by Alvina Quatrano | Jan 27, 2021 | Newsletter
I call this the Ah-So Story…..
There is a Chinese story of an old farmer who had an old horse for tilling his fields. One day the horse escaped into the hills and, when all the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’
A week later the horse returned with a herd of wild horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, ‘Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?’
Then, when the farmer’s son was attempted to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off its back and broke his leg. Everyone thought this very bad luck. Not the farmer, whose only reaction was, ‘Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?’
Some weeks later the army marched into the village and conscripted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg they let him off. Now was that good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?
Ah- So…..
PS: “Ah, so” is an informal way to say “Is that right?” or (“Hai” is “Yes”, and “Naruhodo” “I see”). For formal conversation “Ah, so desu ka” is more appropriate as it is a signal of respect to the person talking that you are listening.
I like to think of Ah-So as a space of Equanimity…..Maybe, Maybe Not.
It’s that place that is revered by Masters who warn against extreme responses to anything for we never really know the way of things, do we? If we had made that plane that went down we would not still be alive. If we had stayed with that murderous boyfriend, if, if, if…..There’s a reason why they refer to a tantrum as “blowing a gasket” and folks die of heart attacks and injure their organs by throwing fits. (and other reasons too.)
Ah-So helps me to stop and take pause to consider just what the gift of the assumed bad luck might be. It’s there. We just have to give it time to reveal itself.
by Alvina Quatrano | Jan 24, 2021 | Newsletter
The Spider and The Sage a story of Kindness
from The Book of Awakening by Mark Nemo
I would rather be fooled than not believe.
In India, there is a story about a kind, quiet man who would pray in the Ganges River every morning. One day after praying, he saw a poisonous spider struggling in the water and cupped his hands to carry it ashore. As he placed the spider on the ground, it stung him. Unknowingly, his prayers for the world diluted the poison.
The next day the same thing happened. On the third day, the kind man was knee deep in the river, and sure enough, there was the spider, legs frantic in the water. As the man went to lift the creature yet again, the spider said, “Why do you keep lifting me? Can’t you see I will sting you even time, because that is what I do?”
There are many reasons to be kind, but perhaps none is as compelling as the spiritual fact that it is what we do. It is how the inner organ of being keeps pumping. Spiders sting. Wolves howl. Ants build small hills that no one sees. And human beings lift each other, no matter the consequence. Even when other beings sting.
Some say this makes us a sort lot that never learns, but to me it holds the same beauty as berries breaking through ice and snow every spring. It is what quietly feeds the world. After all, the berries do not have any sense of purpose or charity. They are not altruistic or self-sacrificing. They simply grow to be delicious because that is what they do.
As for us, if things fall, we will reach for them. If things break, we will try to put them together. If loved ones cry, we will try to soothe them — because that is what we do. I have often reached out, and sometimes it feels like a mistake. Sometimes, like the quiet man lifting the spider, I have been stung. But it doesn’t matter, because that is what I do. That is what we do. It is the reaching our that is more important than the sting. In truth, I’d rather be fooled than not believe.
Nemo continues with several opportunities for consideration:
- Recall a time when you were kind for no reason.
It could have been as simple as picking up what a stranger dropped. Or leaving an apple in the path of hungry birds.
- Meditate on what such acts have done for you. After being kind have you felt lighter, more energized, younger, more open in your heart?
by Alvina Quatrano | Sep 29, 2017 | Newsletter, Resources
September 2001: The World Trade Center had been demolished and living in New Jersey many people I knew were at the scene. Everyone in the world was shocked, numb, dumbfounded, grief-stricken. Triages were set up all over to relieve symptoms of shock and stress and grief. Many therapists of all kinds volunteered their time to help the wounded. My regular clients came to me like lost wounded souls and I felt like I needed more to offer. I asked my acupressure mentor to please come up with something. The acupressure teachers of Soul Lightening International (now Insight Acupressure) led by Aminah Raheem of Borrego Springs, California got together here on the east coast one day and created a new protocol to serve the world in relieving shock and stress. It is called SEVA. SEVA means service in Sanscrit and the protocol was created to relieve suffering and stress and to promote general relaxation. SEVA is a simple acupressure treatment created for anyone to give or receive.
A SEVA treatment can be administered in just a few minutes or can be extended 20-30 minutes, depending on the circumstances. It can be given in a therapists office but was truly designed to be given whenever and wherever it is needed. My friend Missy helped a runner who was down and in shock on the street on a very hot day to revitalize even while EMT’s were standing by. She reconnected his vital energies to come back to the here and now.
Receiving SEVA is a very calming and centering experience. It can relieve post traumatic stress syndrome. It can provide a turning point for an individual to move toward true healing at the deepest levels.
Clinical Acupressure ( which is an ancient healing modality from China and Asia using finger pressure to acupoints on the body) enhances the free flow of the body’s vital energy, activates it’s own recuperative abilities and diminishes congestion. It can address a multitude of symptoms including back problems, headaches, respiratory, digestive and systemic problems as well as colds, flus, allergies and physical injuries. This treatment modality will facilitate,but should not replace, delay or interfere with medical treatment. This work uses the knowledge of ancient traditions combined with contemporary understanding to promote health and self-responsibility for wellness.
I implemented SEVA right away and the results were immediate. I saw the difference in people who received treatment as opposed to those who hadn’t and my heart ached for those who hadn’t sought treatment of any kind. Many divorces happened after 9/11..moving and displacement…many health issues are still happening. After 9/ 11 most people I know who sought treatment used several modalities to balance themselves as they found necessary; chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, acupressure, yoga, psychotherapy, spiritual guidance, homeopathy, and nutritional counseling and more were sought out to alleviate a myriad of complaints including respiratory, fear, shock, confusion, digestive, muscular, etc. SEVA allowed the unraveling and peace to begin to find a way through from the other side of pandemonium.
I am a certified SEVA instructor and I and my colleagues are teaching SEVA in schools, hospitals, PTA’s, and communities so everyone can know the relief and health building that is possible through acupressure. It has been a terrific addition to the community if someone is so disposed to volunteer it to Women’s or Men’s Shelter’s for instance. A Seva 1: Self-Care Class runs 3 hours. If you would like to learn SEVA or to set up a group demo let me know and it will be arranged. I am available at Art of Holistic Masssage (AOHMassage) in Naples FL. 732-266-5276.
Since 2001, The Good Points Program for Self-Care has been developed and Seva is one of the releases that is taught among about 25 others by various teachers for Insight Acupressure in our Acupressure for Anyone Program. Insight Acupressure for more info.. Namaste.
