For Boardman's Filisky, the learning never stops

He is a practitioner of Energy Psychology, similar to Touch for Health.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Many people who are drawn to a holistic lifestyle have found a niche in which to use their gifts and talents. This can range from seeing local clients and giving workshops, to doing work that extends across the globe.
Richard Filisky of Boardman is one such person who has extended the concept of healing to many countries and the planet itself. He spent his early adulthood as a Catholic priest, ordained in 1962, and served in Youngstown for more than five years, receiving his bachelor of arts in philosophy and language from the Athenaeum of Ohio in Cincinnati in 1957, then his master of education from Xavier University in 1961.
In 1968, he left the priesthood. He married, had three daughters and became a certified financial planner in 1975. During that time, he continued his pursuit of knowledge in spirituality.
Huna rite
In 1983, while in Nevada, Filisky witnessed Japanese people performing a huna rite. That brought him into contact with Mornah Simeona.
"Mornah, who is now deceased, was officially recognized as a spiritual kahuna of the Hawaiian Islands," said Filisky. "Kahuna means 'keeper of the secrets,' and Mornah was trained from childhood in this Polynesian shamanic tradition, which is very close to the traditions of ancient Egypt and can even be traced back to the civilization of Atlantis."
The Filiskys became friends with her, having her as a guest many times at their home in Youngstown, and eventually, along with YSU faculty member Chris Bache, arranged for her to give a workshop at YSU.
"Mornah felt there were certain places on the earth that held very negative energies, which she likened to inflamed meridians on the human body," said Filisky. "She traveled a lot, and said she felt that negative energy over Youngstown, and also said there was a particular person that could be a balancing force for the area, which she said was my wife, Shirley. Mornah initiated her to balance the energy in the area, and taught her the ritual."
Filisky also learned the rite and offers it in a workshop: "Ho'oponopono (Hawaiian Huna's Psycho-Spiritual Approach to Healing." "This ritual allows the release of negative energies and promotes soul recovery. I also teach Polynesian philosophy, the understanding of how the total human being is perceived by these people."
Spiritual studies
Over the years, Filisky continued to broaden his knowledge of spiritual studies, earning his master of arts in theology in 1997, and is now working on his doctorate in "Comparative Religion and Philosophy from an Asian Perspective."
He gives numerous and varied workshops, ranging from weekly series, to half or whole day, to weekend retreats. Some of these include: "The Spiritual Journey of the Soul (Esoteric Teachings of the Tarot)," "The Stages of Spiritual Evolution (Kundalini Phenomena and the Perennial Philosophy)," Death and Dying (Transition as a Natural Process into Transformation," and "Various Indigenous Healing Techniques (Hawaiian, Tibetan, Chinese, Christian, and New Age.)"
Filisky also became trained in the programs offered by The Monroe Institute, which explores expanded human potential by sending specific audio tones into each ear through headphones, which results in a "focused, whole-brain state known as hemispheric synchronization, or "Hemi-Sync" -- an optimal condition for improving human performance." The benefits are said to improve everything from emotional well-being to greater productivity and mental performance, to transcendent and out-of-body experiences.
"There is one program from The Monroe Institute offered to hospice staffs," said Filisky. "It is believed that after you die, the first astral level you reach is to help you realize you are no longer living, and also to acquaint you with those on the other side. This program allows the hospice staff member to go to that level and meet the relatives of the person in their care."
Appearance
Filisky said during one workshop where participants traveled to this level, his wife, who died in May 2002, appeared to one of the participants with a message for Filisky. "Shirley has given me many messages since she has died," he said. "One of the things she told me is that she had to leave in order for me to do the work I'm doing now."
Filisky also said that he, like many other healers in the area, have felt the need to connect more with the planet, with our bodies, and with others of like mind. And, like many others, he feels that everything is speeding up and the energies are moving in waves across the planet.
To help people cope with the unbalanced feeling many are experiencing, he is a practitioner of Energy Psychology, similar to Touch for Health. "This method recognizes the multidimensional level of our being and works with the subtle energies of our chakras and meridians," he said. "It clears our electromagnetic fields."
The process is very simple, and consists of touching specific acupoints on the body, corresponding to the 14 meridians. It can be done in a matter of minutes, and Filisky said most people notice a difference immediately. Each meridian corresponds to an organ in the body, which also corresponds to particular emotions.
XLaughing Crow is a practitioner of holistic healing. She may be reached at laughingcrow@neo.rr.com