Tags
belief, benefit, benefits, blog, dog, Intent, negative ions, protection, Salt Lamp, Straw Man
Are you someone who believes there is nothing to the claims advertising the benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps? If so, this story might have you changing your mind.
I used to be one of those people, and it was a little unusual considering my field of study: Massage Therapy.
So much has been written about the positive effects of these beautifully colored lumps of salt. But, that is all I thought they were. The low ambient lighting of the lamps renders themselves perfect for rooms devoted to relaxation and wellness.
Even after learning of the properties they were said to possess, I still never really bought into it. If anything, I can remember feeling a bit annoyed as I sometimes get when I see these huge crystals and minerals people keep pulling from the earth’s core that actually have been proven to emit energy of some kind. I can’t help but think that maybe Mother Earth needs them more.
Then one day, unexpectedly, that changed.
I was a member of a Facebook group that provided free Tarot and psychic readings to other members and came upon a request by a young woman who was concerned about her dog—more specifically a peculiar attachment to a salt-rock lamp that she had purchased several months prior.
Misunderstanding at first, I had suggested that maybe the dog suffered from allergies and that the light should be turned off.
It was discovered that the dog, in fact, did not want his owner to turn the light off and would get as close to the lamp as possible when it was on. The dog would lie on the bed and press its nose against the softly-lit lamp and would become sullen and anxious when it was turned off.
Before I replied again, I decided to meditate and to connect with the dog myself to try and find out what was going on. This was something I did regularly with my own animals, but that seemed natural and intuitive as our lives are intertwined and we become accustomed to their little idiosyncrasies and issues. We familiarize ourselves with their wants and needs and try to protect them against the things we feel will hurt them, just as this young woman was trying to do with her own dog.
I visualized the dog in the apartment, with his face pressed up against the warm, lit lamp and I asked him what was troubling him. I watched as he made his way over to what I perceived was an open window and stuck his head out sniffing the air. In the distance, I could see what looked like blossoming trees, and with that, the first thought that came to my mind was allergies.
“You have allergies?” I asked.
The dog seemed to smile in reply and danced around a little in apparent joy. It jumped on the bed again and laid its head on the table on which the lamp stood and then rolled his eyes towards me. I could tell that the 9-inch, pink-colored cluster afforded him some relief. I thanked the young pup for his time and offered him a few moments of healing energy, swiftly sweeping his body from head to toe and asking that Reiki be received in a way that was most beneficial to him before wishing him well and returning to my own awareness. I wrote down the information I got in a response to the woman who quickly responded back that she had him tested for allergies and none could be discovered.
It was at that time that I saw again the dog huddled in a tiny mass on the bed and shaking a bit in fear. I followed the dog’s gaze and saw a man stumbling in the hallway outside of the bedroom it was in. The man was wearing some kind of hat and overalls and appeared to be in his older years, but more importantly, the man held between his lips a lit cigarette.
“Was he tested for cigarette smoke?” I asked again.
“Nobody here smokes.” she injected.
“Does an older man live there—one who possibly drank on a regular basis?
“No. It is just the dog and me in a one bedroom apartment.”
I thought about my brother who complained that some furniture that once belonged to my parents smelled like smoke even though it had been almost 30 years since my mom quit.
“Could there have been someone who lived there before you that smoked?”
“Hold on, I’ll ask.”
She wrote back a moment later after conferring with, I imagine, the owner of the apartment in which she rented. When she returned, she answered;
“Oh my God…yes. The man who lived here before me smoked!”
I asked her if it was possible that he drank as well.
“Why?” she asked.
I described the man I saw stumbling toward the bedroom as the dog coiled in fear on the bed, and as I did so, each piece of my vision was confirmed by someone who she would ask as my questions came to her.
There was also another member from this group who confirmed what I had seen as well independently, through their own experience.
It seemed that not only was the dog suffering from the ill effects of residual, second-hand smoke, but seemed, also, to fear the dead man who made daily visits back to his old haunt.
The lamp seemed to afford the dog some sort of protection against both…
We’ve all heard that animals’ sense of smell and their sensitivity to the energies around them are far superior than humans’, but as a Reiki Master and regular practitioner of energy modalities, I can tell you that after having bought one and placed it in my own living room, I can feel the benefits and even notice a difference in the way my own family responds to the subtle energies. I keep it lit all the time because of the results that I feel for myself.
Do these benefits have anything to do with the negative ions they are said to emit?
I have no idea, but according to a recent science experiment the answer would be no.
However, as is the case with many other New age-y relics and techniques, it all boils down to belief, intent, and the ability to sense and feel what even machines have a hard time proving or measuring…hidden benefits and trust in something that might not otherwise be able to be seen and in most cases felt. But if there was a dog that seemed to indicate that there was indeed any benefit—even a dog that was suspended in some other place outside of my own time and space—well, that might be good enough for me; especially considering what we DO know about the superior senses of animals; even long domesticated ones.
Below is a link to an article that gives examples of how salt was used for supernatural and religious purposes. I believe it to be only a small sampling, but if you are interested, there are some fascinating facts to be discovered.
©Susan L Davis; all rights reserved 2017