THE EMPATH CONNECTION NEWSLETTER - ARCHIVE- JUNE 2008 ISSUE

THE POWER OF HEYOKA -

DOING THINGS BACKWARDS; TEACHING US ABOUT OPPOSITES.
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In last month's newsletter, we talked about the polarity therapy coccyx release and it's ability to release years of trauma or stagnant energy.

This month, the featured topic is heyoka, which we briefly touched upon last month. What is heyoka? Heyoka has it's roots in Native American culture and is all about the power of doing things backwards to help us stay energetically in a good state of flow.

In addition being empathic and having a sensitive nervous sytem that is programmed to pick up all sorts of nifty energy, many of us are energetically hard-wired "backwards."

If you've ever felt different, like you don't quite belong, then you may identify with the magic of the Heyoka story. Many of us will zig while others zag. We may be happy at times when others are sad, and vice versa. We will be taking breath in when others are exhaling. We may even read books backwards; from front to back, or even read from right to left. For the most part, these inherent "backward" urges are programmed in our DNA.

In some Native American cultures, the heyoka is honored as a sacred-clown who teaches the value of purposefully acting in a manner opposite to our natural instincts so that we don't get too serious. The heyoka is not comfortable with too much linearity, predictability, or social order. The heyoka has an intimate relationship with ambiguity and chaos as tools of spiritual advancement. If you have heyoka power, you may use this type of energy naturally, and often to your own embarrassment! You may spill food all over your shirts during meals, trip youself up at the most inoportune times, and/or constantly lose important items. These heyoka moments help us to take ourselves less seriously.

Even if you aren't Heyoka by nature, the universe will give us days to experience the Heyoka energy. For instance, I recently asked a client to tune in to the energy that I was projecting toward her over the phone. When I asked her to concentrate on the subtleties of the jangled, anxious energy I was sending (as a teaching tool), she perceived it as completely calm and tranquil. When I projected feelings of being on a tropical island, it made her nervous and she felt her heart chakra close. I got excited at this because it allowed for a discussion of heyoka.

Some of you know that I have been learning from Native American elders for the last 5 years about indigenous healing traditions (which is a very short time in that tradition, by the way). Both of my primary mentors are Heyoka. My first teacher is such a clown. During spiritual ceremony, at the end of important talks to the people, he will tell us that he based his lesson on that morning's CNN broadcast. "I get my best material from CNN," he will cackle. This, of course, causes all of us to drop our ultra-serious spiritual warrior attitude and see how easily we can give our own power away.

During another sacred ceremony, when the spiritual and emotional energy was so high it seemed many of us couldn't take it anymore, he gave us each a bowl of green jello and whipped cream and asked us to pray to our whipped cream. The resulting laughter and ridiculousness was priceless.

In many indigenous cultures, heyoka power is associated with the animal Coyote. This animal is full of tricks. Coyotes are notorious for zig zagging and fooling even the most experienced hunters. If you need a good laugh, at your own expense, ask the animal spirit of the coyote to come into your life. You will be starring in your own Candid Camera episodes before you know it! Do some additional research on this topic; you'll be suprised at how you may see yourself in what you read.

Why is it important to know about Heyoka? Because there are times when our normally reliable empathic perception and trusty intuition may be purposefully fooling us. On certain days, it may be best to do the exact opposite of what your empathic intuition tells you. With time and refinement, you will be able to discern when this might be happening for you. It's random and unpredictable; and because of this, it helps us pay closer attention and listen more carefully.