An Empathic Intuitive Healer

Sedona 2020

It is late spring of 2020, trying times for many, and I find myself once again in Sedona to spend two weeks learning with Lujan Matus. I have carefully packed my bags, left my yard and home just-so, written a detailed note to those taking care of my plants and one-eyed cat, boarded my flight, taken the shuttle, and arrived at my Airbnb.

I have prepared physically, but am I ready emotionally and mentally to see the teacher? As I sit in contemplation of this question, I ask myself not what I may gain from this visitation but what I might give.

Though I have been to see Lujan many times, I never get over my initial anxiety, and on the first day, I linger on a bench around the corner, ostensibly to catch my breath after my walk, but actually in an attempt to quell the butterflies before I open that door.

But now it’s time to enter Lujan’s office. His space is a haven, filled with beautiful objects lovingly placed within those walls, and the conscious care he takes is evident from the moment one approaches his door.

Every time I’m face to face with Lujan, it is a different experience. He is a unique individual, I venture to say, unparalleled in his stature and every visit brings new surprises. This time is no different. During the time I am with him, I literally see his different “faces,” as if I can’t quite pin down even his physical presence. It’s as if the “emptiness” that he teaches has permeated his being so thoroughly that he constantly changes while simultaneously remaining changeless.

Seated in front of this teacher, it is so easy to get drawn into his magic and power. Yet, in no way is this an escape from the world we live in. Instead, his teachings, his presence, feel like a complete grounding, a true connection both to what is happening inwardly as well as outwardly, that is, the nature of the self, and how that self is linked to others, the world, and the universe.

Lujan’s lessons can be so simple, meaning his most basic teaching is that of love, honesty, and true communication, but there is so much more: The art of Neutrality, attaining Inner Silence; the Logia, Being Knowing and Not-doing; and much, much more. He teaches how to be, and like all true teachers, he can be an arduous taskmaster.  He does not let one “slide.” Further, he has the ability to calibrate and attune himself to each individual, and in this way, the student learns what he or she needs most at any particular moment.

Lujan shows me a powerful standing posture. This position teaches a posture that helps me adjust my stance and that correlates to all the other forms. It is a standing meditation, and it changes my relationship to everything I have learned previously. Later, at home, I grow to love this stance and the deep relaxation I find in it.

Whispering Palms is like this as well. That is, I begin to incorporate the subtle gestures of Whispering Palms into many of the forms I have learned thus far, and these gestures infuse and permeate my entire practice. The form itself is one of great elegance and is deeply meditative. The information Lujan imparts through his instruction and demonstration deepen my understanding of the way my body needs to move and I become ever more aware of the Dan Tien and the Chi that subtly moves through the long channels in response to the gestures.

The forms, the movements, the teachings, and Lujan himself are able to unlock so much information in and around the body, information heretofore closed to me, someone who has long been largely unaware of her own body. The forms create a sense of devotion, a deepening and opening of the heart center, and this is what continually draws me to this practice.  As Lujan says, “Lo Ban Pai is an act of devotion.”

And thus, in Lujan Matus, I find the most loving and honest of human beings.  A man who has found himself and who devotes his life’s journey to teaching, supporting, and communing with others, all the while never abandoning his own unerring journey. Those of you who have worked with him know that he is open-hearted, compassionate, and kind while at the same time, relentlessly demanding.  It can be both utterly devastating and awe-inspiring to witness his being

But that witnessing must then, by rights, lead one to a personal commitment. So the question becomes, how do we find our truth, our honesty, our freedom, and commitment to ourselves and others in a world that seems bent on insidiously and violently interfering with that search? How do we truly expand our consciousness so that we can be of service in order for true community can thrive?

Below is a quote I came upon only days ago which appeared so timely:

Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls. as well as a quantitative change in our lives. ― Martin Luther King Jr.

This qualitative and quantitative change is what Lujan Matus exemplifies. We can call it many things—the revolution within, walking the Tao, the exploration of consciousness and reality, the search for true communion and community; and within Lujan’s teachings lie many answers. But they must be lived to be understood. He is simply the guide and the mirror. He urges us to climb the mountain of our lives—mostly alone—in order to bring forth that which lies within.

In these times we live in, wherein lies our hope for a better future? And I must answer—in community, in what we can offer others. It lies in our hearts, in each other, in this act of self-discovery which then blossoms outwardly to become true communication, true service. In Sedona, I meet the hosts of my stay, and we make an immediate connection. They are so open and generous and softly curious about my reason for being in Sedona for they tell me they can see the light within me. This is part of what Lujan has gifted me and out of which springs my devotion.  This is where I find my hope.

Communication, community, communion, communal, communality, to make common. This is what we all seek—the ability to go within and find the truth that resides there so that we can be of service. Lujan can show you how, for he listens with infinite compassion and then teaches and manifests those teachings through example, through his life. And as my time in Sedona comes to a close, I realize more and more that what I can offer this teacher pales in comparison to what he gifts his students.

For Lujan is a healer, an empathic intuitive who can take on the suffering of others in a most pure way wherein the alchemy of change can take place. His is the most-pure communion. His is the most empathic yet empty view. His, the most Sacred Heart.

For you who have never had a chance to meet with Lujan Matus, I urge you to seek him out.

For you who have been most fortunate as to come face to face with him or hear him speak, I hope my words ring true.

And to each one of you— I urge you to expand your heart beyond what you believe is possible.  Question everything; but in that quest, never lose your compass or your connection to that which lies both within and without and which is much greater than the sum of its parts.

We are so much more than we think. One has only to look upon a great teacher to realize this.

All my love, Lujan, and great blessings to all.

Elizabeth