DeanRamsden.com » The Barbara Brennan School Of Healing

Astral Energetics Teleclasses in November, 2011

Dean Ramsden — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:51:14 +0000

What are Astral Energetics?

This is the first in a short series of teleclasses that I am offering, which will explore working with the Astral world for modern day therapeutic healers. Once we can become aware of how the Astral world affects us (and our clients) we can then develop effective healing skills that can either reveal, or modify, the Astral influences upon them. This course is not about a “defense” against the Astral, or fear about the spirit world; it is about working with the Astral domain’s vitalizing impact upon the world, whilst also bringing our healthy participation to bear upon it.

Astral Energetics helps energy healers deal with spirit world intrusions (or support) offered from the spirit world. These skills bridge the two worlds of ritual magic and therapeutic energy healing. We will blend the roles of the psychic, the magician, and the therapist into a powerful way to assist our clients in their evolution.

If you are working with a spirit guide, or attending channeled sessions given by a medium, you are already interacting with the Astral world. Spirit communication – just like human contact skills – needs to be learned well. This class will highlight how we can perceive Astral influences (both positive and challenging) with the emphasis on developing effective Astral healing skills for use in our private practices. It will draw on the insights and knowledge of previous magicians and researchers, from Emanuel Swedenborg, the Theosophical teachers, writings from The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and especially the late Dr Stylianos Atteschlis (aka, “Daskalos”).

Embedded within this past knowledge lies the direction our modern approach to Astral energy healing can take now: where we seek not to force the world to conform to our will, but where we assist a client in coming to terms with the truth – their truth – of their soul evolution. It is this guiding principle – not to hijack the inner authority of the client while working with them – that is the golden rule of Astral Energetics. If we unconsciously or deliberately embed our own choices that override the client’s inner authority, then we fall into the darker side of ritual magic: manipulation, or sorcery. In order to avoid this easy mistake we must always engage in self-reflection and brutal self-honesty during our work with others. We must dedicate ourselves, as Daskalos often said, to being Researchers of Truth.

In this, Class One of Astral Energetics, we will explore the influences on the specialized field of Astral Healing. We will practice some of the foundational disciplines and mental/emotional training that all magicians must learn. To work with the non-visible Astral inhabitants we will need to develop some specific skills. For instance, we will need to be able to differentiate between the Etheric body and the Astral bodies. We must accept that our own personal development is a significant aspect in any Astral healing skill work we offer others. We can assist our clients fully in their healing process only after we have successfully completed the same initiation they are undergoing for themselves.

Class outline 1/2

There are books on the Astral world, and on chakras, but little is published on working with the Astral world for therapeutic and personal growth as a healer. This is the first class in a short series aimed at healers wishing to expand access (or deepen existing access) into the Astral domains. It is not a course on how scary or evil Astral demons are, and is not only about how to protect yourself; it is about personal development of your auric energy field so as to reveal the hidden Astral world influences, and to learn how to work effectively with them. The intention is that you will gain practical experience so as to become a more effective healer.

Material to be taught:

1. We begin the class with an historical overview of the Astral domains based on classical esoteric sources such as Theosophy, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (e.g. Dion Fortune, Aleister Crowley), and Emanuel Swedenborg). To learn Astral healing we must be aware of the principles and function of esoteric magic, which Aleister Crowley defined as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will”.

2. Dean will present his practical insights and experience gained by having taught Astral Healing skills at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing for a decade. Dean was the BBSH PS2 Class Dean from 1994-2003, and during that time also served as a Department Head of Teacher Training, and as a Vice President of Barbara Brennan, Inc. Dean has practiced Astral healing in his world-wide private practice with clients from 1992 to the present, in conjunction with advanced chakra cord work.

3. We will explore the importance of Dr. Stylianos Atteshlis (“Daskalos”) as a modern magus, and as healer, and contrast him with a previous magician, Aleister Crowley.

4. Working with the Astral domains and developing a modern-day therapeutic perspective towards it is the core of this class. The emotional content of our Astral body affects the functioning and development of the Etheric (light) body, as well as influencing the challenges we face in the everyday world in which we – and our clients – live. We will explore some of the implications of this, and look at the kind of results we can expect to achieve with Astral healing work.

5. We will discuss the three energy bodies of human beings: Material, Etheric, Astral.

6. What are the important differences between our “Present Personality” and our “Permanent Personality”?

7. We will explore Astral Thought-Forms, and focus on how our Present Personality development is affected by them. We will also look at other Daskalos material on Elementals, Archangel energies, and how he saw their function. Dean will also introduce his own research on the importance of Talu chakra and Bindu chakra.

8. Astral domain inhabitants are sentient (or semi-sentient), non-physical individuals, a more respectful way to approach them rather than the label “astral entities”. We will examine the different types of astral world inhabitants, what they want, and how they strive to get it from us.

9. Astral Doorways: The further development of our Etheric & Astral energy bodies. We will deepen our understanding of the power of symbology, as used by esoteric magical traditions, as explored by Carl Jung, and recently exploited by modern corporate culture in order to sell us products and political ideas.

10. Guided practices: to be done outside of the live class, using mp3 audio recordings you will need to download:

1) Focus the mind guided practice.

2) Moving-mind guided practice.

3) Visual-spatial guided practice.

4) Feeling astral energy in your hands guided practice.

5) Astral “Creation of a Thought-Form” (after Daskalos) guided practice.

6) Clearing Talu chakra and the brain stem of lower astral energies guided practice.

Class outline 2/2

11. The importance of self-examination and the tracking of our personal process. Ethical considerations for Astral healers. Respect towards others – and towards the Astral – as foundational in Astral Energetics.

12. The practical applications of Astral Energetics are:

1) Awakening from our primary immersion in the material body (awakening process of spiritual growth)

2) Increased awareness of the powerful and hidden forces in your personal life, and within society at large. Removal of Astral hindrances speeds up personal and spiritual growth, as well as the healing process.

3) The gaining of increased personal power for aligning to our personal goals and intention, and increased effectiveness as an energy healer (or other helping professional)

4) Practical skill development occurs when we can differentiate between Etheric (pranic) healing skills (the structured elements of the auric energy field, such as the chakras, chakra relational and self-cords, and material body prana support), and Astral energy healing skills.

5) The challenge of coming to terms with evil in the world, and the protective function of our psychological denial mechanisms, is far-reaching and an important step in our species development.

13. Practical and essential Astral hygiene for energy workers.

14. Student questions or comments, sent in over email during the class week (including Off-Line Students).

4: Costs & Dates of Classes.

This class outline is an approximate one, and every effort will be made to cover each item. However, please be aware that time restraints in the class may limit the depth of some course material.

* Please note that I do not recommend this course for Barbara Brennan School of Healing (BBSH) PS1 or PS2 students. Some of the material taught in this course could trigger a conflict in your goal to graduate the BBSH Astral Healing skill. I suggest that BBSH undergraduates only attend this class once they are PS3 and above.

Class participants can submit questions or comments about the material to Dean, during the class week.

US/Canadian East Coast Time Zone Class: 250.00 USD

Each of the three parts of the Astral Energetics Class One will consist of two 90-minute lecture segments, and practical guidance exercises led by Dean. After the live Teleclass ends you can go to Dean’s website and download the mp3 audio practice recordings assigned for that day, and utilize them before the next segment begins.

The Class One material is scheduled for : Saturday November 12, 2011 (7.00 PM-10.30 PM EST), Sunday November 13, 2011 (7.00 PM-10.30 PM EST), and the following Saturday, November 19, 2011 (7.00 PM-10.30 PM EST), totaling 9 hrs of live telephone material. Please note this is one week later than originally scheduled. If you cannot attend these dates (or you live outside the US time zone) you can still participate as an Off-Line student, which means you will receive a high-quality recording of each teaching segment (via download) after the live class ends, which you can then listen to at your leisure. Off-Line students only pay for tuition and not telephone line charges, so this option is also a way for you to reduce your cost.

Update on Monday November 7. The On-line Student participation for this class is now closed, but you are invited to attend as an Off-Line Student. See above for details, and please email Dean to enroll by Friday, November 11, 2011.

I have already taught an abridged version of this Teleclass (but minus the downloadable mp3 practice recordings), with simultaneous Japanese language translation, on Friday September 9 and Saturday September 10, 2011, in the Japan time zone. The 9-hour recordings of this class can be purchased for 28,000 Japanese Yen + 5% Japan Sales Tax, and is suitable for Japanese students only. Please email Dean to place your order. Another English/Japanese teleclass will be made available in the Spring, 2012.

How to book and pay for your teleclass:

The tuition cost for this teleclass is 250 USD, plus an additional 100 USD (to access the teleclass toll-free number from the US, Canada, Australia, as well as many parts of Europe), and covers the 9 hours of the class. If you live outside of these regions the cost may be increased slightly.

Off-Line Students do not dial into the class (and therefore do not pay for the toll-free telephone access), and instead download the digital recordings of the teleclass after it is presented, as well as send in their comments and questions for the class material.

Please email me with your request for either On-Line Student Access (Cost is 250 + 100 USD = 350 USD), or Off-Line Student Access (Cost is 250 USD only), and you will receive a PayPal billing within 24 hours. Enrolled On-Line Students will receive their country specific toll-free phone number, and a private access code, as well as instructions on how to attend the teleclass. Important: using Skype or other VOIP software is highly discouraged; please use your regular telephone line, as a dropped Skype call can stop you re-joining the class. Also, On-Line students unable to attend one part of the three segments may request to receive the recording of the missed class segment.

I look forward to working with you, and presenting this rich material that can advance your energy healing skills!

Sincerely,

- Dean Ramsden

A Teleclass with Dean Ramsden

Chakra Self Cords: Anchoring Experience Of The Other Into The Self

Dean Ramsden — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:58:36 +0000

You will not find any classical references to Chakra Self-Cords as working with them came from specific spirit guidance I received in the Spring of 2004 in Mill Valley, California. At the time I was working with several clients in my healing practice who were struggling with releasing challenging relationships. I had become specialized in chakra cord clearing in combination with Astral Healing after I had resigned from my position of PS 2 Class Dean at The Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Miami, Florida. But, I was become increasingly discouraged in relying upon the BBSH approach to the healing of early shock and trauma, and I was looking for an alternative to harsh or confrontational methods.

Then, in the midst of an energy healing session, my spirit helper had nudged me and pointed at the chakra cord I was cleaning. “There, you see those thin branches sprouting out of the relational cord going towards her mother? They root back into the chakra, and anchor the experience of “Mother” into her auric system. Try gently pulling them back towards the head of the chakra. See what happens when you do so.”

I had tried to take hold of these newly-discovered branching cords but they were, indeed, tiny and extremely delicate. It took a few more healing sessions before I had learned how to take hold of each fragile “self-cord” and gently move them into contact with the outer edge of the chakra. Then I watched as, like a magnet attaching to metal, the self-cord automatically attached itself into the chakra, and stayed in place. At least, most of the time. Sometimes they just sprang back to their former position, of hanging out next to their host cord.

But I persisted in learning this new skill, and I’m glad I did. The positive results of self-cord work have been reported back to me from my clients over the past six years. Self-cord attachment has become a vital part of my healing work: the energetic anchoring of “the experience of the other” into the auric consciousness system. These days – and without dramatic catharsis – many of my clients make slow, steady, but significant shifts in their perception of themselves as individuated beings.

With this particular relational energy healing skill, nice and easy does it. Of course catharsis can be helpful in certain cases of repressed expression, but it is not essential for all stages of our personal growth work. Growing a stable connection to the self is essential to us all, and self-cord work can help that process.

The Study Of Astral Healing

Dean Ramsden — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:00:48 +0000

When I was teaching Astral work at The Barbara Brennan School of Healing (BBSH) we presented the Astral world as the “Fourth Level of the Auric Field”: a section of reality sandwiched between the “lower” etheric and emotional body templates, and the “higher” and more spiritualized layers of the human consciousness system. Barbara Brennan School Of Healing (BBSH) students were asked to tune into this fourth level (Barbara Brennan teaches a seven-level model of the aura) in order to gain access to the Astral world. BBSH presents to its students a structured and linear map of the aura, where intention and practice alone should take you into the Astral world.

The problem for students moving through the Barbara Brennan School of Healing program is that not everyone has the ability – or the natural disposition – to work effectively with the Astral world. My experience is that you cannot train just any student to connect to the Astral world, do their astral healing technique, and then just leave unscathed, and unaffected by Astral energies. Working in the Astral world (and with those that inhabit it) is specialist work. Plus, there are various influences on Westerners that take it beyond the issue of a healer’s individual skill level. Westerners have all been taught, since childhood, to ignore the Astral as unscientific, to disparage it as a realm of spirits and demons, and to view it as a dangerous place that means to do us harm. Our preconceptions automatically distort our perceptions.

In this article I want to present to you what I truly consider the Astral world to be: a fourth spatial dimension (comprising of 49 sub-domains) that co-exists with our linear time-and-space everyday world. The Astral world is not a dimension in opposition to human reality. It is an integral part of our human evolution from the very beginning, a dimension that actively co-creates our personal and spiritual journey for both human and non-human alike. It is a realm filled with other beings, with other “people”. These Astral beings may look, to the inner psychic eye, like goblins and serpents, but they have their own spiritual depth, and individual personalities.

Astral “entities” are people. To call them entities, or demons, does them more than a disservice. It is a subtle form of racism, if we agree to extend the racist ethical concept beyond humankind and into the rest of the universe. If we share time and space with other non-human beings they deserve the same respect, rights, and consideration that we would naturally extend to members of the human race.

They are “people” the way our pets have a unique nature that we come to know, and to love. Astral beings deserve the same respect that we offer to other human persons in the world. This is so even though the Astral is mostly an unseen world, seemingly existing within our inner reality, glimpsed only through dreams or moments of hypnogogic lucidity.

Occasionally there are physical manifestations of the Astral, such as poltergeist activity, or photographic evidence (such as ghostly apparitions, or photographic orbs). But if a healer is drawn to work with the Astral realm these manifestations become more real to our inner vision, and more apparent in how they affect many of the life issues that we – and our clients – have to deal with. We come to see the imprint of the Astral everywhere: from our personal issues all the way, to social and global issues.

Within the Astral world we find different species of beings at various levels of evolution, similar to the range and development of animal and plant life here, in the physical world. Describing something as a “Lower Astral Entity” is akin to pointing at a large dangerous-looking spider or centipede, and calling it evil. There is nothing evil about a spider, nor the so-called Lower Astral being. Yes, it is true that it may bite you if you pick it up, or disturb it. But that is the nature of the spider, or the Astral being. It’s not personal.

Just as we divide up the animal kingdom into various domains, so we can place different Astral or non-physical species within useful categories. The “Lower” Astral are one category of Astral people that don’t have a highly-developed individuated consciousness. They exist in the domain of instinct, survival, and of propagation. Lower Astral people seek the nourishment of your pranic emotional energy. They are often found in the warm, moist cavities of the human body, nestled close to an endocrine gland or a digestive/elimination body organ. They happily suck up human prana and, in return, deposit a waste material which healers experience as Astral Gunk. Yes, that sticky and viscous material that you pull out of a client’s body during an Astral healing is spirit being waste matter. Don’t forget to wash your hands once you are done.

The second category is the “Higher” Astral, and is usually experienced as the place where angels and spirit teachers (or guides) cluster; those who interact with the human race in order to promote spiritual growth. Unfortunately, just because an Astral person tells you that they are from the Higher Astral does not always guarantee that they are Higher Astral. Many Astral people feed off the human radiance of attention, and may say anything to get it. Just like getting to know a new friend, it takes time to get to know any Astral being. They may tell you they are a priestess or a guru from the past, in order to impress you, but they may have a hidden agenda. Unless their actions and counseling lead you on a consistently-upward growth curve you could be dealing with a trickster rather than a teacher. Remember the Biblical adage: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”

The third category of Astral people are ambivalent entities, or the Middle Astral. Like ourselves, these are developed beings of energy consciousness but who have taken on a different evolutionary direction from we three-dimensionally-bound humans. They exist as energy beings in a Fourth-Dimensional reality. They can take on different elemental forms, or adapt their personalities to new and creative roles. Where a Higher Astral angel may be following and implementing Divine Laws, the Middle Astral likes to bend those Laws, twisting them into new shapes. They are creative life forms. They contribute to the novelty and diversity of the Universe. And they are unpredictable.

The Middle Astral often appear to us as spirit allies, as teachers, or even as our Muse. Less authority, more friend and colleague, Middle Astral people can assist our growth and personal transformation far beyond any earth-bound human friend. But this is not all about you; Middle Astrals have their own lives, their own goals, their own personal agendas. Just like humans.

From this perspective Astral healing is not about removing the “evil”or negative activity of a shadow world from the physical world. Astral healing is learning to interact with, to understand, and to benefit from, relationships with non-human and non-physical people. As I wrote earlier, these are not alien “entities”. They are people. And this is why Astral healers must have a certain kind of personality that can interact with this realm, especially as the power of the Astral may overload your auric system with energies that you are not yet able to handle.

Astral energies will often lead you towards great transformation and change in your life, but (and for energy healers especially) it is common to have excess Astral influence in our lives. If Astral energies flood, or overcharge, the auric energy system (especially the brain stem area, where Talu chakra is located) there can be a tremendous destabilizing effect on the human nervous system. The common symptoms of Astral overwhelm are: chronic insomnia, hyperactive thoughts, paranoia, obsession, the sabotaging of our relationships, and hearing inner voices that may not have our best interests in mind if we follow their lead. And then there are the body shaking, nervous system jerking, and involuntary sounds or movements that affect us at the physical level.

Working with the Astral is a very specialized form of energy healing. If this work is not for you (as a healer or student healer) don’t feel bad, don’t feel inadequate. There is plenty of powerful and important energy healing techniques that can be done with our clients, such as Chakra Cord healing. Astral work is best suited for adventurers and quirky individuals: those with strong stomachs, flexible hearts, and an appreciation for spending time in the trenches of the human spirit. It is for those people who enjoy “digging in the dirt”, prospectors looking for gold. Oh, and a sense of self deprecating humor will help you tremendously. There are many intermediate and advanced Astral healing skills to learn, but Astral healers do a lot of astral plumbing work … just pulling nasty stuff out of people. It is not romantic work. Along the way we get to meet challenging spirit beings that may – or may not – have our health and evolution as their primary concern. We always have to sort out the Astral crooks from the good Astral people, to help our clients navigate their individual path of personal growth.

The study of Astral healing is not for everyone. But, if it is for you, I promise one thing … you will never be bored.

The Barbara Brennan School of Healing

Dean Ramsden — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:27:05 +0000

I walked around the Miami hotel ballroom, carefully picking my way among the six-foot banquet tables, fitted with sheets to become makeshift massage tables, each one holding a prone second-year student of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing (BBSH). Next to each platform stood a second student preparing to perform a practice healing. The date was June 2003 and then I was the Class Dean of the second year of BBSH. It was my responsibility to coordinate student training and verify their progress, before they graduated into the third of four years of training in Brennan Healing Science.

Dean and Patricia White Buffalo teaching at BBSH

The large room was almost silent except for a few whispered conversations between students. My teaching staff stood around the edges of the one hundred and fifty student body, waiting to assist or intervene in the healing if necessary. Over in one corner, a small booth of Japanese interpreters huddled, taking a break from the exhausting work translating lectures for their Japanese-speaking students. I smiled as I passed by them, and approached my AV staff member, motioning him to start the New Age music heralding the beginning of this practice healing segment.

“OK, everyone,” I said, quietly into my lapel microphone, “It’s time to take your place at the foot of your client: we’re about to begin.”

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