I have been very touched by the responses to my first few posts. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know what you got from them. The responses seemed to sort themselves into two groups of distinctive characteristics.
One group, writing about the blessings, was appreciative of such a positive insight and open sharing. Some said that they, too, had gone into that deep darkness and come to a deeper appreciation at the end of the experience. For them it was nice to see someome put it “out there,” as not everyone will speak about it. To these people I want to say ‘thank you so much’ because it was not easy to do. The writing of it is so personal, and yet I feel it is time to give voice to those common human experiences that our culture does not acknowledge.
Another group, mostly writing about the Chakras (but a few about the spiritual insight from the blessings, too), felt my presentation made these matters sound so easy, though they may actually be too complicated to ever understand. To these people I want to say ‘I know what you mean.’ And the answer to the problem is that one needs a teacher in these cases.
All these matters that have more to do with energy than material substance are difficult to understand with words alone. It is like trying to describe the taste of an apple. You can say it is sweet, but many other things that are sweet taste nothing like an apple. Then, of course, there are apples that are more or less sweet, or even tart or sour, that still taste like apples. How can you explain this to someone who has never had an apple?! Well, you have to make sure there is an apple available, show them where and how to bite into it, watch to make sure it all goes well, bear witness to their experience, and be able to taste what they taste as they taste it for the first time. This is called teaching by transmission. It is the art of teaching, over and above the skill of teaching.
The learning that has been most valuable to me has been taught in the age-old ‘oral transmission’ tradition (no textbooks or written materials) by teachers who had mastered the art of transmission. This does not mean that I do not value other learning. I absolutely value what I have gotten from reading and studying, both by schooling and on my own. However, in the case of those things that cannot be seen or touched but must be felt with the heart and soul, that knowledge only springs to life in the presence of someone who knows how to create the atmosphere for it to become your own awareness. That is why I say you need a teacher. I have been lucky enough to have had such teachers. And I have been lucky enough to have been taught to be such a teacher (tho’ I do give out written materials). So, if any of the courses and workshops that I offer are of interest to you, but you are afraid that they are beyond your grasp, I say give it a try. You might be surprised! Here are some of the testimonials from people who have been in my classes:
I attended a class on Power Animals taught by Lindy Ferrigno. The class was not only informative on the informational level but on the experiential level as well. It offered me a direct experience of my personal relationship to my power animals. Lindy is a skilled Shaman who guided me on a deep journey with patience and skill so that I could have the direct experience of being with my animals. She created and sustained a very safe relaxed atmosphere, allowing me to receive the information that I needed to continue on my healing journey. Lindy’s deep visceral experience of the shamanic world and her connection to it allows for a rich and deep experience in any class she may teach. I highly recommend her as a teacher.
Anna KD Blum, PMH, CS, BC
Dear Lindy,
I thought you might be interested in my response to the Chakra Workshop. I came home afterward feeling contentedly sleepy and very much in my body. I went to bed early and slept like a baby, unusual for me in both cases. The next morning I awoke expecting my standard stiffness. But there was none. No aches or pains either. Very strange indeed. “Stranger” things were yet to come. I sat down and journaled for the first time within memory, although there was a time I did that every morning of my life. The journal pages helped me focus the work we did on Saturday. If I were to chose one thing that resonated most deeply from all the wonderful things in that oh-so-rich workshop, it would be this idea: Spirit does not have a body, but we do and it is time for all of us to step up and take part in the work of Spirit. We are the hands, the feet, the body of Spirit and one of the reasons to stay alive long into old age is to further that work. Following is one of the notes from my journal: “I want to take those things that have worked for me in the past and bring them to my life now so the flow that is me continues and I don’t feel chopped up into ‘chapters.’ The growing older will not seem an aberration, a ‘wrench’ from who I was, but a way of opening, of accepting my ‘leaky margins’ and my eventual dissolving into the whole of being. The aspect of the day that spoke to me most was the idea of the partnership of Spirit and this body. How they – we – need each other, how we must rely on each other to accomplish what we came here for.”
There were many other things I said in those pages, many important realizations, but that was the essence, that is the reason (for me, at least) to set my chakras spinning.
And speaking of spinning, after I wrote, I went downstairs, turned on music, and spontaneously began to dance. I danced and danced until I began to cry for joy and shout “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Yes. Thank you so much, dear Lindy, for all I learned in those precious days.
Tinka
Catherine Finn
I have experienced first hand, Lindy’s wonderful ability to teach. She shares her vast knowledge on many topics by condensing the material and making the information understandable to the layperson. Her seminars are concise and offer both skilled practitioners of other modalities, and those just curious, a window into the seemingly endless mastery of her studies.
JoAnn M. Christy, C.M.T.