A Story from Missouri

Marcia Hess
Fulton, Missouri

My name is Marcia Hess. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner in Fulton, Missouri. I began to study and practice in December, 1999. I have studied many religions, theories, and healing practices for over 25 years. I have been searching for an understanding of the great mysteries of life. I have searched in every corner and found only parts of the great truth I believed was available someplace. I didn't know if I would find the teachings that would finally lead me to my true self and eventually lead to my original home.

I joined many different churches and went through many ceremonies hoping one would enlighten my mind and my heart. In the beginning I felt very unworthy. I thought I was being punished and kept in the dark but I did not know why.

I studied many different hands-on-healing activities, purification, and meditation practices. I thought these would help in my quest to become good enough for the Universe to find me. As I practiced my massage, I had the experience of my hands growing very long energy fingers. I could feel them pass through the person's body I was giving a massage to. It occurred to me that I was somehow intruding and this could be harming the person and they were not even realizing it. So I stopped. I practiced other forms of laying on of hands for healing and very quickly had the same feeling of this is not being right to do. I didn't know if I was hurting them or helping them.

I studied to be a minister and was ordained. It was not long at all before I came to understand I had no place to lead the people to or anything of authentic value to teach them. I would be leading them around in circles behind me and I was blind to the path to take to lead us home. I quietly left this path.

When I was first told about the Falun Dafa, I thought it was some class about flowers or herbs. I had no idea why my friends wanted to learn about these things. We had traveled all of the United States together to attend other spiritual development classes. I finally agreed to attend some video classes and was surprised to hear Master Li tell the stories and lessons of the lectures. When I finished the lectures I was not convinced in my mind that Falun Dafa was what I wanted to participate in. I decided to do the exercises and read the book as a discipline and would wait to see what developed. It grew within me and I began to understand things around me in a new way.

In February I was helping my friend lay floor tile in the kitchen of his house. I injured my back. When I went to the doctor, he told me it was very bad and would take 2 years to recover fully. I thought to myself "That is entirely too long! I will do the Falun Dafa exercises and get better much faster." And that is what I did. My back is as strong or stronger than it was before it was hurt. I now understand when these physical things happen there is a much deeper meaning and I must look for a cause that may even be from a different level. It is there that the cause can be found and the real cure can be applied.

I have believed for a long time that as I heal myself in my mind it affects not only my personal world but also can effect my children and my parents and my other lives in other dimensions. Falun Dafa teaches me the fuller understanding of how this can be so.

The Falun Dafa may have originated in China and been given to these precious people, but I am very thankful that Master Li has also seen fit to offer these teachings to the rest of us. Every time I read my Zhuan Falun and the other books and lectures, I see more clearly the meaning they hold.

I used to think that I was backward in this world. I thought this was something to be embarrassed about. What I see now is the world is backward in its way of being and is leading people farther and farther from their true self. I desire to live Zhen-Shan-Ren each day but I struggle to hold my tongue and not to criticize others. I want my eyes to see what is real in the world and still find the beauty and truth in each person’s eyes. I want to be so peaceful that it allows others to live in peace. My dreams may be grandiose but my faith tells me this is possible for everyone. I have never revealed my secret feelings to the world before like this and it feels just a little bit scary.

I think that other people desire similar things. It is my deepest desire we arrive to our original home and true self as quickly as we can. May we all find the journey back to be swift and straight. Thank you for your attention.