy Psychology 4:1, May 2012,

http://efttappingexpert.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Feinstein12.pdf.

Harrell, Kelly, “Intentional Insights: Q&A From Within”, blog, http://www.intentionalinsights.com/.

Kaldera, Raven, “Wyrdwalkers: Techniques of Northern-Tradition Shamanism”, Asphodel Press: Hubbardston, MA, 2006.

Morningstar, Sally, “The Art of Wiccan Healing”, Hay House: Carlsbad (CA), 2005.

Tashlin, Wintersong, “Invoking Consent”, Huginn Journal 1:2, Midsummer 2011, http://huginnjournal.com/issues/v1i2/.

----------------

Ethics for Magical People: Healing (1 of 2)

 An examination of a case study of people who want to send unasked-for "magickal" healing. I was a victim of this where well-meaning people send me "Reiki" energy to heal my brain injury. I ended up being more harmed by the input of this energy healing.

-----------------

"First, Do No Harm"

Since magickal healers are not considered to be a part of the medical profession, they do need to be informed of the ethics of informed consent.  When someone is in distress, it is common for their friends to send Reiki (and other forms of healing energy) without asking the person first.  Simply because these friends have good intentions does not mean that the Reiki will alleviate the person’s distress.  For example after my traumatic brain injury, I received unasked-for energy healing.  My friends thought that they were helping me, but they did not know that the brain has its own energy fields.  Their magickal energy overloaded my injured brain, instead of helping to heal it.

Since then, I have urged people to ask me before doing any magickal healing.  For me, I view sending unasked-for healing to be a violation of my person.  My doctors and I know what is better for my recovery than the “do-gooder” healer.  Many casual workers of energy healing believe what they do is benign, but do not consider that they need to grant the distressed person their own agency.  An important part of my recovery is to take back my own power in deciding my treatment.  Wintersong Tashlin, activist and shaman, calls the practice of sending unasked-for energy to be “benevolent harm”.  It takes away the person’s consent, and makes the sender the final arbitrator in the recovery process.

Moreover, several magickal healers have emphasized that sending unasked healing could be a violation of the Universe’s plans for the suffering individual.  In her blog, Kelly Harrell, neo-shaman and author, cautions about the modern attitude, in Western medicine, that every broken thing must be fixed.  Because of this attitude, the desire of the healer to cure the illness becomes more important than the “Highest Outcome” for the client.  The Universe may decide that death is the answer for ending the person’s pain.  She says that an ethical healer must be a part of “All That Is the Universe”, since the healer’s job is to connect “the Universe” with the client.  The ethical healer balances “the Light” and “the Shadow” of the Universe to achieve the best outcome for her client.

In “The Art of Wiccan Healing,” Sally Morningstar, a Wiccan healer, writes that it can be morally wrong to interfere with a person’s suffering.  She explains that “the Law of Karma” governs how people are supposed to experience their life.  To send unasked healing could subvert a person’s Karma (Fate).  The Universe decides what the Highest Good is for each person, and that may include suffering.

Raven Kaldera, a Northern-Tradition shaman, discusses this doctrine of Karma from a Northern Pagan point of view.  In his book, “Wyrdwalkers,” he explains that everyone is interconnected within the “Well of the Wyrd” (Web of Life).  If he interferes with someone’s Wyrd (Fate), he may weaken other Threads in the Tapestry (Web) of Life.  Therefore, it is not the healer’s place to end the pain, without checking with the Gods first.  The Norns (Fates) may have dictated that the person has to work through the pain.

The conclusion of these various healers is that the Universe may have planned for the sick person’s suffering.  Therefore, the main task of the healer is to align the person with Will of the Universe.  A healer does not dictate how the person heals, only the Universe.  In concrete terms, in order to treat measles, you kill the germs, not cover up the rash.  Doing magickal healing may only cure the rash.

When sending magickal healing, many novice healers believe that they do not cause distress.  However David Feinstein, clinical psychologist and energy-healing ethicist, points out that energy sent to alleviate pain does impacts the body.  (I experienced this phenomenon with my brain injury.)  Feinstein stresses that this flooding of energy overwhelms the emotions of the distressed person.  This energy will often break through emotional blocks that the person may not be aware of, thereby causing a traumatic breakdown.  Feinstein counsels that the most ethical approach is to do the healing in a structured setting with the recipient understanding the risks.

Negative Energy: Sloth

Sloth comes in many forms.  It ranges from being lazy or idle to actively avoiding doing something.  The core meaning of sloth is “the failure to act”.  Time management articles teach the basic of idea of “when you are doing one thing; you are not doing something else”.  Therefore, you have to decide which task is more important.  However, when you want to appear as if you are actually working on the important task, you engage in busy work.  You work around the chore, instead of just doing it.  (This activity is known as “active sloth”.)

On her website, Maria Cilley, an online coach known as “The Fly Lady”, addresses why some people avoid doing housework.  She links it to low-self worth.  She explained that these people do not love themselves enough to merit a clean home.  Therefore the mess in their homes is evidence of how little they value themselves.

The Fly Lady further addresses a corresponding problem of avoidance - perfectionism.  Many people have been taught that if they do not do everything perfectly, then they are not good enough.  For example, vacuuming a room may means moving the furniture instead of just vacuuming around it.  Therefore, these people delay doing the chore.  However, The Fly Lady counters their thinking with “housework done incorrectly still blesses the home.”

I see sloth as a secondary emotion covering the primary emotions of fear and hurt.  Sloth gives people something to focus on while avoiding something else.  To escape from their feelings, people indulge in pleasurable activities.

My experience with sloth involves fear.  During my recovery from major depression, I encountered people who wanted to remain ill.  One man in my group sabotaged his recovery so many times that his doctor fired him.  Remaining sick is familiar and comforting, where as becoming well is frightening and scary.  Moving from the land of the sick to the country of wellness takes true grit and faith in oneself.

If you remain sick, no one will ask you to be responsible.  Instead of becoming an adult, you can stay a child.  This ensures that you will be taken care of by others.  After all, being well means that you cannot check out when things are tough.  Therefore what lies behind the reluctance to recover from major illness is usually fear.

My recent brain injury has prompted me to reconsider what it means to be well.  I struggle daily with my perceptions of my injury. Since the accident there is now three of me, therefore I have to negotiate each day with my various selves.  One “me” is super responsible, and also a perfectionist.  This part urges me to do everything regardless of my limitations.  This self tends to drown out the voices of the others.  I do want to be taken care of, and receive people’s sympathy.  However, I need to be as independent as possible.  Therefore, I need to test to see what is feasible for me to be doing.

In her essay on laziness, Pema Chodron, Buddhist nun, tells people to embrace their laziness.  Stop and listen to what it is telling you.  Once we do that, we can be compassionate towards ourselves.  When we embrace laziness open heartedly, it can heal us.

Sloth helps us to move slowly towards what is hurting us.  It can also prevent us from dealing with it.  What we do when we are confronted with sloth is up to us.  I choose to let sloth heal me.

Works Used:

Chodron, Pema, “Looking into Laziness”, Shambhala Sun, November 1998, http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2286,

Cilley, Maria, The Fly Lady: Your Personal Online Coach, 2011 http://www.flylady.net/,

---, “Time Management”, Mind Tools, 2011, http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_HTE.htm,

Dolphins and Crystals

A major part of receiving healing from nature is the Rock People. Ancient people knew of the power of rocks. At places of power, they created megaliths such as Stonehenge. Among the Animal People, Plant People, and Rock People, the strongest is the power of the Rock People. The spirits of the rocks will aid people. But they need to be asked first from those who respect them.

Brought forth from the center of Mother Earth, rocks reunite people with Her. Rocks do not tell lies. They strike at the heart of the matter, and lay open the truth. Rocks pierce the fog and reveal the hidden reality. Among the energies of the universe, rock energy is the strongest and hardest to use.



Dolphins know how to use this raw energy. To travel the seas, they use echolocation and sonar. Sending vibrations in the water, Dolphins can sense objects without ever seeing them. The budge on their heads is called the melon. This organ helps the dolphins to navigate in murky waters.

Dolphins are the intermediaries for the rocks. Dolphin energy is softer and easier to hold. Since people respond well to dolphins, they can connect people to the power of the rocks. Dolphins can translate and focus the rock’s power quite easily. Among the healing modalities, those who heal with rocks are few. With the dolphins’ intervention, more people can heal using the rocks.

----------
Copyright: Virginia Carper 2009