By Kym Maehl

As hypnotists and hypnotherapists, we are acutely aware that the subconscious mind holds all memories and beliefs. What we don’t always recognize is that also within the subconscious mind is the knowing of both the wisdom and the desire of the soul. This awareness is significant because the soul is that part of us that is in constant development and continues eternally, whether in body or spirit.

Knowing how to access this crucial part of the Self is paramount to those who are interested in understating their deeper motivations and yearnings. It is also a fundamental to the recognition of the interrelated and non-randomness of our experiences.

Practices such as meditation, past life regression and holotropic breathwork can help one to tap into the essential knowing and messages of the soul through surrender, relaxation and breath. Likewise, hypnosis can be a powerful vehicle for entering into the deepened states of awareness where the soul’s wisdom can be accessed. Once accessed, this wisdom can be used to edify, to guide and to remind us that we are here with a purpose that is uniquely ours. With a glimpse of that purpose, we can begin to use it for further understanding and growth. And, by giving that purpose our focused attention, it will continue to unfold and deepen within us.

For years, I have been using mandala (Sanskrit for “circle”) work to help my clients and myself create artful reminders of the soul wisdom received in deepened hypnotic states. By enshrining the imagery and messages obtained during hypnosis within the sacred circle of the mandala, a meditative energy is evoked that has been practiced for thousands of years. When focused on, the mandala then becomes a passageway into deeper understanding, awareness and oneness while serving as a symbolic frame surrounding the messages received.

What follows is a very personal account of how to integrate a soul message into the sacredness of the mandala…

Several years ago, following the death of my young nephew, I found myself in a space of total despair, afraid for my sister, furious with God and doubting everything that I’d ever believed. My prayers were ragged reminders of what we’d lost and nothing inside or outside seemed like it would ever be right again.

In desperation, I turned to a self-hypnotic practice that I’d been using for years and had learned to trust. I sat, closed my eyes and became still, asking to feel peaceful again. As I breathed and began to relax, I tuned into my body and those areas of resistance. I breathed into each area one by one while affirming the word “relax.” When I sensed no more tension, I continued to breathe as I asked my guides for help in reconnecting to my soul wisdom. After some time, what came to me were dim colors that seemed to be emanating from the blackness of the Universe. As I continued to allow my inner vision to clear, the colors became more vivid and white lights, like stars, filled the blackness. I imagined breathing the lights into my entire being. As I did this, I had a feeling of vast connection that somehow brought me peace. I relaxed into the vastness as I realized for the first time in days since my nephew’s death, I was no longer isolated in my despair, but connected to a sense of oneness. Then, I heard my soul whisper, “Return to your center. That’s where you will find peace.” It was quiet and brief but I felt its truth. I stayed within the vastness for a time and when I felt complete, I returned to a waking state and created my starry night mandala to help me remember and reinforce my return to center and peace.

While I have been using this process for years and have learned to be open to what comes in whatever form it is presented, that is not always the case with aspirants who are expecting big bold visions. Therefore, it is paramount that whether using this with clients or yourself that expectations be minimal and openness be key. As with my experience above, my soul message came in a whisper that I might not have heard had I been thinking it should have been different. Likewise, it is helpful to check the ego at the door as it is apt to discount or discredit what is being received. Once the message has been brought into the light of awareness and contained within the mandala, it becomes more tangible and free for inquiry. Then all that is required is your presence.

Presence can take the shape of closed or opened eyed meditation, verbal or non verbal questioning and any other process that feels right in the moment. Sometimes journaling can be a beneficial companion to the mandala, bringing the right brain practice of sentencing into the left brain practice of circular art. Once initiated, the possibilities are limitless. Take a breath, ask for guidance, let your mandala draw you in, and your soul guide your way.

If you would like to tap into your soul wisdom and create a personal mandala, please join me in my 3-hour workshop, Hypnotic Deepening & the Mandala, on Saturday, March 23, 2019 beginning at 9:30.

PS – No art experience required!

Kym Maehl is an Integrative Life Coach and Clinical Hypnotherapist. She has been a counselor for over 25 years and has worked with groups and individuals worldwide in assisting authentic transformation. She teaches classes in integrative healing modalities and the creative arts and holds advanced degrees in Holistic Ministries, and Counseling and Educational Psychology, as well as being a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Rehabilitation Counselor, and Strategic Life Coach. Her books include Grief~Dance Workbook – Creative Expression for Honoring Loss, The Lunar Key – An Adventure in Understanding Your Dreams, The Magical sunflower Jungle and My Chakra Garden. For more information go to www.spiritcounseling.org