Water like this terrifies me!
I get an actual physical impact in my body from powerful images like this one. Don’t you?!
I don’t remember ever being afraid while swimming, but have always honored,
and never turned my back on the ocean.
It’s an archetypal image, that of a flood. It is impressed into our collective consciousness as something we must revere, if not outright fear. It’s great vastness has potential for huge impact, sometimes quite calming and other times wildly out of control.
After several recurring flood dreams I realized that tsunamis, floods and dark water represent an overload of emotion to me and that something in my life has been overwhelming me unconsciously.
Now, after surviving *most* of my flood dreams, I can *stop* in the middle of them and acknowledge “this is a dream”. Then I can take control of the action!
That way I can be the star in my own movie and come out Empowered.
Try it, next time you face a fearful dream. Stand up to your fear, name it.
You will see it shrink and become far more manageable. You will find ways to out maneuver your fears and outwit them. btw, battling your fears and winning! – It feels great!
Good luck grasshoppers! 😉 Namaste’
Transform your SubConscious Fear by making it Conscious @KB
-photo courtesy of Barry Blanchard G+
“Smash my optimism into a thousand pieces! I will get up tomorrow and put on the face of a warrior. Because I am determined that the Universe wants us to be happy. Yes. She really does!”
The happiness I’m talking about is not the roses and bubbles and pink sunsets kind of happy. In fact, ‘Happiness is Bullshit’ was my argument just the other day; seeking it out is a waste of time and effort! Even if you reach your goals you will still feel empty at the end of the day and have to find new goals to strive toward. Happiness must be recognized in the moment; Now, I chose to be Happy. And Now. And Now…and then be reflected upon at the end of the day. With repetition, it can build new neural networks in the brain and affect changes within the Spirit.
Happiness is a byproduct of doing what you love, being true to your path and giving of yourself. But I believe “To Be Happy” is the essence that we are All seeking in life: and our desire, to be able to sigh at its end and think, “YES!”
Happiness entails being seen, heard, understood, loved, validated and belonging. Knowing our place in the tribe and contributing to the success of society validates one’s ego~ but we can’t depend on others to provide the basis for our internal contentment, because even with another, we are essentially alone in our Self.
Happiness that comes from within is even stronger than that. The Happiness of the Spirit appreciates beauty, truth and nobility, even in the midst of chaos and destruction~ recognizes and honors courage, even in the face of pain and death ~believes kind actions will one day create lasting change for the betterment of mankind~ and allows grace to flow to and through its Self. That is the kind of joy that has no end. It is the lasting joy that serves the Spirit and brings Peace.
Some gather things to surround themselves with; to protect themselves, their loved-ones, their accumulation of other stuff. But in the end, having stuff proves empty. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to focus on what’s real.
Some seek their obsessions; take thrill rides of extreme sports, sex, parties, drugs and alcohol, looking for a relief from their reality. But that’s a short-lived, dangerous path that leads to self-destruction.
Some go after it by seeking within proscribed ‘holy books’ or dedication to charitable causes because it is righteous. Those actions get closer to the essence of the thing, but without selfless intent~ we miss the mark and fall short.
The happiness that the Universe wants us to find is within our Selves. It is the eternal flame that survives death, that loves truly and deeply, without boundaries or conditions. It is more a Contentment. A way of feeling fulfilled. An inner-knowing that you are doing good work that serves the world. Teaching from a base of what you have learned through your own experience, so you know it is true for you and could apply to others. It is recognizing and remembering our True Essence.
Uplifting our fellows and showing them that life is a miracle that must not be squandered is a clarion call to all Spiritual Warriors. Our time here is limited. We’ve come here to learn lessons, to explore and experience, and to become spiritually perfected, so that we can take what we can only learn here and now, in the body, into higher realms of existence when we leave.
We must take off our masks of Personality or Personae to put on a Spiritual Warriors face, our authentic face, so that we can see the world as it is – and allow the world to truly see us. We must listen to our higher mind, and trust intuition to direct our feet in the right direction. We must act from the clarity of a heart that knows it is god-essence.
Sometimes the hardest lessons in life can become our greatest power. When we suffer we learn compassion and empathy. We can take this wound and turn it around in order to HEAL the world! Consider living this way, from your wounds; HEALING others with similar wounds. How uplifting would that be?
If we stay awake and alert, reminding ourselves moment by moment WHO WE ARE we will discover WHAT we’ve come here to do! There will be nothing that we will be able to find, but the joy and contentment of a well-lived and fulfilling life.
We can learn to be happy. By staying present to the eternal NOW. “I AM. Here and NOW. I choose to be my Highest Self. I choose to be HAPPY.” By practicing it like a martial art, staying determined in our center and not yielding to forces which tempt us to forget who we are…the essence of God herself.
Namaste’ seekers ~ Thou Art Gods
Many books are written that tell you about how to open up your mystical third eye chakra ~so many, in fact, that it seems this is the chakra that most people come to learn about the rest of them through.
I believe that the goal of our life experience is to awaken to the reality that is ‘reality‘. It is much more than what we can see and experience through the body alone.
~Once in an awakened state, we can begin to manifest the miraculous!~
Ever since I was about five years old I had an burning desire to “Know” the inner-workings behind this life- I want to Know what it is all about, Alfie.
Imagine how excited I was when I realized that the squiggly lines on the newspaper my parents read each morning MEANT something- that ideas could be conveyed just by understanding what the combination of symbols meant. I discovered that people could exchange secrets through a process called ‘reading’!
This is the same kind of excitement I feel about metaphysical discovery!
There are Universal laws at work here- but not everyone is aware of them. Many don’t care- they’re too busy trying to outmaneuver their competitors in order to get enough for themselves or stock up on ‘more’ so that their future will be more secure than their present.
These motivators are learned behaviors that originate in fear- fears of basic survival and negative relationship; the two lowest chakras that we’ve already discussed.
As a person grows spiritually, the lessons of the lower chakras become clear and once a certain level of proficiency is reached, the lessons of the higher chakras may be entertained.
So far in this blog, I’ve covered the first five chakras from the base to the throat.
The sixth chakra is located in the forehead just between the eyebrows.
It is a place of intention and receptivity. You can think of it as a two-way video camera aimed from your spirit into the wider world, capable of receiving subconscious input 24/7.
It’s true, we receive much more data than our conscious mind can process. Our rational mind filters out the myriad of information to just the 10% that we believe is important and useful.
My theory on ADD is that some people are being born into the world today with their receptors set on wide angle…and that more of the input is received by their conscious minds than the rest of us. Because they live in ‘our’ society, we make it difficult for them to adjust to our limited view and speed.
The best way to become aware of your third eye and awaken it is to spend time with your other two eyes closed in meditation. The daily practice of slowing down and listening to your body, then mind, then spirit, is very beneficial to all parts of your being.
When I meditate I notice a distinct buzzing feeling in my third eye. Coming to a point of ‘no mind’ I find thoughts and sensations emptying out and the volume of the outside world is turned down, while the inner volume turns itself up. It is very loving and kind to your Self to quiet and center your being this way. It doesn’t have to take very much time, in fact, the more I do it, the shorter the interval comes between the time I begin and the time I find the still center. It is truly the pause that refreshes!
The third eye is a special chakra that we, as a species, are just beginning to understand…and I think it is a very valuable secret to fathom. If thoughts become things, then we must be careful to think the very best ones….and reach them from a state of calm, ego-lessness~ the state of the third-eye temple.
We can access the akashic realms of cosmic consciousness, and tap into all knowledge, even the mind of god, through our third eye~ but we have to be pure of intention, quiet of mind and hold a true, heartfelt desire to connect, in order for our third eye to open.
Once you know all that you don’t know, you realize that you have taken the first step on the path of wisdom. May your path be smooth and your trust in yourself great!
Namaste’ seekers~
Change, Perspective, Meaning
The only thing we can control is the MEANING we give the events of our lives~
So they’ve changed up Blogger- now I have to figure it out all over again.
Does that mean Ive been getting complacent about my life:
expecting it to have some semblance of ‘normality’??
…and just when I thot it was safe to go back in the water~
Life is CHANGE. I get it!I spend last weekend in the wonderfully beautiful Republic of Boulder, Colorado at an Enneagram conference. The point was to gather with like minded people in a safe environment to look at the unconscious programming that ‘runs’ our lives- when we are not awake and aware.
I do quite a bit of introspection/meditation as it is, so this was familiar ground. But what I came away with is the distinct feeling that I am, and can be (at any time) an ‘observer’ of my life. I’m not quite sure if I *like* this head space. It is new for me to ‘live’ here…as I normally live from my heart space, the normal place of Enneagram type #4s.
What a type #4 does is to cling to emotion, of all kinds, and use their vivid imaginations to enlarge them- making life MORE; more deeply felt and experienced in every moment. There are drawbacks.
Like living in everyday world, getting things accomplished- I mean “How can I do laundry when I am experiencing such sorrow– or bliss?” Or “How can I paint and dance when there is so much pain in the world, that could use some comforting?”~: )
I suppose I can now rationalize it by telling myself that those who would be comforted could also appreciate my efforts on a wider scale…that art, poetry and performance are just as worthy and helpful as a kind word or a hand held? [I’ll tell myself that, but probably won’t be a good listener] ; )
A type #4 tends to be a people person, and goes to #2 ‘nurturing’ type behavior when pushed; serving and supporting others while forgetting self…and how many days have I gone without eating because I was wrapped up in others dramas? [that’s a rhetorical question, stop counting!]
Earth to Genie; the reason you are out of your body is that you forgot breakfast and its now dinnertime! 😛 Uff da!
Being in the ‘neutral observer’ mode allows each of us, of every Enneagram type, to rise above our normal programming and make better choices, based on logic and reason, without over-thinking, re-acting or over-feeling things first. It allows us to be more spontaneous and ‘light’; not taking everything so seriously. To step OUT of our trance and create our lives on a higher plane.
When we can detach from emotionality or reactivity or thinking things in circles, we change the PERCEPTION of reality. Which is really all we can change, at the core of things.
This is a magickal truth. We don’t have to be jarred into this state by crisis, accident or illness—we can chose to wake up and make enlightened choices at any time. All we have to know is that it is POSSIBLE!
When we put things into a perspective that just ‘sits better’ with our souls our entire life becomes new.
So if, during your early years, of birth to age 7, you were programmed with messages like “Children are to be seen and not heard” you could internalize this to affect your patterns of speech, and repress your thought processes about your ability to express yourself. This could cause a blockage in your throat chakra – and possibly set you up for low thyroid issues down the road. Health issues related to low thyroid include depression, sluggishness, and weight gain, to name a few.
If on the other hand, you reacted to your subconscious programming by resisting or fighting back, you could go the other direction, and become someone very outspoken, with a fiery temperament and suffer from hyper-thyroid issues such as inflammation, weight loss, and foot-in-mouth disease.
These are my hypothesis, of course, but all things being related via the mind/body connection and the power of subconscious programming are becoming recognized by modern psychiatry.
The best way to address Throat chakra issues, IMO, are to come at it from both directions; from the head, via introspective shadow work- which clears the subconscious programming of youth, using awareness and proactive measures which address these messages…..
and to come at it from the Heart- via self love and compassion.
That makes the Throat chakra central to both the Head and the Heart.
Practical steps could include singing lessons, performing on stage, taking debate or public speaking classes, finding supportive groups where you feel comfortable speaking up and being listened to, assertiveness training courses or just talking with friends…especially in person.
Recording yourself reading, or speaking in a stream of consciousness mode, then listening to it as it plays back, could give your subconscious a nudge and build self-esteem via this confidence.
Everyone deserves to be heard and validated. Learning to listen to yourself with love and compassion, instead of beating yourself up for how you present your ideas, comes from hearing and believing your own heart.
Great charitable causes need idealistic cheerleaders, speakers, writers and promoters, but people also need to learn when to sit back and learn to be tactful, in order to allow ‘quieter’ people to share their stories. Silent retreats and meditation are good ways for extroverts to learn to listen to their own internal dialogue and discover a peaceful balance within. Then they can use this internal calm in social situations….which I feel is the point of discovering anything about yourself; how to better interact with this experience called “Life”.
The Throat chakra is where we connect with others, where we demonstrate our opinions and state our case. Humans are the only animals who have developed a spoken language—-but we have yet to demonstrate our collective wisdom to use it for the good of all.
Knowing when to speak up and when to stay silent is a great wisdom that will take you far in life.
One of my favorite quotes by Craig Ferguson, which just shows how wise he really is, is this:
“Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me, now?”
It’s something to contemplate often~
Namaste’
oriiginal posting April 13, 2012
The Heart is where the Mind/Body/Soul connection is made. Cellular healing occurs by the power of the will, acting in directed compassion. This is how the practice of Reiki works. The practitioner envisions and sends loving energy out of their palms and connecting to the body of the client. This happens by the directed will and is not limited by any distance. The practitioner senses and sends healing energy through their body, as a channel from Source [God] to another, by picturing their client in perfect condition; spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Dr Masaru Emoto describes in his book, “The Secret Life of Water” an amazing phenomena, where ice crystals formed from water that had been influenced by people speaking kind or hurtful words are later seen under a powerful microscope. The crystals embued with loving thoughts and words formed spectacularly beautiful shapes. The crystals, however, embued with hateful energies, formed irregular and distorted shapes. Since our bodies are mostly water, it would do us well to remember that thoughts and words DO have a great impact on our well-being! [Therefore choose wisely what energies you surround yourself with!]
A simple healing practice can be learned with patience and practice.
Even a 3 minute meditation like this one can bring about great improvements at the cellular level;
While breathing slowly, with eyes closed, focus on the still “I AM” indwelling presence of Spirit that is ‘you’. Know that this is your eternal essence. Know that you are a Spirit within a physical vessel, a temple of the Soul that has regenerative powers and can restore itself to perfect working order.
Breathe in deeply *relaxation*, Breathe out pain. Breathe in *energy*, breathe out tension. Breathe in *vitality*, breathe out illness, breathe in LOVE, sense and feel it in every cell! -then breathe out Love to the rest of the world, so that all sentient beings may share in the love you are raising~
(To begin with, you may want to choose only one of these words to focus on.
As you become more adept you will discover what works best for you.)
Continue to breathe deeply. As you have any outside thoughts/ideas come into your mind, notice them as a thought, and dismiss them. Return to focusing on your breath.
You will quickly learn to move into a deeply relaxed state with less effort each time.
And will find your meditation times may lengthen~ along with the beneficial results!
When you have finished with meditation, slowly open your eyes and reorient yourself with your surroundings. Put both hands on opposite arms and hold yourself until you feel yourself settled.
Finishing with a glass of water and a few slow body movements will help you reorient. #
You can also practice another Heart chakra exercise whenever you are feeling run down.
It brings you an invigorated sense of calm~
Visualize your heart as the center of the universe through this exercise;
Close your eyes, go inward and sense the “I AM” that is your essence. Move this consciousness from where ever it is felt, to just behind the sternum. Take a few slow, deep breaths to feel ‘centered’ there.
Now visualize opening the top of your head to receive energy from the starry realms. Feel the God-energy coursing through you and down into the Earth through the souls of your feet.
Picture that energy flowing all the way down, into the earth’s hot, molten core, connecting your atoms to every other atom. Then gather some of that ‘heat’ and bring it back up into your self.
Feel the heat warm your entire body…allow your heart energy expand so large that it becomes a glowing green energy field radiating from you.
Raise your arms and allow that warm energy of the cosmic force of love emanate from your heart along your arms as a horizontal axis…and extend to the ends of the horizon. Allow that energy to flow out into the cosmos again…as you become the center of it all!
Then slowly pull the energy back from the horizon…back from the stars above and the Earth below.
Gather that energy into your Heart and condense it. This can be your power pack. A small dynamic point of energy that will continue to power you through your day. #
Gratitude and Peace,
Compassion and Healing all lie within the Chakra of the Heart.
Be grateful for this knowledge and don’t hide your love away!
Namaste’
Secret Life of Water on You Tube www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_14nqkk-GU
original post March 26, 2012
Our experiences in life are always affected by our perception. If we are aware that our spirit, our inner core, our soul, is eternal and our emotions and experiences are fleeting, then we can retain the power to chose our perception of every experience- and never fall victim to them! It doesn’t mean that we deny pain, frustration or fear…we just decide to view them from a detached vantage point- as a non-judgmental observer, to try to discover the lessons they hold. Intellectualizing strong emotion is a skill anyone can develop. It is very empowering.
Triggers can help make the transition from the mind to the body! Then we can return to the status-quo of a calm and settled vibration. A safe place from which to make wiser decisions and a healthier place to live: Sit in experience. Acknowledge it with your mind, but let it leave your cells. Negativity causes physical harm to our bodies as well as spirits.
~I highly recommend doing this dance exercise. Forget that you ‘don’t know how to dance’ or feel foolish. Find a time and place you can be alone. Put on your favorite music, the kind that lifts your spirit and start moving however you want. Discover where your joy resides in your body. Hold it. Appreciate it. See if you can build it up using your attention and intention. Then make it smaller and create a tiny movement that can become your ‘happy trigger’. It will be your secret tool to use as you see fit to keep your feet on a path of joy.
May you each be Spirit Scouts toward happiness everyday,
and may you find your happy Triggers and happy trails!
Namaste’ pardners 😉
originally published March 11, 2012
Sometimes people recognize negativity and depression and evade it at all costs, thinking it is contagious…and in a way, they may be right. Depression has its way of spreading to you if you open your heart in caring and allow yourself to fall into despair with them. But it is your CHOICE to decide if you want to give in to the prevailing emotion and suffer along with them, or not.
Standing in your own power is probably more of what a depressed person needs…for you to be strong when they cannot. A listening ear, a gentle touch, holding hands or, if you know them well enough, putting your arm around someone who is down can allow that person to relax, center and face their greatest fears is what they need. Just to be able to sit silently with someone or hold them while they are crying, gives them the strength to find their inner core of self, and find their own power within. Sometimes that is enough to help them stop their mental wheels from spinning out of control. To pause and regroup.
What can we do? Care. Be there for them. Be brave enough to sit with them to show your support. Share a kind, quiet word. Be non-judgmental. Allow them to be themselves….even though it may be the dark side of themselves. Open your heart to them. See them. See their humanity. Love them. Then help them find someone else more experienced or qualified to talk with after you’ve given them your support.
What should we not do? Shun them. Avoid them. Judge them. Berate them. Offer advice, unsolicited. Tell them antecdotal stories to distract them. Paint their suffering as small, or try to ‘fix’ them – because there is nothing ‘wrong’ to fix…..
The easiest way to show your caring is to simply sit and listen. Encourage them to open up and speak…because some people just need to talk things through in order to process them, especially if their problem seems overwhelming. And if, after doing this doesn’t seem to resolve issues or lessen the pain of the moment…find a number of a crisis hotline or counseling service for them, because they could be in such a confused place that they can’t do it for themselves.
~Yesterday at church, our sermon was on depression and mental illness. When asked who in the congregation (which was a packed house, I might add) knew anyone with a diagnosis of any sort of mental illness, be it depression, anxiety or other illnesses—
almost every hand went up! It was amazing.
Our minister said that 1 in every 4 people is, at any time depressed. Some of them clinically depressed. And although they may be out of touch with their emotions, numb or confused, they look completely normal and function as if nothing is wrong. They’ll say they are “fine” and even smile, yet inside they are suffering and feeling alone. If they are not brave enough to say anything…they continue to suffer.
The highlight of the service was when we joined hands and sang “Lean on Me” at the end of the service. The feeling of community was palpable! The buzz in the commons afterward was loud and vibrant…people finally discovered that it was okay to open up to one another and share~
*All of us have been sad or depressed at one time or another. The spectrum of emotion is wide and universal. Maybe we experience all of our emotions in order to be able to sympathize with others, and in that sharing, that empathy, come to reinforce the better, stronger sides of us all,
—share our strength and uplift humanity, one person at a time?
*As humans we have a capacity to feel all kinds of emotions and the capacity to communicate our feelings with words. Why do we have such skills, unless it is to advance our spiritual evolution?
*The Best we can do, is to ‘Bloom Where We Are Planted’~
Do our Daily Best and Be There for the others in our lives.
Namaste’ to the brokenhearted – and the healers – may you both find peace –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPoTGyWT0Cg –