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w o r k i n g t o w a r d s a n a w a r e n e s s o f s i n g u l a r i t y |
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OVERVIEW I've had a variety of interesting experiences. Initially i.e. during the earlier stages of my evolution, many of these me questioning the nature of our (common) knowledge of reality, and the structure of reality itself. Some left me quite frazzled; others left me euphoric. Many, I tended to over-analyze in retrospect. I experienced such reactions or mental stresses not because I was confused during these smaller realization, mini-epiphanies or experiences, but because I had some difficulty when trying to reflect on the meaning, nature, and significance of these experiences based upon a common cultural or conventional knowledge of reality. There came a time when my conventional knowledge of reality and my lived experiences did not mesh. There was also a time when I felt I might not be able to adequately translate my experiences to others without either losing something in translation, profoundly belittling the experience itself, or appearing "half-baked," so to speak. To begin to speak seriously of the miracle (or scientific effect, if you prefer), the art of manifestation, or the Cosmic Body to more than a few others seemed an unlikely occurrence; an uncommon and unusual practice with few around who might understand or be willing to unravel the threads of such topics. The dissemination of information in regards to the viability and positive health effects of prayer, meditation, yoga, or other spiritual or holistic healing techniques was minimal, then. As such, how could I expect comprehension when — being of sound mind and body, I could yet have more profound experiences; lived experiences, for example, of myself as deeply connected the cosmos? Doubtless, the greatest changes in my understanding of the nature of reality began when I started to engage frequently in simple prayer (esp. of thanksgiving), meditation, and what might be best called japa sadhana. My intuition became quite heightened. I experienced wonderful learning. I began a very interesting private life. We are all born to experience a life filled with miracles... or scientific effects. (Whichever term you prefer is fine with me.) I began to search the world for the "evidence; the textbook; the support,"
or the written and/or published and therefore presumably, "concrete and
accurate information" that would point me to others who seemed to have experienced
similar things. I found this support in scripture, in ancient texts elucidating
miracles, in the experiences of mystic poets (as I like to call them) of a variety of faith systems, and
in various other ancient gems. Intuitively, I knew to search for the
answers in scripture if I could not find explanations in more common
texts. It was through various sorts of prayer, after all, that these experiences arose.
Also, and importantly however: though I knew my experiential learning to be uncommon as
compared with the understanding of many others around me at the time, I nonetheless was blessed
to have encountered wonderful, diverse groups of people with whom I was
(and still am) able to share these experiences with. ...And therefore: should you find yourself on uncommon ground, dear reader, do keep faith that all around you, doors will open, relationships will bloom, and you will find yourself where you need to be, at just the right
time. One person's
evolution is intimately connected with the evolution of many, many
others. Perhaps, indeed, it is not possible for one person to evolve without
effecting another's evolution in some way. This would make great sense, if indeed we
are all connected... and again, I do believe that we are. Perhaps, we are all
engaged in evolution or what I like to call the life activity of the
cosmos, and it is simply that for some of us this is more of a conscious
process, as compared with an unconscious one. Further, may
we accurately assert when or where we will stop
expanding and contracting in this complex interplay of consciousness?
Many of us might come to know that certain truths are everlasting and
unchanging
at one point; at another point many of us may forget the same. Yet, might we be able to see a
complete halt in our growth? From where I'm
sitting, Reality is Eternal. Reality is a forever loving, non-violent, and eternally humble
expansion; a play of a unified one among many forms. Reality is Life, Divine Intelligence and Supreme Abundance that
is ever-present, ever-blissful, ever-humble, and everywhere eqiupt with its
own intricate self-checking mechanisms; ever-engaged in expansion and
contraction. We are always connected. Separateness is an illusion. Foundations of Love & Acceptance... Starting with you! Through exploring the works of various philosophers, structuring one's environment, or by observing and managing one's thought processes, one can learn how to practice presence. That is, one can learn how to practice complete acceptance of each moment as it unfolds. This is a great skill. The result can be greater focus, heightened awareness, an invaluable skill that we will require often in regards to loving each other and also attracting abundance, and, the ability to quickly take any body experiencing suffering, pain and/or intoxication, and guide it towards safer shores... by permitting action and not mere reaction, per se. Learning this skill is invaluable since from here, one can come to see that we are something more, something grand; something more than any particular experience. For example, we might come to understand that we are as an observer who is able to watch each thought, feeling, and sensation as it unfolds. We might begin to know or identify with a deeper consciousness; a deeper part of Being. At the same time, we might not know the importance of each bodily sensation that we become aware of. We might not clearly know who we are in relation to the world, how our bodies fit into spirituality or soul-consciousness, or who we are in relation to other people. We might not know with certainty, just how intimately we are related we are to everything else. We may yet miss the practical, lived experience and great knowledge gleaned living through our very intimate relationship with all.
Try to appreciate everything that you feel in your lovely body, without judgment.
When we miss inclusion of the body, we might also miss fantastic learning experiences that illumine how great works are accomplished with ease throughout the Cosmos.
Thus, while we will have learned an invaluable technique, with this
technique the journey does not end. You see, that you are not your body
is true but in this case, neither is your body what you think it is.
Bodies are important. Many religious and/or spiritual traditions place a
high value on cherishing the body; there is reason for this, as far as I
have experienced. The Essence of Everything, you see, is Divine... This
includes trees, rocks, animals, bodies, and whatever else we may gaze
about at.
I fondly recall my first vacation to Guyana. There, I was engaged
in prayer approximately four or five times per day, for a few hours each
time, over the span of a few days. I thoroughly enjoyed this practice.
After praying this often (and most certainly and emphatically yes
I had been praying unceasingly for a great length of time
beforehand — however, Guyana was special since, well, praying and meditating
was essentially all that I was doing there... and finally I had
the chance to do that!), I had a few interesting experiences. For example,
once I had the thought that I might like to donate a particular amount
to a particular group that met particular criteria. As I thought this,
I spoke this thought aloud to a few companions. Just as I completed this action, an individual approached me who
met all of the requisite criteria. All of us were surprised. All things
considered, it just didn't seem to be a simple coincidence. To call it a
coincidence would have been nonsensical. Now, truth be told, I had started to experience this sort of thing
before touching Guyana's shores, however, the flawlessness, accuracy and
sheer beauty of this particular case which may yet evade common concrete
expression or understanding, is particularly noteworthy. I attribute its remarkableness
to the fact that my sole practice and focus at that time was prayer and
meditation... and, both my meditative and prayer techniques were of a particular sort: all involving deep love or acceptance, and all more akin to giving thanks as compared with prayer of the asking sort. Also interestingly, the teaching aspect of this entire process was in-the-moment,
so to speak. Knowledge came as required, step by step. I did not have
a theory or plan mapped out prior to showing or teaching this person. Yet, I guided and watched her, with eyes closed, as she conversed with ducks such
that they rounded a large bend and gathered in front of us. These
ducks were not within eyesight, prior. Further, I watched as she counted
the number of ducks that were in front of us as they arrived, and point
to them with her eyes closed. If I recall correctly she even chose the
number of ducks that she might like to see beforehand. The entire process
took little time (less than ten
minutes, if I recall correctly). Notably, she did not speak aloud to the ducks. She simply
thought in the above aforementioned manner, following my guidance.
Following this, I had the pleasure of meeting with kindred spirit and wise, Divine loving soul and Kriyayoga Master, Guruji Swami Shree Yogi Satyam — and began the practice of Kriyayoga. Through Kriyayoga, I began to further explore the body's connection with everything in great depth... as well as past lives (which was another experiential something that included a sort of tennis match, akin to the one previously noted)! But, digress. Here I stray to far from the point...
A devoted yogi, mystic, saint or prophet will accept even the most painful sensations, in all of its intricacies, as a Divine manifestation. He or she will seek to remember that each sensation is blessed. Importantly, he or she will know, deeply, the connectedness of all of life, value all of life, and hence accept and transform even what appears as pain present within the body. He or she might say that pain apart from context is just a series of sensations; it's context and degree, and mind or habit, perhaps, that makes pain seem painful. He or she might say that much of what is experienced as pain is somewhat of a learned habit. He or she might say that pain is very valuable; that it is an important manifestation of the life force within one's body. Now, surrendering pain to God by appreciating it as a manifestation of God, or loving the sensation that appears as pain can be hard for many of us to manage sometimes. Yet, he or she might say that pleasure and pain both, are maya (i.e. illusion). They might encourage the love of, and transformation of pain sensations, asserting that through such transformation, healing can begin. In regards to pleasure and pain (or indeed everything), the yogi might encourage us to see Life everywhere; the mystic might encourage use to see Love everywhere; the Saint might encourage us to see God everywhere, as this is Reality... And to this end, if we are successful, we will begin to see how Divine work is accomplished throughout the Cosmos, and how such work is related to our bodies. ...Now, also importantly: sometimes a good cry is quite nice, and there is no shame in that. Sometimes, a good laugh is nice, and there is no shame in that, either. Hence, this is not to say do not go through any of these experiences. Go through them. Just, remember their Source; the Nature; their Essence. Remember yourself; don't forget yourself and get caught up in duality, living in a world peppered by pleasure and pain. Sometimes, life is work. Sometimes, life is play. Such is life however, that it is bigger than both. Also, sometimes, your intuition is going to tell you to undertake some action: it may be to accept a sensation, or act by going to the doctor, for example. Try to trust your intuition; try to develop it. Build up to the life of the yogi or mystic gradually. Take your time. Seek an authentic Guru. Again, trust your intuition. Your resultant path will let you know if you have made wise or unwise choices, and therefore, where new learning might arise. Simply try to love, appreciate, and value everything and everyone such that you do not unconsciously or unduly seek to control, manipulate, restrict, or cause pain to another person. Be ruthlessly self-inquisitive about your own motivations and intentions. Consider how these might manifest to restrict or help your spiritual progress or Self-awareness. Importantly: try to forgive yourself and others, and try to be sincere with yourself and others as much as you possibly can. Try to be accountable for your actions and motivations, as much as possible. Try not to place another person in hardship to further your personal gain. Also importantly: let's try not harm each other intentionally and then ask these others to accept this harm as a manifestation of God, so that we can get our way (unfortunately, I have seen this happen). Just love, breathe deep, know that pure love is truth and with that comes all abundance, great forgiveness, peace, and then just live. Sometimes we are going to falter, and sometimes we are not going to falter. Whatever happens, we are always connected to each other, and always existent. Sometimes we will experience life as challenging, and sometimes we will be faced with tough choices. Sometimes, we need to let off some steam, and sometimes we need to nap for a while. Whatever it is, it is. Relax into your body and enjoy breathing; breath permeates everywhere. EXERCISES Sometimes we can experience the world as infinitely blessed. At other times, it can appear as totally "off the wall." For example, consider the highly sensitive or strongly empathic person. In one room, the softest, sweetest ambience can so easily permeate every pore of this person. In another room, a sort of suffocating "me-ness" can feel like an imposition upon one's body, and the disharmony it may bring can feel like a very heavy weight has been placed upon this person's shoulders. After a few bouts of reflection, the highly sensitive person, the empath — if fact, all of us — can come to see that we are all sensitive to our environments and the energetic or conscious vibrations therein. Lived experience tells us that we simply do not exist in a bubble. Context: the world feels overwhelming So, here's the question: what can we do, when we experience the world as overwhelming? What can we do when we find ourselves often over-stimulated or over-aroused, as compared with others, and/or we find ourselves often uncomfortably sensitive to environments or people? Now, if you are a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), you might be more prone to experiencing feelings of over-stimulation/over-arousal as compared with others. To help with self-diagnosis, you might explore the The Highly Sensitive Person . Notably: nothing is "wrong with you." You're not "broken." In fact, quite a few gifted people are also highly sensitive people. If you find that you are sensitive and that this sensitivity includes a great degree of emotional content, or you would like a more informal review of sensitivity and empathy, there are a few great resources here. Further, being a highly sensitive person and being an empath are not mutually exclusive. You can be both. In addition, I have also learned a yogic technique involving practicing to feel every sensation as a touch of earth upon one's skin. While this technique takes some time to master, it is also quite useful in regards to reducing general over-stimulation. Also: practice to feel every sensation as Divine, as previously discussed. This will work wonders for you. In addition to these techniques, some people create the image that they are wearing an impermeable "hat" or that they are encased in an impermeable "bubble" wherein only certain vibrations, sensations, perceptions, or intuitions enter and others are shut out, and report that this technique works well. Further, some intuitive readers or clairvoyants find that this method works particularly well for special group situations where they are trying to ensure that the information they are about to convey is of the the highest quality. Finally, I have heard that wearing a copper or magnetic bracelet also helps with balancing the body's energies while engaged in the world. Personally, I find the best method for reducing over-stimulation to be (traditional) yoga or meditation. ...and in particular I have taken quite a liking to Kriyayoga meditation, as taught by Guruju Swami Shree Yogi Satyam. Kriyayoga is wonderful practice for spiritual evolution and living well in the world with all. Through it, we can learn a series of steps for practicing the remembrance of union with God; with All; with Life. Yet whether through Kriyayoga yoga, mantra yoga or remembrance of the Divine Name (think here on the experience of Saints), or extensive prayer, one is apt to live a miraculous sort of existence this way, when one practices these sorts of techniques for loving. At the same time, Further, I feel that Kriyayoga is more realistic than the impermeable "hat" or "bubble" existence method. This is because via the former, we learn to accept what actually is. As such, we are more accepting of the present moment, are generally less reactive and more active in all situations, we increase our friendly existence with all, we can begin to learn about our very intimate connection with others, and we lovingly include the body — whatever it presents — in our spiritual endeavours.
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