Act Out Your Intention

If you experience a problem and only visualize the problem going away, you are missing an opportunity. Spirit may take the problem away, but not necessarily in a manner you would expect or appreciate. At best, you will be free of that particular problem but you will have added nothing positive to your experience. If you visualize yourself finding a solution, and then focus your efforts in that direction, you will become an active part of the process of manifesting the solution. This will bring your intention into alignment with the operation of Spirit, and your consciousness into closer harmony with All That Is. You are likely also to come to a solution that more completely fulfills your goals and needs as you participate in directing the flow of Good in your life.

Don't just go with the flow, be the flow.

Are We Responsible?

Joel Goldsmith emphasizes again and again that all power comes from God, and that human beings have none in their own right. This is consistent, with minor differences in terminology, with the teachings of most sages. How, then, are we who are still stuck in individuality to take responsibility for our own lives, our fates, and our spirituality?

One answer is that, while we as individuals are powerless, as individual manifestations of Universal Spirit we are all-powerful. The realization that all power flows from God is just a half step away from the realization that nothing, including ourselves, exists but in God. When through meditation we come to the secure conviction that we -- and all things -- are manifestation of the God-force, then it becomes possible to accept that the power of which we were made still forms the essence of our being.

Another way to visualize these principles is to recognize that power alone is meaningless; that only power coupled with intention is capable of shaping the God-stuff of All That Is into a Universe of stars and planets, matter and energy, stones, plants and animals.

Our individualities are created, not just of power, but of intention as well. We are blessed not only with the power of God, but also Its creative Intention. We are capable of directing the flow of events in our Universe by exercising that holy Intention to instruct the omnipresent divine power.

As an attribute of God, which is Love, the Intention can be exercised only to produce loving outcomes. All other events that appear in our experience represent only the random operation of a power that has not been subjected to the control of Divine Intention. The more perfect our sense of Oneness with the Divine, the more perfectly will our intention shape the Universe around us into an accurate mirror of Divine Love. This is why the awareness of Oneness is always accompanied by Love, security, and happiness.

The circumstances of our separate existences, as we experience them, are entirely within our control. To the extent we acknowledge, and seek to incorporate, our Oneness with All That Is, to that extent we cause peace and Love to manifest around us. To the extent we turn our backs on Oneness, we subject ourselves to the random workings of an impersonal and unfeeling power. These are the choices that each of us makes every day, every hour, and every moment that we are alive.

An Easter Grace

Blessed Spirit of the Universe,

We are gathered together to celebrate this festival of eternal Life. As we consider this feast we are about to enjoy, we know that no matter how much enjoyment it brings us today, our bodies will soon be hungry again. Therefore we pray that the physical satisfaction we feel today, and the hunger we feel tomorrow, both remind us of the hunger the Spirit within us feels for Oneness with you. May our ways be guided to the unending satisfaction that is Unity with All That Is.

And so it is.

Sitting in the World

Meditation in silent surroundings is very enjoyable. Since meditation is about focus, and most often that focus is directed inward, freedom from external distractions helps to maintain that focus.

When the subject of meditation is Oneness, however, there is a certain contradiction to the attempt to exclude "distractions" - indeed, even in the use of that term. If your intention is to experience unity with All That Is, then to the extent your intention is fulfilled, externalities by definition do not exist. All That Is means just that. The barking dog, the ringing telephone, even the strident television must somehow be incorporated in your experience.

Physical reality may exist only conditionally, but it is the milieu in which we have chosen to pass a portion of our existence. It is said that even a dream, as dream, is real. The world we see may be just the product of Universal Mind reflecting upon itself, but as a part of that Mind it exists in the same way that we do.

Seeking a quiet environment for meditation is useful as part of our training. It is difficult enough to release the ties that bind us to egoic mind when we sit in silence. Yet we must beware also the subtle egotism of restricting our Universe to the narrow confines of our own inner awareness. The consciousness of one individual, however expansive, cannot begin to encompass All That Is.

The awareness of unity can never be complete so long as it is confined to our quiet places or our daily periods of meditation. Oneness cannot be limited in time or extent. Enlightened Masters exist in permanent communion with the Divine Source, and have surrendered the illusion of individuality.

To consider the sounds, sensations, thoughts and feelings that pass through your consciousness in meditation as "distractions" is to impose an artificial limitation on your consciousness, to succumb to the dream of separation. When a bird sings, say to yourself, "I am that." Do the same when an airplane flies overhead or a neighbor starts his lawnmower, or when your mind wanders to thoughts of what's for dinner. Do not dwell or focus on any of these sensations, but do not resent or reject them either. Your experience of Oneness must include your entire experience, or it is also only an illusion.

Religion In Your Face

Pauline tweets:

"[I] wonder why anyone would think it appropriate to close a business letter with 'Have a Resurrected Easter'"

There's a fine line between witnessing for the joy of spiritual experience, and just being obtrusive. To some extent the line is in the mind of the hearer. One who has had an experience of awakening has an almost irrepressible desire to share it. Jesus and Buddha, among other sages, commanded their students to teach.

To be fair to your correspondent, he or she may simply have been inviting you to share a joyful experience. However, there are pitfalls in the urge to immediately broadcast one's experiences. Adyashanti discusses these in his book, The End of Your World. These include the fact that the speaker probably does not fully understand what has happened, or the significance of the experience. In addition, there is a phenomenon Adyashanti calls "ego enlightenment" in which the ego hijacks the experience and seeks to use it to aggrandize itself.

We Westerners are so accustomed to the missionary zeal of certain sects that we assume anyone who talks to us about religion or spirituality is trying to "convert" us. This may or not be the case, but ego senses a threat to its own convictions and rises immediately to their defense. A person who is comfortable and secure in the Self with his or her own spirituality, and who recognizes the defensive reaction as coming from ego, is likely to be willing to share the joy of awakening with another, without feeling any need to raise a barrier or to convey or receive anything more than the sharing itself.

It has been my experience that adherents of organized religions often seem to have been hijacked by ego en masse. Even when confronted by one of these individuals who insists on "saving" you, it is more consistent with enlightened spirituality to thank and bless such a person, responding to what is loving and caring in their message, than to reject it entirely.

Ganesha

I wear the image of Ganesha every day. In Vedic tradition, Ganesha is the god of overcoming obstacles. A mantra to Ganesha is "Aum Gam Ganapataye Namaha." To me, he symbolizes the ability of Spirit to soar above the barriers to Self realization raised by ego. I do not worship an elephant-headed divine being, but I revere the spiritual principle he symbolizes and the mystical tradition to which he belongs.

A Healing Meditation

Click on the title of this post to download this guided meditation as an audio file. Music: Kevin MacLeod.

Find a place where you can sit comfortably for a half hour or so. It is best if you can sit with your feet on the floor and your back relatively straight, but it’s even more important that you be comfortable. If you can, turn off your phone and any other devices that might distract you. You may find it helpful to listen to this recording through headphones. You should keep your eyes closed in order to help you visualize the experience.

Give all your attention to my voice and to following these instructions. Your mind will try to distract you with unrelated thoughts and concerns. Do not pay attention to it. There will be another time for you to deal with those thoughts and concerns. This time is for you, your body, and your soul.

You may experience intense physical and emotional sensations as you participate in this meditation; or you may feel very little. Whatever you feel, it is important to allow yourself to feel it completely. You may find that your mind will try to reject the feelings that come to you. In order to obtain the full benefit from the experience, it is important that you suspend judgment and simply allow whatever happens, to happen for the duration of the meditation.

The first thing I want you to do is to relax your entire body. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly through your mouth, visualizing as you do this that all the tension is being released from your body and expelled along with your breath. Repeat this breathing procedure as many times as you like. Focus on your breath, feeling the air pass through your nose and mouth, your throat and into your lungs. Visualize the cleansing oxygen entering your bloodstream and replacing the carbon dioxide and other waste products that will be removed when you exhale. Give all your attention to your breathing, and ignore any other thoughts that intrude on your concentration. Breathe in warmth and healing energy, breathe out stress and negativity.

Remember to ignore any negative thoughts and any other thoughts that do not pertain to this moment in time, this process of relaxation.

Now, allow yourself to breathe naturally and try to detect any remaining tension in your body. Allow your shoulders to fall naturally loose. If your neck feels tight, simply let go of the tension that is contained in those tight muscles and let them relax. Do the same for the muscles in your lower back. These muscles in the back, shoulders and neck store a great deal of stress and negativity that manifests as tightness and soreness in those areas. By mentally scanning for and releasing the tightness, you are able to release the negative feelings also. Release them, and allow them to escape naturally with your breath.

If any thoughts try to intrude, allow them to be expelled also in the same breath.

Now it is time to perform a full body scan and consciously relax and energize every single part. To do so, you will draw on the power of Mother Earth, your loving Mother who makes her boundless energy available to you at all times and in all places.

Start with the toes of one foot. Become conscious of each toe separately, one after the other. Instruct the muscles of each toe to relax and release any remaining tension that lies buried within. Let relaxation be a positive attribute, not just the absence of tension. Feel relaxing warmth enter your toes from Mother Earth and begin to creep upward through your body.

Once your toes are relaxed, move your attention to your feet. Let clean, relaxing energy pass through your toes to your feet and then to your ankles, dissipating any stresses that are locked into your muscles and joints. Let yourself feel loose and happy at this wonderful sensation. Be aware of nothing but this cleansing, healing energy as it naturally flows upward through your calves, knees, and thighs. Focus your attention entirely on one part of your body at a time, letting go of any tension or stress, feeling the delicious energy of Life pervading your body and driving out anything that is negative or harmful. As you focus on each part, retain the background awareness of the other parts that have already been cleansed and relaxed, tingling with the fullness of refreshing natural energy. Let nothing else intrude on your enjoyment of this moment.

Let the sensation of being submerged in a warm bath of revitalizing energy rise through your abdomen, cleansing and refreshing every organ that it encounters. You may visualize this energy as a warm glow or sparkle that completely pervades your body. Nothing that has been touched by this energy is dark, or dirty in any way. All negativity is simply vaporized into air, or expelled in the breath. Your spine tingles with the sensation of being infused with the primordial energy of Life, and you begin to feel light and airy in a way that seems familiar, though long forgotten. You may visualize each organ in turn as being bathed and revitalized, or simply visualize the tide of renewed vitality surging upward and cleansing all in its path.

As the cleansing and strengthening energy reaches your chest, feel it bathing your organs and restoring warmth and health to your liver, lungs and heart. Because your heart is the seat of emotion, there can be a lot of negativity stored in these places without your being aware. You may sense that the tide of energy is coming across hard, dark, tightly sealed pockets of negative emotion. Allow the energy to bathe these areas gently and lovingly, coaxing them to open and release the feelings stored within. If this happens, you may feel a sudden sensation of sadness, or anger, or fear. If these negative emotions are released, do not be overwhelmed by them, but simply allow them to be dispelled with a blessing. Breathe them out with the other unclean energies and enjoy the relief from pain that you didn’t realize until this moment was burdening your soul. If the release brings tears, allow them to flow, knowing that the pain is leaving your body in that way.

If these pockets of buried pain resist and refuse to open, don’t linger over them. Bless and forgive them too, and allow them to rest and await release another time.

Feel your heart opening like a flower to welcome the warm, loving energy sent to you by your Mother Earth. As the energy reaches the center of your heart, you realize that your heart is responding by emitting bright beams of positive energy that penetrate your body and spread outward into the Universe. This is not just a reflection, but the opening of another window into the fundamental energy of All that Is. The energy of your heart joins with the energy of Life in cleansing and refreshing not just your own body and soul, but all around you in every direction even to the farthest reaches of the Universe. In the combined glow of these two energetic sources, no darkness can remain anywhere. You feel indescribably alive and glowing with joy, with health, and with Love for everything that shares this brilliant light. You feel a sense of oneness with the Universe that is unlimited in distance, time, or dimensions.

Now the flow of energy moves upward again, into your throat, jaw, sinuses, eyes, ears, and ultimately through your spinal cord to your brain. Each of those areas is individually bathed in the warm glow of Love and forgiveness emanating from your heart as well as in the energy of Life that now flows from the tips of your toes all the way to the top of your head. Positive, cleansing energy swirls around your organs and removes any lingering traces of negativity or darkness. The centers of your spirituality are in these areas and your soul springs vibrantly awake at the touch of these twin positive energies. You see now that you are a creature of Light, a beacon of Love and Life whose illumination joins with the glow of other souls to fill the Universe with a single, pulsing, vital and eternal energy. A beam of brilliant white light emerges from the top of your head and completes the connection between the energies of Heaven and Earth, both flowing through you and joining you to both and to All that Is.

Your body is now completely suffused with positive energy from the fundamental sources of the Universe. You can take the time now to scan your body again, just to take delight in the sensation filling every part. The energies are ethereal rather than physical, but so powerful that you feel warm, healthy tingle from your skin to your bones, and from your scalp to the soles of your feet. Relax, sense your breathing, and simply enjoy the sensation of oneness with the primordial energy of Life.

Remain seated quietly and in touch with these sensations for as long as is comfortable for you. When you are ready, just open your eyes, and take a few moments to reorient yourself in the physical world. You do not have to leave the sensations you have experienced behind as you resume your everyday activities. In fact, the more times you perform this exercise, the more the sensation will remain with you. Ultimately, you may find that the experience never leaves you, at which time you may not feel the need for a separate practice of this meditation.

May you enjoy all the blessings of Heaven and Earth in all that you do.

Namaste.