I knew that I was running the risk of being a bit OUT THERE when I signed up to go to a raw chocolate, essential oil, Tibetan singing bowl, chakra cleanse given by a man who has dubbed himself "Dr. Love." (The name has been changed to protect the insane. See! Just like I do with myself!!!)
How to explain?
I sat on a chair while a self-taught guru with his band of angels on a magical mystery tour of love, dished out flavored raw chocolate and rubbed an essential oil on my wrists before one of the angels stood in front of me and struck a Tibetan singing bowl whose note corresponds to one of the seven chakras in my body. Dr. Love started with the Root Chakra and worked his way all the way up to the Crown Chakra, while we - the participants - worked on areas of our lives where we have problems due to the fact that a particular chakra may be blocked or out of balance. Hence the cleanse part.
I suppose that anyone who has stuck out a yoga class longer than I knows that the both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions believe that there are seven major chakras in the body. Each is envisioned as a swirling wheel within the core of your body and stores a different kind of energy. This energy, called “prana”, keeps us vibrant, healthy, and alive. Conversely, blocked chakras are believed to create illness.
I have to admit that I was a wee bit worried when I tasted the first "chakralate" (I'm coining that phrase here for the first time - no charge for the intellectual properties.) What if it had been laced with some sort of hallucinogenic or just plain old made in Colorado? That's what I do best, you know; panic about irrational things. But then I realized that it was an event sponsored by our local hospital and that kind of stuff really wouldn't fly with the board of directors.
Panic over.
Don't get me wrong, the sound those bowls emit is awesome. Each bowl, when struck with a mallet, will resonate for at least 45 seconds. You can almost breathe in its vibration. Vibrational healing is nothing new. It stems from very ancient traditions. Placing a whorling bowl in or around your body, can change the very energy within you. I've been to singing bowl meditations before, but they have never been so. . . so. . . galactivating before.
I know this because I got caught up in the whole magical-mystery-chakralate-bowl-singing-essential-extravaganza-tour-of-love and purchased a bowl for my own use. It's not like I purchased it, really; it was more like an adoption.
Yeah, that's it! I adopted a bowl that needed a good home. It found me; and I found it.
And then I headed home and lied to Drip Dry about exactly how much the adoption fee was.
It's an "E" bowl. The "E" note, in Dr. Love's world, corresponds to my Root Chakra. It should make me safe, strong, supported, and help with my fatigue. Who could argue with that? I think I need to name my bowl but am stumped as to what to call it; for nothing is quite resonating with me just yet. Perhaps I need to get to know it a little better.
I introduced it to the other adoptees in the house. The cat was mildly interested in the sound it emitted. The dog, on the other hand, was quite indifferent the second she realized that it didn't contain potato chips.
Perhaps that chocolate was laced after all. I wonder when the effects will begin to wear off. . . .
