better the less drugs they were

prescribing. I explained about all

the shamanic things being done
for it and he told me to keep it up

the
as something seemed to be
happening.
I suffered some residual

Killing
damage in my one eye which has
greatly impaired the vision in it, but
the inflammation eventually went
and I came off all the drugs.

of
However about two years later
the condition returned, and the

Demons
sight in my left eye, which had
been unaffected until this time
began to deteriorate.
Again I was referred to
the local hospital and
again to Bristol Eye
Healing with a Tibetan Phurba Ritual Dagger Hospital to the
care of the same
Nicholas Breeze Wood professor, and the same round of
drugs and side effects started again

A
as they battled to save the sight in
my good eye.
bout nine years ago, I became In an attempt to save my I knew that if I suffered the
afflicted by a degenerative eyesight I was prescribed the same degree of sight loss in my
eye condition in my right powerful drugs given to transplant good eye that I had in my bad eye,
eye which quite rapidly diminished patients, as the hospital diagnosed I would be unable to work on the
the sight in that eye, causing my my problem as an inflammation at computer, paint, read a book, or do
vision to be distorted as if I was the back of my eye caused by my beadwork; all of which were dear
looking through the thick glass of immune system, which in effect to me, so I was potentially facing a
the bottom of a beer bottle. I was rejecting my eyes; just as a major readjustment of my life - one
was referred to a local Welsh new heart or other organ is I did not wish to have to face.
hospital and then subsequently rejected by the transplant patient.
to Bristol Eye Hospital in The drugs turned off my JOURNEY ON THE PROBLEM
England, where I immune system in an attempt to Every time I had done a shamanic
came under the turn off the inflammation and so journey to the spirit worlds to talk
care of a save my eyesight. They also gave to my helpers about the cause of
professor me considerably unpleasant side the problem - a journey I had done
renowned effects including weight gain, joint many times during flare-ups of the
for his stiffness and pain, nausea inflammation - the journey had
expertise in and occasional periods been vague. This seemed almost a
the field. where I effectively lost my metaphor of my eyesight which
sight for days on end. has areas of the image missing
I of course worked with and other parts blurred.
this problem shamanically, I never got clear answers, I
asking and receiving healing swam in a sea of fog and would
from my human shamanic often fall asleep, returning during
teachers and friends, a Tibetan the journey, none the wiser.
Buddhist lama friend and others I did other journeys with
across the planet, and was different intents, and these
extremely grateful for this, their journeys were often very helpful. I
help and support. I also journeyed was introduced to the spirits of my
on the problem on a regular basis medications and given ways to
and received healings and honour and work with them to
instructions of things to do for it reduce the side effects, I met
from my spirits. healer spirits who did physical
Eventually the condition healing on me, and the spirit of a
stabilised, and the professor rattlesnake bit me to prepare my
asked me if I was doing body to withstand the small, but
anything else ‘alternative’ for it possibly life-threatening risk
as he noticed I was getting associated with the injection of a

Top: gilt iron phurba, reputedly owned by Padmasambhava,

brought out of Tibet by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Left: statue of Padmasambhava at Samye Ling
Monastery, Eskdalemuir, Dumfrieshire, Scotland
toxic chemical dye used to reveal MEETING THE INFLAMMATION
problems in the blood vessels at Later that day, while Faith sat
the back of my eye, a dye which watching over me, I began my
turned my vision, my skin and my shamanic journey to meet the spirit
urine a glowing orange-yellow. of the inflammation.
But I still had no real idea as to In the Lower World, my spirits
why it was all happening, and took off all my clothes and rubbed
without that I felt I could not really me all over with grease and covered
grasp the problem and fight it me in a fur robe. I understood this
effectively. was to hide my real identity from
the spirit of the inflammation.
MEETING THE INFLAMMATION Then we went to meet the In an attempt to
Eventually I did another journey to spirit. When we arrived, I didn’t
ask about it. I told my spirits I didn’t have a sense of what was there – save my eyesight I was
really know why it was happening to there was nothing solid, no floor,
me on a physical level and asked no up or down, and I found it very prescribed the powerful drugs
them to teach me about it. hard to stay focused, so I thought
They showed me my eyes of Faith holding the space with her
given to transplant patients, the
swollen and inflamed and said that rattle and when I did it helped. hospital diagnosed my problem -
was the problem. Then I asked I asked my helper spirits what to
what on a physical level was do, as I felt vague and couldn’t in effect I was rejecting my eyes
causing it. They told me it was like focus, it was like being in a yellow
an allergy, making the soft spongy fog or cloud; the spirit had no shape, stronger and I told it to leave. I
material at the back of my eyes no solid identity, but I realised it was really felt my will engage and push
swell up. all around me, that I was in the it out. When I did that my helper
I asked what could be done spirit, that the fog was the spirit. spirits joined in and we all chanted
about it and they told me I should Then I gradually realised I needed ‘out-out-out’ to it, banishing it.
journey to the spirit of the to talk directly to the spirit of the Then the spirits of my drugs
inflammation, but it would be a inflammation, so I asked it what it came as well and we all
very difficult and potentially wanted from me and it said ‘a place joined together to really force
dangerous journey. to live’. It’s voice was very loud and it out. This continued for
My spirits explained to me that a it echoed all the time as it spoke, it several minutes, all of us pushing
journey to the spirit of the was actually physically painful to out the invader.
inflammation would disorientate me hear it speak, and I felt I had to My helper spirits then took
a great deal, and that before I did it defend myself from its sound. the furs from me and told me
I needed to ask my partner, Faith, I asked if it was trying to teach I had to focus my will on
to do a journey to ask how she me anything but it seemed mystified driving the spirit of the
could protect me on my journey. by the question. Then I realised it inflammation out permanently,
Then they gave me some extra was simply not in the right place using whatever methods I could
energy to help me cope with it and and wanted me as a place to live, find to generate a strong intent
to get my intent together for the and that made me angry, as I felt it to not be invaded. I returned
work I had to do. They also gave shouldn’t be inside me. As I got from the journey, thanked Faith
me healing and put ice and other angry I felt my willful intent get for her help and thanked all the
cool things on the back of my spirits and gave an offering
eye to reduce the swelling, but of vodka to them.
explained they were only
treating the symptoms and I PHURBA INSTRUCTION
needed to tackle the cause by Some months before this
visiting the spirit of the healing journey for my eyes,
inflammation. my spirits had instructed me
on how to perform a healing
Up until then I had never ceremony with a phurba for
thought to journey to meet this myself or others. A phurba
spirit, and so I was both keen is a ritual dagger made of
Left:
and apprehensive about doing metal or wood, which comes iron
it, to see what would happen. I from the Himalayas, and is phurba
told my journey to Faith and used in both Nepalese and from
she went off to do her own Tibetan shamanism and Nepal
journey about how she had to Tibetan Buddhism. I felt C19th
help me. Her spirits told her strongly this was what I
she had to sit as a point of needed to do now to
stability for me, holding a rattle reinforce the healing we had
which all the spirits on her just accomplished.
journey had blessed. This rattle In this previous journey
would be an anchor for me if I my spirits had not only Left: a Nepalese
lost my focus on my journey, I taught me the ceremony, but shaman performing
could connect to it and it would given me a ‘shopping list’ of a dance with two
restore my focus and intent. various items of ritual wooden phurba

SH ISSUE 69 2010 37
 equipment I had to gather before I this was arranged I was to perform here) and then repeated the whole
could perform it. In the months the ceremony they had given me. process again with the second of the
after the journey I had collected seven pieces of paper.
these items, and so was ready to PERFORMING THE CEREMONY I did this for all seven pieces,
perform this healing ceremony. My spirits told me to prepare for each time finding that the intent I
the ceremony by singing songs, was building increased and the
Preparing for the phurba with my drum to my spirit helpers, vision of the paper as the spirit of
ceremony that my spirits gave me as this would help to put me into the illness became more intense
was quite involved, but each part is an altered state of consciousness and real.
important so I will relate it all. I lit the juniper in the bronze At the point of stabbing the
Firstly I had to get two small pot, offered vodka to the spirit of the inflammation for the
iron or steel triangular frames, spirits, had a small seventh time, I picked up my
Above: which needed to be joined mouthful myself to drink sword, and as I struck the
modern together on one side by a simple with them, and flicked a dagger into the demon I swung
cast
hinge, to enable them to open like little to each corner of the sword down in front of my
brass
phurba the wings of a butterfly. My spirits the room, the ceiling and face to cut any fibres of energy
called this a ‘demon trap’. I made the floor. which connected me, my eyes,
two suitable triangles from iron I then placed the first of and the trapped spirit in the
wire, and wrapped a thin sheet of the seven blank pieces of demon trap, and then finally
copper around one length of them paper in between the two iron burned its body.
to make the hinge. Once I had this triangles like the filling of a Next I drank the glass of water
Right:
bronze
I could perform the ceremony. sandwich, and began to build which had been sitting on the
phurba Next I had to lay out an altar my intent to turn the paper shaman’s mirror on the altar during
from cloth, and place upon it a bowl for into the spirit of the the ceremony and let its
Eastern vodka offerings to the spirits, a lit inflammation. empowered, blessed quality go
Tibet. candle, a bronze incense pot I With each out-breath, I to my eyes to empower them
C15th have, some juniper for smudge, breathed out the spirit of and clean any toxins away from
the demon trap, a pair of tongs, the inflamation, forcing it them.
seven pieces of paper, my phurba, with my visualisation between
Below: a small double sided drum called a the two triangles which I The ceremony took about two
Tibetan damaru, a ritual sword, a toli knew would trap it, and on hours to do, and as it was long past
thangka (metal shaman’s mirror) with a each in-breath I breathed in midnight when I had finished, I
showing the glass of water placed upon it, a white light to fill the space the covered the ashes of the cremated
‘spirit’ of Tibetan bell and dorje set, and my spirit of the inflammation had left. demon in the bronze pot with a red
the phurba shamanic frame drum. Once all This continued for some time brocade cloth, on top of which I
until I perceived that the placed my Tibetan dorje to seal
paper had turned from a them in, and went to bed.
sheet of white paper into In the morning I took the ashes
the pink inflamed outside and scattered them on an
disgusting spirit of the earth altar in my garden together
inflammation. with more offerings to the spirits.
During all this time of
building the intent I held My vision seemed better the
the phurba, and when my next day, but I felt that was
intent was ripe, I stabbed subjective, and so took it that what
the spirit of the I had done was just a part of the
inflammation with the healing process and I would need
dagger to kill it, stabbing to keep working on it.
into the centre of the Three days later I went to
triangular demon trap, into Bristol Eye Hospital where the
the paper that had now specialist took photos of the back
become the ‘demon’. of my eyes and upon looking at
When I had killed the them was quite visibly shocked.
‘demon’ I used the tongs She exclaimed that it was truly
to pick up the paper amazing as all signs of the
corpse (so I did not touch inflammation had completely
it with my fingers), and put vanished. She repeated this
it into the bronze incense several times, adding she had not
pot where I placed burning expected to see any real
juniper over it and difference from the last time she
cremated it, offering a few had examined me, but that the
drops of vodka to the inflammation had completely and
flames as it burnt. utterly gone. Her sense of awe
Then I picked up the and amazement was palpable.
small damaru drum and The doctor reduced my
used it to break the intent of medication there and then and
all I had done (a bell would asked me to return in six weeks
have worked just as well time for a further check-up.

38 SH ISSUE 69 2010
GURU RINPOCHE TEACHINGS their communities based on the of course I will. I am sure
I knew that the phurba ceremony I teachings of Padmasambhava. that the healing process
had been given by my spirits had with my eyes is not
some similarities to traditional KEEPING FOCUS completely over, and I
Tibetan ceremonies, but it was Intent is the key to any ceremony, do not take it for
some months later, while reading a and also knowing the way into the granted at all - even
book with information about phurbas kernel of the problem. I could not writing this article has
that I found the English translation have done the phurba ceremony made me worry if I am
of a tantra (teaching) about phurbas effectively and built the right intent ‘tempting fate.’
given by Padmasambhava (Guru for it, if I had not made contact I need to ask my spirits how I
Rinpoche) when he came to Tibet in with the spirit of the inflammation can repair the residual damage Above:
the top of
the C8th. through the help of my spirit that my eyes have suffered, so as
an antique
In the tantra Padmasambhava helpers. It was only their to improve my sight, and I have Hayagriva, horse-
teaches about trapping demons in a instruction to talk to the spirit of already journeyed to find out how headed phurba
triangle and using a phurba to the inflammation and Faith’s help the spirit of the inflammation was
‘liberate’ them from this life (i.e. kill to keep me grounded, that able to invade me in the first Below: an altar
them) so that they do not collect enabled me to actually see and so place, and done things to stop it laid out ready
for a phurba
further bad karma by their causing face the problem and gave me the returning again. This is all - like
ceremony, with
of suffering to other beings. target to engage my intent. any healing - an on-going process. butterlamp, bronze
If this liberation is done from a Some years on from this The phurba ceremony which my incense pot, bell
place of compassion, it is seen as healing, my eyes remain stable helper spirits gave me, and which I and dorje, iron
sometimes quite acceptable in some with no inflammation, and I have have subsequently read and learnt triangle, bronze
teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. checkups only every year or so at more about, has become a part of arrow-shaped
The killing of the spirits of illness the local hospital. my shamanic ‘kit bag,’ being used fire tools, silver
or other harmful ‘demons’ not only I was on a minimal to ‘liberate’ the spirits of illness tongs, phurba and
wooden triangle
liberates them from the negative ‘maintenance’ amount of that live within other people.
shaped stand,
existence in which they are currently medication for some time, but I have already performed it damaru drum made
living, but also can be seen as a about a year ago I gradually several times for other people, from two human
speedy and efficient way of sending phased that out. On my last either with them present, or as a skulls and a C17th
them through a doorway to their hospital check up, my surgeon was form of distant healing. I hope that ritual sword
rightful place (and their next concerned I was no longer taking from my account of it here, it will
incarnation too). any medication, and surprised that be possible for others to adapt and
But the teachings stress it is he could see no sign of infection in make it their own to put into their
important to do this liberating from my eyes. He told me that as I had healing kitbags also.
a position of compassion for the already withdrawn medication for My sense of gratitude and awe at
unhappy demon. such a long time before I had seen the sophistication and down-to-earth Nicholas Breeze Wood
The book goes on to give him with no ill effects, I may as nature of the teachings and is a shamanic practitoner
further details about the use of the well continue to live drug free. I instructions I receive from my helper and editor of Sacred
phurba ceremony as a way local was advised to seek medical spirits continues to amaze and delight Hoop Magazine. He has
made a life-long study
shaman-lamas perform healing attention immediatly if I notice any me, as I deepen my relationship with of sacred objects
ceremonies for sick members of deterioration in my vision - which them as the years go by. www.3worlds.co.uk

SH ISSUE 69 2010 39