MysticMag has the privilege of chatting with Rev. Don Foster. We look into his own personal journey, how he works with others, and the pursuit for the Authentic Self.
What can you tell us about your background and how you were led to do what you do today?
Although I integrate spiritual healing and spiritual counseling, their development seemed like two unrelated paths for a long time. Spiritual healing was the first to develop. When I was young, there were times when I would be lying in bed, drifting off to sleep and my hands would suddenly feel huge, like the Hulk. It was a little frightening for a while, partly because I didn’t understand what was going on. But also because it was scary to feel so powerful.
I gradually got used to it and came to understand that I have a connection to something bigger than me and if I relax and focus, I become open to it. As I got older, I learned to relax and feel that big feeling all over, while I was awake. I played with that feeling, learned to connect to the earth’s energy, and in time I could move around feeling it between my hands. I got to where I liked the way it felt. When I was older, I went to massage school, got licensed and had my own business. I did massage for 15 years.
The spiritual counseling aspect of what I do wasn’t so immediately apparent. As a sensitive, black teenager I struggled with emotions. I drowned them in alcohol for many years. But people always found it easy to be around me and to share their thoughts and feelings with me. And I liked helping them. So, I went to college to become a psychologist. The only problem was, I hated school. I have dyslexia and back then, people didn’t know much about the disorder. So, it was never diagnosed, and I just struggled through school. However, I love learning, so I read, and I took psych classes for the short time I was in college. The most impactful part of my journey though was working ten years as a psychiatric assistant with teenagers. Those years taught me a lot about parenting and counseling.
I have a natural gift for counseling and healing that I developed and over the years I’ve used them as a massage therapist, a Reiki practitioner, a minister, and a Spiritual Counselor. There is a saying that everything that came before this moment was preparation for who you are today. And my career development is a perfect example of that.
What exactly is the Authentic Self and how do you approach accessing this?
The Authentic Self is that part of us that is perfect and unlimited and eternal. Some call it God Consciousness, or The Christ Self, the Higher Self or the Buddhist call it Buddha Nature. It is the pure spiritual aspect of us that connects us with All That Is – God.
When my kids were young, they would try something new and at times would say, “Daddy. I can’t do this. It’s too hard.” My response to them then was the same response I give you today about how to access the Authentic Self. Practice today and you’ll be better tomorrow. Accessing the Authentic Self requires repeatedly changing your thinking about yourself, about life and about God. All through your spiritual development you are constantly evolving, letting go of the previous way of thinking and opening to a new way. You continually let go of thoughts that you are “only human” and that there is nothing more to life than this physical experience. We are so much more than that. Jesus said, “You are gods. Every one of you.” I like the way the poet Rumi put it: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” And we remember that on deeper and deeper levels.
So, we read and study and learn spiritual teachings and metaphysics, which literally means beyond the physical. Then we get glimpses of something more. We get glimpses of the ocean within us, that is us. We remember that we are spiritual beings with incredible creative power. We get these glimpses from meditating and from nature and from learning and from paying attention and from . . . the list goes on.
This is a great place to say that you can’t access the Authentic Self without embracing the Shadow. The Shadow is that aspect of us that we have pushed away since childhood. It is the consciousness of not enough, the illusion of unworthiness. Consciousness is the collection of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that we have developed from past experiences. The Shadow is the part of consciousness where we store all the ideas that we’ve bought into that say something is wrong with us.
In my case my parents said I was a mistake. They didn’t mean I never should have been born. But that’s how I heard it. They meant; I wasn’t planned. But I still carry the weight of thinking and feeling “I am a mistake,” as part of my Shadow. While that continues to tug at me, weigh on me, it inhibits my ability to fully access my Authentic Self. As long as I try to keep that hidden from my awareness and from others, it continues to surface in unexpected and destructive ways. Fully accessing the Authentic Self requires not only awakening to the Truth of who you really are. It requires that you unfreeze the energy of the Shadow by embracing it as part of who you really are. So, practice today and you’ll be better tomorrow.
How important is the past in one’s present and future with the Authentic-Self?
The Shadow that I was just talking about is developed in the past, reinforced in the present and inhibits our experience of the future. It inhibits our connection with the Authentic Self. But we don’t have to look at all the pains of the past to heal from them. They are right here in this moment.
I like to say, every experience is an opportunity for growth. That’s true because in every moment your consciousness is putting in-your-face who you are and how you’re showing up. To put that in energetic terms, you vibrate at a frequency that attracts to you exactly what you get, right here and now. You don’t have to look at the past to change the present, which ultimately will change the future. You just have to pay attention to the moment.
A good way to do that is to practice RAIN when you feel unpleasant emotions activated. RAIN is something I learned from Buddhist teacher and psychologist Tara Brach.
“R” invites us to recognize what happened to activate this reaction and what is happening inside you as a result. In this step, you explore thoughts, feelings, sensations, behaviors, and so on.
“A” invites us to allow our reactions to be ok. Don’t try to change them. Give yourself permission to be with them, just what they are.
“I” invites us to investigate what is behind the reaction. “What is the Shadow part of me that is showing up in this situation? What’s the belief, the feeling, the unhealed part of me calling for attention? Why is it here, now?”
“N” provides us with the opportunity to nurture ourselves and satisfy unmet needs. Ask yourself, “What is the ideal outcome and what can I do to be at peace? What can I do to embrace my Authentic Self more fully?” This is an actionable step, something you can do within the next couple of days.
So, the past certainly informs the present, which informs the future. But we don’t have to think back to that first childhood feeling for the Authentic Self to express through us more. But it can be beneficial.
What modalities do you work with?
The simple answer is that I do Reiki and various forms of energy therapy combined with Spiritual Counseling, which some define as deep listening. To me, Spiritual Counseling is being an energetic and spiritual companion or mentor as someone processes and moves along their journey to the Authentic Self. It is what you might call spiritual talk-therapy. You talk. I listen and tell you what I hear. What I hear may not be at all what your words have said, because I am listening to what is under the words. I’m listening to what is behind the curtain. Doing energy work helps to bring whatever it is to the front of the stage.
I bring the “spiritual talk therapy,” together with a long resume of healing training. Earth energy massage, psychic studies training and lots of books on healing, chakras and energy channels of the body are all part of my background. I’m a long-time Reiki Master. I’ve taught myself Qi Gong and practiced Tai Chi. I’ve also developed a technique I call Auric Sweeping, which is exactly what it sounds like. But I’ve never seen anyone do it the way I do. When I work with a client, it’s always different. I access what is needed in the moment, guided by my non-physical support group. They work in and through me for the healing of whomever I am working with.
Why did you choose to call your practice ‘The Peaceful River’?
This is a question I’m sure many people wonder about when they first connect with me. When I was in my teens, I would visit a nearby river anytime I felt distressed. I would sit there by the river, surrounded by woods, and just listen to the rushing water as it went by. For me, this was the beginning of learning how to meditate.
Today, I carry that river within me, and feel most at home, most peaceful when I’m by the water, especially rivers. Regardless of whether people come to me for spiritual healing, counseling, or a combination of them, I want them to walk away with that feeling of peace. You might have to go through some white water before you get there. But, the name Peaceful River is an affirmation of the desired outcome.
If you would like to find out more about Rev. Don Foster, visit https://dkfoster.com/ or follow on https://www.facebook.com/RevDonFoster/
