I am not at anything close to an expert level in working with healing energy. I do have curiosity and an interest in exploring this invisible, yet often effective healing tool. I’ve talked about Reiki in a couple of other posts, but it is just one of three energy “frequencies” (for lack of a better word) that I have been attuned to. I like working with Reiki energy, and also wanted to see what else is out there. While doing an Internet search, I came across a healing energy called Chios. I bought the book and started with some of the exercises that I could do without the help of a teacher.
Because I was already sensitive to the subtleties of energy work, it was not hard for me to pick up some of the beginner work in Chios. I could feel the energy moving into and through my hands, and could practice anywhere, since all I needed to do was use the beginner-level symbols in my mind and the energy would start flowing. I could be warming up soup in the breakroom at work and practice, even with other people around – it just looked like I was standing waiting for the microwave to finish. I found it fun and a bit subversive in a silly way – practicing energy work at the office.
Because I could easily feel the energy, I thought it might be a good fit for me and searched for a local teacher. Though there were not any teachers or practitioners in the Portland area, I was fortunate to find someone in Salem, just an hour south. I contacted B (I am using an initial instead of a name) and she said I was the first person she had ever heard from wanting to learn Chios. B is an accomplished healer who trains others in energy healing methods. She offered to do a first-level Chios class in Salem for her regular students and have me join them.
I drove to Salem one Saturday in anticipation of an interesting day and was not disappointed! B did some teaching on Chios history, terms and other basics before attuning us to the energy. Attunement to energy is subtle, and I could feel it slightly it with Chios. It was a bit warm and tingly. After attuning each student, B had us work in pairs to practice bringing in and using the energy. With my partner, I was the first person to be on the massage table (energy work is done fully clothed, but it’s common to have the client lie on a massage table). I could clearly feel the energy entering my body through the crown chakra at the top of my head. I remember feeling relaxed and warm while my partner played with the energy. When it was my turn to work on my partner, she exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! You’re a cold healer! You should warn people!” I had no idea what she was talking about, and felt a bit deflated. I asked her to clarify and she said that she could feel a lot of energy moving through my hands but that my hands don’t warm up much. She said that cold healers aren’t common, and that it would be good to let people know my hands might not warm up. She then shouted out to the whole room, “We have a cold healer here!” Everyone turned to look at me. I felt like an exotic creature at a zoo, but not in a good way. I do know that my hands often warm up when I do Reiki, so maybe I am just a cold healer with Chios.
After practicing with our partners we took a lunch break and then came back together for some more discussion about the energy. After that, B handed out spoons to each of us. I thought that she was going to provide dessert for everyone. Nope! Instead, she told us to meditate on the energy and to use the energy to warm up and bend the spoons. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. Who am I? Uri Gellar? This seemed like a silly parlor trick, and couldn’t anyone just use a bit of muscle to bend a spoon? Still, I concentrated hard on the energy and got…nothing. Around me, people were moving spoon handles in ways I had a hard time believing I was seeing. They could twist the handle around multiple times! How were they doing this? I called B over to share my disappointment at my inability. She said to keep focusing on the flow of energy and it would happen. And the crazy thing is, it did!
It’s hard to describe. I had each end of the spoon in a hand and it felt like a spoon normally does – cool and unyielding – until suddenly I could feel the metal changing, as if it was becoming soft. The metal became malleable in an unexpected way, and I was able to wrap the handle around, not just bend the spoon. To this day, this experience was the most physical evidence I have seen or experienced that energy like this has power, and that I – or anyone – can actually harness it in a way that affects metal! It feels powerful, and validating. It’s not just my imagination!
Now, I don’t have any thoughts that I could bend a large steel beam or anything like that, but I did become a bit obsessed with destroying silverware for awhile. I hit a thriftstore for some spoons and forks so that I could play with this newfound ability. I came to know the exact moment when I would be able to twist the silverware into new shapes. I can’t do this with heavy duty pieces or knives, and spoons are easier to work with than forks. The photo accompanying this post are two of my favorite spoon creations. When I showed these to my husband, he tried to bend the metal, but couldn’t do it. It is my only “magic trick” and it has been years since I’ve done this. It may be time to start running Chios energy again and playing with silverware. And guess what – you don’t need to be attuned to Chios to bend forks and spoons, as this class shows.
I did go on to be fully attuned in all three Chios levels, and have the ability to attune others, but I have not used the energy much in several years and have never tried to attune someone else. For now, I enjoy periodically picking up my spoon creations and marveling that I was able to channel energy in such a powerful way.
Whoa that is cool!!!