Interviews - Page 2

CONSCIOUS RITES OF PASSAGES IN LIFE AND DEATH

Public Lecture and Workshop, January 20, 2001, Ottawa, Spiritual Frontier's Canada

Article in TONE magazine January 2001, Volume 16 Number 5, page 29

by Andy Viciulis

SPIRITUAL FRONTIERS CANADA PRESENTS

Sarah Diane Pomerleau, M.Ed.,

Jungian Psychotherapist, Shaman, Dowser, Reiki Master, Dolphin Therapy, Runic Energies

Author of

As Beyond so Below

Dialogues with the Eagle

The Star

Published by : Samsarah - Édi-Texte, Édition en ligne (e-book)

"Conscious Rites of Passages in Life and Death" workshop

Exploring Rites of Passages to deal with fears of living - dying - Mystery of Death

Learn to free oneself from attachments - resentments and connect to our Divine Self Experience through visualizations the healing energy of Dolphin Therapy

A Rite of Passage is an initiation or ritual that introduces us to a major transition or change of status in life. Baptism, Holy Communion, Bar Mitzvah and marriage are examples of religious ceremonies that celebrate major turning points in our lives. They are joyful events that contribute to our personal growth as individuals. Remember your personal rites of passages such as your first date, high school graduation prom, or birth of a child.

Similarly, dealing with a divorce, a serious illness and death are rites of passages that are normally perceived to be our crises from the darker side of life's journey. These life challenges can be traumatic and lead to considerable malaise. The fears and negative emotions associated with these types of passages tend to quagmire us in the quicksand of life leading to fragmentation of spirit.

For thousands of years, the Druids, Egyptians, and Tibetans have initiated people through rites of passages dealing with fears of living and dying. In Aboriginal cultures, shamans have and still serve as the midwife of the passage to assist in the transformation required to transcend the crisis, pull ourselves back together and rediscover the joie de vivre of life

By comparison, in our culture, palliative care and pastoral counselors especially help individuals to honor the human journey and face the transitions through illness and the mystery of death with dignity. There are also other professionnals, like Sarah Diane Pomerleau, who have developed a deeper understanding of the uses of such rites.

Pomerleau, a Jungian psychotherapist, is the author of a timeless and relevant book entitled "Conscious Rites of Passages for a New Millenium". In her book she teaches individuals to experience the healing energy of Dolphin Spirit (Therapy) through visualizations.

According to Pomerleau, the meditative practice of connecting with the passion for living that is the essence of the Dolphin Spirit, opens our heart and consciousness and brings healing in our lives. The healing energy of Dolphins is Joy and Unconditional Love. Liberation is the outcome of this conscious rite of passage technique.

Spiritual healing approaches may help one to move forward through the self-healing and self-restructuring needed to once again become fully alive and free. Such approaches may also help us to learn how to free oneself from attachments and resentments, and how to re-connect with the Divine Self. The Samsarah Method, created by Pomerleau, however is unique. It "frees the past limited genetic coding of fear and suffering, and transmutes it into the original unlimited divine coding and DNA of love, consciousness, creativity, freedom and passion for living".

These practices and rituals help us to navigate through the journey of life; deal with the challenges in life as opportunities for personal growth, and allow us to consciously explore the multidimensionality of our being. Being aware of the rites of passages provides meaning to life and keeps us connected to our Divine Self. Life then becomes the Joy it is intended to be.

Andy Viciulis, Spiritual Frontiers Canada, January 2001