Consultations

I was thrilled to to find a really neat way to express a key to effective Aura-Soma consultations earlier this year. The idea came while I was teaching one of my favourite courses - Practices and Principles - which focuses on consultation skills. This idea compares the Aura-Soma consultation with the two fractions of the Equilibrium bottle.

Spiritual inspiration

Every Equilibrium bottle contains two fractions and these may be seen to represent the two possibilities of the Aura-Soma consultation. First is the oily fraction, the lighter part of Equilibrium. Floating above the water fraction it represents the spiritual dimension of both bottle and consultation, encouraging us to rise above, uplifting. Often consultations are an attempt to inspire the client, to talk them up to another level. The phrase that comes to my mind is “spiritual pep talk.” Personally I think such consultations, though often given with the best intention, miss the real opportunity that the consultation offers.

The clue is in the name: Aura-Soma. Aura refers to light and Soma refers to the body. The more I work with Aura-Soma the more I understand that Aura-Soma is not about being spiritual at the expense of our human life, it is about bringing spiritual presence and consciousness into our human difficulties. The consultation that seeks only to uplift will generally deny the space for the client to bring their own story into the consultation.

Human healing

I see the water in the base fraction as representing the client’s story. It is the denser part of Equilibrium: it is life’s human experience. In truth here are the matters on which their soul is meditating, seeking to digest and integrate. Only if we as practitioners invite the client’s personal experience into the consultation process and make that the centre of the consultation, will our consultations have the chance to really engage with our clients where their life is being lived. Their story is the earth in which the consultation process takes root and things grow best when they are rooted, when they can unfold and grow from within.

Unless we are willing to open to the clients story our well-meaning words will most likely share the fate of water, falling “off a duck’s back” as we say in England. It means that what comes from outside does not penetrate within. In such cases the light that Aura-Soma and the Practitioner offers does not truly enter and take root in the client’s life beyond the consultation room.

“Best of both worlds”

I believe the potential of the Aura-Soma consultation is to bring the soul presence to the human story. We always mix the two fractions of an Equilibrium bottle before applying it, and in the same way it is both natural and necessary to mix the two parts of the consultation – the light of Aura-Soma AND the client’s story to create the full potential of the Aura-Soma consultation.

Like to learn more?

Developing the skills necessary to achieve this potential are the essence of my Aura-Soma consultation skills course named “Aura-Soma Practices and Principles”. I shall be teaching this course in Japan, Europe and Russia through the spring and summer of 2009. In particular a few places remain on the European course which is being held in Holland this June. The course will be taught entirely in English and all english-speaking students from whichever country are warmly invited. The closing date for enrolment on this course is May 31st. If you would like to learn more about the course along with the details to enrol then visit the Consultation Skills course in the Pages section of this site. The link is at the top of this page in the side bar to the right of this article, or you can paste the following address into your browser.

www.dominicyeoman.com/consultation-skills-course/

Dominic presenting ideas in Holland April 2009

I have just taught nine days of consultation skills. As always, working intensively helps to develop new ideas, new ways to see things. Here is a view I particularly liked.

The two fractions of the Equilibrium bottle can correspond to the two possibilities of the Aura-Soma consultation. The oil is the lighter part of Equilibrium, floating above the water fraction it represents the spiritual dimension of both bottle and consultation, encouraging us to rise above, uplifting. Often consultations are an attempt to inspire the client, to talk them up to another level. The phrase that comes to my mind is “spiritual pep talk.” Personally although I think such consultations are given with the best intention I think they often miss the real opportunity that the consultation offers.

The clue is in the name: Aura-Soma. Aura refers to light and Soma refers to the body. The more I work with Aura-Soma the more I understand that Aura-Soma is not about being spiritual at the expense of our human life, it is about bringing spiritual presence and consciousness into our human difficulties. The consultation that seeks only to uplift will generally not give the space for the client to bring their own story into the consultation.

I see the water in the base fraction as representing the client’s story. It is the denser part of Equilibrium: it is life’s human experience. In truth here are the matters on which their soul is meditating, seeking to digest and integrate. Only if we as practitioners invite the client’s personal experience into the consultation process and make that the centre of the consultation, will our consultations have the chance to really engage with our clients where their life is being lived. Their story is the earth in which the consultation process takes root and things grow best when they are rooted, when they can unfold and grow from within.

Unless we are willing to open to the clients story our well-meaning words will most likely share the fate of water, falling “off a duck’s back” as we say in England. It means that what comes from outside does not penetrate within. In such cases the light that Aura-Soma and the Practitioner offers does not truly enter and take root in the client’s life beyond the consultation room.

I believe the potential of the Aura-Soma consultation is to bring the soul presence to the human story. We would always mix the two fractions of an Equilibrium bottle before applying it, so why not make the mixing of the two parts of the consultation – the light of Aura-Soma WITH the client’s story the heart of the consultation?

The skills and practice of this are the essence of my Aura-Soma consultation skills course (named Practices and Principles of Aura-Soma). It is a unique course that has grown out of more than twenty years of giving consultations. If you are unable to attend a course but would like to learn more I shall soon be starting a Consultation Club on the internet with monthly sharings for those who would like to deepen their Aura-Soma consultations.

This item follows on from the ideas in the article entitled “The Value of Simplicity”. It explains more of my underlying view on the potential of th Aura-Soma Consultation. An understanding i reached during  a  course i taught during the occasion of a solar eclipse.

Last autumn in Japan one particular course I was presenting led me to a deeper view of the simple way in consultations. It was stimulated by the presence on this course of a lady who was having difficulty with accepting the Aura-Soma consultation. She came from a more traditional problem-solving counselling tradition; for a consultation to be effective the majority of attention had to be given to the problem. Try as I might (and I did with my second example consultation) I could not engage with the example students’ problems in a way that satisfied this particular student. This led to some soul searching for me that evening. However the following morning in feedback the striking thing was that both the students who had received consultations reported that they felt considerably different about the subject that had come up, deeply healed one could say, the first student indeed said that she felt free of this particular issue we had explored for the first time on 10 years. It was a great learning experience for me because, although challenging, it helped me to find a deeper articulation of the potential of Aura-Soma.

The Alchemy of Consciousness

By the end of the course my sense was that the healing that can come from the Aura-Soma consultation is ultimately not something that the practitioner gives the client, it is not something that occurs at the mental level between the practitioner and the client and it is not in the information that is shared per se. My conclusion at the end of this course was that the Aura-Soma consultation gives the opportunity for the gold within the person, and by that I mean a soul energy, the soul presence, to join with their personality story, the layers of consciousness that they habitually inhabit. The consultation, the selection of four bottles, is the opportunity for the client to receive an impulse from the soul level; and that this soul level, which I consider a golden energy, provides an alchemical moment. It can be likened to when water reaches a seed within the earth. The water enters the seed and something happens within the seed. A process is initiated which changes the content of the seed from a hard inert material into a growing living thing; something which opens from the inside. The waters interact with the material of the seed and life begins.

I feel it is that life process which the soul of the client, through the agency of their Aura-Soma colour selection, can trigger within the consciousness of the client during a consultation. I see the recommendations of Equilibrium, Pomander, Quintessence, Colour Essence etc. being as the water and nutrients that nourish this alchemical process, supporting the seed to grow, to become a reality in the client’s consciousness and life, and more than something that was merely talked about during a 90 minute consultation.

A different order of light

The interesting thing is that this course which stimulated this deeper view occurred during the period of a significant solar eclipse (October 2005). In my understanding a solar eclipse is an event that allows something new to be sown into world consciousness. A solar eclipse precipitates a moment of potential that is out of the normal order of things. Normally this state of potential occurs at night, in the hours of darkness. It is the time when generally speaking we sleep, we dream, the time we experience thoughts and emotions in a way that is less defined and controlled by our ego.

During a solar eclipse the moon creates a shadow of darkness that falls across the earth like a scar, gouging a space of nothingness in the biosphere. Into this nothingness (that would normally arise only when we are collectively asleep) a new seed can be sown directly into daily consciousness. That this course and new view coincided with the solar eclipse suggested to me that the opportunity offered by this world event was one of accessing a deeper state of being. Yellow ego meeting soul gold; that the Aura-Soma consultation is one way for this meeting to take place. This meeting of ego with soul results in the ego consciousness receiving an alchemical jolt, like water entering a seed; and from this meeting something new can grow in the person’s consciousness.

The role of the practitioner

As a practitioner I do not, and I believe should not, seek to stand between the person and their soul. What I can do is be an observer to the process, offering a helpful intention and a loving, open attention to the meeting. Often this meeting happens by- the-by, nearly always the consciousness of the client is focused on a story in their life, and yet still I believe the soul presence has come closer to the surface within them during this process. This is another way of saying what has been in the training from the beginning. The greater guide is within each person. Aura-Soma supports people to take responsibility for their own life. The soul has its own wisdom, it doesn’t need the knowledge of Aura-Soma. It is a simple thing, and in simplicity is great potential

Every flower begins as a bud. Within the bud is the potential to bloom. Blooming can only happen from the inside. It happens almost imperceptibly at a pace of its own. There is fragility, tenderness and beauty in the process. Clumsy intrusions can only slow the process down. Creating the right external conditions is enough to support the process. On completion something new has been revealed, something which at its core is nourishing and vital to life. I believe the Aura-Soma consultation process is just like this; and that the essence of this process is simplicity.

This article is written to share some of the key elements of this simpler approach. It also mentions a key moment in the evolution of my own view on this process. (more…)

This consultation was given as an example at the end of a Level 2 course in 2006. It shows the way that the numbers on the equilibrium bottles can complement and deepen the exploration of a client’s themes. It also includes ideas on the three tendencies which is another important subject within the Aura-Soma Level 2 course. In real consultations I favour a more interactive process in which the client is able to contribute more to the process. Nevertheless there was a strong energy of presence and meaningfulness in this consultation which, as the client said afterwards, had given her very much to think about.

B32 B83 B66 B97

Her selection was:

32 Royal Blue / Gold
83 Turquoise / Gold
66 Pale Violet / Pale Pink
97 Gold / Royal Blue

Before looking at the numbers I took a quick look at the colours … (more…)

I once heard about this famous cartoon. Two scientists are discussing a complex proof. One scientist says to the other “I think Step 2 requires more explanation.” In the midst of all the symbols and numbers written across the board Step 2 is written in plain English. It says simply “ then a miracle occurs.” My discovering this cartoon coincided with giving an Aura-Soma consultation. From the consultation there is a story and to me what seems a miracle. Now seems a good time to share it.

Here is the client’s selection:

Aura-Soma Equilibrium Selection

On first glance there is a turn around between the 2^nd and 3^rd bottles. A movement from yellow underneath to yellow on top. This colour thread continues into the 4^th bottle with the yellow now hidden in the orange. What is the story? And what is the miracle?

(more…)