Frgiveness and healing A Resurce fr Ministry 2013 UT $4.50 ET $5.00 00 00000 0000
Healing and Frgiveness a Resurce fr Ministry 02 CONTENTS 03 04 05 INTRODUCTION SACRAMENTS THE SACRAMENTS OF PENANCE AND THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK. PRAYERS A SELECTION OF PRAYERS THAT ASK GOD TO PROVIDE STRENGTH AND GUIDANCE 07 09 12 SCRIPTURE The Hly Spirit, wh lives within US, supplies the pwer we need t HEAL. HEALING: AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE AGNES PALMER WAS A RESPECTED Arrernte wman WHO SHARED HER KNOWLEDGE WITH US IN 2003 The Spiritual Aspect f Healing AGNES DESCRIBES THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALING THE SPIRIT
physical well-being. Hlding n t hurts is like carrying red-ht cals inside us that can be fanned int flames at the least expected mment. NATSICC has cllated this resurce t help thse that are suffering deep pain and resentment t draw strength frm the Wrds f Gd, Prayers and the wisdm f Abriginal Culture. Intrductin The need fr healing Jesus says, Pick up yur crss and fllw me. The hurts f ur life are crsses t pick up, t face and t embrace. We all experience pain and hurt ver the curse f ur lives and we must cme t realise that cntinuing t carry the pain is a decisin. Just as deciding t frgive and begin the jurney f healing is als a decisin. Smetimes Jesus might want us t take a mre active rle mre respnsibility fr ur wn healing as in the stry f the man brn blind (Jhn 9). He wants me t g wash in the pl f Silam? What kind f healer is this? the man must have asked himself. But he did what Jesus said and was healed. NATSICC Liturgy Cmmittee The prcess f healing begins with frgiveness. But what is frgiveness? Each time the Church celebrates the Eucharist we pray, Frgive us ur trespasses as we frgive thse wh trespass against us. But hw? What is frgiveness, and hw d we g abut frgiving? Frgiveness is a cnscius decisin t let g f the anger and resentment held twards smene that has inflicted hurt and pain. In the Gspel f Matthew (21-22), Peter asked Jesus hw many times he shuld frgive smene and Jesus replied nt seven, but seventy times seven Respected Indigenus Elder Agnes Palmer prvided us with much wisdm n the tpic f healing frm an indigenus perspective at the 2003 NATSICC Assembly. Unfrtunately Agnes is n lnger with us, hwever, her wrds are almst mre relevant tday than they were 10 years ag, particularly fr Indigenus peple wh are suffering frm the effects f the Interventin in the Nrthern Territry. Agnes calls fr the need t g t nature t aid healing, reminding us that in nature we are quiet and free. Abriginal and Trres Strait Islanders are nt the nly peple that experience slace and grunding in nature - Luke 5:16 states But Jesus ften withdrew t lnely places and prayed. Pain and hurt in ne s sul is the same regardless f the clur f yur skin and the Liturgy Cmmittee hpes that this resurce will prvide guidance and cmfrt fr thse that are taking the first steps n their wn jurney f healing. Nt frgiving thers can damage ur spiritual, emtinal and even 3
Within the Cathlic Christian traditin, there are tw sacraments f healing: the Sacrament f Penance and The Aninting f the Sick. The centrality f healing t the missin f Jesus is evidenced in these sacraments. Penance brings recnciliatin t sinners. The Aninting f the Sick ffers healing f bdy and sul t the afflicted. Ritualising grwth thrugh healing One f the features f the revised rites f recnciliatin is the cmmunal dimensin. Sin is seen as damaging nt nly ur persnal relatinship with Gd, but als ur relatinships with each ther. The secnd and third rites fcus n this by allwing us t celebrate the sacrament tgether. This prmtes the healing f damaged relatinships thrugh a ritual that invlves admissin f sin, seeking f frgiveness, granting f abslutin and exchange f a sign f peace. The revised first rite als fcuses mre n grwth bth as an individual but als mst imprtantly as a member f the cmmunity. Whilst the penitent acknwledges and repents f past failure, prayerful reflectin n the Scriptures and discussin with the cnfessr are directed twards inner healing and future grwth. The Sacrament f Penance The Catechism f the Cathlic Church refers t this sacrament using a variety f names. It is called the Sacrament f Recnciliatin, f Cnversin, f Penance, f Cnfessin and f Frgiveness. The Cathlic traditin teaches that this sacrament is cmprised f fur parts: Cntritin (an internal attitude f srrw and repentance) Cnfessin (naming the sins fr http://ri.bne.cathlic.edu.au/ Sacraments f healing which ne is seeking abslutin) Abslutin (which emphasises the healing pwer f Jesus Christ) Satisfactin (refrming ne s life and being cmmitted t make amends) Tday, there are three Rites f Recnciliatin available t Christians. An verview f these rites reveals that the emphasis has been taken ff the penitent s cnfessin f sins and is nw fcused n the warm, human and divine recnciliatin the sacrament brings abut. The First Rite f Recnciliatin is fr individual penitents. The persn can chse t g t cnfessin either annymusly behind a screen, r facet-face in a rm designed fr that purpse. The fur parts f the rite are the same fr all three: (1) Intrductry Rite; (2) Liturgy f the Wrd; (3) Sacramental Celebratin; and (4) Prclamatin f Praise and Dismissal. T bring ut even mre clearly that penance is nt merely the actin f ne individual seeking persnal frgiveness, the Church has drawn up a Secnd Rite f Recnciliatin that invlves cmmunal penance. This rite fllws the same rder as the Rite f Individual Cnfessin, except that mst f the ceremny is perfrmed tgether with thers. Only the actual cnfessin and abslutin f each penitent is individual. The Third Rite f Recnciliatin invlves general cnfessin and abslutin. It des nt replace individual cnfessin, but may be used in cases invlving danger f death r in places where cnfessins wuld be verheard. It may als be used if there are large numbers f penitents and an insufficient number f cnfessrs, r if peple wuld therwise be deprived f recnciliatin r receptin f the Eucharist fr a lng time. The cmmn abslutin des nt relieve the penitent f the bligatin t bserve the precept f the Church that requires individual cnfessin t a priest f all grave sins at least nce a year. The Aninting f the Sick This sacrament is the way Cathlics call n the healing, restring pwer f Jesus when they are at their lwest and mst vulnerable. This sacrament is a way f gaining strength and grace t bear suffering with dignity and patience. It is a sign f Gd s prmise t heal the brken areas f a persn s life - physically, emtinally and spiritually. While it s true the Aninting f the Sick is ne f the ways the Church helps prepare believers fr death, it s much mre than that. Anyne, regardless f age, can receive the sacrament if their health is seriusly impaired. What was nce reserved fr the dying is nw used widely by thse wh are n the mend. Older Cathlics may smetimes refer t this sacrament as Extreme Unctin; an ld Latin name fr the Sacrament.
Prayers Healing and Frgiveness Lrd, I cme befre yu tday in need f yur healing hand. In yu all things are pssible. Hld my heart within yurs, and renew my mind, bdy, and sul. I am lst, but I am singing. Yu gave us life, and yu als give us the gift f infinite jy. Give me the strength t mve frward n the path yu ve laid ut fr me. Guide me twards better health, and give me the wisdm t identify thse yu ve placed arund me t help me get better. In yur name I pray, Amen. Lrd, lk upn me with eyes f mercy, may yur healing hand rest upn me, may yur lifegiving pwers flw int every cell f my bdy and int the depths f my sul, cleansing, purifying, restring me t whleness and strength fr service in yur Kingdm. Amen. Merciful Father, We are tgether n Earth, alne in the universe. Lk at us and help us t lve ne anther. Teach us t understand each ther, just as yu understand us. Make ur suls as fresh as the mrning. Make ur hearts as inncent as the Lamb. May we frgive each ther, and frget the past, and may we have peace inside - and in ur wrld. Tday and frever. Amen. Cathlic Family Prayer Bk Jesus, thrugh the pwer f the Hly Spirit, g back int my memry as I sleep. Every hurt that has ever been dne t me-heal that hurt. Every hurt that I caused t anther persn-heal that hurt. All the relatinships that have been damaged in my whle life that I am nt aware f-heal thse relatinships. But Lrd, if there is anything that I need t d-if I need t g t a persn because he is still suffering frm my hand, bring t my awareness that persn. I chse t frgive and I ask t be frgiven Remve whatever bitterness may be in my heart, Lrd, and fill the empty spaces with Yur lve. Thank yu, Jesus. Amen. Gentle Jesus, with faith in Yur healing pwers and cnfidence in Yur cnstant cmpassin, I ask yu t heal my suffering spirit. May my sul find rest in Yur cmfrting lve and relief frm srrw and anguish. Relying n Yur lve, I especially ask Yur help in (name yur cncern.) I place my trust in Yur pwer t heal my spirit frm feelings f hpelessness, unrest, and despair. Amen. http://www.healingministry.net/ prhealingfthespirit.htm Almighty Gd, Yu have listened patiently t my cncerns and cnsled me in times f hardship. Let me remember Yur presence and lve fr me when I am called upn t frgive anther persn fr an unkind wrd r actin. Gd f Hly Dreaming Great Creatr Spirit, frm the dawn f creatin yu have given yur children the gd things f Mther Earth. Yu spke and the gum tree grew. In the vast desert and the dense frest, and in the cities and at the water s edge, creatin sings yur praise. Yur presence endures at the rck at the heart f ur Land. When Jesus hung n the tree yu heard the cries f all yur peple and became ne with yur wunded nes: the cnvicts, the hunted, the dispssessed. The sunrise f yur Sn clured the earth anew, and bathed it in glrius hpe. In Jesus we have been recnciled t yu, t each ther and t yur whle creatin. Lead us n, Great Spirit, as we gather frm the fur crners f the earth; enable us t walk tgether in trust frm the hurt and shame f the past int the full day which has dawned in Jesus Christ. Amen. Yu have shwn me hw t act, what t say, what t d, and yet I smetimes react in anger and find it difficult t frgive thers as Yu s ften have frgiven me. Grant that I may recgnize this failing in myself and remember Yur wrds and example whenever I have need f a frgiving spirit. Amen 5
http://www.childrenmatternetwrk.rg/en-us/prmisetprtectpledgetheal.aspx Lk upn us, O Lrd, and let all the darkness f ur suls vanish befre the beams f thy brightness. Fill us with hly lve, and pen t us the treasures f thy wisdm. All ur desire is knwn unt thee, therefre perfect what thu hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened us t ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unt us and shw us thy glry. Then shall ur lnging be satisfied, and ur peace shall be perfect. St Augustine NATSICC Prayer fr Healing Dear Lrd, We ask fr the grace t frgive thse that have sinned against us, Just as Jesus frgave thse wh sinned against him. Please lighten the lad that is Abriginal Thanksgiving Prayer Gd f Hly Dreaming, Frm the dawn f creatin yu have given yur children the gd things f Mther Earth. Yu spke and the gum tree grew. In the vast desert and the dense frest, and in the cities and at the water s edge, creatin sings yur praise. Yur presence endures at the rck at the heart f ur Land. When Jesus hung n the tree yu heard the cries f all yur peple and became ne with yur upn ur shulders, and cntained in every ftprint that we leave. Lrd, take the srrw and hurt, and in their place, Fill us with hpe, happiness and jy in the abundance f yur lve wunded nes: the cnvicts, the hunted, the dispssessed. The sunrise f yur Sn clured the earth anew, and bathed it in glrius hpe. In Jesus we have been recnciled t yu, t each ther and t yur whle creatin. Lead us n, Great Spirit, as we gather frm the fur crners f the earth; enable us t walk tgether in trust frm the hurt and shame f the past int the full day which has dawned in Jesus Christ. Amen. and care. Make yur presence be felt in ur hearts when the dark times call, and lift ur spirits. Thrugh Christ ur lrd, Amen
Scripture Frgiveness Matthew 6:14-15 Fr if yu frgive thers their trespasses, yur heavenly Father will als frgive yu; but if yu d nt frgive thers, neither will yur Father frgive yur trespasses. Mark 11:25 Whenever yu stand praying, frgive, if yu have anything against anyne; s that yur Father in heaven may als frgive yu yur trespasses. Matthew 18:23-35 Fr this reasn the kingdm f heaven may be cmpared t a king wh wished t settle accunts with his slaves. When he began the reckning, ne wh wed him ten thusand talents was brught t him; and, as he culd nt pay, his lrd rdered him t be sld, tgether with his wife and children and all his pssessins, and payment t be made. S the slave fell n his knees befre him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay yu everything. And ut f pity fr him, the lrd f that slave released him and frgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went ut, came upn ne f his fellw slaves wh wed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the thrat, he said, Pay what yu we. Then his fellw slave fell dwn and pleaded with him, Have patience with me, and I will pay yu. But he refused; then he went and threw him int prisn until he wuld pay the debt. When his fellw slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reprted t their lrd all that had taken place. Then his lrd summned him and said t him, Yu wicked slave! I frgave yu all that debt because yu pleaded with me. Shuld yu nt have had mercy n yur fellw slave, as I had mercy n yu? And in anger his lrd handed him ver t be trtured until he wuld pay his entire debt. S my heavenly Father will als d t every ne f yu, if yu d nt frgive yur brther r sister frm yur heart. Luke 5:27-32 27 After this he went ut and saw a tax cllectr named Levi, sitting at the tax bth; and he said t him, Fllw me. 28 And he gt up, left everything, and fllwed him. 29 Then Levi gave a great banquet fr him in his huse; and there was a large crwd f tax cllectrs and thers sitting at the table[a] with them. 30 The Pharisees and their scribes were cmplaining t his disciples, saying, Why d yu eat and drink with tax cllectrs and sinners? 31 Jesus answered, Thse wh are well have n need f a physician, but thse wh are sick; 32 I have cme t call nt the righteus but sinners t repentance. Jesus Calls Levi Psalm 32:1 Happy are thse whse transgressin is frgiven, whse sin is cvered. Healing Psalm 107:19-21 Then they cried t the LORD in their truble, and he saved them frm their distress; he sent ut his wrd and healed them, and delivered them frm destructin. Let them thank the LORD fr his steadfast lve, fr his wnderful wrks t humankind. Matthew 8:5-17 When he entered Capernaum, a centurin came t him, appealing t him and saying, Lrd, my servant is lying at hme paralyzed, in terrible distress. And he said t him, I will cme and cure him. The centurin answered, Lrd, I am nt wrthy t have yu cme under my rf; but nly speak the wrd, and my servant will be healed. Fr I als am a man under authrity, with sldiers under me; and I say t ne, G, and he ges, and t anther, Cme, and he cmes, and t my slave, D this, and the slave des it. When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said t thse wh fllwed him, Truly I tell yu, in n ne in Israel have I fund such faith. I tell yu, many will cme frm east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacb in the kingdm f heaven, while the heirs f the kingdm will be thrwn int the uter darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing f teeth. And t the centurin Jesus said, G; let it be dne fr yu accrding t yur faith. And the servant was healed in that hur. When Jesus entered Peter s huse, he saw his mther-in-law lying in bed with a fever; he tuched her hand, and the fever left her, and she gt up and began t serve him. That evening they brught t him many wh were pssessed with demns; and he cast ut the spirits with a wrd, and cured all wh were sick. This was t fulfil what had been spken thrugh the prphet Isaiah, He tk ur infirmities and bre ur diseases. Mark 5:34 He said t her, Daughter, yur faith has made yu well; g in peace, and be healed f yur disease. 7
Parable f the unfrgiving servant 23 Fr this reasn the kingdm f heaven may be cmpared t a king wh wished t settle accunts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckning, ne wh wed him ten thusand talents[a] was brught t him; 25 and, as he culd nt pay, his lrd rdered him t be sld, tgether with his wife and children and all his pssessins, and payment t be made. 26 S the slave fell n his knees befre him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay yu everything. 27 And ut f pity fr him, the lrd f that slave released him and frgave him the debt. Deacn Ralph Madigan in the Trres Strait 28 But that same slave, as he went ut, came upn ne f his fellw slaves wh wed him a hundred denarii;[b] and seizing him by the thrat, he said, Pay what yu we. Strength Isaiah 40:31 but thse wh wait fr the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall munt up with wings like eagles, they shall run and nt be weary, they shall walk and nt faint. 2 Crinthians 12:9-10 but he said t me, My grace is sufficient fr yu, fr pwer is made perfect in weakness. S, I will bast all the mre gladly f my weaknesses, s that the pwer f Christ may dwell in me. Therefre I am cntent with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutins, and calamities fr the sake f Christ; fr whenever I am weak, then I am strng. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; s I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my sng I give thanks t him. Psalm 28:7-8 The LORD is the strength f his peple; he is the saving refuge f his aninted. Isaiah 41:10 d nt fear, fr I am with yu, d nt be afraid, fr I am yur Gd; I will strengthen yu, I will help yu, I will uphld yu with my victrius right hand. 2 Cr 12:9 My grace is sufficient fr yu, fr pwer is made perfect in weakness. S, I will bast all the mre gladly f my weaknesses, s that the pwer f Christ may dwell in me. Jb 12:13 With Gd are wisdm and strength; he has cunsel and understanding. Isaiah 40:29 He gives pwer t the faint, and strengthens the pwerless. 29 Then his fellw slave fell dwn and pleaded with him, Have patience with me, and I will pay yu. 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him int prisn until he wuld pay the debt. 31 When his fellw slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reprted t their lrd all that had taken place. 32 Then his lrd summned him and said t him, Yu wicked slave! I frgave yu all that debt because yu pleaded with me. 33 Shuld yu nt have had mercy n yur fellw slave, as I had mercy n yu? 34 And in anger his lrd handed him ver t be trtured until he wuld pay his entire debt. 35 S my heavenly Father will als d t every ne f yu, if yu d nt frgive yur brther r sister[c] frm yur heart.
Healing: An Indigenus Perpective by Agnes Palmer Our (Abriginal and Trres Strait Islander) histry is ne that we have always and cntinuusly talked abut ever since time began fr us (Clnisatin). We have experienced a massive grief n a large scale, as much as that f ther indigenus grups thrughut the wrld, perhaps mre. That des nt mean that we have t stand n the sidewalk and sulk. We have been very busy fllwing in the ftsteps f ther brthers and sisters wh have struggled t pave a clearer way fr us t cntinue. There are tw different kinds f grief majr grief and minr grief. The majr grief cnsists f past histry and what happened in the past. Sme f these majr grief issues are mistaken fr grievances and is taken ut and acted upn accrdingly. MAJOR GRIEF Listed as fllws : RELIGIOUS BELIEFS & VALUES MAJOR GRIEF Prlnged grief war lng term illness lsing a lved ne displacement lss f hmeland buried grief MINOR GRIEF Everyday grievances that are triggered ff by histry HISTORY ALCOHOL HISTORY Little things FAMILY HISTORY ALCOHOL STORY name calling FAMILY STORY ALCOHOL BELIEFS & VALUES regret RELIGIOUS HISTORY CHILDHOOD STORIES disappintments RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS DIFFERENT ABUSES physical, mental, emtinal etc. quarrels r arguments disagreements 9
Diagram 1 shws all the inner areas f ur whle being and every living essence f each f these areas that has brken dwn due t the dysfunctins f alchlism and/ r drug addictin. We can smetimes wrry abut the physical part f the persn because we can see them in their physical frm, but what is ging n inside? Smetimes we cannt prbe int ther peple s affairs but we can ffer them a safe envirnment s that they can feel safe t talk abut whatever it is they want t talk abut. In diagram 1 we can see the eye and with this eye we can lk int the very cre f ur being. When there is a frce playing heavily against life and breaking these imprtant areas dwn, we will then begin t see the deteriratin f all these areas. In my line f wrk I have begun t recgnise different individual s spirits wh have shwn me what it feels like t have sunshine within, the light within. Others have shwn t me a different tne f the spirit and that is that I cannt feel the life essence f this individual and that wrries me. In diagram 1 there are different lines running inwards twards the spirit f the persn. The uter lines indicate that we can fcus n all the different levels equally, prvided that the persn stays true t the essence f the life energy frce arund us. The lines abve and belw the eye indicate that a persn can spend time lking int their wn being but smetimes des nt make these areas imprtant and s brushes them away. It can smetimes mean that they can spend the time, but nly when it suits them. We haven t yet begun t tuch the very cre f ur being. The lines in line with the eyelashes indicate hw we take care f ur being less and less. Smetimes, r mst times, we are in turmil and hurtful things are happening. We haven t any space t mve arund within urselves and s the space within becmes crwded and we find it hard t breathe. The faint brken lines lking directly thrugh the eye indicates hw we can lk at issues with a narrw view. Lking at ur issues with ur blinkers n. This des nt help us t lk at everything with an pen mind t cnsider all f ur issues (whatever they may be) and d smething psitive abut them. Our persnal lifestyle and ur issues can get lst in ur everyday living as we cntinue t live a type f lifestyle that alchlism and/r drug addictin leads us t. We can very easily get caught up in all the hum-drum. Living just fr material things cannt give us vital infrmatin fr living ur life, they are nly part f it. In diagram 1 we are able t tell if a persn was nt fcussed in the spirit because f the certain unspken facial expressins and bdy language. These are like eyes nt cnnecting with the wrds f the speaker. We tried t make this knwn t them and it pened up anther area f questining such as WHY?. This was gd in the way this helps t bring the issues mre
Diagram 2 allws us t fcus n the spiritual aspects f ur life. If we are strng in spirit then we are better able t fcus n all the pssibilities and ptential we have which are cntained in the spirit. There are three imprtant aspects f the spirit (as we knw them) and these are : 1. It is a ttal entity n its wn. 2. It is a cnnectin f the whle f life energy frce within. 3. It brings infrmatin thrugh ur cultural/ spiritual beliefs and thrugh dreams. The spirit is a ttal entity n its wn. It des nt need t be tld anything. It will shw us anther wrld and anther way f lking at things arund us, especially in nature. Our spirit entity is ne with nature. This is what ur peple have mved away frm and need t cme back t. That very basic understanding f ur existence: In nature we are calm and still. In nature we becme ttally different. land. We feel nature and the spirits n the land. In nature we are being guided by spirits n the In nature we are being watched. In nature the spirits place things in ur paths, if we are pen t nature. If we are clsed t nature we cannt see anything r feel anything ther than feeling quiet and still. If we take a lt f nise t natural settings we cannt see r feel the land and the spirits. In nature we are given gifts, especially in ur dreams. Our irrernte-arinye mape (the cl spirit peple) will cme int ur dreams bearing symbls/signs that tell us that they are watching us all very carefully in ur jurney f life. They tell us that we are nt alne when we are in nature with them. The irrernte-arinye mape bear the same faces as the nes wh are living. It is their jb t lk after us. In dreams we have symbls/signs fr death, fr life, fr laughter, fr learning, fr teaching and fr caring abut ther life and life frms. 11
The Spiritual Aspect f Healing by Agnes Palmer 1. Re-cnnectin t their individual spirit. 2. Dreams dreams interpret their inner turmil. 3. Healing f their spirit and re-affirming wn self-wrth. 1. Re-cnnectin t their individual spirit Re-cnnecting t the spiritual side can be difficult because mst f us have never experienced gentle care and lve. It wuld prbably depend n wh cared fr us in ur earlier years. Maybe smetime way way back in ur lives we experienced lve and care but we cannt feel this nw. It is difficult t imagine that we culd change the clck-wrk back t hw things used t be and then just frget that these things just happened. In re-cnnecting with the spiritual side we are saying that it is thse very things frm the past that can help us t heal ur whle self and we can learn frm them and, mst imprtantly, we can change what we feel is imprtant and let g f what is nt imprtant. Letting g f the many things that are attached t us makes it a little bit harder fr us because sme f us may carry a heavy burden. Smetimes a heavy burden such as being abused physically r sexually r perhaps we have been traumatised badly by sme ther means such as an car accident, prlnged illness r histry etc. In re-cnnecting t the spirit self, it can smetimes cause us t feel inadequate r that we are nt wrth it. We may be ashamed f what we may find within urselves. We want t frget abut everything and dn t want t tuch the things frm the past. With this kind f thinking we are nt allwing urselves the pprtunity t rediscver wh we really are and what gd lies within us. Many f ur peple tday just live fr the physical living f life and nthing beynd that. The reasn why this can be dangerus is that if we nly fcus n the physical side f life we are then prne t illnesses such as cancer, asthma etc. Re-cnnectin t the spirit can have its benefits but it must als be taken at its wn cause r pace. Smetimes we may have t wait a lng time t have any results and because this whle prcess f re-cnnectin takes sme time befre we can feel different, the need t g alng gently is imprtant. Re-cnnectin t the individual spirit can mve in three different stages : 1. Reflectin remembering sme r mst f the past lifestyle. 2. Thught patterns cnsistent with experiences experienced. 3. Hanging n r letting g. 1a. Reflectin - remembering sme r mst f the past lifestyle Reflecting back n ne s lifestyle can be seen differently as is seen in tday s living and lifestyle. Things have changed and s we lk at life differently tday. Fr example, fashin has changed, types f husing, laws are changing, ur parental rles have changed. There are nw mre and mre wmen in the wrkfrce and men are staying hme and taking care f the hme. This is nt t say that this is wrng this is just the way sciety is at that this present time and it will cntinue t change. Reflecting n the Old Peple s way f life and hw it was fr them can be very rewarding because the
teachings f life came subtly. As children learned abut them they carried these teachings int their adulthd and fund the skills were already in place. Cpying and imitating!! In reflectin there may be sme very disturbing experiences r traumas that peple may have experienced. These just need t take a little time, walking thrugh them with sensitivity, gentleness, lve and care fr ne s self. In reflectin there may be sme very rewarding experiences and these are the nes t channel int in rder t retrieve sme f that energy that s stred there. There is energy in abundance in each f these spaces and, with time, as we mve thrugh each f these issues, we will find mre energy t fcus n mre psitive things t d. In reflectin the spirit cmes int fcus and we smetimes becme numb and feel a vid in place kind f like saying where d I/we g frm here? Fr many years (depending n hw lng we have neglected ur individual spirit) we cme face t face with ur spirit persn and if we have nt tld urselves r given urselves any lve fr ur being, we becme cmplacent. We dn t knw quite what t say t ur inner self. This is the time t use many affirmatins t the inner self. It is very affirming t the individual spirit persn and it will respnd. Abriginal peple have a very gd way f cmmunicating their past stries and talking abut hw things used t be fr them even if it was hard at times. During thse times we heard many persnal stries but the hurt is smetimes (r mst times) nt felt as much as when it happened. Usually there wuld be a lt f giggles r even lud laughter but it is happy t remember things that have happened. Smetimes these stries that hurt the mst are nt spken abut and the nes that are easier t talk abut are usually safe t tell. 2. DREAMS INTERPRET THE INNER TURMOIL Dreams are seen as a reflecting mirrr. It can reflect back t us hw we really are within urselves. If we are having nightmares r very bad dreams, it is shwing us that smething is nt right within us and we have t take a clser lk at the symbls and meanings f the dream. These images usually represent the turmil, especially if the persn has been islated frm their spirit fr s lng and feel s far away frm themselves. Smetimes these images stand in the shadws and the persn cannt find the real interpretatin f the dream. The true meaning fr having dreams is that the Abriginal peple have what we call The Dreamtime. It is believed that during the Dreamtime many ancestral spiritual beings travelled the earth and left behind their meanings f Life. The Beginnings. The Middle and the Endings f Life. This is why Abriginal peple relate s well with every living life-frm. These spiritual creatr beings brught with them a Set f Whleness and Cmpleteness. This was directed by a very pwerful Spirit f Creatin. This Cmpleteness and Whleness cmprised f a set f beliefs and values and laws relating t hw every living thing must relate and interact with each ther. The family symbls in the dream can identify each family and can predict t the families what is t happen. Each family is cnnected t sme life frm eg. a sign f bld represents danger fr that family, water is significant fr anther family, and s frth. If all these were written dwn we wuld prbably end up writing a bk. I am just explaining this t try and see what is happening t peple in terms f trying t understand what is actually happening t them when they are experiencing nightmarish dreams. Everything was made pssible in the dream, the Great Creatr, relating t creatin in the way that made the cnnectin s pwerful and s cmplete and in mtin all the time. It never stps. What I am nw finding is that mvement stps when life is in turmil r a persn is experiencing a feeling f life-less. The need becmes s much greater then t pick the persn up and step backwards int their pain and hurt.
3. Healing f the Spirit - An hlistic Apprach t healing T prvide an hlistic apprach that is culturally and spiritually directed twards healing. The hlistic apprach must cver all aspects f a persn s life because all areas are affected. If all these areas are cvered during the healing prcesses, we then have a clearer and better way f healing the whle f the persn and nt just bits and pieces f the persn. There are 3 cmpnents t the abve : 1. Physical Psitin in the family where they live hw many children are invlved * Physical Damage physical features bdy rgans facial damage whle f the bdy 2. Emtinal fears anger hurt pain guilt grievances murning lss f a lved ne etc 3. Mental thughts, thinking patterns headaches dreams nightmares hallucinatins parania - Utarre-Utarre (the space where we daydream, cntemplate, meditate etc) - spirit - envirnmental - scial RESPECT FOR AVOIDANCE RELATIONSHIPS - using a third party - breaking new grunds - using family members t intervene USING ABORIGINAL DOCTORS (Angangkere) Recgnitin f Abriginal dctrs and bringing them int the prgram t help - recgnitin f their specific pwers f healing Utarre-utarre (the space where we daydream, cntemplate, meditate etc) wishing that things culd be better thinking f ld times when things were different space where ne can sit quietly thinking hard abut what it wuld be like if I changed a space where ne has a cnversatin with ne s self * Spirit empwering energy hidden talents gifts unflding higher pwer self empwering pwer within trust acceptance serenity * Envirnmental health issues ne s wn hme cmmunity the cmmunity as a whle rubbish issues nature re-cycling plastics, paper etc * Scial behaviur interactin with thers fashin behaviur interactin laws frm Elders
DIAGRAMS: AGNES PALMER 15
Kids Help Line - www.kidshelp.cm.au 1800 55 1800 (free call frm land line) What Wrks 4 u State-based Alchl and Drug Infrmatin Services ACT - (02) 6207 9977 QLD - 1800 177 833 WhatWrks4u.rg enables yung peple t share NSW - 1800 422 599 r (02) 9361 8000 what treatments have wrked fr their mental NT - 1800 131 350 health difficulties and learn what treatments ther yung peple have reprted as helpful. SA - 1300 131 340 r (08) 8363 8618 Kids Help Line Whatwrks4u hpes t increase awareness f VIC - 1800 888 236 treatment ptins and infrm treatment 1800 55 decisins 1800 (free call frm land line) TAS - 1800 811 994 based n what has wrked fr similar yung peple. WA - 1800 198 024 r (08) 9442 5000 Lifeline - 13 11 14 (cst f a lcal call) www.lifeline.rg.au www.lifeline.rg.au/find_help/inf_service prvides access t a variety f self-help tl kits with infrmatin abut issues such as mental illness, depressin, panic attacks, suicide preventin etc. www.lifeline.rg.au/find_help/service_finder is a cmprehensive nline natinal database f lwcst r free health and cmmunity services ffered thrughut Australia. beyndblue supprt service - 1300 22 4636 All calls and chats are ne-n-ne with a trained mental health prfessinal, and cmpletely cnfidential. Althugh we may ask fr yur first name and sme general details, yu can let us knw if yu d like t remain annymus. Headspace - www.headspace.rg.au G t the website t find infrmatin, supprt and help near yu. The Natinal Yuth Mental Health Fundatin - ffers a cmprehensive website and ne-stp-shp services that are yuth-specific, and therefre yuth-friendly. headspace emplys a range f different health wrkers and prgrams with a fcus n the needs f yung peple. These include; GPs, psychlgists, alchl and drug wrkers, as well as educatin and emplyment prgrams. P: (02) 6124 4400 F: (02) 6232 6654 E: inf@healingfundatin.rg.au NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER CATHOLIC COUNCIL 80 Payneham Rd. Stepney SA 5069 ffice@natsicc.rg.au 08 8363 2963 www.natsicc.rg.au