Vibrational Sound Healing uses vibration created by sound to relax the mind and body. Vibration on or near the body moves Qi. Needles move Qi. It shouldn’t be a surprise that I love this healing modality.
I look forward to monthly sessions. I have had some interesting experiences and my last was the best yet. My friend is a gifted practitioner. She opens each session by playing a variety of crystal bowls while I lie on a heated, comfy massage table in a darkened room. The sounds bring me to the present moment and the outside world slips away. After a time, she places one or two Tibetan Singing Bowls on my body and invites them to vibrate by gently tapping them with a felt-covered mallet. The vibration is gentle and goes deep. It lulls me to a place of profound peace. One bowl is soothing. Two bowls seem to communicate with each other, creating balance and a sense that I occupy my entire body. Internal me has a sense of external me.
At some point, Cat placed a bowl on my sternum, heart chakra, and I was transported to a dreamlike state. Each time she activated the bowl, an image moved through my mind’s eye. It was not clear but rather a moving mosaic, glowing black & white with shades of grey. I have learned NOT to look directly at the image but to let it reveal itself. I recognized the IDEA of the image. It’s “one of those Chinese gargoyles,” I thought, trying to avoid overthinking the experience as I knew it contained insight that I would take back to my daily life. I let it go until later. I felt calm and content. These experiences need to stew for a while before I understand them.
After a good night’s sleep, my waking thought was: “Temple Dog.” I remembered the name of the “Chinese Gargoyle.” I lived in Japan and visited lots of temples. After my years in Japan and Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s surprising that I knew so little about these sentinels. They are fascinating. Typical of anything Daoist, the poetry associated with these creatures brings me great joy.
Temple Dogs are actually Lions. Shi. Buddha Lion. Fu or Foo Dogs. Lions are not native to China. The visual similarity between lions and Chow Chow or Shih Tzu breeds might explain why they are called dogs. Temple Dogs. Can we call them Fu Dogs? That’s the name I like. Fu Dogs come in pairs. A yin female and a yang male. I used to get annoyed with what I perceived as sexism in Yin Yang theory, but if you squint a bit and substitute “nurturing” for “female” and “protective” for “male” in this case, it works. We all have “male” and “female” qualities anyway. Consider the terms loosely. It is just a different way of thinking.
On the left, the yin dog is in charge of interior spaces; she holds a lion cub under her paw. On the right, the yang dog is in charge of the structure; he holds the world under his paw. Interior spaces might be Mother Earth, your home or the internal body. Exterior spaces could be the planet, your house or the body itself. Fu Dogs together, yin on the left and yang on the right, protect anything. Sigh. I love this stuff.
So I have a yin Fu Dog protecting my emotions as revealed by the heart chakra. How cool is that!? And a yang Fu Dog protecting my physical body. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a tangible reminder of this? Acquiring a pair of Fu Dogs was the logical next step. Where does one get Fu Dogs on a Saturday morning in Sandwich, Illinois?
Lucky me, there is a place called “Olde Timers Antique Centre” here in Sandwich. It’s my go-to. Within 40 minutes, I walked to the store and found two sets of Fu Dogs. I was thrilled. I chose a wooden pair. I LOVED the jade set, but purchasing both seemed excessive, and while the price was fair, it was still a significant investment. I bought the wood dogs and floated home with them, packaged in two bags for balance. The owners of Olde Timers know and pamper their customers.
When I got home, I started thinking about the jade dogs. Jade is a heart stone. They were beautiful. They are in Sandwich. It didn’t take long for me to convince myself to go back and get the second pair.
Upon arrival, I held one of the dogs to my heart. Luck would have it that the owner of the booth saw me and approached. I had never met him before. When I told him I was in love with his jade Fu Dogs, he cut the price in half. I gasped and fell all over myself, thanking him. I couldn’t believe it.
Friday morning, the term “Fu Dogs” was not in my vocabulary. Sunday afternoon, I have two beautiful sets of Fu Dogs that remind me to listen to my intuition and that every human wants to know they are safe. I like these universal truths; they remind me that we are all connected.
What a strange little adventure. Sometimes it seems like the Universe is plotting to help me.