Philippa Pullar           

                I feel that all the stars shine in me.
                The world breaks into my life like a flood.
                Flowers blossom in my body.
                All the youthfulness of land and water smokes like an incense in my heart
                And the breath of all things plays on my thoughts like a flute.
                                       Tagore

An Irish tai Chi master would tell us to fill our cups throughout our practice, so that nothing else could get in. I think too of a sufi prayer, quoted by George Trevelyan one autumn equinox in Cornwall: "o my beloved! Fill the cup that clears today of past regrets and future fears."

We need to know how to fill our cups with a sense of the divine: beauty, light, love, compassion, warm humour and generosity towards all beings. If we can do this, if we can experience this in our hearts, then no matter what our medicine is -- orthodox, laying-on of hands, or whatever -- the healing feeling we have created will integrate and lift us, radiating to our patients so that new possibilities can come through. This quality of feeling is such a powerful and simple tool, yet I am struck how often it is ignored or forgotten. It is one of the keys to the ancient wisdom traditions which we are rediscovering in this so-called New Age

Ancient wisdom traditions talk about purifying the heart, emptying the cup of all that is selfish, so as to be transparent to reflect the light of God. Before we can fill our cups we must empty them and be calm and focused. The following practice is taken from Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying:

I offer here some simple practices drawn from various traditions with the hope they will be helpful.

• Rest the attention on the breath, focus the awareness on the out-breath; focus on breathing out and flowing with the out-breath. Let go; sink; relax; release. Now: between the breaths there is a gap, an open space. Rest in the gap. As you breathe in, don't focus on the in-breath, just rest your mind in the gap which has opened. Continue breathing normally, letting go on the out-breath, relaxing in the gap; your attention being 25% on the breath, 75% on being spaciously relaxed.

The heart of man, it is said, radiates the power of God, the forces of love and compassion from which all healing comes, the divine spark of God, the magic spark of change. When the light of God is anchored in our hearts and focused through the magnifying glass of love and compassion, it blazes like flames through our being.

•  Light a candle and look into the flame, squinting your eyes. See how the rays extend in all directions. Follow one of the rays that radiates towards you into your heart. Feel this part of your body becoming warm and vibrant. Fell your body melting and becoming pliable. As you contemplate the candle flame, feel your energy unfurling in the space around you. Feel the body releasing each muscle and surrendering its resistance to the warmth.

• Having emptied your cup of all that is selfish, put your attention in your heart and think of someone you love very much. If this is difficult, think of something that makes you peacefule. It is the feeling quality that is important -- the feeling you create and experience in your heart. Hold the feeling in your heart and every time a thought comes into your mind, take it and drown it in the feeling. Again and again fill your heart with the feelings of love, compassion and peace, so that the resonance will stay with you through the day.

Philippa Pullar, healer, 7 St. Mary's Grove, London SW13 OJA
 

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Copyright © Daniel J. Benor, M.D. 1993 Reprinted with permission of the author P.O. Box 76 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 www.WholisticHealingResearch.com   DB@WholisticHealingResearch.com   

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