Derided by some, proscribed by others, the healing circle tragically has degenerated into a casual pastime with no more apparent significance or meaning than a video game.

The seance begins as a lark or a joke, a way to alleviate boredom, to enliven a party gone flat or to satisfy idle curiosity by seeing if something's "out there." Then, to the astonishment, dismay, and occasional real terror of participants, they discover that there actually is someone or something "out there."

A whole lot of someones or somethings.

A young woman, "Tammy," found this out the hard way. Scared and bewildered, Tammy phoned the Sattva Institute one day, seeking reassurance and an explanation of the chilling and bizarre event she had just experienced.

She and a friend had decided to use a Ouija board to contact her late grandfather. Things went fine at first. The pointer,moving on its own, spelled out the nickname her grandfather had always called her.

The pointer stopped abruptly. Something changed. The pointer moved again but no longer to any purpose, as though whoever or whatever was propelling it didn't recognize Tammy or her friend. It tried to spell out a word that appeared to be "help." Then it spun round and round in wild circles.

The young women, now terrified, ended the session. At this point, all the tapes on top of the VCR tipped over and spilled onto the floor. No one was even anywhere close to the tapes when they toppled over, Tammy reported.

Just who or what Tammy and friend encountered remains fodder for a debate beyond the scope of this article. Clinical evidence that some sort of consciousness survives physical death does exist, however, and has been documented in exhaustive detail by physicians Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Raymond A. Moody Jr., and Melvin Morse, among others.

The Soul is Eternal Energy

Such evidence and more strongly suggests that the soul exists independently of the physical body as love-energy-consciousness. The only thing we leave behind at death is the physical body. That's all. At physical death, the rest of self--our mental, emotional, and spiritual awareness--remains intact.

The death of the physical body, however, does not in and of itself endow the remaining awareness with wisdom or ultimate enlightenment. This assertion, of course, contravenes extremely ancient and well-entrenched beliefs about life after death. As a result of these widespread beliefs, a lot of people who don't consider themselves formally religious are still secretly convinced that a nonphysical being is bound to be enlightened and wise.

These unstated beliefs are why so many people conduct their own impromptu seances, hoping to contact some disincarnate master. They'll contact someone, all right. As Tammy and friends found out, it's really very easy to communicate with disincarnate beings. That's precisely the problem, and it can be devastating. Curiosity-seekers who conduct seances without knowing how to protect themselves often end up like Tammy and friend: frightened out of their wits.

Why? Because they didn't contact anyone enlightened or wise. Instead, they had a close encounter with a disincarnate jerk, a being only too willing to play mind-games with them. Remember, nothing dies but the physical body. If a person in a mental institution dies in a psychotic state, that condition is unfortunately not going to change merely because the physical body has stopped functioning. Although no longer in a physical body, that soul will still be psychotic.

Keep in mind also that the only valid motive for offering a healing circle is the desire to be of service, not for self-aggrandizement or to demonstrate how truly spiritual you are. A healing circle certainly isn't going to convince a skeptic that life exists after death; do not regard it as some sort of experiment. It is no substitute entertainment when the DVDs run out, either.

Genuine Need for Healing

Instead, conduct a healing circle only when there is a genuine need for healing resolution between a soul dwelling in a physical body and one that is not--the latter often termed "dead" due to society's very limited understanding.

Always keep in mind that while some will benefit enormously from a healing circle, many will not. The motives of the person asking for a healing circle are just as important as the motives of those conducting it.

Be careful when screening those who ask for healing circles. Such a person is the inquirer. Hold a healing circle only for inquirers who genuinely desire healing resolution. A request is the first guideline. Let an inquirer come to you and request a healing circle after you have made it known that you are capable of conducting one and willing to do so.

Next, establish that the inquirer has some sort of emotional tie to the departed that is reciprocated. This two-way link can be through kinship or friendship; it doesn't matter and you don't need to know the precise nature of the relationship. The love connection counts above all else. The emotional bond and recognition are what draw the soul in question to the healing circle participants.

The preceding is obvious, thinking about it. If you were walking down the street and someone in the middle of a group called out your name, would you respond to the summons? You might, if you were to recognize and care about the person calling your name. If you didn't know anyone there, most likely you would ignore the call and continue on your way, probably at a little faster clip than before.

This is precisely why adoring fans are more likely to contact a deceased Elvis Presley impersonator rather than the soul that once dwelled in the body of the king of rock and roll. There's no emotional draw to them on the part of Elvis, even if the fans worshipped their idol from afar.

After an inquirer asks for a healing circle, and after you have established a two-way emotional connection between the inquirer and the soul in question, use your intuition. This is another way of saying your psychic abilities or four soul senses. Those soul senses can be invaluable in helping your left brain decide whether or not this inquirer is seeking a healing circle out of a genuine desire for healing resolution.