By: Azim Khamisa, RYI Board Member
www.AzimKhamisa.com
The work we do in healing and transforming challenging youth is not easy. It takes a high level of dedication, patience, and energy. While a lot has been written on various clinical cognitive therapies the role and effectiveness of spirituality is still in its infancy. The CANEI program that I co-founded with the National Youth Advocate Program (www.nyap.org) has three pillars: Spirituality, Restorative Justice, and Literacy. It is currently in its 9th year with presence in 8 cities showing amazing results. I believe that one of the main reason for this is we are working at the spiritual level. What does that mean?
Modern science would like us to think we are trillions of cells. All medicine then interferes with the chemistry of these cells to cure symptoms. However – every pill has negative side effects. I believe that there is a deeper dimension where healing is far more effective. I have coined the word “soulular” to describe this level. When you are energetically able to vibrate at a higher frequency there is a soulular shift that you create within yourself and the challenging youth. Once this soulular shift occurs – you are not the same. The transformation is permanent. I believe it rearranges your DNA and this is validated by Bruce Lipton’s book “The Biology of Belief”. I have seen this happen to me many times and also seen the impact it has on the many thousands of youth that I regularly interact with in schools, juvenile prisons as well as in the CANEI program.
Recently I was in Dallas Texas and was invited to address several workshops to middle school teenagers. I was scheduled to do 13 presentations in two days. Thirteen! I thought there was no way I could do it. It was impossible as I had never done that in the last 15 years I have been doing this work.
Six presentations on day 1 and seven presentations on day 2 to middle school children and then a 2.5 hour lecture to adults (many who work with youth) in the evening of the second day. Although the most I had ever done was five presentations in one day, I believed I had enough energy to complete 3 or 4 presentations in a day.
Where would I get all the energy to be able to finish this overwhelming duty?
After I finished my last speech, I was shocked. Not only was my energy up for the entire 13 presentations - keeping them fresh and crisp and impactful - but I actually had MORE energy by the end of it. All the presentations were engaging and transformative for the youth and the adults. It is difficult to keep the attention of middle school youth but in all presentations there was a pin drop silence and full engagement. One of the sponsors believed my later presentations were even stronger than the earlier ones.
It occurred to me that when you are doing God's work, the divine source provides all the energy, all the resources needed. When I left the event I felt stronger knowing that the spirit was working with me, through me, for me, and for the audience. This experience led me to realize that my journey, which started with forgiveness, is now leading me to expand to include the awareness of spiritual energy that transforms both the teacher and the student at the soulular level. The key lies in inviting spirit to be part of this healing process.
Forgiveness which is a very high vibration emotion is a blessing. A blessing occurs when preparation meets grace. My preparation is a daily practice of 2 hours of meditation. While it is not necessary to spend 2 hours a daily practice of two 20 minute meditations a day can profoundly improve effectiveness in working at the soulular level. At this level you are able to create transformation that are not (in my belief) always available at the cognitive level.
And these higher states of reality can be found when we first learn the art of forgiveness. Through forgiveness, there are no axes to grind with anyone. You live not in resentment or guilt. Everyone has a path that could implement forgiveness. For me I was able to forgive my son's killer, as well as forgive myself for not spending more time with my son Tariq or being there like I needed to be there as a father. By not harboring guilt in myself or resentment for others, I have a free flowing psyche which God (or the universal spirit) can use in His will, helping to create a space for purpose and energy which will then create this transformation and permanent healing.
I feel my level of fulfillment is much higher in the work I do with youth as a result of the tragedy of my son’s death than the work I did as an international investment banker when he was alive. The money of course is not the same but the fulfillment and the gift of being on purpose is highly meaningful knowing that I am aligned with my life’s mission. We all have a spiritual purpose. When we are fully aligned with that mission God provides all the energy and the resources we need to fulfill our life’s mission. It is this energy that creates the transformation and healing in the youth.
