I read this author's two books and saw a practitioner as a result, it was a verrrrry cool experience:

www.barbarabrennan.com

I hope I posted this in the correct forum. I definitely felt the work performed and even felt like I was taking a rollercoaster ride. Whee!

The only thing is that I'm a bit leery of doing too much energy work with people because I believe that it can border on spiritual healing and I don't want anyone taking on my karma. Just my own personal belief.

Ok Romain, here's my best explanation. I'm an initiate of an eastern indian spiritual practice called Sant Mat. It's not a religion, but a  meditational, spiritual practice. Some of the books I have read by the spiritual masters of the practice speak about karma and the various types of karma. One of the spiritual masters, Sant Kirpal Singh, states that we should avoid spiritual healers since the karma involved that would cause a spiritual effect tha has to be paid by someone. Karma in this tradition is not a punishment, but a simple force of nature.

So, if I have a spiritual crises or impediment that is causing physical or spiritual effects and I go to a spiritual healer (or in this case, the Brennan method uses the auric field to determine the impediments in your life, from how I understand it), it could be that the healer is removing karma from me. That karma has to go somewhere, someone has to pay it, so to speak.

I asked my hubby about this, wondering how is this different from going to a physical doctor that gives you physical treatment. His first response was that I pay the physician and that is his job. I said, well I pay the Brennan healer, and that is her job. But, he said it's different, and as much as I would like to say I understand it all, I don't.

This is from The Teachings of Kirpal Singh, volume 3, p. 67, "Spiritual Healing."

"Spiritual healing is prohibited by the Masters. It has reasons and deeper significance behind it, which ordinarily people ignore, considering the face value of the profits accrued and attributing it as a service to the suffering of humanity. The inexorable Law of Karma is supreme and demands adjustment of each farthing. . . .  Soul in its present state is gravely enmeshed by body and bodily attachments, which are more or less the reaction of past karma, which  it has been contracting all through up to the present incarnation. ..... Now the sufferings demanding spiritual healing fall mainly in the domain of physical troubles, which may include even mental agonies such as nervous breakdown, etc.  These being the reactions of past karma must demand adjustment and as such are to be borne by the victim. The healer, whosoever he may be, conducting this service, takes the karma on his head, to be borne by him at a later stage.  Besides, the bit of spiritual attainment he has attained in silencing his mind is dissipated in such gestures of a miracle healing. Moreover, this process of healing is administered on weaker minds which usually fall a prey to their sentiments. What can ordinarily be cured by undergoing a bit of suffering and medicine, is exchanged for spiritual dissipation, and the debt remains standing, awaiting adjustment at a later stage. Again, this sort of healing becomes professional and at times encourages corruption and misery. It not only  invites malpractices, but brings in more of mental agony and wretchedness in multiplied form added with  interest. This a causal postponement of payment for a future date, and adds strong fetters over the soul."

Eh, so I don't know if this a correct pronouncement or not, but considering the possible effects, it is something it wouldn't hurt me to avoid and also may not provide that much help. When I went to the Brennan healer, it was primarily to confirm that my chakras were spinning correctly and out of general curiosity. It was interesting, she said the chakras were fine, and I'll probably leave it at that.

Romain,

I am interested in retrieval, but for the same reasons enumerated above re karma, I do not know how involved I will be. I am not afraid or anything, but since I follow a certain spiritual practice, I take heed to the words of the Sant Mat masters.

To me, it seems that retrieval work could result in karma adjustments...but who knows. I know if I asked a Sant Mat master his best advice would probably be not to bother. The Sant Mat masters speak of the different levels of consciousness and they are similar to those explained in the books by Monroe and Moen. However, in Sant Mat, we are more or less admonished to not linger too long in these worlds but rather to continue our way toward home (which in Sant Mat, is called Sach Khand), less the enticements of each level delay our journey. Yes, we are told to meditate on the Sound Current and Light, and to enjoy what we see, but to find the Master within and to continue home.

From what I can tell, many of the regions described in the Monroe, Moen, and Thomas Campbell books seem to be more in the astral region, while some involve the tunnel which reaches from the astral to the causal plane, an some in the purely spiritual "ineffable" regions. In the astral region (according to Sant Mat tradition), this region is where the heavens, hells, and purgatories exist. For many reasons, the masters say not to linger too long there.....

Here's a free book about an initiate's experience with the Sant Mat masters and also a nice chart of the regions.

http://www.mothandtheflame.com/moth.html

See section 88-Appendix for a beautiful visual rendition and explanation of the inner planes.

Thanks for your reply!

Bets,

Oh I believe the Sant Mat masters understand what spiritual helpers are doing, and more. The Sant Masters advise for one to go beyond the causal plane, go to the purely spiritual planes. Since we are allowed to share with the less fortunate here on earth, according to Sant Mat tradition, it might spill over to these other levels as well. I'm not sure, like I said in my post. Just "philosophizing" here, but the reason I think "retrieval work" could add to my karmic load is that where a person "resides" in the nonphysical planes is really not an issue for me to decide or resolve. I can understand how being "stuck" in a room by yourself at focusl 23 (?) and not understanding you were dead would be traumatizing, to be sure. But, in my mind, there is something to be learned about every stage of existence, with not one necessarily being better or worse than another as much as just a state of "being." I also believe that all souls eventually return to God, even those whom some might say are residing in their own personal hells or purgatories.

Since I in no way consider myself spiritually evolved to the point I would even whisper the word "master" about myself, I will likely leave the work to be done in the nonphysical regions to spiritual masters and God. They know better than I why and where a person is.

I am not abdicating any of my personal power, nor do I do so in fear, but I feel as of now, these are really not things I need to be doing, any more than brain surgery.

I have read two of Monroe's books (the first two) and haven't gotten Bruce's book yet, so it's hard to say exactly whether there is any conflict or not with what I know of Sant Mat. I definitely have not read much about Bruce's approach other than the retrieval method he posted for free online.

I know you are not arguing with me at all about the Sant Mat tradition. I've seen some of your posts and you are always very kind and accommodating. I don't know the answer to your question of whether conflict truly exists.  I only know that I don't feel qualified or informed at this point to fully answer the question and that I have no fears about my own "placement" in the afterlife, as my personal connection with a Master ensures I will be in the place that is spiritually best for me.

But it does raise interesting issues, to be sure. Not that I have a basis to doubt Moen's and Monroe's experiences or what they were told by "higher beings," but I remain skeptical in some ways of who these higher beings are and why God would require a human to do the work of God, so to speak. I mean, I totally understand the explanation (the little that I've read) but it kinda makes one think. I rest my faith in my own Master and not in the hands of "Joe Somebody" (LOL) who may think I'm stuck somewhere in the Afterlife when my Master has placed me there based on my spiritual needs and development. Not only would I want interference, "Joe Somebody" would have no right or power to remove me, in my opinion, from where I was placed.

In Sant Mat, it is one's spiritual master who meets an initiate at death and places him or her in the proper spiritual realm. In Sant Mat, the spiritual Master does the higher work of God, based on his spiritual development. An initiate can only learn and progress as far as his spiritual master, so choosing one wisely is important. For example, if one's master was only cognizant up to the levels of the causal level of the inner planes, an initiate would not be able to progress beyond.

Anyhow, that's how I understand it. Maybe further reading both in Bruce's books and the books of the Sant Mat masters will "enlighten" me.

Thanks for your questions and insights.