(Reading, March 25, 1994)
OPENING MESSAGE:
This Awareness indicates that in the 16th, 17th and 18th Centuries there was a kind of teaching that began and spread and had its culmination with the Puritans, wherein it was taught that you avoid touching the body of another; that children should not touch each other’s body, even in the sense of holding hands, patting each other on the back; that children should not touch each other, and that adults should not touch each other.
Of course, it was still permitted for mothers to cuddle babies. This Awareness indicates that the idea was that humans touching humans was an arousal to temptation for closer intimacy and this was seen as a very negative thing to happen. This Awareness indicates that the idea of a mother kissing a child today is totally acceptable, particularly if that mother and the child are related, but in some circles, even 50 years ago, there were entities who would frown on such touching or kissing between parents and child.
This Awareness wishes to point out that it is not necessary for entities to become concerned about sexual arousal simply because of comforting touches or strokes or light kisses between entities, and would encourage entities, particularly spouses, to give each other strokes occasionally throughout the day.
Sometimes the words entities speak do not seem very comforting to each other. They are busy, they are concerned, they are troubled by things, and when they speak to each other, they may be hurt or abrupt, giving each other a feeling of coolness between them rather than warmth. But this kind of feeling can easily be broken when one spouse simply reaches out and touches the shoulder of the other or holds hands with the other while walking in the same direction, and this kind of thing can be extremely pleasant and helpful and encouraging to the spouse or close friend, to have someone who expresses affection through touch.
Some people are much more responsive to touch than others, and the health and nervous system of an entity and stress levels can be affected by such touching. An entity who touches someone can help to lower their blood pressure for example, or can help to reduce stress or to give encouragement to the entity to make the entity feel that he or she is still OK in the eyes of the other, and this can be very important.
This Awareness wishes to encourage entities, especially spouses, to touch each other at least a half a dozen times daily; these touchings to be perhaps quite light. They do not have to be bear hugs, but just a comforting touch once in awhile throughout the day to let the other person know you care about them. You would be surprised how much better it makes the other person feel and how they respond to you when you occasionally give them the comforting strokes they need.
They may not even realize they need it, but when you give comforting strokes, they generally will begin to respond with a kind attitude towards you. This Awareness wishes to encourage this kind of stroking action through touch. Comforting words of course can also be helpful, but some entities respond better through touch than mere words.
Sometimes it is difficult to express things in words, but it is not so difficult simply to touch a person on the shoulder or to give a slight massage to the shoulders to let the person know you care for them.
