Sekhem: Let the First Feeling Lead and Practice Safely

Let the first sign lead

## When feeling begins quietly

A feeling may appear first as something almost imperceptible. During one of Patrick Zeigler’s earlier classes in Romania, an older woman in her eighties, who was also a Reiki master, said that she had not connected with anything throughout the class. A younger, very large and strongly built man also said that he was not feeling anything and needed help.

Patrick brought the two of them to the front of the class and began a slow countdown. Because the woman was in her eighties, the count moved through many years, and for a long time nothing seemed to be happening. Then, at about age nine, Patrick noticed that one of her eyes was becoming slightly watery. There was no more than the beginning of a tear.

He asked, “What happened at age nine?” She answered that it was the day her father came home. Patrick did not ask further questions. He invited her to feel her father coming home and continue counting.

For some reason, the two participants had been facing one another. The young man stood like a rock, with no visible emotion. The woman continued counting. When she reached five, a full tear came.

Patrick asked, “What happened at five?” She answered, “That’s the day they took him away.” As soon as she said this, the young man completely collapsed. The woman then began to move into a process. She finally felt something deeply, while the young man was entirely overcome.

After the process, during the sharing, the young man said, “That’s my job. I’m the one that takes them away.” The government had sent him to observe the class and find out what it was about. He was working in a role connected with government investigation and security. He came to the next class and said, “I cried the whole way home. And I quit my job. Now I’m back just for me.”

Patrick’s first class in Romania had been similar. Nobody would do anything, and he discovered that people were afraid because they thought a police officer was in the class watching them. They were very quiet. Over time, however, the people there opened up considerably and became very free in their participation. Patrick said that Romania came to rival Brazil in how openly people engaged.

The process can reveal something that has been held beneath the surface for a long time. A small sign, such as a tear, may be enough to guide the next question. The work is not about forcing a reaction. It is about noticing what begins to arise and allowing the person’s own experience to lead the process.