Mid-August 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and a miraculous Mid-August to you!
Welcome, or welcome back, to my newsletter. Today's issue is about (eye) strain, learning to recognize it, then let it go. Enjoy!

What we're used to doesn't often grab our attention. As one of my teachers says "When you grow up in France, you speak French". If you've had discomfort for years, maybe decades, that discomfort, even if it's constantly painful at a low level, feels normal to you. Humans are remarkably adaptable, and can adjust their habits to keep going forward in the face of extreme hardship, especially if others around them are suffering as well.

The miracle of human vision mostly happens in the brain, not in the eyeballs. This is why "eyestrain" could more accurately be called "brain strain". When our eyes complain, we've forced our visual system to look at and interpret something we'd rather not see right now, something which makes us feel anxious or angry or overwhelmed. This is not the fault of our eyes, who may just need a break from being pushed to perform, or a gentler approach.

Years ago, I wore hard plastic contact lenses all the time, except overnight when I was sleeping. My eyeballs were always sore. I thought this was the price I had to pay for being able to see clearly enough to function. In fact, when I got those contacts as a teen, after wearing thicker and thicker eyeglasses since I was 5 years old, people asked me about "putting a foreign object inside my eye". I said I would put rocks in my eyes if it would help me see! My poor eyes -- I wore those irritating pieces of plastic for years, expecting my vision to perform without any rest or care-taking.

Anyone who has worn contact lenses, either soft or hard, knows how agonizing it is when a speck of dust or dirt gets in your eye, then is trapped under the lens. I remember my eye tearing profusely when this happened, squeezing so tightly shut that I had a hard time prying it open to remove the lens. My eye would look like the image above, all bloodshot and red like raw meat, screaming at me visually about the abuse. Since I don't wear lenses now, if dust blows into my eyes when I'm walking outdoors, a few easy blinks washes it away. This is how our eyes are supposed to work, a self-lubricating, self-cleaning painless system.

It's common that when people who have ignored caring for their visual system for years embark on a vision improvement program, they suddenly realize how sore their eyes are. They have slowed down their busy life long enough to pay attention to how their precious vision feels, for maybe the first time ever. Then they might mistakenly conclude that vision improvement practices are making their eyes hurt! No, what's happening is that the soreness and strain which was there all along is finally getting recognized. This doesn't feel pleasant, but it's actually a good thing because now it can be addressed.

When you have a pain elsewhere, you're led to rest the overworked muscle or limb so it can recover. The eyes are no different. If your eyes are sore, that's an important message telling you they're being used incorrectly. Vision healing practices are focused on relaxation for just this reason, to engage the "rest and digest" parasympathetic energy. If you're in a constant state of tension, your system is more focused on fighting the perceived threat and keeping you safe than it is on healing and growing. Notice your eye strain, don't ignore it. It's merely information, a request for attention and care, like a baby's cry. If you feel it, you can heal it.

To read more about how visual and mental strain can be counter-productive, click here.

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Please send me your questions and comments
Let me know what you've wondered about concerning energy medicine or vision or dreams. I'll be glad to write a short article addressing that topic. Thank you to those who have sent me questions, or see a question you asked me in a private session written about here. You're helping many other people! Enjoy the second half of this actualizing month of August. I'll write again in a few weeks. Take care!