VIA Wisdom Pills.
1. PATIENCE
Increasingly, we live in an on-demand world. With the exponential rise in technological smarts, patience levels seem to be dropping as a corollary. We have become so used to having our needs met at a quicker and quicker pace that there seems to be no stopping it. People want what they want, and they want it now. Yet no matter how fast our automation gets, no matter how much speed the service and technology industries gain, we will always be left waiting. Waiting is an intrinsic part of life. There is no escaping it. If you notice, as you get older, that you are more accepting of situations when they don’t go as planned, or long line-ups that can’t be avoided – even when you’re in a rush – congratulations! You have matured in a very particular manner and, whether you’re aware of it or not, you are no doubt happier because of it.
2. THE ABILITY TO LISTEN
The words ‘listen’ and ‘silent’ are composed of the same letters. In order to truly listen, one must first know how to be truly silent. What this is, is presence. You are present with the other person as they are speaking to you. Your mind is not wandering, you are not distracted or thinking about how they look or what they’re wearing, nor are you simply waiting for them to finish so you can then say your part. You are fully there with them, really hearing what’s being said and taking in both the emotion and the reality of it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a 2-year old or a 90-year old, the mature person understands that only through the practice of this still and silent attention can they possibly respond in an honest manner.
3. A SURRENDER TO CHANGE
There’s only one constant in life: inconstancy. If there’s one thing both scientist and sage can agree upon, this is it. As we age, this is a lesson we learn time and again. No matter how strongly we attempt to keep things the same, there is simply no doing so. Even if it takes years, life will shake things up, scare you, force change upon you. It will dash your hopes and collect dust on your desires, even as it surprises and delights you with things you could’ve never imagined. Most people, however, fail to grasp this and continue to push, plan, fight and resist, even up to the very end. If you are someone that has caught on, however – no matter what stage of life you may be at – again, congratulations! You have come to understand one of the greatest teachings the world has to offer: uncertainty is a precondition of life. This doesn’t mean, of course, that you don’t make plans and go about your business, it simply means that you let go of the need for things to turn out in a narrowly specific way. Which leads us to our next point…
4. A RELINQUISHMENT OF EXPECTATION
Ask most 20 year olds what kind of future they envision for themselves by the age of 40 and they’ll most likely have a few solid ideas. Check in with them at 40 and they’ll most likely tell you how they never could’ve imagined their lives turning out the way that it did. Far from being the burden so many experience this as, it is in fact one of life’s greatest gifts: the calling for you to release expectation. As we just pointed out, life is an organic process. Its flow is unpredictable. The mature person has been paying close enough attention to this over the years to actually come to understand it and integrate it into their world-view. This is the next stage of surrender to change, and it results in a change in perspective, due to a deep understanding of the uncertain nature of life itself. It’s signs are clearly reflected in the actions of the mature person – there is very little to no negative reactivity to what life throws at them. They have a calm presence. They’ve learned how to relax. Their mood is not dictated by specific outcomes, but comes instead from this Que Sera Sera attitude. They’ve learned how to go with the flow.
5. AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ‘LOVE’ ACTUALLY IS
This is a big one. So many young people are sure that they have experienced ‘love’, when in fact what they’ve been through is an intense combination of biological and psychological need fulfilment, most often unconscious in origin. Unfortunately, this is often a pattern that continues throughout life for many, without there ever being a break-through into the deeper levels of love that lie waiting for them. Infatuation, lust and obsession are not love. It takes heartbreak, and the courage to face oneself to know and learn what love actually is. Whether it takes place in a string of relationships or in the issues that can arise over the course of a single, long-term love-affair, a mature person has come to understand that the purpose of all relationship is personal growth, and that nowhere is there more potential for personal growth than in the dynamics of their love relationship(s).
Through these relationships, the mature person has learned acceptance; they’ve learned empathy, understanding and compassion. Instead of appreciating only those things in the other person that they agree with or approve of, which is a very shallow form of love, they’ve learned to honour and even appreciate the other’s individuality instead, knowing that there is always something to be learned by the differences between them. In this way the love has deepened. It has become a choice, not some out-of-control whirlwind that sweeps you off of your feet and holds the power to make or break your happiness. Above all, the mature person understands that love is work. It is a commitment, and through the honouring of this work, through the honouring of this commitment, they have come to know levels of love, joy and ecstasy that could’ve never been reached through other means, no matter how seductive the shallower forms of love may have appeared at the time.
6. A RELEASE OF SELF-IMPORTANCE
The mature person has learned that the world doesn’t revolve around them. They know that they are not perfect, nor will they ever be, and they have therefore given up the game of projecting an air of perfection to others. They are honest about where they are at, their skills and talents, and their shortcomings. They understand that mistakes are an integral part of life, and they are not afraid to make them. They are also unafraid of being proven wrong. (In fact, the highly mature person celebrates it.) Having learned this, they are not only happier, but have probably accomplished many things, learning even more about both life and themselves in the process. Because of this, the mature person most likely enjoys what they do for a living. Those who have failed to get over themselves and face their fears are more likely to be stuck in a job they dislike. The willingness to try and fail, time and again – due to the understanding that they are not as important as their mind makes them out to be – leads to a greater understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses and, ultimately, life itself. Although it seems almost paradoxical, through this releasing of a sense of self-importance, the mature person has almost assuredly achieved a number of important things.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
6 Signs You Are Actually Maturing, Not Just Aging
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Global, Universal Suffering with Carolyn Myss
The horror is global and it travels within the psychic field of life. Deep in the intuitive reaches of my soul, I am immersed in the sensation that the system of life itself has gone on alert - somehow humanity is coming close to losing its fundamental reverence for human life. That reverence is our essential touch stone with our humanity.
A collective madness is manifesting in choices that are repeat performances of previous slaughters are rationalized to be sound judgments - once again. If ever a person wanted to understand the handiwork of darkness, one need only look at how acts of hatred are rationalized. There is no reason for someone who identifies him or herself as a "conscious" much less "civilized" human being to ever participate in an act of hatred - ever.
That first time you declare yourself to be "conscious", you are saying that you have successfully rid yourself of those demons that give you permission to violate your own spiritual beliefs. You are saying that you have shed the option of violence because you see the folly in it, the uselessness of it - that indeed such acts only lead to more. You are saying that you have discovered more "conscious" resources within you with which you will now engage with life You are saying that you are strong enough, conscious enough to recognize when a demon - pressing upon the Victim or Martyr archetype in you - is talking you into betraying your higher instincts. You are telling yourself that your soul has the stamina to withstand the tsunamis of life without turning dark and hostile.
Human actions are increasingly becoming the antithesis of instinctual choices that lean in favor of humanity. We are growing increasingly frightened instead of increasingly open, loving, and global. We are moving in the opposite direction of where an "advanced" society should be headed. We are imploding. We can feel the tension building in the collective atmosphere - even if we cannot name that tension. An ordinary woman, interviewed for a comment on the Malaysian crash said, "What's happening in our world?"
All life breathes together. All events impact all life one way or another. Some people are physically wounded and others will absorb the wounds on the psychic level. Even those who ignore the events will experience the consequences as they continue to unfold. If ever we needed to pray for the world and for humanity, it is now. We must be about the business of utilizing what it means to be "spiritually conscious". You become conscious in order to put your soul to work. If it feels right to you, consider this prayer of your own version of it, "I open myself as a channel of grace for healing and restoring the balance of life. I ask that all life be blessed." And stay ever mindful of how easily anger and hatred bite at your heels...."Hover over me God..."
Sunday, July 13, 2014
After Death Musings - I
BY ANNIE KAGAN:
The List
surrender-goddess
1. The First Thing that Happens is Bliss. As soon as you die, you’re sucked out of your body into a Healing Chamber. The lights in that Chamber erase all the harm you suffered during your entire lifetime, physical, mental and emotional. So, in less than a nanosecond, all your pain is gone.
2. You Still Feel Like Yourself. Even though you don’t have your body anymore, you still feel like an individual. Actually, you feel more like yourself than you did when you were alive. There’s so much influence from others while you’re on earth that in a way you don’t get to be you.
3. Light Has a Personality. In the afterlife the light rays have qualities like wisdom, kindness, compassion and intelligence. This light makes visible what is invisible on earth, the Divine nature of all things.
4. Sin and Punishment is a Human Concept. There’s a lot of mumbo jumbo on earth about what might be waiting for you after you die. Making mistakes while you’re alive is part of the earth deal. If we had to be perfect to get to so-called Heaven, no- one would make it there.
5. Your Life On Earth Isn’t a Punishment Either. Sure, there’s pain in life, but not because you’ve done anything to deserve it. Pain is part of the human experience, as natural as breath or eyesight or blood moving through your veins.
6. After You Die, Instead of Judgment Day There’s No-Judgment Day. When you review your life, you see the paths you took and the ones you didn’t. You see where your genius was and where you might have done better, but you don’t feel judgmental about it. And even though it might not make sense to you now, after you die you understand that you had a great life, even the hard parts.
7. You’re Happy You Look Like Yourself. You’re not concerned with the way you look. There are no pretensions or efforts to appear any which way. You just radiate, which is effortless.
8. Love Is Not the Same As Earth Love. You’re not loved because of what you do, how you look, how famous you are, or how much money you make. It’s not like yesterday I loved you, but today I don’t anymore. Love is truly unconditional. Most controversial of all is that in the afterlife there’s perfect compassion and no matter how you lived you are loved.
Kundalini The Joy Of Celibacy And Yoking The Life Force To Enlightenment
By Yogi Tom/Silver Dawn Media © 1997
I found that once I had sat out the immediate crisis of desire that inevitably arises with the practice of celibacy if one has previously enjoyed an active sex life, that I had to master the very esoteric art of “inner sex”.
Even among knowledgeable Western Tantric and kundalini yogis celibacy can sometimes be under-rated or undersold, when traditionally it has always been a useful, even essential, means of spiritual development that can have quite dramatic effects – usually positive, but potentially negative and dangerous, if one doesn’t understand the esoteric nature of sexo-yogic techniques and the Pandora’s Box of the mind they can open up.
Furthermore, given its association with repression and “unnaturalness” in Western popular culture, celibacy in general has a bad image.
When kundalini awakens one often enjoys very intense, fulfilling and powerful sexual union in the conventional manner, and, even if one knew how to practice celibacy in a positive and spiritually creative manner, it might seem too ambitious a goal given the – often urgent – need to find an outlet for this extraordinary energy that often has a very powerful will of its own.
Thus it is, that, if one is thinking about possibly practicing celibacy as a positive spiritual move to harness the energy of an awakened kundalini, it is best to do so holistically, slowly and from a firm foundation of deep spiritual commitment and study of the relevant scriptures.
The sexual energy and fluids are the purest energy source on the planet and transform the mind, body and spirit in very subtle and profound ways.
They are the lifeblood of real Tantric meditation and transmutation of mundane consciousness into pure consciousness. Have no illusions about what Tantra really involves – on a truly cosmic level – once the consciousness begins to be nourished, invigorated and purified by one’s very life force.
Once one has started to go upwards as well as outwards in one’s focus of energy then there can be no going back as a transformed and purified nervous system, for instance, cannot be de-sensitized, and spiritual revelations flowing from the opening of the head and throat chakras cannot be forgotten or ignored.
Given these factors one needs a certain healthy caution as well as, in some ways, recognizing what an opportunity for enlightenment kundalini awakening offers and just how rapidly and effectively celibacy can transform a kundalini experience into a truly extraordinary expansion and deepening of understanding and spiritual consciousness…there is, as ever, a dramatic tension within, between the urge for conventional outer union and the more intuitive sense that perhaps a deeper, more permanent and more profound inner divine union is possible through the esoteric art of sublimating the sexuality.
To sublimate one’s sexuality one needs to know all the esoteric theory of the chakras and nadis, prana and chi/ki, the meridians and the significance of the spinal column as a channel for the sublimated sexual energy and fluids.
One needs to have mastered the fundamentals of hatha yoga, in particular the three major body locks – mulabandha, uddiyana and jalandhara – that are like natural fuses on an electric circuit board carrying high voltage current.
To gain this knowledge one must create a deep and safe foundation by drawing on the basic ideas of the Hindu, Taoist and Tibetan traditions at the very least.
To get an idea of what’s involved one could start with three classics: Swami Radha’s Kundalini Yoga for the West, Richard Wilhelm’s translation of The Secret of the Golden Flower and Lama Govinda‘s Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism.
The spine feeds sublimated sexual and spiritual energy upwards into the brain and so one must be prepared to experience “spiritual and psychic brain surgery” in the long run if one is going to become celibate after the kundalini has awakened.
If one is interested in further researching into the psychic and spiritual effects of celibacy, one could read Gopi Krishna’s personal account which describes how, in the male, the sublimated semen feeds the nervous system and brain and subtle body round the clock once this esoteric evolutionary mechanism has been activated.
Krishna also notes how his semen was refined in nature and produced in greater quantities than usual to meet the needs of the evolving nervous system and subtle body.
Given this intense and extraordinary effect of celibacy one has to prepare carefully – no high pressure job – and preferably a highly flexible one in case things move faster than expected, a pure diet, a happy partner who won’t try to tempt you away from your monastic vows, friendships based on an understanding of the subtle and profound nature of what you are doing, a peaceful environment in which to nurture the subtle experience unfolding within as the chakras are purified and flower so revealing your true spiritual nature, no dire financial pressure and, ideally, some kind of guru or spiritual tradition that understands the principles involved in this hidden path that is, in effect, the fast track to enlightenment.
I actually used both the Hindu Tantra and the Tibetan Tantra and found different scriptures and different gurus met different needs as things progressed.
I was not shopping around for influences, I simply used what was appropriate at the time and let it go when that influence seemed to have run its course.
One has to travel light with kundalini and there is no way one can ever know what approaches will be appropriate once one has passed the point of no return with the full flowering of the throat chakra. Theories and fixed concepts become redundant as one travels from world to world of the mind and universe.
However, it can be a very lonely universe without a guru one trusts totally….and there may come a time when even he or she cannot help you.
So have no illusions about what the Tantra involves – it’s like a crucible of fire at times, a cruel cosmic vice sometimes, a still golden pool at other times…..you learn to co-operate with the forces involved as there is literally no alternative. Once started it can seem as if there is a conspiracy to make you become enlightened or burn in hell for the rest of time !
As one goes beyond the heart chakra into the world of the throat chakra, this opens up the world of pure sound in the form of mantra which, in some ways, is an introduction to pure symbolic forms such as yantras, yidams and mandalas.
While one cannot predict which forms will be useful for yourself, it is worth reading up on the significance of these in some depth in advance as you won’t have much time once they begin to get a grip on the development of your consciousness as it is purified by sexo-yogic techniques and the spontaneous natural processes that come with creative celibacy.
I found that once I had sat out the immediate crisis of desire that inevitably arises with the practice of celibacy if one has previously enjoyed an active sex life, that I had to master the very esoteric art of “inner sex”.
Anyone who’s seen Tibetan or Hindu Tantric art will probably already understand that erotic coupling mirrors our potential for integrating, synthesizing and sublimating our natural dualistic nature through esoteric meditation.
In many ways this is actually an extraordinarily natural and straightforward process if only our conditioning would not get in the way and so repress, distort or cling onto our sexual nature.
Dreams can be very useful guides to where the mind has got to as highly erotic, beautiful or dualistic themes can point ot the nature of the energies emerging from the subconscious as the mind becomes purer and feeds on the new fuel or nectar you have offered it in the form one’s own sexual fluids and energy.
One has to listen very carefully to these messages and, quite literally, start to live the dream so as to integrate the waking consciousness with these emerging primal forces.
As these very pure energies emerge into the conscious realms, one will discover why it was so important to have prepared oneself through spiritual practice, study and integrating one’s lifestyle and relationships in true yogic fashion – for, as the cleansing of one’s consciousness begins in earnest, the past and the old self will begin to look very different to how one imagined them to be at the time.
Without a firm foundation and faith in the Tantra in general and the particular method or guru one is following then things can get out of control very quickly as these are forces that rarely manifest in everyday life.
Minutes and seconds can bring insights and revelations and bliss that go beyond anything anyone could dream of, even in the course of a lifetime, on a more mundane, but less hazardous, spiritual path.
In the Buddhist tradition the sutras of the Theravada and Mahayana were specifically designed – amongst other things – to prepare one for the rigors and lightning fast path of the Tantra.
Some teachers say 10 years of sutra practice is needed before seeking Tantric initiation, but if one already has a spontaneous kundalini awakening and one is interested in exploring celibacy, then one will have to backtrack somewhat and lay the foundation before taking the direct route to the crown chakra and beyond.
Given one is laying the foundation with the added power of kundalini, the linear time spent doing this is not important, what counts is the depth of one’s commitment and understanding of what it is to lay spiritual roots to one’s every thought, word and deed until one’s whole being simply becomes a spiritual tool that is obeying the intelligence of kundalini rather than pursuing the plans of the ego.
Thus, perhaps the most powerful technique for transforming a celibate mind is the savasana or corpse pose of hatha yoga for, done correctly, this allows the mind to become integrated in a way no conscious technique could ever hope to attain.
Perform savasana before sleeping each night and the effect can be indescribable in giving one an extraordinary sense of wholeness and healing on every level of being.
And one may well find that psychic and sexual phenomena such as the dakini – forms of mystical goddesses embodying different aspects of one’s true mind – emerge from the depths of one’s mind quite readily and lead one into the extraordinary world of inner orgasm that can, at best, permeate the whole body and mind for hours on end, creating a new holistic and indestructible consciousness capable of breaking free from and dissolving all the old attachments.
If one doesn’t like wild orgasmic psychedelic trips with crazy women – such as the dakini of the Tantric scriptures – then don’t even think about sublimating your sexuality if one is undergoing a kundalini experience. It is truly a primal experience encountering the female aspects of the psyche.
If one is serious about going all the way with kundalini, celibacy and meditation, then by this stage one obviously needs to be able to focus within all the time and so some logistical planning is needed that is flexible enough to adapt to the whims of the shakti and the dakini.
Even living in a spiritual or monastic community may not be the best bet if this involves following strict rules as these kind of primal forces are no respecters of etiquette or mundane notions of spiritual discipline and may require both long periods of intense introspection as well as periods of rest, exertion and integration of subtle forces with the physical body….explaining this kind of erratic behavior to a community working to a routine could be very difficult if they don’t know the mysteries of the Tantra.
In some ways, celibacy is the foundation stone of real Tantra, so think about it, read about it, spiritually refine your existing sexual relationship if you have one, but if you have an awakened kundalini remember the Zen saying before actually trying celibacy in earnest: “Better not to start. Once started better to finish.”
Think of it as like Himalayan mountaineering – the preparation has to be perfect, but even then one can find oneself on the receiving end of Nature in its cruelest forms in ways that no mortal could have predicted. Ignorance – even of things one would not normally be expected to know – is no defense on the upper reaches of the Tantric path. Kundalini can forgive, but even she has her limits if you push things too far.
So have a guru to bail you out should things get out of control (and to ensure this need does not arise in the first place) and create as many safety nets as possible through sincere and natural spiritual practice long before embarking on celibate Tantric meditation.
For sublimating one’s sexuality after a kundalini awakening is like putting the purest fuel in a rocket – it’ll give it the means to get airborne so long as mission control and the flight planners understand the principles of gravity and aerodynamics….and the beauty and terror of the Tantra is that the spiritual equivalent of this kind of knowledge and understanding comes from the heart, the intuition, dreams, scriptures, Mother Earth, Nature, the stars and the guru. It is a vast, limitless and ancient primordial wisdom that has no time for the arrogance of the Western ego.
The one thing you can probably leave out of the Tantric equation is one’s own conditioned intellect and the mundane self that goes with it. Lose that in deference to the rest of the universe and one may begin to learn something and become something of spiritual value. – SILVER DAWN MEDIA
COPYRIGHT TOM ASTON/YOGI TOM/SILVER DAWN MEDIA 1997 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FOR THE USE OF THE WEBSITE KUNDALINI RESOURCE CENTER AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN KUNDALINI. MAY BE REPRODUCED FOR NON-PROFIT SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The ideas and opinions expressed here are those of the author and/or authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the site host, or the community at large. Also, any exercises presented here, either physical or mental, are to be practiced at your own risk. Consult your physician, therapist, guide, or guru before you begin, or should you experience any discomfort or trauma from any of the processes involved in the awakening of kundalini energy. Many people consider this energy force too powerful to work with on your own without the active assistance of a guide. Use your own best judgment. By all means, be extremely careful, and progress slowly and cautiously on your path to Kundalini Awakening. It is in your best interest to do so.
