 |
|
calligraphy
can be traced and then painted.
|
Case:
Susan called me one day complaining that she could do nothing to shake the deep
depression she was in. She had come to see me eight weeks ago and I had given
her some herbs and some dietary and lifestyle ideas, but she had abandoned them
within a few weeks and started taking her medication again. She had been taking
her medication for six weeks now and was not seeing any improvement. She called
asking for more advice. "It seems like I have tried everything, "she
said, "what am I doing wrong? Where do I turn now?"
Susan's
complaint is one I have heard often among clients, friends and acquaintances
alike. The three common factors all the complaints seem to have in common is a
lack of faith that one will get better, a feeling of no purpose in life and a
lack of a catalyst to change the situation. Nearly one hundred percent of the
problems such as this I have encountered are simple to heal once these three
issues are addressed. However, in Susan's case it was a little more difficult.
Susan was far from any alternative healers, regular medical care or even
activities. She was forced to spend much of her time in the home due to the fact
she could not drive in Saudi Arabia, her husband was very busy and she had three
children who made it difficult to move around in buses or taxis. She also had a
very strict budget as her husband had recently changed jobs and was not being
paid as much as before.
Of
course all these situations in themselves could make one depressed and feel
hopeless, but I reassured Susan that there were many things she could do for
herself even within her restricted area and budget.
First,
we addressed the lack of faith that she would get better. I reminded her that,
"Allah has provided a cure for everything except death." I also helped
her realized that although she may not believe that right now, that if she
concentrated on healing her faith that in time she would regain it. Many people
take faith for granted and assume it is something you either have or don’t
have. However, faith is something that can become stronger or weaker. I told her
to take solace in the thought that if faith is not exercised it will grow
weaker. If one sits for years in happiness they will have an easy faith but if
something devastating happens after these years their faith may not be strong
enough to handle it. On the other hand, if someone is constantly exercising his
or her faith by having it challenged, then it becomes stronger and can handle
more and more.
Susan's
faith was being exercised and she needed to hold its form and focus on it in the
same way one does when they are exercising their muscles. This could be
accomplished by praying for more faith or using the essential oils of
frankincense, spikenard, juniper, basil, coriander, chamomile, neroli, and
linden blossom. These herbs were readily available on the local market and
although they were not available in the concentrated and distilled form, Susan
could still benefit from their energies. I told her to make a triple strength
decoction of the herbs and soak with them in a bath three times a week. She had
available to her chamomile, basil, linden and coriander so I instructed her to
take a tablespoon of each, simmer it for one hour on a very low heat in 6 cups
of water and then strain it and add it to her bath water.
|
|
dalis vision of melancholy illustrates a common plight |
Secondly,
we addressed the issue of Susan's feeling of lack of purpose in life. This is a
feeling more common than people realize. Many people who have this feeling think
they are the only ones they know with this problem. However, many people around
them share the same feeling. This is an easy feeling to fall into if one loses
their focus on why they are living to begin with. One must keep their focus on
the feeling that all they are doing is to please Allah and honor his creation.
With this in mind, one needs to find a channel for doing that. Many people have
channels but not the correct reason behind the channels. And many people have
the correct reasoning but mistakenly assume that their dedication to Allah
through prayer only will sustain them in this life. More successful are those
who are dedicated to Allah but have found an avenue in wish to express that
dedication. Some people chose the medical field, some people chose motherhood,
and some chose teaching, drum making, writing, or many other skills. Susan had a
very strong faith and prayer life but nothing else in her life had been directed
towards her dedication to Allah.
We
discussed her interests and restrictions and came up with two ideas. First, she
realized that she was very lonely and found little motivation to do things with
her children although at the same time she was very creative and wanted to do
many things. We decided that she would start a small mother and child's school
at her home. She initially feared that her home was not adequate and that she
did not have the ability or character. However, I reassured her that it is the
spirit that goes into such an endeavor that matters. In addition, her character
problems were as a result of not getting involved. So, once she got involved,
she would become a more steady and dependable person naturally. Secondly, Susan
decided to study calligraphy and herbalism. She did not have enough money to
enroll in a course, but with my help we designed a course for her in both
subjects, which involved having an end goal in mind and a method to reaching the
goal.
Susan
purchased a calligraphy book and practiced copying the names of Allah on various
papers. I taught her a craft a friend of mine practices. This Muslim brother
photocopies calligraphy from books and then traces it onto fancy paper and
frames it. Susan tried her hand at this and found she was quite good at it. She
made it her goal to try to sell her work. At the same time she purchased a few
basic herbals and made it her goal to study the usage and effects of one herb
every two weeks. Every two weeks she would purchase a new herb from the local
market, read about it in great detail and then use it in various ways around her
home. By the end of the year she would be intimately familiar
with more than 25 herbs. Even some of the most knowledgeable hobbyists in
herbalism never take the time to know more than a few herbs intimately and some
only know a few things about thirty or so herbs without much depth of knowledge.
|
|
indoor herb gardening is one good way to study herbs |
The
third and last thing Susan needed was a catalyst to assist her healing. The
first two suggestions could prove to be good catalysts for her. However, just to
give her an extra boost I suggested that she take a stronger herbal tea and take
it for a minimum of six weeks this time. I gave her a mixture of herbs including
skullcap, hops, nettles, alfalfa, and orange peel addressing her various
problems including her moods. I also told her that if she could not afford herbs
or find the same mixture that a simple tea of thyme taken three times a day
would be a good substitute for her.
Susan
called me in three weeks to say she was feeling better than she had in years.
She was most excited over the fact that she had completed three pieces of
calligraphy and had sold them to three ladies who's friends had also made
orders.
