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John Holschier - 'Healing Journey'

19/5/2024

1 Comment

 
It felt like I was in a time machine. The problem was I didn’t know if I was going forward or backward in time.
 
I was thirty-two and as I was giving a friend a massage, I could see much older hands working on her and so wrote this poem.
 
“I watched my hand all aged and wrinkled, massaging her leg with a knowing wisdom, and knew my destiny. A wisdom not yet known, almost forgotten. Hidden in a memory of a lifelong past, when healing was my trade, and my hands were older than they are now.”
 
I moved to NSW for a job where I met Sally who was to become my wife.
 
Following advice from Sally, for whom teaching was a calling, I qualified as a teacher and worked in primary schools in NSW for some twenty years.
 
About 20 years ago Sally started going to Lesley, a Bowen Therapist who lived in our street in Sanctuary Point. Sally had been wearing built up shoes for years because she had been told she had one leg longer than the other.
 
Lesley told her that it wasn’t uneven leg length but misaligned hips. After only a few appointments Sally was realigned and had to buy new shoes.
 
Months later I had a frozen left shoulder, which I thought would just go away. I tried remedial massage and that had no effect. One evening after school I had to drive a manual car through several mountain passes. By the time I was halfway home my shoulder was excruciating. I didn’t think I could make it home, but there was nowhere to stop, so I drove on. After a sleepless night I could hardly get out of bed and was certainly in no condition to go to work.
 
Sally booked an appointment with Lesley and drove me there, telling me that I should walk home after the treatment.
 
After a stop start hour of treatment Lesley finally did some work on my shoulder. I felt more relaxed, but nothing had changed.
 
On my walk home I was swooped by magpies, leaving me feeling more vulnerable and less impressed with the treatment.
 
That afternoon I came to the realisation that I could actually move my shoulder.
 
Throughout the day it just kept improving. I was sold on Bowen therapy.
 
I retired from teaching and, after trying working as a handyman and doing a couple of TAFE courses, I was looking for a new direction.
 
My dad told us of a Bowen Therapist who had an amazing practice in my hometown.
I said to Sally “What would you think if I trained as a Bowen Therapist?” She said, “Yes please.”
 
So, on my fifty eighth birthday, I met with an instructor and started my journey into the mysteries of Bowen Therapy.
 
Now I get to watch my hands, much more aged and wrinkled than they were when I wrote the poem, helping people on their healing journeys.
​
 
John Holschier
May 2024
1 Comment
Cristina link
31/7/2025 10:01:04 am

This light yet reflective post from U3A Benalla shows how memory and imagination become tools for inner time travel. A thoughtful piece about the layers of time in our lives.

Reply



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    'Time Travelling'

    Our topic for continuing students in May 2024 -  ‘Time Travelling’ -  ‘about looking behind you…. yet being present’ - with a choice of two topics - Time Travelling #1 '‘When you look behind you, you see the future in your footprints’ (suggested by Graham Jensen) OR  Time Travelling #2 ’You've travelled through time and encounter a younger version of yourself. What life lesson (or lessons) would you share?  (suggested by Barry O’Connor).

    'Time'

    ​Our topic for May 2019 was based on the theme 'Time'....  There are so many ways in which we use the word 'time'...'We talk about spare time, stolen time, free time, time well spent, leisure time, wasted time, quality time, holiday time, extra time, not enough time.  We say time is precious, for all time, time is short, it was such a waste of time, time flies, time and eternity, we had a good time, take your time, time stood still, where does the time go?  How much time do you have?  She'll do it in 'her own good time' and more.  The brief is to choose and write about an element or two relating to the theme 'Time' which has meaning in terms of an event or events in our life stories.

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