New Age Healing

Healing methods basis of new course [Excerpts]

Healing methods from different cultures form the basis of a unique course coming to the Greater Victoria school district.

An Introduction to the Healing Arts, approved by the board of education, should have broad appeal but will have special meaning for aboriginal students, said board chairman Tom Ferris.

The Grade 12 course has been developed by Louise Milburn, who teaches aboriginal and cultural awareness for the district. Milburn, Anishinaabe and an adopted member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, will combine her knowledge of aboriginal concepts with instruction on such healing techniques as reiki and reflexology, and is also looking to examine yoga, meditation, aromatherapy and healing with sound through the use of such things as hand drums and Tibetan bowls.

"Even though I have an aboriginal approach, I welcome other modalities," Milburn said.

She said self-care is an important facet of the course, and she wants to create a healthy outlook for students "wounded" by circumstances in their life. She calls the space where much of the instruction will take place the "All Nations Room."

Board of education trustee Bev Horsman said she is excited about the course's potential.

"This a very, very interesting departure from the kind of course that we usually have in the district," she said. "It is a respectful acknowledgment of another way of learning and another cultural approach."

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=4ddda512-c23f-410a-bd7e-7a40dc2ec99a

[TBC: While these same individuals would decry any entry of biblical Christianity into the classroom, they say nothing about the clear religious teaching they describe as "another cultural approach."]