Meditation: The Merkabah Method

By Daphne Domingo

While I was a speaker last November at the 3 Days of Light Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, I couldn’t help but notice a striking figure walking among hundreds of young, creatively dressed attendees. Aside from being one of the few fellow Asian Americans at the festival, he stood out because of his shaved head, long white robe and an aura that is what I imagine enlightened beings emanate.

The next day, I followed a crowd parading down a hill toward a lakeside meadow. There was the intriguing man, speaking with a microphone. He is known as Pheonyx. Born in Angeles City, Philippines as Roldan Fonollera Smith to a Filipina mother and Caucasian father, he received the name Pheonyx during a “realization process” along his spiritual path. The workshop he was facilitating this day was an advanced form of meditation and healing called the Merkabah Meditation LightBody Activation.

There is debate about origins of the word merkabah, whether it is Hebrew or ancient Egyptian, but there are three words meaning energy or light (mer), spirit or heart (ka)and body (bah). Pheonyx defines Merkabah as a way to unite the soul, heart and physical form. He uses this meditation technique to ascend to a higher awareness through special breathing exercises. The Merkabah Method, as instructed by Pheonyx, facilitates “transformational breathwork” to clear mental and emotional obstacles and facilitate understanding of life’s purpose.

The one-hour workshop I attended was an abbreviated version of his usual all-day instruction. We were guided through a slow rhythm of deep breathing to relax, followed by breathing deeply in through the nose, into the belly, and then exhaling through the mouth like the lion’s exhale in yoga; inhaling to draw in the Qi and exhaling to release, like stoking a fire. We started off slowly, but deeply, warming up the body. “In. Out. In. Out. In. Out,” Pheonyx guided, and after several minutes, the pace quickened to staccato.

We practiced three sets of the exercise, each time going deeper into whatever meditation or process we needed. The pace hastened quickly and the rapid breathing became so challenging that it was almost impossible for my mind to wander. I felt a clearing along my spine, releasing blockages of the alignment between my chakras, the centers of vital energy. Breathing in to absorb as much air as possible and then to push through to completely empty my lungs was not easy, but I felt energy flushing away blockages. Eventually I felt clear and open in a new way, an internal way, more open to whatever the universe had to offer me. Others nearby felt a similar clearing, and even the skies that had been cold and ominous gray were now bright and clear blue, the sun shining pleasantly.

Pheonyx says his Filipino heritage and growing up Catholic had a huge impact on his life. “Catholicism pushed me to explore more in my teenage and early adult years,” he explained. “Dogma helped me form the questions and a curious and determined mind to look beyond that which did not make complete sense to me as far as a practice in faith and trust in a Higher Power is involved. As far as the Filipino part of it, I’m sure there’s something in the DNA that connects me to the Babaylans and other indigenous healers of the islands.”

For more information about the Merkabah Method visit www.theocgproject.com. Pheonyx videos can be found on the Spirit Science YouTube Channel, and a Google search of Merkabah in the Washington DC area will turn up local opportunities to learn about the practice with organizations and MeetUps.