pyroguysr's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rubbed the Wrong Way at Faire MASSAGE... I love giving massages. They offer me a chance to create some positive energies in the person I'm helping. It relieves their stress and dissapates any negative energies that they have accumulated. Positive energies can then eminate and will affect the attitudes of everyone in close proximity. So I give massages to make others feel good so that I can feel good. I've helped about a dozen people get into massage and more than a few of them have become very successful at it. When I started taking classes for it back in 1977, I was poor, living off the GI bill and working part-time. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to continue the classes (which were only $60 a semester at the time) so I worked for a bit as a theraputic assistant before getting a "real" job as a financial advisor. When I took these classes at a now-defunct place called "The Muir College of Massage Therapy" in San Diego, several of my instructors called me "a natural" and said that I did "wonderful energy work" with the clients. It wasn't something they simply "said." I was told this in front of the class and asked what it was I did. I told them that I did my best to "connect mentally with my subject and their soul to relieve their inner pain as well as their physical. I try to join with them spiritually." Now, this was just a little before the whole "new age" thing and a lot of people in the class snickered. I imagine they still do when they hear about all this spiritual mumbo-jumbo. But it works for me. I go into a semi-trance when I'm working. I gave good massages then and all my classmates enjoyed what I did. And I still give a damned good massage, as many rennies (and not more than a few of my clients from ren fairs) will attest to. I've had a chance to visit some of these massage schools lately. Actually, I consider them to be more like "therapist factories" churning out people with technical and anatomical knowledge, but knowing nothing of the mental aspect of this healing art. They teach a lot of the theorectical and "hands on" part of massage and anatomy, but the spiritual and energy-work aspect isn't stressed anymore - mainly for fear of offending someones religious beliefs. Besides, they're not concerned with actually teaching you how to become a therapist... they're more interested in turning a profit - i.e. picking your pocket via a 'student loan.' What you get is a whole lot of graduates that "go through the motions" of providing massages, but with no real empathy for the person they are working upon. They may as well be kneading bread for all the good that they are doing. I know. I've had a number of massages from people like this and I've gotten better massages from an eight-year-old. Massage therapy factories are primarily in it for the money. They are now run by corporations like Sawyer Schools rather than by entrepreneuers and individuals truly interested in massage. They charge you an arm-and-a-leg to get your "degree" or "certification" and still you have to pass a qualifying test by the State. But if you don't allow one of these corporate profit machines to put you heavily into debt, then the State won't allow you to take the exam. It now costs anywhere from $3000 to $9000 to attend one of these schools. They churn out thousands of graduates every year, luring their dollars to them with promises of "job placement" at the end of completion, which amounts to little more than showing you how to type up your resume and sending it out to beauty parlors and chiropractors. More than half of these "graduates" still can't give a decent massage - but that's pretty much in-line with the educational system in this country where over half the kids graduating from high school or college not being able to put a coherent sentence together with correct spelling and grammar. A few people manage to become successful entrepreneuers, though. They have the talent AND the drive to become their own boss. They enjoy what they do. I'm thinking of allowing my pocket to be minimally picked by these corporate nazi's because I've turned down far too many tips from grateful patrons and participants of Renaissance Faires - all of whom rave about my "abilities." The reason for this rant is that I've had about 5 dozen massages from various "therapists" in different locations around the country. Out of those 60 massages, I've maybe had three good ones... ones where the person asked me questions, applied the right amount of pressure and actually relieved any pain I was experiencing. They know who they were because I tipped them exceedingly well. I'm gonna find the cheapest school available and get whatever minimal training they may have - because I'll probably be better and more experienced than 9/10ths of the students there... then I'll go back to all my books and figure out what I haven't been taught or was taught incorrectly. Hell, I've been giving massages in one way, shape or form for almost 40 years now! I've got the talent... the empathy... the drive... the business knowledge AND the ability to channel energies. I should make a killing! And that should end 25 years of procrastination. 2:54 p.m. - 2004-12-10 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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