ASHA Spring 2020 Newsletter
President's Report by Jane Fleming
Dear ASHA Friends,
The whole world is in an unprecedented situation when a deadly virus, coronavirus covid
19, can spread so rapidly over huge distances to so many places. This is truly a World Pandemic. (With great effort Ebola virus and SARS coronavirus were quickly confined.) The world of commerce that we have taken for granted has suddenly changed, and the medical assistance that the so-called civilized world has expected has changed as well.
Many people besides our sensitive healers are reacting to the world energy. It has been labelled anticipatory grief. We anticipate much disruption and difficulty, but we aren’t sure what will be the actual repercussions. Our ASHA healers have practiced staying centered and grounded in all situations, but we are not exempt from feeling the world energy which is heavy and extremely tiring just now.
In response to the situation, ASHA has had to quickly implement the use of Zoom as a platform for our Monday Evening Healing Sessions. To our healers, space, time and distance are not a problem. Lorae Marsten has offered to hold the meetings and can accommodate up to 100 people online. She is to be highly commended. Those who attend feel the healing energy just as powerfully as if they were in the church venue. This is a wonderful outcome for our organization. We have several among our members who are already pioneering the dispersal of healing protocols in this way.
I am including here the opening paragraph from the ASHA Spring Newsletter 2019 because it has good advice for dealing with our current lock down:
“Spring has arrived on the prairies as usual in the form of blizzards, snow, rain and intermittent sunshine, all the elements necessary for the ‘greening’ of our wonderful part of Canada. It is time for the ‘greening of our spirits’ as we get outdoors more often and cultivate the ‘blue brain’. According to scientists and many valid research studies, our human species is hard-wired to become peaceful when we see the natural world, and when we experience water (in it, on it, or beside it). Instead of the ‘red brain’ which keeps us striving, competing, and being in the Mind Dimension, we can relax our bodies when going into the wilderness or natural places like our own back yards and parks. So I hope everyone is springing forward into spring.”
It is my sincere wish that all our members are finding a way to cope with this new world crisis. As healers, we anticipate the good that will occur as our world moves towards spiritual transformation.
I am grateful that the ASHA Spring Event 2020 – ASHA Teaching / Refresher Course was held successfully over a weekend at the end of February with 23 healers in attendance. It was such a wonderful experience and privilege to be in a room with so many experienced healers, and especially delightful to renew acquaintances and make new friends.
The next important event will be the AGM (Annual General Meeting). It will have to be conducted on Zoom. Since the ASHA June Retreat had to be postponed until next year, we have moved the AGM from June 1st to Monday evening, June 15th at 6 pm. It will be followed by a healing session at 7:30 pm. You will receive more notices via email.
The Membership Drive 2020 was successful with 54 paying members, 9 Honorary Members and 10 Interns. Some few members have fallen away but we have added new graduates in 2019 who have become certified healers. They are Jaclyn Dang, Joseph Haverty-Reynolds and Teneale Siebens. I am delighted to welcome these full healer- members to our organization.
The ASHA Board has struck an Education Committee to make decisions on the teaching of the Fall Training Course this year. They are Lorae Marsten as Chairperson, Ben Cheong, Heather Fjeld and Bette Wood as committee members. The four members have been selected for the following reasons. All are:
Current members of the ASHA Board
Members of CFSC, our venue, giving valuable service to the church
Long-time involvement in teaching/coaching Spiritual Protocols & Courses
Organizational skills for teaching and/or office management
Skilled healers demonstrating Personal Integrity
It has been a privilege for me to be the ASHA President and Training Coach since 2005 – fifteen wonderful years. I will be stepping back from the teaching, while remaining a consultant and active Board Member. In checking my records, I have been able to graduate over one hundred healers since 2005 and taken many more through the course although they were not able to complete the Internship. As I step back from teaching, I marvel at the privilege I have been given to connect with so many students. I taught 36 years at the Mount Royal Conservatory to bring out the best in students and ensure that they had presentational skills for life. I had the privilege of working for the ISUP (Indian Student University Program) at U of C in the early 1970’s, to ensure that First Nation’s People would have teachers from their own background on First Nation Reserves. My teaching career was punctuated with the experience of adjudicating festivals throughout Western Canada, and giving workshops and seminars to promote excellence of Communication Skills. My personality characteristic was ‘perfectionism’ in regard to stage performance, so I never could congratulate myself – no performance is ever perfect. Years ago in 1988 a medium friend said that there is a ‘perfection in the universe’, but not my kind. I wouldn’t change anything in my past career, except wish that I had been kinder to myself and not judged results so harshly. My maiden name was Mary Jane Harshman, so I guess it was inevitable.
All of the members of ASHA and past members and interns have been very kind to me, so that I could learn to accept appreciation. I have received many gifts from students over the years, and now I savour the memories that these gifts hold for me.
Thank you to all those associated with ASHA. Many who are no longer members I call Friends of ASHA, and stay in contact via a group email. Thank you to all who have over the years made ASHA thrive by serving on the Board or showing up on Monday night to give healings and help train the Interns.
Blessings to all, Jane Fleming