Healing Circles

As the coronavirus has moved into the homes of more people I know, I see a lot of fear energy being stirred up. People are frightened. Some are angry too, especially as they see others not taking the situation seriously or engaging in sociopathic anti-mask behavior.

I contrast this with what I see elsewhere from different groups of friends. They still get scared at first, but they process the fear energy and then frame the event more positively, often as a spiritual or personal challenge.

One positive way of dealing with such challenges is to engage in healing circles. Most are being done online these days. People who care about the person with the illness will hop on a Zoom call and send that person positive healing vibes. They hold the intention for the person to get well. They imagine the illness leaving the person’s body.

Whether you believe that healing vibes are real or not doesn’t actually matter. Look at this from a mental and emotional perspective rather than a spiritual perspective if you prefer. The person’s friends and family are reaching out to express their caring. They may even crack jokes and laugh to help raise the person’s spirits. This is known to be good for the immune system, and people with such support have higher recovery rates. So it’s still worth doing even if there are no actual vibes being transmitted. It’s hard to pick a frame in which a healing circle is a bad idea.

Within the hour Rachelle and I are going to participate in a healing circle call for a long-term friend of ours who’s dealing with stage IV cancer. These calls have been going for weeks, and the person’s doctor said to “keep doing whatever you’re doing because it’s working.” The cancer is apparently shrinking.

A healing circle is a simple add-on practice that doesn’t conflict with other remedies, so you can still do all the conventional treatments too.

If someone you know is dealing with a serious illness, whether coronavirus or something else, consider putting together a healing circle for that person. If it’s a long-term illness, perhaps do it once a week. It doesn’t have to be long – just 10-15 minutes each time could do a world of good.

You don’t even have to call it a healing circle. Use whatever frame you think would fit best within the person’s dominant mental models. You can call it anything from a prayer circle to a play date if you’d like. The label doesn’t matter. It’s just a chance to invite people who care to express their caring.

Imagine if you were the sick one. Would you appreciate having some friends and family hop on a call to focus on your health and well-being and to hold positive intentions with you and for you? Don’t you think that would have a positive effect on your recovery?

Come to think of it… maybe we ought to do more of this when we’re well. Nobody actually has to be sick to engage in an intention circle.