Before, During, and After

This entry is a collection of things that have been on my mind over the past few weeks, including some additional commentary on my quest for hearing improvement.

Before

Before I provide an update on my hearing, I need to correct something I said previously about the Crystal Consciousness intervention I received from Jane Frey and Pam James during the Wellness for All conference in Chicago. I didn’t realize at the time that Jane is the developer of that technique. She describes it this way:

Crystal Consciousness Connection is an energetic process which allows us to connect deeply with high vibration “crystalline” source energy. Through this connection, we are able to release many issues and patterns we are living that we also recognize in day to day living either in our families, our communities, society, cultures etc. Connecting to this energy facilitates well-being by releasing us from restrictive patterns that no longer serve us, which may be impacting our health, functional ability, clarity, and happiness.

Crystal Consciousness and Living in the Merkaba are energy systems or models and techniques that have evolved through my experience working with individual clients and small groups.

Jane presented her Crystal Energy Model of Crystal Consciousness at the “Wellness for All—Touch for Health/Energy Medicine” conference in Chicago in July 2012. She was awarded the Energy Medicine Partnerships International 2012 Achievement Award for outstanding achievement for adding advanced theory and practice in Energy Medicine—Crystal Consciousness Theory.

For more information about the process of Crystal Consciousness Connection, including upcoming classes, please contact Jane directly at ewc@shaw.ca.

During

Following the meeting in Chicago, Debra and I went to Durham, North Carolina, for a meeting of what we’ve been calling “Wellness Evolution Aries,” a group being formed by Mary Jo Bulbrook. On the way to Durham, our GPS took us on an interesting side journey through the mountains of West Virginia. You may remember John Denver’s tribute to the mountains of West Virginia:

    Country Roads, take me home
    To the place I belong
    West Virginia, mountain momma
    Take me home, country roads

It was easy for us to see why John Denver wrote the song. The mountains—and the switchbacks on the two-lane highway through them—were breath-takingly beautiful. I found my ears popping with the changes in altitude all the way up and all the way back down.

Then something strange happened. When we arrived at the hotel, I noticed that everything seemed loud. The air conditioner was loud. In the morning, the coffee-maker seemed very loud. When I asked Debra, she said that they were no noisier than usual. Something about the changes in altitude “opened” my ears. The “extreme” increase in sensitivity to sound lasted several days, before a gradual decline. Although it is not yet clear what will come from it, the rest of our weekend in Durham was interesting and helpful. As part of the process, Mary Jo led Debra and me through a Maori technique for aligning our energies in pursuit of a common goal. Watch our website (http://scs-matters.com) for developments.

When I got back home, I mentioned how my “mountain momma” adventure influenced my hearing to a number of people. One of the physicians I met in Lexington, Kentucky, at the ICIM conference (Dr. John Trowbridge) and my acupuncturist Leah Ke, both said, “Eustachian tubes!” They recommended techniques for opening my Eustachian tubes. Both techniques seem to be having a positive influence on my hearing. Although my hearing seems to have improved since I started this journey, I will need a follow-up audiogram to be sure. Meanwhile, the quest continues….

After

There was a time (not long ago) when “after” meant something other than “during.” That time may be fading. I have begun to notice an increasing number of headlines like the following:

    Motorcyclist killed after crashing into SUV
    GRPD Officer Injured After Crashing Cruiser

So … they weren’t killed or injured in or during the crash but afterwards. In the case of the motorcyclist, perhaps the SUV owner was really annoyed. In the case of the police officer, an angry mob must have given chase….

My concern here is with language and communication. Meanings of words will, of course, naturally change over time. I can remember when it was “cool” to say that something was “cool.” In Shakespeare’s day, everyone knew the meaning of a bare bodkin. (Go ahead, “Google” it.) Changing the meaning of “after” to mean “during,” however, seems qualitatively different from changing “bodkin” to “dagger.” After all, how will we refer to things that come after if not “after”?

It seems to me that those of us who write for public consumption need to be especially careful with our language. We really should know how to use subjunctive mood appropriately: “If I were you…” not “If I was you.” The use of the subjunctive mood indicates a hypothetical situation or a condition contrary to fact: “If two and two were five….” Perhaps politicians should use the subjunctive mood more often…. But don’t get me started on negative commands, or I’ll have you not thinking of elephants now.

For more about language usage, see the “Language Tips” link in the left sidebar of the SCS Matters website.

 

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