3 November, 2011
Beauty

Spiritual Healing at Mandarin Oriental

3 November, 2011

Most of my friends would not label me as the first person to pick up the Ouija board when I have a knawing sense of uncertainty, although several have seen me use the Magic 8 ball as the determining vote in my choice of outfits or boyfriends (perhaps a reason why I am single…hmm). Regardless of my willingness to peer over the wall into the supernatural, when I was offered the chance to meet with Anne Jones, reknowed author and spiritual healer, I embraced my inner Shirley Maclaine and went for it! Anne had worked in computer services before listening to her heart’s voice and following what she now sees as both her destiny and her responsibility: healing people and helping them on the road to self-knowledge. Anne visits Hong Kong annually to see friends, and this time she was participating in the Visiting Consultants in Residence program at Mandarin Oriental Spa. Throughout 2011, in celebration of the spa’s fifth anniversary, Mandarin Oriental has invited healers and holistic consultants to Hong Kong as a treat for their clients, and in keeping with their approach to overall wellness.

With all frankness, I was not really sure what I should expect from Anne. I have run the gamut on healing treatments, from Reiki, to a form of what I was told was “friendly voodoo” in Thailand and enough Tarot Card readings to make the life I am supposed be living look like a Barbara Cartland novel (oh, the men, the travel, the riches!). When I met Anne my initial impression was how “normal” she looked. No chunkycrystals around her neck, perfectly coiffed hair (no crazy Rapunzel locks) and an outfit befitting my grandmother’s weekly lunch/bridge game.

She placed me in a chair directly facing hers. We chatted briefly (mostly me asking about the path she took to hear her “voice”). While some people are skeptical about anything non-Western or non-medical, speaking with Anne made it hard NOT to believe that there can be other forces at play in making us WELL. Oddly, she sensed some of the issues which I had recently faced (40 something and single might be obvious, thankfully she skipped this low hanging apple) and approached them with love and sensitivity. She asked me to close my eyes, open the doors of my heart and leave the rest to her. Evidently my spirit was being a bit stubborn as she asked me to open the doors of my heart more than once, until the point at which I told her that even the chimney flue was open in my heart-house! She placed both of her hands on the tops of my legs and began to take deep breaths. I cannot be sure if what I felt was just that odd sense that someone is staring at you INTENSELY (remember my eyes were closed) OR if it was really a form of energy transference from Anne to me – which I was hoping for, as she was pretty gorgeous and glowy, inside and out. Fifteen minutes passed and Anne told me to open my eyes and take my good vibes (courtesy of her) out into the Hong Kong sunshine and get HAPPY. Even a realist might say this would be easier said than done (or would ask if maybe Anne had written her a prescription for Xanax during the period of eye-closing work!) Regardless of the reason or source, I felt ENERGIZED. Anne definitely has an other-worldly quality about her and whatever it is, I enjoyed my dose of it and its calming energy.

Mandarin Oriental Spa will host its fifth Visiting Consultant, Paul Emery, from the 21st-26th of November. For more information and appointments, check out Paul’s website or contact the Mandarin Oriental Spa.

Born in Miami, Tracie headed north for college and did not look back. After slogging it out for 16 years as a quintessential Type A, ENTJ, marathon-running Wall Streeter, Tracie finally took a long, deep breath. That gasp turned into the first of many Ohmmmms and eventually a yoga-license. During this quest, she visited nearly 40 countries; trying the best, the newest and the oddest paths to physical, mental and spiritual wellness. Finally illuminated (not yet enlightened) she realized that, despite all she had been told, New York was not the epicenter of the world. Now, Tracie is two months new to Hong Kong, and with Sassy is exploring the city inside the gym, in the great outdoors and on hilltops. In a journey to feed both her curiosity about the financial markets and her new-found realization that not EVERYONE owns a treadmill, Tracie will document her search for the key to balance in a fast-paced, diverse and fun city.

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