Month: September 2021

This is an image of an energy portal in an article on energy portals by Haripriya Suraj in When Spirit Meets Science
personal, Spirit, when spirit meets science

Meditative Spaces Or Energy Portals?

Haripriya Suraj

Do you have a place that calls out to your heart and soul?

A place that leaves you feeling peaceful and refreshed when you visit?

It could be a place in nature or someplace else.

While any place in nature helps me feel wonderful, there is another unique space that I feel drawn to.

This is the Bangalore International Airport!

Logically speaking, this doesn’t make any sense! The airport is a concrete structure that has gigantic metallic machines flying in and out every minute. Yet I feel a sense of calm descend on me when I am there.

Very often, I visit the airport only to experience moments of peace and calm.

While there was no necessity to analyse my affinity for the airport, my own curiosity had me reflect on my feelings! And here is what came up –

The Bangalore airport is located way outside the city. The journey outside the hustle and bustle of the city certainly feels refreshing. But this could be so for any destination outside the city, isn’t it? What sets the airport apart from other destinations?

A visit to the airport almost guarantees that you will get to watch a few aircraft taking off and landing. Watching flights in motion brings me joy and peace. Is it possibly symbolic of embarking on journeys that promise growth or of soaring to new heights? May very well be so!

Finally, the airport and the airplanes possibly remind me of our larger connection to the Universe itself! An airplane is closest to what feels like a vehicle in which humans may venture out into space one day!

We may not have a physical vehicle for space travel yet (barring some complex spaceships for astronauts), but we can certainly try to journey into space through the realms of our consciousness. Imagine what it would feel like to be out there, on an adventure through space, among the millions of stars and planets! Watching a flight take off rekindles within me unexplained feelings of euphoria.

I personally believe we are multidimensional beings whose existence spans way beyond this Earth. We may not be conscious of this because we are in a physical human body. But when you look at the marvels of creation and at the power of your consciousness, it certainly feels plausible that our energy or consciousness has a far greater reach than we may believe possible in the current paradigm on Earth.

My husband Suraj gives this ‘airport fantasy’ of mine a humorous twist, saying the area surrounding the airport must be a ‘Portal’ through which my soul was dropped off on Earth! While I enjoy this humour, it has also struck a deeper chord within me.

I know it may sound far-fetched, but on a deeper level, the airport to me is actually like an ‘Energy Portal.’ Spending time there helps me journey to a different dimension of consciousness and to come back to ground reality feeling recharged and refreshed! It doesn’t have to make any logical sense and I choose to enjoy it for what it is.

I wonder if this article will inspire you to contemplate on your own ‘Energy Portals!’

energy medicine, reiki, Spirit, when spirit meets science

Divine Downloads: Tapping Into The Force Of Creative Flow

Haripriya Suraj

I have always felt the book ‘When Spirit Meets Science’ was a ‘divine download.’

The idea for the book came to me as a vision when I was in deep meditation one morning in the December of 2018.

I casually mentioned this to my partner Suraj and asked what he thought of it. He immediately said it would be a good idea for us to work on it and bring it into reality.

The book, which we began authoring in early February 2019, was ready by the end of the month.

The creation of the book was effortless. It almost felt like someone was dictating the content and we were only putting whatever came to us down on paper.

This is what I mean by a ‘divine download’ – when a project just flows and requires minimal human effort; when it almost feels like another force is at work to make it happen.

This force is not something ‘out’ there.

I personally believe and feel this force is part of each one of us.

It is an aspect of our own consciousness.

It may be unexplored territory for many of us.

It is not something concrete that can be measured or explained by the physical senses.

If you begin to look for evidence to support the existence of such a force, it most certainly will leave you disappointed.

In energy healing circles, we believe we tap into this inspirational and creative force through the ‘third eye’ energy centre, the space between the eyebrows.

From a scientific perspective, I am certain there is a centre in the brain that governs creativity.

But here we are talking about much more than creative function or capacity. We are talking about an inspired and effortless flow of activity that ends in the creation of a beautiful piece of work.

A certain level of trust and surrender may be necessary for one to experience ‘effortless flow’. If the logical mind is going to overpower you and you begin to feel you are imagining things, it may be harder to get a taste of the ‘flow state.’

Don’t get me wrong! The logical mind is a valuable asset and this work we are doing is all about integrating the forces of magic and logic. However, at times, the barrier of the logical mind can be so hard to break that being open to different experiences becomes literally impossible.

Practices like Reiki and meditation can help one experience a state of flow easily.

I can go on and on about this but no amount of my explaining can do as much justice to these concepts as can your personal experience of them.

Do you feel ready to explore different dimensions of yourself?

Maybe even access some Divine Downloads waiting to be birthed through you?

Have fun exploring!

energy medicine, modern medicine, personal, when spirit meets science

Hospitals : Dramatic & Deep Healing Energy Zones

Haripriya Suraj

Being a sensitive person, I take care to monitor the kind of content I read or watch and the kind of people I interact with.

I avoid sensational news and only stay updated with whatever is essential to know.

I also limit time spent with people who are into drama and gossip.

I have always been a sensitive person. However, becoming a Reiki practitioner seems to have made me even more sensitive. While the upside to this is that my experience of life has grown richer, the downside is that encountering even the slightest of negative energy in the outside world can take a toll if I am not cautious.

While I do have the choice to monitor the kind of energy I allow into my life, my husband Suraj does not.

Being a cancer surgeon, drama and negativity are routine for him.

Many people visiting hospitals are cranky. If it’s an illness like cancer, it’s even perfectly normal for someone to feel upset or angry about their diagnosis.

However, very often, people lose all sense of reasoning and control, and hospital staff, (primarily doctors and nurses) are at the receiving end of patients’ anger and frustration.

When Suraj comes home from work, I can sense if he has encountered heavy energy in hospital. Further conversation throws light on the kind of human interactions that unfolded during the course of the day. And very often, these encounters are difficult and unpleasant.

While a few patients and caregivers are absolute angels, many are neutral and some are difficult. Not just ‘normal difficult,’ as in when someone is upset for a while and regains their sanity with time. It’s the kind of ‘difficult’ that is always difficult.

In energy healing circles, we refer to this difficult category as ‘people who suck your energy.’ They are the kind of people you may find talking down to staff in restaurants, not giving a damn about societal or civic decorum, or throwing their weight around to show everyone who’s boss; arrogant, haughty and disrespectful in short.

Imagine what may happen when such people receive a difficult diagnosis or need to undergo life-saving surgery? How would they deal with the crisis? How would they interact with the people who are put in charge of their recovery?

The details can be rather disturbing and messy.

While the medical profession is challenging on every level, I personally feel it also offers some great opportunities for growth. It trains you to become thick-skinned when required. It pushes you to do much more than what you may think is possible. It exposes you to all kinds of energy – good and bad, ugly and beautiful- and broadens your perspective on life. It teaches you how to be or how not to be with fellow humans. In a way, it is training for life itself.

I cannot speak for every doctor, for each person is different. But being part of the medical world has certainly made my kind and sensitive partner Suraj thick-skinned. While he relaxes into his softer side in the comfort of home, I feel proud that he knows how to transform into a ‘tough nut’ while at work!

This is an image of Haripriya Suraj in an article on Inner Child Healing in the blog When Spirit Meets Science
inner child, personal, reiki, self love, when spirit meets science

Bad Days: A Doorway To Healing

Haripriya Suraj

Have you ever had one of those days when a slight disruption in the morning sets off an explosive chain of negative happenings unfolding through the day?

Routines are shaken up unexpectedly, people you depend on don’t turn up when required most, gadgets malfunction mysteriously and you stub your toe to make things worse!

And we may then say we are having a ‘bad day.’

These bad days, while truly annoying on the surface, often offer hidden opportunities for growth and healing.

I believe these bad days are partly the result of the Law of Attraction at work.

In New Thought Circles, we believe we attract people, circumstances and situations we deeply resonate with, consciously or subconsciously.

In other words, our outer world is often a reflection of our inner world.

So, on days when it seems like everything’s going wrong, it may help to tune in to our inner world and check on what’s brewing there.

I recently had one of these days. I was frustrated and angry from the break of dawn.

I knew my reaction was disproportionate to what was actually unfolding in my reality.

When time did not heal my negative feelings and I continued to feel that way well into the afternoon, I realised I had to take matters into my own hands and work on healing myself.

I lit a few candles and meditated for a while. I then picked up my journal and began to write down everything that was bothering me.

I wrote and wrote until I reached a point where I couldn’t write further.

The final point in my writing revealed I was being anxious about my child for specific reasons.

When I delved even deeper, I discovered my anxiety was nothing to do with my child per se but more to do with my ‘inner child.’ I had been projecting my subconscious fears onto my child and this was causing me to feel frustrated and angry that day.

This is the point when we say we have touched the ‘root cause of an issue.’

As tears of joy and relief streamed down my face, I took the opportunity to connect to my own inner child, the little girl of nine or ten I was years ago, and comforted her.

I hugged her (represented by a soft toy) and told her she will be alright, and that she deserves the best that life has to offer.

I then tore into pieces the paper on which I had vented my feelings. This is symbolic of release and letting go of something you don’t need anymore.

I felt light as a feather after doing this Inner Child Work.

I felt wonderful that I got to be my own therapist that day and that I made the choice to set right that which was going wrong. This was the gift my ‘bad day’ offered to me.

It was a joy to connect baggage-free with my own children again!

This is an image of relxation in the post on Reiki& Going with the Flow by Haripriya Suraj
energy medicine, reiki, self love, Spirit

Going With The Flow Of Life & Reiki

Haripriya Suraj

After a week spent doing much creative work, I suddenly felt saturated to the brim.

And stuck…

I could not pick up my pen to journal nor my laptop to blog.

A part of me was distressed wondering what was happening.

When I tuned in to my inner voice, it whispered I had to let it all go for a day and simply be.

The body followed suit and got me feeling all achy and sore.

I knew I had to take a day off and give both my physical as well as creative muscles time to recharge.

My personal Reiki time felt extra special for I had no agenda on my mind.

As Reiki infused my body, mind and soul with its gentle warmth, I felt deeply rested.

There was nothing to plan for the day ahead.

As I soaked in my Reiki experience, I contemplated the meaning of going with the flow.

I felt blessed that Reiki practice forces us to slow down when we start to race! I’m glad I chose to honour the needs of my body and mind when they were begging for rest.

I could not take an entire day off because I have ‘mommy duties’ to attend to.

However, I did try to make the best of my ‘REST!’ And that was good enough.

No matter how busy our modern lives may be, don’t we all deserve these little breaks?

this is an image of root chakra in the article on Root Chakra by Haripriya Suraj on When Spirit Meets Science
energy medicine, reiki, when spirit meets science

Root Chakra Wisdom

Haripriya Suraj

In energy healing circles, the root chakra is one of the seven primary chakras (energy centres) we work with.

The root chakra is seen as an energy centre located at the base of the spine. This is not a physical structure in the body but a representation of the energy body at the ‘base of spine’ level.

At the moment, there is no way we can scientifically prove the existence of chakras. However, the objective here is not to generate proof. It is to understand and apply the invaluable wisdom presented by the theory of ‘Chakras.’

Root Chakra Wisdom

As the name suggests, the root chakra is to humans what roots are to plants.

Roots help plants and trees stay grounded to the Earth and serve as a medium for them to receive nourishment.

In the case of humans, the root chakra primarily represents –

  1. Ability to stay grounded in day-to-day reality on Planet Earth.
  2. Feelings of safety, security and support
  3. Matters of survival on the planet

If someone is preoccupied by fantasy and is disconnected from the reality of everyday life, we say they are ungrounded and have an imbalanced root chakra.

Same goes for people who are very fearful and anxious and experience the world as a dangerous place with many threats to their survival.

The root chakra is like the foundation of existence.

One can manage life with a wobbly foundation. But building a strong one can bring in more ease to life.

Contemplate the health of your own root chakra.

Do you feel safe, stable and grounded?

Do you sense any blocks in your root chakra? Are you aware of an incident from your past that is the likely cause of these blocks? If yes, how can you work on them?

Knowing you feel blocked in specific areas is a huge achievement in itself. Awareness of self is the first and most important step of the healing process.

Stay grounded! Stay happy!

This is an image of Yin Yang in an article on Divine Feminine & Divine Masculine based on the book 'When Spirit Meetes Science'
when spirit meets science

The Dance Of The Divine Feminine & Divine Masculine

Haripriya Suraj

The Divine Feminine refers to the Feminine Energetic Component of creation, while the Divine Masculine refers to the Masculine Energetic Component.

It does not matter if one is born a woman or man, for these terms do not represent the gender of an individual. They represent the essence of the Feminine and Masculine energies. However, if you are a woman, you may find it easier to tune in to the Divine Feminine, and if you are a man, you may connect more to the Divine Masculine.

To bring in greater balance, it is possible and also necessary to tune in to the opposite energy from time to time.

Going with the flow of life, taking things slow, being soft and gentle, operating from your intuition, expressing your creative potential, and nurturing yourself or others are examples of the Divine Feminine at work.

Planning & strategizing, taking efficient and swift action, being tough, harnessing the power of your logical mind and providing for yourself or others are examples of the Divine Masculine at work.

Don’t we all do some or all of the above at different times?

Strong rational Masculine

And soft intuitive Feminine,

When thee merge in time divine,

Earth and Sky awaken and shine

This little poem is taken from the book ‘When Spirit Meets Science.’

Enjoy discovering and connecting to your Divine Feminine & Divine Masculine!

modern medicine, when spirit meets science

First Encounters With Surgery & Life Lessons

Haripriya Suraj

Every experience is a teacher. And the greatest lessons are often taught by the people closest to us!

Back in 2007, in the early days of his career as a cancer surgeon, my husband Suraj (then fiance) was also tending to general surgical cases. He was also ‘on call’ a few times every month. This meant he had to attend to emergency surgeries through the night in addition to his routine surgical work during the day.

The hospital he worked for at that time was a high-volume centre. The on-call nights saw a minimum of three or four surgeries lined up for him, sometimes more!

That year was our courtship period. The possibility of us meeting the next day depended on the number of surgeries he had to perform the previous night!

Appendicitis, peritonitis, intestinal obstruction, accident and trauma were the most common cases that came streaming into the Emergency Room.

Suraj was also a mentor for students training in surgery. I marveled at the stamina possessed by him and the team of students. It was hard for me to imagine how these folks could work through the day and then stay up all night performing multiple surgeries!

I was even more stunned by the cancer surgeries being performed. For cases of esophagal cancer, a portion of the stomach could be used to create another esophagus. In certain cases of rectal cancer, a separate opening called stoma could be created for the elimination of digestive waste. Often, portions of organs affected by cancer ( such as liver or intestine) would need to be removed and patients would continue to lead a near-normal life after recovering from surgery.

I knew modern medicine had made tremendous progress in the twentieth century. But I had no clue such sophisticated procedures could be performed.

For someone like me, who feels rather nervous at the sight of blood, it was overwhelming yet inspiring to watch surgeons encounter blood, day in and day out.

I also felt it required tremendous courage to cut open another human being and set right whatever had malfunctioned within their body.

Our partnership also brought out some of my own subconscious fears and anxieties around health and blood in particular.

On the spiritual path, we believe that every close relationship acts as a mirror. Partners mirror to us our weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Being a sensitive person, I am sometimes prone to unnecessary and irrational anxiety. My partner’s courage and rationality serve as a mirror and present to me a choice to work on irrational fears.

What lessons do your dear ones teach you?

Look closely and you may see the mirror they hold up for you!

This is an image on angels in healthcare in the work 'When Spirit Meets Science' by Haripriya Suraj & Suraj Manjunath
modern medicine, personal, when spirit meets science

Angels In Healthcare

Haripriya Suraj

It was a grim morning in early 2009.

The New Year did not begin on a happy note.

We received the sad news that my pregnancy was in trouble. I had developed a pregnancy-induced life-threatening condition. While nothing could be done to save my baby, modern medicine had the means to save my life. I am eternally grateful to modern medicine for this gift of life.

Letting the baby go felt agonising in every sense of the word.

The process of labour was scary enough. If I had had a baby in my arms at the end of it, all that pain may have been worthwhile.

But going through the hardship of labour, knowing fully well the baby was not going to make it felt tormenting, to say the least.

I was also disturbed by the fact that a young and perfectly healthy woman like me had to encounter an unexpected obstacle within my body.

What made me even more miserable was the lack of empathy displayed by the healthcare staff when I went into labour.

While I was struggling in pain, I could hear the nurses in the adjacent room chatting and giggling away. Not one word of reassurance was uttered by the treating doctor or nurses. I felt it was extremely insensitive on their part. They were probably used to seeing labouring women every day and it may have been no big deal to them. But to the women going in there, experiencing that threshold of pain isn’t an everyday experience.

I fell into a deep sleep after delivering my angel baby.

I was woken up the next morning by a flurry of activity in the ward. The light came streaming in through the windows. When I opened my eyes, I felt a gentle presence beside me.

A young nurse with kind eyes was trying to communicate with me. She adjusted my blanket and stroked my forehead. She also told me in a very kind voice to forget about everything that happened the previous night.

From a psychological standpoint, I wouldn’t call that the best piece of advice, for how can one forget everything that happened.

We had lost our baby and I think it was perfectly normal to grieve.

But the fact that this nurse saw me as a human being and not just another patient in the ward touched my heart.

The fact that she cared enough and wanted to help ease my pain was good enough for me.

To this day, I remember her kind face peering down at me that morning.

Though I was in a semi-conscious state, her gesture left a deep impression on my soul.

Had she been in the ward when I went into labour, things may have been very different.

I wish her well and am grateful for the kindness she showed when I needed it most.

This article is dedicated to all the Angels in Healthcare who go that extra mile to make a positive difference in the lives of their patients.

This is an image in the article on inner child wounds , self love and self esteem in the blog when spirit meets science by Haripriya Suraj
inner child, reiki, self love, Spirit

Self Esteem & Self Love : Two Keys To Unlock Magic

Haripriya Suraj

As I sat down to pen this post, my head hurt and my heart felt heavy.

As children, many of us sought the attention and approval of people in authority, teachers and parents being primary. I found myself in a similar situation recently; like a little school girl not feeling good enough, because an authority figure refused to give me the validation I was unconsciously seeking!

How we viewed ourselves as children depended largely on how our elders viewed us. We felt good when they showed us their love and gave us their approval. We felt miserable when they withdrew their love and approval on account of something we did or didn’t do. If we had siblings, we may also have experienced bouts of jealousy when our sibling seemed to receive more attention or praise than us.

All of this is understandable because children are largely dependent on adults to meet their needs.

However, if we experience such emotions even as adults, they are like ‘wounds’ and need to be healed.

Such wounds can be healed completely or at least managed well when they show up. We do have the power to help ourselves.

Taking my own example, thanks to the intense inner work I have done and to my spiritual practices, I am able to manage my childhood wounds when they show up unexpectedly. I am aware enough to know when I am being sucked into a negative spiral. After some time spent moping, I make it a point to pull myself out of it with the support of tools such as Reiki, Meditation and Emotional Freedom Technique ( a healing modality that involves tapping on different points and areas of the body while making specific statements).

Self-esteem and self-love are two common areas that need attention in many of us.

While self-esteem points at how good we feel about ourselves, self-love is about our ability to love ourselves, exactly as we are – good and bad, amazing and flawed…

The easiest way to feel good about yourself is to go back in time and connect with the infant or young child you once were. You were born a blank slate. Your mind was empty and your heart pure. You were perfectly comfortable being who you were.

However, if you were repeatedly told you were a ‘bad boy’ or ‘bad girl’ or ‘hopeless kid,’ there is a possibility you may have internalised those labels. As an adult, you may not feel good about yourself unless certain people tell you how wonderful you are.

It is important to catch yourself when you find yourself seeking excessive approval or validation from others. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that external validation is not a measure of your worth. You are worthy simply by virtue of being a human being. Your talents and achievements build up your personality. They add value to your life and to the lives of others. But they are in no way a measure of your innate worth.

Bring your attention to your positive attributes. Think of at least three strengths you possess simply because of who you are. Give yourself the validation you seek. This will shift the energy and help you feel good about yourself instantaneously.

Learning to love yourself is another important milestone. The easiest way to love yourself is to accept that you are human, which means, you have feelings and emotions, good moods and bad, good days and bad. No one on this planet is perfect and neither are you. This does not mean you must make excuses when you err or make the same mistakes over and over again. It simply means you love yourself through all your ups and downs, highs and lows, good and bad times, empowered and weak moments.

I have personally found Emotional Freedom Technique to be very helpful when you need to address and release intense emotions and love yourself through it all. Explore this if you feel called to.

The reins to self-esteem and self-love must only be in your hands. Never hand them over to others.

Love can be shared more generously with others when you love yourself first.

You can help others feel good about themselves when you first feel good about yourself.

Loving yourself unlocks the magic of life!

It elevates your vibration and makes you a magnet to draw more goodness into your life.

Vibe high!