This is a topic that seldom, if ever, has appeared in writing before. This aspect of Braucherei has been almost thoroughly eliminated due to legal complications and licensing... and perhaps due to the complications of the esoteric aspects of this seemingly physical practice. I present this in the context of use within the parameters of the law. Per the ethics of Braucherei, no money is ever to be charged for the practice of Braucherei.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational and discussion purposes only. Nothing in these posts is intended to constitute, or should be considered, medical advice or to serve as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other qualified health care provider or licensed massage therapist. The aerial parts of Solomon's Seal can be toxic when consumed internally. Please consult with a licensed medical professional.
Heilreiwing translates roughly to Therapeutic Massage. It may be the massage of the whole body or of one particular part of the body. This form of Braucherei adds physical contact to the Energetic Healing (Meggeheilkunscht) or Sympathetic Healing (Aafehlheilkunscht) aspects of the practice.
I chose to present this example today because I had just finished describing on the Blanzeheilkunscht site the use of Siggelwatzel (Solomon's Seal) for healing connective tissue. After completing that article, I realized that, while I described the application of the salve to my own elbow, I did not describe how that salve could be used in conjunction with Heilreiwing to help another to heal.
It is very difficult for one to use many aspects of Braucherei on oneself. Some incantations, runes, and certainly herbal remedies may be applied, yes, but the transmission of healing energy from one to oneself is more difficult. Similarly, it is difficult for a person to give him- or herself a massage with the same effectiveness as if one receives a massage from another person. The transmission of energy does make a difference.
The Deitsch term for "massage" is "Reiwing," which literally translates to "rubbing." A Reiwing would be a typical massage that one thinks of when going to a massage therapist or when a loved one helps to ease the pain of a sore muscle.
A "Heilreiwing" involves more. It can include other aspects of Braucherei, particularly the energetic or sympathetic healing forms. The example below takes place in the Urglaawe context and includes the use of elemental runes. This is how I practice Heilreiwing, and, so far as I know, I am one of only four Brauchers who know or use this practice currently.
Setting
The client is a male in his mid-forties. He complains of dull aches in his left elbow and left pinky with a seemingly related dull ache in his neck. He works in a physically demanding job that includes repetitive motion.
The first thing that came to his mind was carpal tunnel syndrome due to the repetitive motion of his job. This is indeed a possibility, and I advised him to see a medical professional to check out that possibility.
The client requested help via the Heilreiwing, and I stated the appropriate disclaimers necessary. He requested that the Heilreiwing be conducted in the traditional manner of Braucherei in the Urglaawe context.
Die Effning (The Opening)
For a physical session such as Heilreiwing, I typically switch up the Effning from the usual Fire or Water runes to the proactive Spirit rune, Hagalaz. While most any rune would work to do the opening in a Heilreiwing, I find that the spirit of Hagalaz strikes a balance with the physical body. Additionally, in the case of the limited Heilreiwing in this practice, the spirit of the Hagalaz rune opening can direct me towards the thymus gland if there is an emotional or spiritual issue at the root of the physically manifested problem.
The opening with Spirit most frequently
utilizes the left hand drawing the Hagalaz rune over the pineal gland. I make a fist with the left hand, leaving only the thumb standing
upright (like a "thumbs up!" sign). The form of the Hagalaz rune used
for this purpose is that of the Elder Futhark.
I envision the Hagalaz rune -- vibrant and in motion -- in my mind's eye. Beginning about three inches above
the client's head with the hands together, I chant the Hagalaz rune aloud, and then I open my hands and follow the outline of
the client's head. I then return the hands to the starting position. This is
done three times, and then the main Braucherei chants begin.
Die Suchung (The Seeking)
Due to the nature of his complaints, the decision was to focus on the left hand, arm, neck, and shoulder, unless the Suchung led to needs in other parts of the body.
The Suchung is used in Meggeheilkunscht (Energetic Healing) is similar to the Suchung used in Heilreiwing. The Suchung in Energetic Healing makes use of the overall circuit of passing the hands over the body to identify where problem areas are. In the Urglaawe context, this also includes seeking out any elements that are out of balance and are interfering with the normal flow of physical and ethereal constituents.
Now this is where the practice gets a little more difficult and where the advantages of physical contact reveal themselves. On a normal human hand, the four fingers each have three digits, thus for a total of twelve. Each of those digits becomes a signifier for the presence of one of the elements.
The assignment of elements to the digits does not matter, but consistency does. The element assignment on a given digit on the right hand (proactive ) must match that of the element on the left hand (reactive). In my case, the upper digit on my right index finger seeks Venom using the proactive rune Eihwaz. Therefore, the upper digit on my left index finger seeks Venom using the reactive rune Thurisaz.
The lower digit on each thumb is neutral, which is a discussion for a future article.
It takes some time, effort, and practice to be able to coordinate the flow of the digits over the body while remaining in the meditative state. It also takes some time to be able to determine whether you're feeling an imbalance in a particular digit.
I take each hand and skim the surface of the skin in the targeted area. I follow energy lines that emanate from the pineal gland outward through the body, and utilize each digit through this seeking process. After an initial skimming pass, I will pass twice more with increased pressure.
Then I will take note of what it was that I encountered in the client.
Heilreiwing
In the case of this example, I came across some physical knots in the deltoid muscles as well as a snarl of reactive Yeast energy in the tendons at the top of the left arm and in the left elbow. The element in opposition to Yeast is Light, so I envisioned the proactive Light rune (Raidho) in my minds eye and applied that energy to the site with my right hand while alternating my focus onto the proactive Yeast rune (Wunjo) to pull the snarl out with my left hand.
I continued this for three passes from the neck to the fingertips on the client, and then switched to a general physical massage (still following the energy lines from the pineal gland outward). I conducted the physical massage of the site for three passes, and then I moved onto the next phase.
The next phase, since I had identified a physical knot on the client and also had taken his complaints into consideration, was to include the herbal remedy of Siggelwatzel (Solomon's Seal) from Blanzeheilkunscht.
I applied the salve to my fingers (and a bit on his shoulder and elbow), and I resumed the physical massage at a medium pressure. I began the normal Braucherei incantation (which cannot be published) and then added a charm to Siggelwatzel:
Siggelwatzel, Siggelwatzel
Die Brick iss schwach
Bau sie schtarricker
iwwer 'm Bach
Weh Weh
Weck am Geh
Zing!
Zing!
Zing!
It's a fairly simple charm, but the expression states that the bridge (Brick) is weak and needs to be built stronger above the brook (Bach; veins and arteries).
I make three, six, or nine passes with this charm, and then do three more massage passes with the runic applications.
When the session is over, I conduct the closing.
Der Schluss
The closing is the opposite of the Effning. Since the session was opened with Hagalaz using
the left thumb, then the session is sealed with Hagalaz using the right thumb.
While this process may seem relatively simple, there is a lot of massage activity that takes place, particularly if the full body is the target. Also, a Braucherei treatment usually encompasses multiple visits, so the Heilreiwing can be a major endeavor.
As time goes on, we will see more of this information emerge, and, hopefully, the instruction of my apprentices will allow for the Heilreiwing to thrive.
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If citing this information, please use the following:
Schreiwer, Robert Lusch. An example of heilreiwing. www.braucherei.org, October 6, 2013. Bristol, PA: Deitscherei, 2013.
