In April two years later, I went for a follow-up mammogram and ultrasound. During this examination, it was discovered that there were two lumps sitting under the cyst that had played such a big role in my finding the cancer two years before. The biopsies showed that the masses were cancer, and the doctors wanted to remove the two lumps as soon as possible. I, on the other hand, was not convinced that surgery was the best course of treatment for me.

Only a month before I had met my spiritual partner, Sage, who lived in California with his daughter, Gaia. We met over the Internet, and he came to spend some time with me in Hawaii to see if it would be best for him to move there or for me to move to California. There were a number of reasons why California seemed to be where our home would be, mainly because Sage has a large family and he wanted to remain nearby. When I got the news about the cancer, I decided to go to California and work with Sage, using the vibrations of sound and energy release through tantra practice to eradicate the cancer. I told the doctors that if they wanted me to schedule the surgery for August when I returned from California, I would do that.

I felt confident about the work that Sage and I were about to do. There was still an element of fear that I carried around inside of me. I put on a strong front for others, because I didn't want negative thoughts and words to dissipate the energy I was putting into my healing. I was afraid that now that I had found such a wonderful partner, somehow maybe it would all be taken away. These were just manifestations of my own self-doubts, and fear about being good enough for a lasting and fulfilling relationship. And, there was still a part of me that couldn't accept that I was a healer, or that the gifts I had been given were really of value to anyone.

One day I was cleaning off my bookshelf and a copy of Ken Carey's Return of the Birdtribes fell off the shelf onto the floor. I decided to re-read it since I remembered how comforting it had been to me some years ago when I read it for the first time. Carey talks about mankind going through an evolutionary shift of healing consciousness. According to Indian legend, ancient spirits of angels and beings of light and wisdom long removed from planetary influence are now returning to earth to elevate human consciousness and assist in the healing of the planet and all of mankind. He says that these beings, called the Bird Tribes, once walked this earth. Due to the violence and ignorance rising from the ego of man, they had left the earth. He feels that these beings are now returning to earth in large numbers to initiate a radical transformation in human consciousness, and thus ensure the survival of the planet and the species.

Carey says that the source of this transformation is taking place in the genetic structure or DNA of each of those human beings whose destiny it is to help alleviate the suffering of humanity and to assist in the healing of the planet. The genetic triggers being awakened within the DNA of each of these human beings is causing a complete revolution and transformation of each human life in the direction of a higher good for all of mankind. I find it very interesting that in the Indian legend the sacred spiral is the symbol for DNA and also the depiction of kundalini that rises through the spine and through the chakras and energy centers of the body. I wondered if somehow this book was preparing me for the work I was entering into--a shamanic journey.

The Sacred spiral is one of the oldest know symbols for personal power. The whirling dervishes of certain Sufi orders are masters of the spiral dance and can transcend to higher states of awareness through the repetition of this sacred movement. Sufi dancing is a system, which connects one with the Divine Source through the ritual movement of the spiral. There are many myths and tales of power and liberation through the symbol of the labyrinth. Spirals are seen in some of the oldest archeological digs. They remind us of the cycles of the universe and how they can be seen in every phase of our lives. The sine wave is another aspect of the spiral. Music and sound can be seen in this way as frequencies of energy pulsing up and down in tone, volume and rhythm.

Caroline Myss has a wonderful visualization that I used in my healing. You visualize yourself in the middle of a wheel with the spokes of the wheel representing all of the healing options you have chosen for yourself. One spoke may be nutrition, one may be healing touch, one may be acupuncture, one may be surgery, one may be a support group, one may be toning. Visualize each spoke on the wheel with the words of each modality written on it. See your self laying down or sitting in the center of this wheel. See the wheel begin to spin slowly around you and feel the energy from each of these modalities flowing into your mind, body and soul. Sometimes playing music during this session can be helpful for generating the feeling of movement and for helping you integrate the visualization into your physical and emotional experience. As you relax into this visualization, feel the force of the wind that is generated by this wheel moving around and through you. Visualize the energy of the wind actually melting your body into fluid and all the toxins and particles of illness draining from your body. This spiraling movement can be very effective because it generates heat, which in itself can be very healing.

Prayer has always been my primary spiritual practice. I learned to pray constantly during this time. The Bible refers to it as "praying without ceasing." Caroline Myss says, "When an illness is a part of your spiritual journey, no medical interventions can heal you until your spirit has begun to make the changes that the illness was designed to inspire. Medical intervention, complementary healing modalities, changes in nutrition, and overall lifestyle may all help to some extent and should certainly be used. But the most effective healing option, when you are facing an illness as a spiritual challenge, is to rely on your spiritual practice to bring you the insights you need. Your practice can be a means of enduring the disease and healing it through increasing the strength and wisdom of your spirit."

Some months later when conducting research for a paper on the "Therapeutic Role of Music in Surgery", I came across the research of French musician and bio-energeticist, Fabien Maman. He conducted several studies on the effect of sound on matter. One of his studies involved a cotton ball. In his book, The Role of Music in the Twenty-first Century, Maman looks at the power of music at the cellular level. He worked with Helene Grimal, an ex-nun who had left the convent to become a drummer. She supported herself by her profession as a biologist at the French national Center for Scientific Research in Paris. 

Over a period of one-and-a-half years they conducted a series of experiments on cells in practicum rather than theory. They subjected various objects, including human cancer cells to varying durations of acoustical sound and photographed the effect of sound on the nucleus and electromagnetic fields of the cells utilizing Kirlian photography.

The following photographs show the affect of prayer and sound on a cotton ball.