Did you know elephants observe “cheng beng”?

I sprained my ankle very badly yesterday morning. Thinking it was nothing, I went about my way, limping up and down three floors at work, and by evening, I noticed two big swollen bumps on my left ankle and I could barely walk. Still, I had to handfeed Joanie, clean up the mess the cats had left for me, and do whatever it is that pet owners do every day.

My husband came back from work at 8.30pm, took one look at my swollen ankle, and carted me off to see Terry McCarthy, a friend we’ve met at Sukhi Hotu.

Terry is amazing, he mixes qigong with some other techniques he had learnt over the years of travelling around the world.

As he was massaging my foot, he started telling me all kinds of stories about animals. Terry is also an animal lover.

He said when he was living in Sri Lanka, his favourite place was the Elephant Orphanage located in Pinnawala. And here’s the remarkable thing, folks. Terry says elephants visit the “graves” of their departed relatives. They would play with the bones, bring their young ones to visit, and sometimes, they even cry.

It is like cheng beng (all souls’ day for the Chinese).

Amazing, isn’t it?

Then, Terry went on to tell me even more amazing stories about animals. But here’s one thing that relates to healing. And it applies to both humans as well as animals. According to Terry, one heals when he/she WANTS to heal, and this is further helped by the sincerity and determination of healer. When a healer is sincere and genuine in wanting to heal you (not for the money or glory), then the chances of healing taking place effectively is greatly enhanced.

At this point, my husband chipped in to say that most of the time, I just hug the animal and somehow, the animal would heal. And Terry says, “Yes, hugging really, really heals, never underestimate the power of hugging.”

So there you have it. Hugging heals, coupled with sincerity and determination. That’s complimentary medicine for you!