Healing - is it about to become a censored word?

I belong to the Spiritual Workers Association (www.theswa.org.uk), who have published this thought-provoking article on their website. If you are based in the UK - or, indeed, anywhere in Europe - it is well worth a read.

With bright blessings

Callie x

Healing - A Censored Word?
Posted By: Carole and David McEntee-Taylor
(Saahera-Centre) 07-Jun-2008

"********* ******* available before and after the service."

If certain trading standards offices are allowed to interpret the new this is how we may have to advertise spiritual healing in the future. The following is a transcript of one individual’s interpretation of the new legislation.

This comes from a trading standards office on the South Coast. Apart from showing a staggering level of ignorance is this a worrying foretaste of what is to come?

1. By using the words heal or healer you are suggesting that you can cure, this is not an acceptable term within the new legislation unless you can give proof of such claims. Anecdotal evidence on your abilities is now not enough, you will need to be able to justify any claim you are making.

2. You can only claim to be a Reiki Master if this is a recognised endorsement.

3. Reflexology, if you claim that it can improve and help many conditions you must be able to provide proof of it, again not just anecdotal evidence.

4. Indian Head Massage - have you proof it promotes longevity and general well being?

5. This law is wide ranging you must make every attempt to avoid misleading comments or omissions

6. Sadly unless again you have absolute proof that angels exist you cannot claim they heal you. Some creative writing may be needed to the claims they can be connected to your clients.

Many spiritual healers do not charge and so may consider that they do not come within the new Consumer Protection Regulations. However, if you charge people to come into an event and then offer free Spiritual Healing as part of the event, then you will come within the Consumer Protection Regulations, because money has changed hands.

Those who provide spiritual healing on a full time basis do have to cover their overheads and therefore do charge. If they have their own clinic they will have to keep records, have someone available to be a chaperone/receptionist, pay for heating, lighting etc.

They also have to pay taxes so that our politicians can continue to live in the style to which they have become accustomed. These taxes also pay the wages of those who bring in legislation without any knowledge of the subject and the wages of those who enforce it.

Like most legislation, it is the individual interpretation that causes the problems. The way we view the world stems from our life experiences, upbringing and education. These experiences also develop and reinforce our prejudices and it is a very rare person who is able to rise above their own prejudices and make a totally unbiased judgement.

In some countries in Europe (where the new legislation came from) healing is illegal. ECHO, (European Confederation of Healing Organisations) one of the Partner Organisations of the SWA, is campaigning to get the European Parliament to make changes and recognise that healers have as much right to work in Europe as anyone else.

To do this they need to demonstrate the support of over 100,000 people across Europe. If you feel as strongly as we do about this then please join us and help us support ECHO in their campaign. We know that many spiritual people do not believe that they should get involved in politics.
However, politicians are now interfering in your lives, they are now telling you how you can work and what you should believe.

Can you really justify doing nothing? A final point – many religions talk about angels and many mainstream religions have healing services. How soon before they too are told what they should believe or they are asked to prove their beliefs?

http://www.holisticfeathers.co.uk/