Rites de Passage – Being Somewhere “In-Between”
The 15th day of the 7th lunar month, according to the Chinese calendar, is a holiday named ZhongYuan Jie, 中元節, Ghost Festival. As the name already suggest, this day is devoted to the deceased and the spirits. We attended a ceremony at TaiShanMiao to make offerings of food, beverages, incense sticks and prayer paper. This is done with the intention of calming the spirits and helping them to continue on “their way” so as not to be stuck in this realm. To observe and to participate in this ceremony whose main section starts at the night before, on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month, precisely at the zǐ 子-time (23:00-00:59) when the Yang of the new coming day starts to rise, was a powerful and ultimately a peaceful experience.
As always the 15th day of each lunar month is a full moon. On new moon and full moon days the scriptures sung in the morning and in the evening are more elaborate. Unlike on regular days, on the 1st and on the 15th everybody living in the temple attends the scriptures. This increases the energy field, especially when the attendants are able to unify their thoughts and their hearts in sincerity and reverence. It happened that at this last full moon during the evening scripture this additional ceremony took place to enable the deceased to leave this dimension and also to release “karmic issues”. These are spirits caught in a state “in-between”. Apparently help was needed for them as well as for their alive relatives. This was the special intention and content of this rite. In the Rites de Passage, a work written by the cultural anthropologist Arnold van Gennep at the beginning of the 20th century, an intermediate state is described wherein an individual, be it deceased or alive, no longer holds their pre-ritual status but has not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is completed. They are somewhere “in-between”. In the case of spirits, some might still be here because they don’t want to, cannot let go, others might be caught in the world of the living unintentionally.
As some students are working on learning how to perform the morning and evening scripture we did not only participate, but sang along with LiShifu who led the scripture and performed the necessary ceremony to assist the spirits on their way. Most of us experienced this certain scripture quietly and intensely.
As a highly sensitive person, I suddenly found myself in a state “in-between”. After having had a talk with LiShifu about my experiences he asked to me write an article which should encourage, confirm or just explain how powerful participating in the scripture and attending such ceremonies can be.
The following section is my personal description:
During the ceremony, I could quickly feel a connection establishing with what LiShifu calls “the formless”. It was a very peaceful, tranquil and calming atmosphere. The spirits seemed content with our offerings, our singing and “help”. Their state of being “in-between” appeared to transform.
I try my best to explain what occurred. Sometimes it is fairly hard to find the right words for such experiences. Hopefully the readers can connect and develop an understanding or in the best case scenario might recognize some similarities.
Straight from the beginning of the full moon evening scripture, after having entered the temple, an intense feeling took over. There was heaviness and pressure in the air, the density appeared quiet strong. The longer the scripture went on these feelings increased. From around the middle part onwards they showed physical manifestations: my heartbeat, breath, and body-consciousness changed. At the same time, probably induced by this ceremony, lots of suffering and pain streamed through me. Thinking about it, a possible description might be that I was a “channel” or “medium” through which were passing through all of these issues the deceased needed assistance for. And there I was in a state “in-between”. Somehow I was here and there, or maybe neither here nor there. My vision, usually very good and broad, seemed even broader and more enhanced. Seeing a lot and having a focus at the same time, apparently another contradictive pairing. As I mentioned earlier, it is not easy to put it into words. It did not feel bad or negative though; nor did it cause fear or fright. It also was not the first time such an experience occurred. However this intensity exceeded former ones. I had some difficulties to stay centred ‘cause of this immense energy streaming through and being around. I still managed to participate and keep singing until the end. It was not only that we gave assistance, we also received it; an exchange took place. And although I felt an enormous amount of pain and suffering, release and relief were a part of the scripture as well.
Leaving the temple I was still “in the zone” to use this figurative term. Dinner was served and I’m always looking forward to it since studying intensively takes a lot of energy, which needs to be replenished, not only by practicing Gong, but also by material things like food. That evening I felt nauseous and was unable to eat. I took my bowl and went outside. I usually eat alone; LiShifu told us that meals are supposed to be eaten in silence. That it’s us, the food and our higher selves connecting with each other and by this establishing a formless relationship with higher dimensions. Sitting in one of my favourite spots next to the hillside, from which on clear days you can catch a glimpse of JinDing 金頂, the Golden Summit of Wudang, tears started flowing out of my eyes. I wasn’t sad, I didn’t feel any grief or sorrow, and just like before with the suffering and pain during the scripture, somehow these tears were also just passing through, finding a channel, a medium through which they could be released. In order to stay centred and not to be carried away, I recited the JinGuangZhou 金光咒, the Golden Light Mantra, worked on slowing down my breath and calming my mind and heart. When I more or less managed to do so, out of nowhere I heard a voice. It came from behind, but more surprisingly from above. It spoke my name in a soft and smooth way, kind of calling me. And although I knew that no one/no person was there, that the voice didn’t belong to someone familiar and especially that the direction it came from proved it was a contact from somewhere else, I had to turn around to confirm the previous intuition, the perceived approach from a formless being.
Li Shifu often mentioned the power of the scripture, its ability to connect levels of form and formless, to build a bridge between Heaven, Earth and Men. And I never doubted his words, instead I felt this energy any time when he performed ceremonies as well as during other occasions. At that day though, my awareness increased, my belief in the great connection that exists between all and everything found approval. Everything is connected, the form and formless, visible and invisible, living beings, spirits, higher dimensions, the world of men, everything. Li Shifu confirmed my experiences and mentioned as well that not only I was a channel, but that by assisting the deceased and spirits I also received help where pain and suffering which belonged to me was also resolved.
Our conversation ended with him saying, “don’t get attached, just let go”. An advice he repeats quite often, what happened is gone, nothing can be changed, we have to enjoy the present moment and give our best in order to continue progressing and cultivating. Any attachment might hinder this process, so no matter how powerful, enjoyable, transforming or whatsoever an experience has been, to let go is the only way to deal with what belongs to the past. Then further steps can be taken, healing can happen, and love and light can be shared.
– testimony written by our student
